Hey bootstrappers,

The best people to start a business with are those you know.

And who do you know better than your friends and family?

Sure, you might squabble from time to time, but it’s also easier to make up. 

You understand each other, and challenges bring you closer. 

Some of the best startups began at the dinner table or over a friendly beer (as this week’s founders show).

Next time you have an entrepreneurial idea brewing, tell a friend or loved one. They might help you make your first million dollars 🤝

Joaquin and Eugenia met at a VC firm. They pooled their respective talents and founded a multimillion dollar software business that also supplies best-in-class coders to the market.

This Husband-and-Wife Team Built a $9 Million Business That Helps Companies Overcome Their Lack of Engineering Talent

“When we worked at the VC firm, we didn’t necessarily learn the technical aspects of running a business. However, we learned a much more important lesson: anyone can build a startup. As long as you have enough enthusiasm and truly believe in what you are creating, you can make it happen.”

Kyle and Eli sketched their business plan on a beer-stained napkin. Today, they supply eye-catching imagery to ecommerce businesses that helps customers shop with confidence.

How These College Buddies Sketched Out a Million-Dollar Business at the Local Watering Hole

“We network our butts off and connect with people. If you want to be seen, you’ve got to show up. When you’re on a penny budget, you’ve got to grind your butt off and shake as many hands and connecting with as many people on LinkedIn as you can.”

Thomas saw an opportunity to help his friend Jonathan grow his email marketing platform in a notoriously saturated market. Here’s how they made it by going from free to paid.

How These Founders Went From Giving Away Their Product to Making $130,000 in MRR

“The strategy was to just get the word out, and then we would work out how to make money from it later. The monetization strategy for a SaaS product is quite simple. So for us, it was a case of getting people to use it and then introduce paid plans.”

Newlyweds Hans and Luis settled in Austin to bake their way to success, only to then face cancellations and rogue agencies before a celebrity tweet saved their cookie dough (figuratively and literally!).

This Married Couple is Baking Their Way to One Million Dollars in Revenue a Year

“We surround ourselves with people who can advise us and who have a ton of experience in different fields. We have integrated every single part of our business and now we measure everything so it’s easier to know if we are on track.”

Belmont University alumni Jake and Jeff built a boutique media agency that, today, produces podcasts for Siemens and Facebook. Here’s how the college friends made their first million.

This Founder Struck Marketing Gold When He Built a White-Glove Podcasting Service That Now Nets $100,000+ MRR

“Eventually we looked around and asked, ‘Who are our happiest clients?’ and ‘Who do we enjoy working with the most?’ It was clear that podcasting was where our clients were getting the best results and where we were having a lot of fun.”

 -Joaquin Quintas, Coderio

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