Be a Micro Entrepreneur!

We live in a connected economy. The Internet is a connection machine. All you need is a laptop. These connections are changing the world. Make connections. Make a difference.

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here’s the opportunity. Aim lower if you’re just setting out on your own. Keep your day job, aim for slow and steady growth on the side. Forget the million dollar ideas: solve an everyday problem or improve on an existing business model.

  • Start in a proven market. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There are plenty of business models where the demand is already validated.
  • Keep your day job at first. Negotiate to work part-time. Or work on your own thing before/after the daily grind. Consider quitting only if your personal runway is at least 12-24 months.
  • Aim lower. Go for $1 revenue first. Then $100, then $1,000. Start one step lower than you think you should. Achieving something constantly keeps you motivated and in the game.

A basic toolkit for keeping things simple, low-cost and light-weight:

  • NameCheap – Cheap hosting and domains for websites.
  • Trello – Keep your tasks organized in one place./p>
  • Notion – Organize tasks and collect knowledge.
  • Carrd – Easily create websites on templates.
  • Plausible – Simpler website analytics.
  • Calendly – Book meetings without the hassle.
  • Gumroad – Sell digital products.
  • Welder – Host and record video calls.
  • TypeForm – People-friendly forms and surveys.
  • Wave Accounting – Accounting tools.
  • Having many small bets in the validation phase covers more surface area. And lowers the risk of not finding a product-market fit. Increase focus on what works after you’ve found some traction.
  • Keeping the total risk low allows you to learn more over time. Failing doesn’t mean it’s final. You can start over. Just don’t quit completely.

Lower risk can mean lower profits. But more is not always better. Staying small can also be a great goal.

  • Micro SaaS Idea – This newsletter grew to 600 free subscribers in 2 months. After 1,000 subscribers it was launched on Product Hunt and made already $800/MRR. Since then growth has picked up, latest stats:
    • +3000 subscribers
    • $1500/MRR
    • $4k in total salesonly after 100 days. The founder @upen946 shares his progress openly on Twitter.
  • Startup Without Code – Meisuleen made 11 presales within 2 days for her Notion dashboard after posting it on Reddit. She has a part-time job and is aiming ultimately at $4K-5K/MRR income while inspiring other women do the same. She believes strongly in picking trending and already validated ideas to keep the risks lower.
  • Ark Watcher – Stan Choi built up the backbone of his investment newsletter in 1 day while working full time as a software engineer. After leveraging YouTubers for shoutouts he was able to grow to +1,000 subscribers in just one month. Ark Watcher has now over 8,000 subscribers and is monetizing through sponsorships.
  • More and more entrepreneurs will build micro-businesses and then sell them for small wins before moving on. QuantMaps was sold for $9k, One Item Store for $5.3k. See Microacquire for a marketplace.

Resources

Don’t aim big, especially on the first time. Go for proven business models. Concentrate on making the first sale, the first dollar and keeping the first client happy. Manage risks and be sure to have a plan-B.