How they got there, one business at a time

Each case opens with one sentence on the business and an at-a-glance card: what it sells, who buys, how it charges, revenue with its date and source, start cost, team and growth channels.

Software & SaaS798 Agencies & services461 Newsletters, blogs & media307 AI tools & apps209 Courses & education171 Fashion, apparel & accessories149 Marketplaces & platforms145 Home, lifestyle & gifts141 Other physical products133 Mobile apps & games105 Health, fitness & wellness99 Food & beverage85 Local & brick-and-mortar businesses84 Outdoor, sports & travel79 Finance & real estate74 Beauty & personal care61

BetterPic: turning selfies into AI headshots at $20K a monthAI headshot generator turning selfies into professional headshots for busy professionals and job seekersAI tools & apps$20K/mofounder-reported 2024
ContentCreator.com: online courses for video creators at $500K a monthOnline education platform teaching professional content creation skills to aspiring creators.Courses & education$500K/mofounder-reported 2023
EntryLevel: tech skills courses for career starters at $40K a monthEntryLevel helps people learn tech skills and get project experience to land a tech job.Courses & education$40K/mofounder-reported 2023
Filterbuy: how an online air filter seller grew to $250M a yearManufactures pleated air filters and offers HVAC services to families, businesses, and organizations across the United States.Other physical products$250M/yrfounder-reported 2024
Man of Many: how a men's lifestyle publisher built a $4M a year businessmen's lifestyle publication covering products and cultureNewsletters, blogs & media$4M/yrfounder-reported 2023
Solo Female Travelers: small-group luxury tours for women at $150K a monthWomen-only luxury tours led by women for women to bucket list destinationsOutdoor, sports & travel$150K/mofounder-reported 2023
The Cat Cafe: a San Diego cat café at $40K a month, and why it started charging admissionA cat café in downtown San Diego offering coffee and adoptable cats to locals and tourists.Local & brick-and-mortar businesses$40K/mofounder-reported 2024
UpHex: white-label ad software for HighLevel agencies at $190K a monthUpHex sells white-label Facebook and Google ad campaign software to marketing agencies.Software & SaaS$190K/mofounder-reported 2023
Vonu: one baby lounger product that reached $100K a month in its first yearVonu sells the Burplee lounger, a baby product for tummy time, reflux, and gas relief, to parents.Home, lifestyle & gifts$100K/mofounder-reported 2024
Wellyx: management software for gyms, spas and studios at $60K a monthCloud-based management and marketing software for gyms, spas, dance studios, salons, and yoga studiosSoftware & SaaS$60K/mofounder-reported 2023
Arsenal Health: a Denver clinic, gym and recovery center at $1.5M a yearDenver clinic, gym, and recovery under one roof for active adults optimizing healthHealth, fitness & wellness$1.5M/yrfounder-reported 2024
Artificial Workflow: an AI automation agency for consultants at $10K a monthAI automation agency that designs, builds, and runs business workflow automations for teamsAI tools & apps$10K/mofounder-reported 2024
Augustine Tours: tailor-made East African safaris at $54K a monthAugustine Tours sells tailor-made wildlife safari and cultural tour experiences around East Africa to travelers.Outdoor, sports & travel$54K/mofounder-reported 2023
Blend: an AI product photo tool for online sellers at $1.2M a yearBlend is an AI-powered design and product photography tool for e-commerce sellers.AI tools & apps$1.2M/yrfounder-reported 2023
Blue Surge Marketing Agency: a small marketing and web design firm at $14K a monthFull-service AI-powered marketing and website design firm helping businesses across the U.S. grow.Agencies & services$14K/mofounder-reported 2023
Bodybrics: a Pakistani gym wear brand at $5K a month, grown with SEOBodybrics sells activewear and gym wear to athletes in Pakistan.Fashion, apparel & accessories$5K/mofounder-reported 2023
Boil Boss: crawfish cookers and boil gear at $285K a yearBoil Boss sells crawfish cooker equipment and seafood boil accessories to backyard boilers and commercial setups.Home, lifestyle & gifts$285K/yrfounder-reported 2024
Cambridge Spectacle Co.: a direct-to-consumer eyewear brand at $100K a monthCambridge Spectacle Co makes high-quality glasses at fair prices, selling directly to consumers and through ASDA Opticians.Fashion, apparel & accessories$100K/mofounder-reported 2023
