Hey bootstrappers,

>> Observe and prosper 🖖

When was the last time you reflected on what’s around you?

I mean really thinking about what you see.

Change is the entrepreneur’s clay, but it tends to be gradual and easy to miss. 

Spot the changes early, however, and you can sculpt a profitable business from what you see.

Take this week’s founders, for example… 

One realized we now have the tools to make gestures of gratitude more impactful. 

Another noticed he’d already developed the skills to build a successful marketing agency. 

And one discovered ecommerce had set a new paradigm for music charts.

Cultivating an awareness of change is hard. 

It’s a bit like mindfulness meditation – it takes practice and you get better at it over time. 

But once you become sensitive to the world, you start to spot ways it could be better. 

Insight that could be the foundation of a new business.

Val Hinov couldn’t believe in-office gifting still involved bulging envelopes of loose change, last-minute greetings cards, and lacklustre participation – so he built a better way.

How This Founder Turned Gratitude Into a Scalable Online Business That Brings Smiles Worldwide

“Someone would remember the upcoming event last-minute and buy them a card to be shared discreetly, except it never was. And those who could sign the card only had space to add two words. Then we’d have this envelope tearing with coins, but who uses cash anymore?”

Tommy Stalknecht saw the rise of ecommerce platforms like Shopify as an opportunity to correct the failings of Billboard singles tracking and give artists greater control over sales.

A Chance Encounter in Music City Led This Founder to $1.5 Million ARR

“What we added to the music space was letting live-stream tickets count as sales. Companies could run promos like, ‘Buy a t-shirt and get access to a live stream of this artist.’ This helped artists make $23 million on live streams during COVID. I’m very happy and proud of that.”

Kevin Schrage learned the value of his marketing expertise after working alongside an inspirational founder who taught him the value of patience and persistence.

You Don’t Need to Be an Inventor to Build a Startup: This Founder Used His Marketing Expertise To Fuel a Successful Agency

“Working alongside Andrew gave me a new perspective on how to be a successful entrepreneur. I saw him do the little things consistently. It wasn’t about coming up with a great idea and turning it into an overnight success.”

 - Kevin Schrage, Brandarrow

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What did you think of this week's stories?