19 lessons learned from 0 to $500k / year in 15 months. My talk from the DCBKK conference in 2014.

1. 19 lessons learned from 0
to $500k / year
in 15 months
Dan Norris - Co-founder contentclub.co
Dan Norris

2. D@an Notrhris e- Cod-foaunndern coonterntrcliusb.co

3. Dan’s job in 2006
I had no manager and 100% autonomy
I had a 6 figure budget
I didn't have to manage people
They paid me even if I didn't show up - in fact more
They paid for my IT training even though I was a HR adviser
They gave me free train travel
They let me build million dollar software systems
They paid me shitloads and promoted me every year

4. Dan Norris - Co-founder contentclub.co

5. I’m going to be a millionaire by
30!

6. Dan Norris - Co-founder contentclub.co

7. I’m going to be a software
entrepreneur!

8. Me before working on inform.ly

9. Me after

11. WTF happened?

13. WP Curve today
Team of 23
Co-founder in the US
570 customers
$42,600 monthly revenue ($40k recurring)
10%+ monthly growth for 15 out of 16 months
50,000+ monthly site visits

15. I learned some things

16. 1. You don't learn until you launch (make decisions based on customer data and nothing else)
2. Validation is overrated - launch
3. You don't need to build software to have a scalable, high growth startup
4. Idea, Execution, Hustle = Success
5. You can’t go it alone - build a team
6. The best decisions for a first time entrepreneur are different to a seasoned entrepreneur
7. Look for product / founder fit
8. Make your business look like a startup - benchmark against the best
9. Aim for month on month growth not a big launch
10.Content marketing is brand building not lead generation
11.Build something for a large market
12.Have a unique lead generation advantage
13.Have a simple business model
14.Measure only what matters at the time
15.The key to growth is word of mouth - the first step in word of mouth is retention
16.Have recurring or predictable revenue
17.Don’t solve problems you don’t have
18.No one understands your business like you do
19.Sometimes success is hidden inside failure

17. Learn more
• wpcurve.com/dcbkk
• wpcurve.com/7daystartup
• wpcurve.com/blog
• @thedannorris on Twitter
• dan@wpcurve.com
• Please approach me