Dilly Dally Games: a free online dominoes game that earns $16K a monthFree online Mexican Train Dominoes game for casual players, especially women aged 65+Mobile apps & games$16K/mofounder-reported 2023
Dohful Cookies: eggless soft-baked cookies sold online in India at $15K a monthDohful sells handcrafted, eggless soft-baked cookies online to young Indian customers nationwide.Food & beverage$15K/mofounder-reported 2023
Earth's Creation: a private label supplement maker at $6M a yearEC Nutrition is a private label and contract manufacturer of nutraceuticals, selling to businesses and consumers.Health, fitness & wellness$6M/yrfounder-reported 2023
Ecomtent: AI product listings for e-commerce sellers at $100K a yearEcomtent enables e-commerce sellers to generate optimized product listings with AI.AI tools & apps$100K/yrfounder-reported 2023
Estii: pricing and estimation software for tech services firms at $10K a monthEstii is an estimation and pricing platform for service providers.Software & SaaS$10K/mofounder-reported 2024
Financial Samurai: a personal finance blog at $120K a year that started with a $1,000 adFinancial Samurai is a personal finance site that helps people achieve financial independence.Newsletters, blogs & media$120K/yrfounder-reported 2021
Frailey Woodworks: hardwood furniture from a family workshop at $30K a monthFamily-run Fort Worth company crafting artisan solid hardwood furniture for modern homes.Home, lifestyle & gifts$30K/mofounder-reported 2024
Fullfunnel: B2B demand generation consulting and training at $50K a monthFullFunnel.io trains and consults B2B revenue teams on account-based marketing and demand generation.Agencies & services$50K/mofounder-reported 2022
Hennessey Digital: an SEO agency for law firms that grew from one client to $20M a yearProvides SEO and digital marketing services for law firmsAgencies & services$20M/yrfounder-reported 2024
HMW Law: a criminal defense and injury firm started in an apartment, at $250K a monthA Cleveland law firm providing criminal defense and personal injury representation to individuals across Ohio.Agencies & services$250K/mofounder-reported 2023
Intelogos: selling AI workforce analytics to data-driven teams at $100K a monthAI-native workforce analytics platform that turns real-time activity into KPIs, benchmarks, and recommendations for data-driven teams.Software & SaaS$100K/mofounder-reported 2024
Live Helper Chat: an open-source live chat tool that earns $90K a yearOpen source live support chat for websites, sold to companies that want to host it themselves.Software & SaaS$90K/yrfounder-reported 2021
Longevity Box: UK longevity supplements and health tests at $75K a monthUK company selling longevity supplements and health diagnostic tests to health-conscious consumers.Health, fitness & wellness$75K/mofounder-reported 2023
Lucasgift: handmade and personalized gifts at $100K a monthLucasgift is a marketplace for handmade and personalized gift items for birthdays, anniversaries, and special moments.Home, lifestyle & gifts$100K/mofounder-reported 2024
Luna Nectar: vegan lash, brow and hair serums at $50K a monthLuna Nectar sells natural, vegan lash, brow, and hair density serums to people concerned with hair loss.Beauty & personal care$50K/mofounder-reported 2023
Mailbird: a desktop email app for Windows and Mac that grew to $170K a month on SEOMailbird sells a desktop email client for Windows and Mac that unifies multiple email accounts in one workspace.Software & SaaS$170K/mofounder-reported 2024
MI Express Care: a walk-in urgent care clinic in Michigan at $85K a monthWalk-in urgent care and primary care clinic serving patients in Canton and Ann Arbor, Michigan.Health, fitness & wellness$85K/mofounder-reported 2024
Missive: a shared inbox and team chat app at $2M a year with a small teamMissive sells a shared inbox and team chat app for businesses.Software & SaaS$2M/yrfounder-reported 2022
Pathpages: selling Notion templates through short videos at $20K a monthPathPages sells all-in-one Notion templates to help people organize their lives and get things done.Courses & education$20K/mofounder-reported 2024
PokeNE Trading: selling Pokémon cards to collectors at $3M a yearPokeNE sells Pokemon cards in multiple languages and other TCGs to collectors online.Other physical products$3M/yrfounder-reported 2024
QShark Moving: a moving company started at 18 that reached $5M a yearFull-service relocation company offering local, long-distance, packing and commercial moving in California and South Florida.Local & brick-and-mortar businesses$5M/yrfounder-reported 2024
