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- $1M+ a year
Revenue milestone · $1M+ a year
Businesses making $1M a year or more
The 1M.chat dataset has 596 businesses at $83k+ a month. 596 of them have a revenue figure the founder reported in an interview. Their median is $206K a month, and 100% were at $1M a year or more when interviewed, with a median team of 10 employees. The growth channels founders credited most often were organic social media (54%), SEO & organic search (52%), word of mouth & referrals (38%).
Revenue at interview
| Under $1K/mo | 0 | |
| $1K–$10K/mo | 0 | |
| $10K–$50K/mo | 0 | |
| $50K–$83K/mo | 0 | |
| $1M+ a year | 596 | |
| $1M+ a month | 0 |
Growth channels credited
| Organic social media | 54% | |
| SEO & organic search | 52% | |
| Word of mouth & referrals | 38% | |
| Paid ads | 35% | |
| Email & newsletters | 27% |
Share of 411 businesses with channel information; founders often name several.
Industries in this group
| Agencies & services | 115 | |
| Software & SaaS | 104 | |
| Other physical products | 54 | |
| Fashion, apparel & accessories | 43 | |
| Home, lifestyle & gifts | 33 | |
| Marketplaces & platforms | 31 |
Tools named most: Instagram (40%), Twitter (21%), Shopify (17%), Google Drive (12%), YouTube (10%) — of 161 that listed tools.
Case studies
Read how they did it
- 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.$525K/mofounder-reported 2023
- ContentCreator.com: online courses for video creators at $500K a monthOnline education platform teaching professional content creation skills to aspiring creators.$500K/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.$6M/yrfounder-reported 2023
- 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.$5M/yrfounder-reported 2024
- Man of Many: how a men's lifestyle publisher built a $4M a year businessmen's lifestyle publication covering products and culture$4M/yrfounder-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.$4M/yrfounder-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.$267K/mofounder-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.$250K/mofounder-reported 2023
- PokeNE Trading: selling Pokémon cards to collectors at $3M a yearPokeNE sells Pokemon cards in multiple languages and other TCGs to collectors online.$3M/yrfounder-reported 2024
- 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.$2.5M/yrfounder-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.$190K/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.$175K/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.$170K/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.$2M/yrfounder-reported 2022
- Solo Female Travelers: small-group luxury tours for women at $150K a monthWomen-only luxury tours led by women for women to bucket list destinations$150K/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 health$1.5M/yrfounder-reported 2024
- 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.$1.5M/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.$1.4M/yrfounder-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.$100K/mofounder-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.$100K/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.$100K/mofounder-reported 2024
- Lucasgift: handmade and personalized gifts at $100K a monthLucasgift is a marketplace for handmade and personalized gift items for birthdays, anniversaries, and special moments.$100K/mofounder-reported 2024
- 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.$1.2M/yrfounder-reported 2023
- T is for Tame: kids' hair care products at $90K a monthKids hair care products$90K/mofounder-reported 2023
- 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.$85K/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.$85K/mofounder-reported 2024
Examples
Highest founder-reported revenues in this group
| Business | What it sells | Revenue / month | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| GiftBasketsOverse...Other physical products | Personal and corporate gift baskets delivered worldwide | $916Kfounder interview | United States |
| Drake’s Organic S...Food & beverage | Organic spirits, mixers and ready-to-serve cocktails | $900Kfounder interview 2022 | United States |
| ClickMeetingSoftware & SaaS | Webinar and online meeting platform | $897Kfounder interview 2022 | Poland |
| SalesScreenSoftware & SaaS | Sales gamification software for sales teams | $892Kfounder interview 2023 | Norway |
| ScalenutAI tools & apps | AI-powered SEO and content marketing platform | $858Kfounder interview 2022 | India |
| Scrubblade Inc.Other physical products | wiper blades for vehicles | $850Kfounder interview | United States |
| The Farm SohoLocal & brick-and-mortar businesses | Affordable coworking space for startups | $833Kfounder interview 2022 | United States |
| KinetikSoftware & SaaS | Healthcare transportation infrastructure and billing software | $833Kfounder interview | United States |
| PushPressSoftware & SaaS | Gym management software for boutique fitness businesses | $833Kfounder interview | United States |
| Elixinol GlobalHealth, fitness & wellness | hemp and CBD wellness products | $800Kfounder interview | Australia |
| Vesta Preferred R...Finance & real estate | Residential real estate sales, rentals and investments | $800Kfounder interview | United States |
| Project RepatHome, lifestyle & gifts | custom quilts made from old t-shirts | $800Kfounder interview 2018 | United States |
| Zero Gravity Mark...Agencies & services | Digital marketing services including SEO, paid media, and web design | $800Kfounder interview 2022 | United States |
| Origen RV Accesso...Outdoor, sports & travel | permanent jack pads for RVs | $780Kfounder interview | Canada |
| Casino GuruNewsletters, blogs & media | Online casino reviews and information | $773Kfounder interview | Slovakia |
| IronmasterHealth, fitness & wellness | home gym strength training equipment and adjustable dumbbells | $771Kfounder interview 2021 | United States |
| MrScraperSoftware & SaaS | data scraping automation platform | $756Kfounder interview 2025 | United States |
| Dabdoub Law FirmAgencies & services | Disability insurance law representation | $750Kfounder interview 2024 | United States |
| Bailey's BlossomsFashion, apparel & accessories | children's clothing | $750Kfounder interview | United States |
| TeclaMarketplaces & platforms | AI-assisted recruiting service for tech talent in Latin America | $750Kfounder interview | United States |
Revenue as the founder reported it in a Starter Story interview, at the interview date; not current revenue. “What it sells” is a 1M.chat summary. How this data is built
Questions
How much do businesses at $83k+ a month typically make?
Among 596 businesses at $83k+ a month with founder-reported revenue, the median was $206K a month at the time of the interview. The sample is founders who chose to be interviewed, so it leans toward businesses that were already working; treat it as a range of real outcomes, not an average for everyone who tries.
How many businesses at $83k+ a month reached $1M a year?
596 of 596 (100%) reported at least $83K a month, the run-rate for $1M a year.
How did businesses at $83k+ a month find customers?
Of 411 with growth-channel information, founders most often credited organic social media (54%), SEO & organic search (52%), word of mouth & referrals (38%), paid ads (35%), email & newsletters (27%). Channels are grouped by 1M.chat from what founders said worked.
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