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Live journey to $500K ARR 22.8% $9.5K $41.7K MRR 1 client · Meta Ads management last sync · today
THE JOURNAL · PAGE 5 OF 5

Wins, failures, and the tactics that actually worked.

The complete log of building 500k.io from $0 to $500K ARR. Showing entries 97–102 of 102.

Week 16 Apr 19, 2026
tactic 11 min read

GEO 2026: how to get cited by ChatGPT and Perplexity

60% of searches end without a click. Here is the 7-step GEO playbook that got 500k.io cited 23 times in week 6 by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.

Week 16 Apr 19, 2026
prompt 9 min read

How agents replaced my VA (and what they still can't do)

I had a great VA for 14 months, then replaced 80% of her work with 3 AI agents. Here is the honest breakdown of what worked, what failed, and what I won't automate.

Week 16 Apr 18, 2026
tactic 9 min read

The $0 stack: 12 free tools for solopreneurs in 2026

I rebuilt my entire founder stack using only free tiers. Here are the 12 tools that actually carry weight at $0/mo, and the 4 places where you must pay.

Week 16 Apr 17, 2026
tactic 8 min read

Why I deleted Substack for Beehiiv (after 3 months testing)

I ran the same newsletter on Substack and Beehiiv for 90 days. Same content, same cadence, same audience seed. Here's what the numbers say, and which one I kept.

Week 16 Apr 16, 2026
win 10 min read

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.

Week 16 Apr 15, 2026
prompt 11 min read

How to write your first MCP server (no engineering background)

MCP servers sound scary. They're not. Here's the 90-minute path from zero to a working MCP server you actually use, written for non-engineers who ship products.