Restworld: a hiring platform for restaurants and hotels at $35K a monthRestworld is a matching HR platform for the restaurant industry, connecting restaurants with workers.Marketplaces & platforms$35K/mofounder-reported 2023
Rezi: an AI resume builder at $2.5M a year, with 70,000 signups in one dayAI resume builder that helps job seekers create ATS-proof resumes to land more interviews.AI tools & apps$2.5M/yrfounder-reported 2024
SmartBuy Kenya: an online laptop and printer store at $30K a monthSmartBuy Kenya sells laptops and printers online to consumers and businesses in Kenya.Other physical products$30K/mofounder-reported 2023
SMB Law Group: a boutique firm for small business acquisitions at $267K a monthBoutique law firm providing M&A and legal services to small and medium-sized business buyers and owners.Agencies & services$267K/mofounder-reported 2024
Sockrates Custom: custom socks with a 7-day turnaround at $525K a monthSockrates Custom makes high-quality custom socks for B2B clients worldwide with a 7-day turnaround.Fashion, apparel & accessories$525K/mofounder-reported 2023
StatsDrone: an affiliate stats tool for iGaming affiliates at $20K a monthStatsDrone sells an affiliate stats aggregator SaaS to iGaming affiliates and affiliate networks.Software & SaaS$20K/mofounder-reported 2022
Subscrible: a mobile game catalog app with few or no ads at $85K a monthSubscrible offers gamers an ad-free mobile game catalog app and helps game developers grow revenue.Mobile apps & games$85K/mofounder-reported 2024
Swift App: booking and management software for indoor sports facilities at $120K a yearSwift builds software to help sports facility owners run their businesses, starting with indoor baseball facilities.Software & SaaS$120K/yrfounder-reported 2022
T is for Tame: kids' hair care products at $90K a monthKids hair care productsBeauty & personal care$90K/mofounder-reported 2023
Talknotes: an AI voice-notes app for creators at $5K a monthAI voice note app that turns voice notes into structured content for content creators and entrepreneursAI tools & apps$5K/mofounder-reported 2024
Tandoor Morni: selling tandoor ovens to restaurants and home cooks at $1M a monthTandoor Morni sells tandoor ovens and accessories to restaurants, caterers, and home chefs.Food & beverage$1M/mofounder-reported 2024
The Holistic Enchilada: a curly hair blog that earns $96K a yearBlogs about curly hair and clean beauty, helping people transition to natural texture.Newsletters, blogs & media$96K/yrfounder-reported 2022
The Office Providers: a flexible office search service at $14K a monthOnline office space and workspace search platform helping businesses find flexible workspaces.Marketplaces & platforms$14K/mofounder-reported 2023
Thomas Frank: Notion templates and tutorials at $175K a monthTeaches people how to use Notion and sells Notion templates for productivity and content creation.Courses & education$175K/mofounder-reported 2023
TitleCapture: quoting software for US title companies at $4M a yearTitleCapture sells a branded quoting app to title companies in the United States.Finance & real estate$4M/yrfounder-reported 2023
Tooltester: a website-builder review site that makes $1.4M a year from SEO trafficTooltester helps freelancers and small businesses create websites and market them using the best web tools.Newsletters, blogs & media$1.4M/yrfounder-reported 2023
Topnotch SEO: an SEO service for New Zealand local businesses at $7K a monthTopnotch SEO helps local business owners in New Zealand create an online presence to increase sales and leads.Agencies & services$7K/mofounder-reported 2022
Washmart: laundry and dry cleaning with pickup in India at $1.5M a yearWashmart provides professional laundry and dry cleaning services with pickup and delivery across India.Local & brick-and-mortar businesses$1.5M/yrfounder-reported 2023
Wishup: a virtual assistant marketplace from India at $10K a monthWishup connects business owners and entrepreneurs with virtual assistants, bookkeepers, and remote developers.Marketplaces & platforms$10K/mofounder-reported 2023
World Wide Stereo: a high-end audio retailer at $48M a yearWorld Wide Stereo sells, designs, and installs consumer electronics like audio, video, home theater, and smart home products to customers.Local & brick-and-mortar businesses$48M/yrfounder-reported 2023
Y2 Lending: a private real estate lender that started with one HELOC deal, at $7K a monthprivate and hard money real estate lendingFinance & real estate$7K/mofounder-reported 2023