Wins, failures, and the tactics that actually worked.
The complete log of building 500k.io from $0 to $500K ARR. Tactics + feelings, no fluff. New entries every week.
Lead Gen With AI by Vertical (Bathroom, MVA, Mutuelle)
I run lead gen across 3 verticals at The Kreators AI — US bathroom remodeling, US auto injury, and French mutuelle senior. AI changes the playbook by vertical. Here's how, with real CPLs.
Marketing Automation With AI in 2026 (Real Stack)
The honest marketing automation stack I run on 500k.io and The Kreators AI. 9 tools, $300-500/mo, and the 5 workflows that produce 80% of the leverage.
Premium Newsletter Tier Pricing: The Real Math
Most newsletter founders price the premium tier wrong. Here's the math from running The 500K Brief and the 4 questions that determine whether $9 or $29 is right for you.
M-Series Mac for AI Builders: What I Use
I run an M4 Max MacBook Pro every day for AI-heavy work. Here's the honest review, the specs that matter, what I'd skip, and whether you need an M-series Mac at all.
AI Customer Support: How One Person Handles 1,000+ Users
I support 1,000+ users solo across 500k.io and Synapse Circle. The AI customer support stack that makes it possible, the 4 rules I follow, and the line where AI hurts.
Notion AI Deep Tutorial (Real Solopreneur Use)
Notion AI gets dismissed too quickly. The 4 use cases where it earns its $10/mo, the 3 where you should use Claude or ChatGPT instead, and the workspace setup I run.
AI Cold Outbound: The Workflow That Generates Replies
Cold outbound is mostly dead in 2026 except for the operators who personalize at scale. Here's the exact workflow that gets 15-20% reply rate and the 5 things that kill it.
Cursor SDK Explained for Founders
Cursor released an SDK. Most founders don't need it. The ones who do save 10+ hours/week. Here's the 5-minute explainer and the 3 use cases that justify the learning curve.
ChatGPT for Solopreneurs: The 2026 Playbook
ChatGPT is the AI tool most solopreneurs use, but few use well. The 8 use cases that earn the $20/mo, the 3 that don't, and the prompts I keep on file.
Claude Code Beginner Guide 2026 (From Zero)
Never used a terminal? Never written code? This is the absolute zero-to-working-Claude-Code guide for non-engineer founders. 4 hours from install to first shipped script.
I Tried 50 AI Side Hustles. 3 Actually Work.
An honest 12-month experiment across 50 AI side hustles. The 47 that died, the 3 that work, and the pattern that explains why most fail.
The AI Sales Automation Playbook for Solo Founders
From cold outreach to closed deal — the AI sales automation stack I run for The Kreators AI and 500k.io. Tools, prompts, the 5-step workflow, and the line where humans still win.
AI Voice Cloning: My ElevenLabs Workflow
I cloned my voice in ElevenLabs 8 months ago. Here's the real workflow, what works, what to avoid, and the 3 use cases that justify the $22/month.
The AI Video Generation Stack in 2026
Sora 2, Runway Gen-4, Veo 3, Hailuo. I tested all four with the same 12 founder use cases. Here's what actually ships and what's still hype.
Claude Code Hooks: The Complete Tutorial (with 7 Real Examples)
Hooks turn Claude Code from a chat tool into a workflow engine. The event model, the settings.json shape, and 7 hooks I run daily on 500k.io to automate linting, security, and commits.
AI Image Generation for Solopreneurs: The Real Stack
Hero images, social posts, mockups, OG cards. The AI image generation stack I run for 500k.io, the 4 tools that earn their cost, and the 3 I tried and killed.
My Real Vibe Coding Workflow (8 Months In)
Vibe coding is what they call it when a non-engineer ships software by talking to AI in natural language. Here's mine — 8 months in, $9,500 MRR, what works and what's hype.
Building Your First MCP Server (No Engineering Degree)
MCP servers are how you give Claude (or any AI) access to your specific tools. Here's how to build your first one in 90 minutes, even if you're not a developer.
OpenAI Codex Tutorial for Non-Engineers (2026)
OpenAI Codex is back, and it's surprisingly good for non-engineers in 2026. The setup, the 4 use cases that actually work, and when to skip it for Claude Code or Cursor.
Monthly Transparency Report: May 2026
The monthly receipts. Revenue, costs, content shipped, traffic, citations, mistakes, and the next 30-day plan. May 2026 edition.
6 Months as a Solo Founder: The Real Numbers
The honest 6-month report from running 500k.io solo with AI as the only team. Revenue, costs, hours, mistakes, and what I'd do differently. No fluff.
Schema.org for AI Search: The 2026 Deep Dive
Schema.org markup is the single most underrated GEO lever in 2026. Here's the exact schema setup I run on 500k.io, the 6 schema types that matter, and the 3 mistakes that kill discoverability.
How I Track AI Citations Across ChatGPT, Perplexity, AIO
AI citations are the new backlinks. Here's the exact methodology I use to track 100+ queries weekly across 4 platforms, the n8n workflow that runs it, and what I do with the data.
Best LLM for Code in 2026 (I Tested All 5)
Claude Sonnet 4.6, GPT-5, Gemini 2.5 Pro, DeepSeek V3, and Grok 4 on the same 30 founder coding tasks. The honest verdict, the surprises, and which one I'd pay for if forced to pick one.