Starter Story - No-Code Millionaires

Dear starters,

Pat Walls here, creator of Starter Story.

As you know, every Thursday I send you an email highlighting the best case studies that we've published on our platform. This is a bite-sized summary of the most interesting experiences that starters have shared with us.

I hope you enjoy it!

And remember that as a newsletter subscriber, you are eligible for a very special deal to enjoy unlimited access to our Ideas database. Join us now and get Starter Story Premium for $79/year, a 45% discount from our regular price. That’s just $1.71 per week, an absolute no brainer investment in your business.

No-Code Millionaires

I love this tweet from Hrishikesh. Everything that helps you get your business idea off the ground has to be considered. There aren’t tools better than others This guy coded dozens of apps, yet his bigger winner is something built on no-code. Users don't care about how you built your product.

We spoke to Hrishikesh almost 2 years ago when he was building a community of remote workers. Super interesting story!

Today everybody can build, launch and run a million dollar business with a very simple no-code stack. No need to develop expensive custom solutions, just find an idea and start a business, the possibilities are endless and these case studies prove that no-code isn’t just for simple projects:

• A $1.2M/year bootstrapped tech talent platform [Zapier + Proposify + Monday.com]
• A $1M/year smart ad creator [Sendgrid + Segment + Stripe]
• A virtual community for indie founders with 2,000+ members [Google Sheets + Airtable + Carrd + Zapier]

7 Pivots To Success

After a failed ecommerce venture, Danavir took advantage of that experience and started a service to handle email marketing for ecommerce companies.

The part I love the most about this story is how he made 7 different pivots until he found the right way to package his service.

Also, he has some genius strategies to get new customers, like starting a podcast so he could pitch to guests right after the interview. Today, the business makes $96K/year.

If you can help ecommerce companies grow, you can make a lot of money. These are some examples of the businesses you could start:

• Paid marketing agency ($50K/month)
• Digital marketing agency ($12K/month)
• Social media and PPC management ($12K/month)
• Amazon consulting service ($80K/month)

20 low-investment business ideas for introverts

Did you know that three of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world identify as introverts? It's true - Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg all share that unique characteristic in common.

Contrary to what some may think, introverted people make for remarkable business leaders and entrepreneurs. If you're an introvert, you may really enjoy the journey of starting your own business.

So, if you’ve been thinking about starting a business but feel hesitant because you consider yourself an introvert, just remember:

1. Make your strengths your competitive advantage. Especially those strengths that you enjoy. For example, maybe you like programming, writing, or designing. Those skills can be the lynchpin of a hugely successful business.
    
2. Own your weaknesses, & outsource them. If selling isn’t your best attribute, find a partner that is good at it. Outsource projects that you’re not comfortable with to freelancers. Don’t let your weaknesses stop you from reaching your goals!

💰 Start your own business today

Learn from real people sharing real stories. The struggles, the wins, the good and the bad. 

How do people get inspired and find great business opportunities? How do they get their 10 first clients? What challenges do they face at every stage and how to overcome them?

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We started a $3M/year business in college

Nik and Garret had an idea when they were in college: gummy sweets that are vitamin supplements.

As you’d expect, their journey was a rollercoaster. After coming up with the idea, they pitched it around and raised a bunch of money. Of course, they totally bombed the launch. This is an awesome story on how they bounced back from 1-2 orders per week to selling $250K of their product every month.

College students have a unique advantage because they can work with very little and have nothing to lose. Here's how you can think more like a college student…

• Michael started a $20K/month cigar subscription
• Regina created an innovative travel accessory
• Three friends launched the OpenTable for nightlife [$1M/Year]

$12M Hobbies

Alan is the founder of Infinite Discs - the largest direct-to-consumer disc golf retailer in the world.

How did he go from discovering the sport by pure chance to generating more than $1M in monthly revenue? In his interview, Alan reviews in detail their main customer acquisition strategies:

• Social media
• Email newsletter
• Rewards program
• Amazon & eBay

Hobbies can become money-making machines. After a while, the knowledge you acquire together with the passion to dedicate yourself to an activity that you are passionate about is an excellent foundation to launch a new business. See below some case studies of hobbies turned into successful businesses:

• Getting celebrities contact details (6-figures business)
• Selling wood crafts on Etsy ($84K/year)
• TikTok & Instagram automation tool ($360K/year)
• Healthy dog treats ($130K/year)

Trending articles this week

1. I make $2K/month matching brands and influencers

2. Leaving my dream job to start a $5K/month online community for designers

3. How I turned my childhood passion into a $180K/year web design consultancy

4. We started a $3.6M/year medical equipment business [From India]

5. We built, launched & monetized a Slack bot in 3 weeks

6. Being AI experts led us to start a $1.26M/year company

7. I make $4M/year helping people run successful crowdfunding campaigns

8. Our analytics app for Shopify reached $12K MRR in just 7 months

9. I turned a failing startup idea into a successful e-book business

10. I started a $2.4M/year marketing agency from home

Looking for a job, or some work on the side?

Get your feet wet before you take the plunge into founder life.

Many of the companies we interview are hiring in operations, design, marketing, engineering, and more...

Check out our jobs portal for all new opportunities - new jobs are added every day!

Thanks for reading!

Pat

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