Wins, failures, and the tactics that actually worked.
The complete log of building 500k.io from $0 to $500K ARR. Showing entries 49–72 of 110.
The AI content engine: from brief to published in 2 hours
The exact process I run to ship a 3,000-word article in under 2 hours. Brief, draft, edit, schema, internal links, publish. Real workflow, real timing, real numbers.
Solopreneur statistics 2026: what the data says
The 2026 solopreneur economy in numbers. Revenue distribution, time-to-revenue, churn, AI adoption, and the 7 stats that change how you should think about going solo.
The real Claude Code workflow (my day-to-day)
Inside my actual Claude Code workflow on 500k.io. The 5 sessions a day, the subagent map, the CLAUDE.md sections, and what shipping looks like in 2026.
$0 to $1K MRR: the first paying customer playbook
How I closed my first $1,500/mo client on 500k.io with no website, no audience, and no funnel. The 11-step sequence and the call script that landed it.
How AI engines actually choose citations
Inside the citation logic of ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google AIO. The 7 signals that move you up the citation queue and the 4 that get you skipped.
Beehiiv vs ConvertKit 2026: operator deep-dive
Honest Beehiiv vs ConvertKit comparison after 18 months running both. The 7 dimensions that matter, the migration cost, and which one I'd pick at every stage.
The autonomous business: AI replacing every hire (a concrete example)
What happens when one founder runs a $9.5K MRR business with AI agents instead of employees. The 7 jobs replaced, the 3 jobs that can't be replaced, and why this matters.
Newsletter ad rate card 2026: the real numbers
What newsletter sponsors actually pay in 2026. Rate card by list size, niche, and ad type. The CPM math, the bullshit math, and what to charge before your first sponsor call.
The $100/mo AI stack: entry tier for solopreneurs
The exact $100/mo AI stack I'd recommend to a solo founder starting in May 2026. 7 tools, what each replaces, and why this is the cheapest stack that actually ships.
First $1K MRR with AI: the founder playbook
How to ship your first $1K MRR using AI as the only team. The 4-stage playbook, the offers that actually convert, and the 5 traps that kill founders at $300 MRR.
How to use Perplexity for research (the solopreneur edition)
The Perplexity research workflow I run as a solo founder. 7 use cases, the one feature most people skip, and why I cancelled ChatGPT Pro because of it.
I Run $10M of Meta Ads. Here's the AI Bet I'm Making
After running $10M of Meta Ads personally and $45M combined with my co-founder, I'm betting most of the agency playbook gets rewritten by AI in 2026-2028. Here's the bet, the math, and what I'd put my own money on.
How to Sell Claude Skills (Pricing, Distribution, the Real Math)
Claude Skills as a revenue channel — pricing tiers that work, distribution channels that don't, and the honest math from 9 months of tracking solo founder skill sales.
How I Built a Meta Ads Acquisition Funnel + Wired the New Meta Ads MCP to Manage It (2026 Playbook)
I've spent $10M on Meta Ads. Here's the acquisition funnel architecture I run + how I'm wiring the new official Meta Ads MCP to Claude for autonomous daily management. Step-by-step setup.
The AI Agent Monetization Playbook for Solo Founders
Selling AI agents as a solo founder in 2026 — the four monetization models, the actual P&L math, and what's making founders $5K-50K MRR right now.
How to Write a Claude Skill in 2026 (Step-by-Step, No Engineering)
Writing your first Claude Skill takes 25 minutes if you know the structure. Here's the exact step-by-step from a 638-skill bank operator — no engineering required.
How to Rank in Perplexity When You're a DR 0 Founder
500k.io is DR 0 with 32 articles and 0-2 weekly Perplexity citations. Here's the realistic playbook for getting cited when you have no domain authority.
Why Claude Skills Are the Next App Store (and What It Means for Solo Founders)
I've indexed 638 Claude Skills and built a working bank for my own factory. Here's the App Store thesis — why skills will reshape solo founder economics in 2026.
llms.txt is Mostly a Placebo (and What Actually Works)
Less than 0.001% of AI-cited content uses llms.txt. The hype is peaking, the data is brutal. Here's what actually drives AI citations — and why I still ship llms.txt anyway.
AEO vs GEO vs SEO in 2026: A Founder's Disambiguation
AEO, GEO, SEO — three acronyms, three different battlegrounds. Here's the founder-grade definition, when each one matters, and which one I'd pick first.
How to Write a CLAUDE.md (the file that 10x'd my Claude Code)
A 580-line CLAUDE.md is the difference between Claude Code feeling like a smart autocomplete and a junior employee who knows your business. Here's the exact template I use.
Claude Code Pricing in 2026, Actually Explained
Anthropic moved Claude Code tiers on April 22 and partially walked it back. Here's the real pricing math after 9 months on Max 5x — what to pay, what to skip.
The 7 Claude skills every solo founder ships first
Claude Skills are the cheat code most founders ignore. Here are the 7 I install on day one of every project, with install commands and real time saved.
AI is killing the 2-hour devis in French construction: 7 startups changing the game
French artisans used to spend 2 hours per quote. Renalto does it in 60 seconds. Here is the 2026 AI-quoting landscape — 7 startups, real numbers, and who wins.