Last week we talked about "Small Tech". There is an alternative to pursuing growth at all costs. So much so that there are people and companies staying small on purpose. The canonical example of this is Basecamp, a tech company that has not taken outside investment for the past 15+ years, doesn't give its employees stocks and builds great products at their own pace.
But there are many other examples, and not only in tech. The Internet has allowed an incredible amount of successful ventures that we can't even imagine. Echoing Patio11's Law "The software economy is bigger than you think, even when you take into account Patio11’s Law", I realized that "Making Money On The Internet Is Easier Than You Think even after you think about it".
So I started compiling a list of successful solo operations. Here are a few:
- Oxbridge Notes is a marketplace where students buy and sell their notes. It is built and maintained by a single person. It makes around $30K per month.
- Caleb Porzio makes a living by contributing to open-source software. He makes more than $100K per year through GitHub Sponsors
- Levels.io makes more than $1MM per year with his site Nomad List, a paid community of digital nomads.
Of course, this doesn't mean that all enterprises are successful, nor that they're easy. But, I find these stories inspiring. To me, they're a powerful reminder that despite everything that's happening around the World, it has never been easier to make a living on your own terms. All it takes is a decent Internet connection, a willingness to try new things and, patience.
If you've been wanting to start something new I'd encourage you to try it. The worse that can happen is that you end up in the same place you're right now. The stakes have never been so low. And, remember there's no need to get fancy: there are folks making more than $250K with vending machines.
Now, I'd love to hear your own Internet success stories, what have you tried, what has worked for you?