How to build a profitable business idea that can make you $1M+ a...
Tim Denning@Tim_Denning
86 views
Oct 01, 2025
~3 min read
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How to build a profitable business idea that can make you $1M+ a year: 🧵
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The internet is flooded with great business ideas.
But most people:
• Overthink it
• Think making money online is a scam
• Choose models that have lottery odds
You can be different.
But most people:
• Overthink it
• Think making money online is a scam
• Choose models that have lottery odds
You can be different.
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1. Write down your skills and experience
Too many people try to sell stuff they have no experience with. So no one trusts them & no one buys. Instead...
Focus on what you're already good at.
Too many people try to sell stuff they have no experience with. So no one trusts them & no one buys. Instead...
Focus on what you're already good at.
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• What are you 10 steps ahead of than most people? (Not 1000 steps)
• Who can you help?
• What are you passionate about?
• What business can you write about every day for 10 years?
• What do you currently do as a hobby?
• What do friends/family ask you to help them with?
• Who can you help?
• What are you passionate about?
• What business can you write about every day for 10 years?
• What do you currently do as a hobby?
• What do friends/family ask you to help them with?
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2. If you're just doing it for money, you'll never make any real money.
Choose a business idea that:
• Has work that doesn't feel like work
• Aligns with what you love doing
• Has customers you like working with
• Can scale in 6 months (not 10 years)
• Doesn't need outside investment to start
• Has leverage
• Is digital
Choose a business idea that:
• Has work that doesn't feel like work
• Aligns with what you love doing
• Has customers you like working with
• Can scale in 6 months (not 10 years)
• Doesn't need outside investment to start
• Has leverage
• Is digital
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3. Make sure the idea can make $1M+
Books won't make you $1M.
Subst*ck newsletters won't make you $1M.
Notion templates won't make you $1M.
Answer: start with a high ticket offer
Books won't make you $1M.
Subst*ck newsletters won't make you $1M.
Notion templates won't make you $1M.
Answer: start with a high ticket offer
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Do the obvious math upfront
How many customers would you need?
How much would each transaction need to be?
What would be the rough cost to deliver?
You'll never sell a $5/month S*bstack newsletter again when you do this.
How many customers would you need?
How much would each transaction need to be?
What would be the rough cost to deliver?
You'll never sell a $5/month S*bstack newsletter again when you do this.
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4. Choose the right business model
Selling information in 2025 in the age of AI is the worst. Yet that's what most people do.
Consider doing:
• Live cohort
• Mastermind
• Coaching
• Consulting
• Agency
• Challenges
• Paid workshops
• Freelancing
Selling information in 2025 in the age of AI is the worst. Yet that's what most people do.
Consider doing:
• Live cohort
• Mastermind
• Coaching
• Consulting
• Agency
• Challenges
• Paid workshops
• Freelancing
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5. Make sure you're an owner, not a renter
People get sucked into Gumroad, Subst*ck, Medium, etc and have no control.
As soon as distribution goes down or fees become enormous, they've got nothing.
Never get locked in.
• Sell in a place that's movable
• Use your own Stripe account
• Build your email list
People get sucked into Gumroad, Subst*ck, Medium, etc and have no control.
As soon as distribution goes down or fees become enormous, they've got nothing.
Never get locked in.
• Sell in a place that's movable
• Use your own Stripe account
• Build your email list
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6. Choose a highly profitable topic
Examples:
- Money
- Crypto
- Investing
- Business
- Entrepreneurship
- Solopreneurship
- Freelancing
- Sales
- Lead gen / DM
- Social media, personal brand, marketing
- Fractional C-Level Executives
- Self-Improvement
- Productivity
- Life coaching
- Tech
- AI
- Coding
- Automation
- Health
- Fitness
- Mindfulness
- Breathwork
- Weight loss
- Stress reduction
- Relationships
- Divorce
- Marriage counselling
- Dating
- Therapy
Examples:
- Money
- Crypto
- Investing
- Business
- Entrepreneurship
- Solopreneurship
- Freelancing
- Sales
- Lead gen / DM
- Social media, personal brand, marketing
- Fractional C-Level Executives
- Self-Improvement
- Productivity
- Life coaching
- Tech
- AI
- Coding
- Automation
- Health
- Fitness
- Mindfulness
- Breathwork
- Weight loss
- Stress reduction
- Relationships
- Divorce
- Marriage counselling
- Dating
- Therapy
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7. Business idea amplifiers
• Copy something successful (with your twist)
• Take a complex idea & make it simple
• Turn a system into a digital product
• Rebuild an existing experience
• Help people automate tasks
• Copy something successful (with your twist)
• Take a complex idea & make it simple
• Turn a system into a digital product
• Rebuild an existing experience
• Help people automate tasks
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8. Sell your time at the start
This lets you:
• Find a target audience
• Build sales skills
• Make money
• Test offers
Then later on hire contractors to scale your offer to $1M+
This lets you:
• Find a target audience
• Build sales skills
• Make money
• Test offers
Then later on hire contractors to scale your offer to $1M+
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Final Thought
The best business ideas are uns*xy.
If you hear "passive income" then run. If it sounds easy it's bullsh*t.
And selling info products as a core offer is dead. But if you solve a real problem...
And you give a damn, then you'll make plenty of money.
The best business ideas are uns*xy.
If you hear "passive income" then run. If it sounds easy it's bullsh*t.
And selling info products as a core offer is dead. But if you solve a real problem...
And you give a damn, then you'll make plenty of money.
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What’s the difference between making $10K per month and $100K per month?
It’s this: timdenning.com/simple-scaling/
It’s this: timdenning.com/simple-scaling/