🚀 The 5 figure founder story

Hey Guy & Farzan here 👋 

4 founder stories for you today. Let’s get into it.

Read time: 8 mins

In the mail:

1. Founder Story: The Supademo founder story 🚀

2. Founder Story: Reimagining news with The Daily Aus 🗞️

3. Founder story: Ryan’s $500-a-day pressure washer business 💦

4. Founder Story: Siqi Chen’s story with Runway 💚

5. Founder short: Tip for founder stress 😌

6. Founder quote: On being right 💡

1. Founder story

🚀 From Craiglist from Craigslist to Creating Supademo: How Joseph Lee built a 5-figure revenue startup in one Year

Meet Joseph Lee, the mastermind behind Supademo, a game-changing tool for creating interactive demos. From arbitraging bulk retail goods on Craigslist to pioneering Supademo, Joseph's journey is nothing short of remarkable.

🛤️ Joseph's Path to Success:

1. 🌱 Early Ventures: Started his entrepreneurial journey at 15, selling bulk retail goods online.

2. 🎓 Dropping Out: Left university to pursue entrepreneurship full-time.

3. 💡 Idea Inception: Inspired by his and co-founder Koushik Marka's experiences, developed Supademo to solve real-world problems in conveying product value.

4. 🚀 First Customers: Gained initial traction by engaging with communities and thought leaders, applying a personal touch in marketing.

5. 🎯 Validating Product-Market Fit: Emphasized customer discovery, focusing on understanding real market needs.

6. 💼 Growth: Leveraged unscalable tactics like creating custom demos, contributing to communities, and investing in SEO to reach their first 100 customers.

📈 Essential Lesson for Founders: "Focus on problem-solving and customer discovery before coding. It's about understanding the market needs deeply and aligning your product accordingly."

👉 Read the full story on Founderoo.

2. Founder story

🗞️ Making News Relatable: The Daily Aus and Its 500K Instagram followers' journey to transforming news for young Australians.

1️⃣ From Politics to Pioneers 🎓
Zara's journey began steeped in politics and news, studying political science and later diving into Sky News and lobbying. This backdrop set the stage for her future as a founder, though she never initially envisioned it. Similarly, Sam's roots were also deep in the world of current affairs, making them the perfect duo for a news-focused venture.

2️⃣ A Spark in 2018 💡 
The Daily Aus was born as a passion project. Zara and Sam, armed with their insight into news and politics, aimed to bridge a gap in the market for youth-centric, engaging news. It started as a simple Instagram account, translating complex news into bite-sized, understandable content.

3️⃣ Taking the Leap in 2021 🌊 
With no business plan but a burgeoning Instagram audience, both founders quit their jobs on the same day to fully commit to TDA. This leap marked the transformation of TDA from a hobby to a full-fledged business venture.

4️⃣ Building and Expanding 🌍
TDA evolved, staying true to its core of accessible news but diversifying into newsletters, podcasts, videos, TikTok, and even a polling service. Each step was guided by audience needs, ensuring TDA's growth remained grounded in its mission.

5️⃣ Navigating Challenges and Growth 📈 
TDA's growth was partly fueled by influencers sharing its content. This strategy not only expanded their reach but also positioned TDA as a neutral, trusted source in the news landscape.

6️⃣ Learning from Mistakes 🛠️
Zara and Sam emphasize transparency, especially when errors occur. This approach has been crucial in building and maintaining trust with their audience.

📚 Tools of the Trade 
Canva, Mailchimp, Slack, and Riverside are essential in TDA's operations, facilitating everything from content creation to internal communication.

🧠 Key Lesson for Founders
"Don’t be reckless in either direction" - a guiding principle that has shaped their journey. It speaks to the balance needed between risk-taking and caution, a vital lesson for any entrepreneur.

👉 Read the full story on Founderoo.

3. Founder story

💦 See how Ryan makes $500/day with pressure washing

Wondering if a pressure washer business is right for you? Discover how Ryan Woods turned his power-washing startup into a six-figure success in our latest video. Ryan, who began Emerald City Power Washing in 2019, shares valuable insights on starting with a small budget, choosing profitable services, and building a strong customer base. Learn about his unique approaches, including eco-friendly options, and get tips on hiring and training staff for quality service. Tune in to hear Ryan's journey and tips for making your business thrive.

4. Founder story

💚 Introducing Siqi Chen, CEO of Runway, the revolutionary financial platform backed by top tech leaders. Simplifying business finance for all.

Meet Siqi Chen, the CEO and founder of Runway. Runway is a groundbreaking financial platform that combines business knowledge with numbers, making it easier for everyone in a company to understand complex business details. Siqi is an experienced entrepreneur and has already successfully sold two startups before starting Runway. Supported by a16z, Garry Tan, and Dylan Field, the CEO of Figma, Runway stands at the crossroads of finance and ease of use. It's changing the way businesses understand and manage their finances.

5. Founder short

😌 Tip for founder stress

6. Founder quote 💡

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See you in 7 days.
Guy + Farzan 👋 
Founderoo