Cluster · 6 articles
Case studies — real $X journeys.
Founders who hit $500K (or didn't) with AI as primary leverage. The math, the stack, the months it took, the mistakes that cost the most. Anonymized when needed, never composite. The patterns that compound, the ones that don't.
All articles in this cluster
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.
$500K solo founder case study: the 5-step pattern
We dissected 10 solo founders who hit $500K ARR with AI as their primary leverage. Eight share the same 5-step pattern. Here's what they actually did, with timestamps and stack.
Pricing your first AI product: 12 founder anchors
Most AI founders price their first product at $9-19/mo, and most go bust within 8 months. Here are 12 pricing anchors from founders who hit $500K, with real numbers.
Newsletter sponsorship economics: $500-$5,000 per send breakdown
Every newsletter operator I know fumbles their first sponsor deal. Here is the actual rate card math, the 4 deal structures, and the floor below which you should refuse.
The honest math: $500K solo SaaS in 18 months
I watched 14 founders attempt $500K solo SaaS. Three made it. Here is the actual P&L, the time math, and the 4 mistakes that killed the other 11.
The newsletter
Join the founders building toward $500K with AI.
A daily article with the playbook, the stack, and one thing to try this week.