Tiny Empires

Tiny Empires focuses on guiding solo-founders towards building six-figure businesses that prioritize their life goals. It covers startup lessons on business idea validation, efficient solo operation techniques, marketing strategies, sales for introverts, and optimizing business for both time and profit without focusing on scale or growth for its own sake.

Solo-Founder Business Strategies Startup Idea Validation Personal Efficiency and Time Management Marketing and Sales Techniques Business Model Selection Revenue Optimization Psychology of Selling Lifestyle Business Design Social Media Strategy

The hottest Substack posts of Tiny Empires

And their main takeaways

Building Authority

147 implied HN points • 29 Jan 25
💼 Business Marketing Entrepreneurship Coaching Personal Branding Content creation
  1. You can become an authority in your field without taking years. Focused action is more important than time spent.
  2. To build authority, find your unique approach and communicate it clearly. Show real-world applications of your expertise and be transparent about your journey.
  3. Don’t try to be an expert in everything and don’t hide who you are. Sharing your unique insights consistently will help grow your authority over time.

Increasing Prices Without Losing Your Current Clients

24 implied HN points • 05 Feb 25
💼 Business Pricing Strategy Client Management Value Proposition Business Growth
  1. To increase prices without losing clients, focus on adding value first. People are willing to pay more if they see higher value in what you're offering.
  2. Create different service tiers to give clients options. This keeps current clients happy while attracting new ones to higher-priced services.
  3. Shift your conversation from what you deliver to what results your service provides. This way, clients understand the true worth of your services.

The 1 Person Content Engine

122 implied HN points • 09 Jan 25
💼 Business Marketing Entrepreneurship Content creation Small business Online business
  1. You can create a lot of content quickly by using a system. Start by thinking of key client wins and common questions to build your main topics.
  2. Break down your stories into different formats for various platforms. One story can give you multiple posts on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
  3. Stay consistent with your content schedule and review it often. Adjust as needed to keep it working well for you.

80/20 rule for solo-founders

36 implied HN points • 16 Jan 25
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Marketing Growth Strategies Revenue Generation Productivity
  1. Focus on the 20% of your actions that bring in 80% of your results. This helps you work smarter, not harder.
  2. Regularly check which activities make you money, and cut out anything that doesn't contribute. It's about prioritizing the things that actually work.
  3. Spend dedicated time on your top revenue-generating activities each day. Avoid distractions so you can really concentrate on what truly matters.

Sacrifice revenue for simplicity

98 implied HN points • 11 Dec 24
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Marketing Sales Product Development Strategy
  1. Sometimes, it's better to simplify your business model even if it means making less money. This can save you time and reduce stress.
  2. Instead of making custom offers for every client, create standard packages to streamline sales. This way, you spend less time on individual deals.
  3. Automating your sales process can help you focus on growth. With self-serve options, clients can buy directly from your website, which saves you effort.
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the power of nested focus

183 implied HN points • 06 Nov 24
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Marketing Revenue streams Task management Business strategy
  1. Focus on one business at a time to give it the attention it needs. Trying to juggle multiple businesses can lead to poor performance and burnout.
  2. Limit yourself to two revenue streams within your business. This way, you can dedicate your efforts to making them successful, instead of spreading yourself too thin with too many options.
  3. Rely on just two marketing channels to reach your audience. Mastering a couple of channels is more effective than attempting to be everywhere without clear engagement.

4 key metrics to track for solofounders

85 implied HN points • 13 Nov 24
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Metrics Revenue Marketing Strategy Finance
  1. Track your monthly net profit to see if your business is healthy. If profits drop for too long, figure out why.
  2. Know your Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) to understand how stable your income is. This helps you plan for the future.
  3. Focus on a few key metrics for marketing and sales, like the cost per lead and conversion rates, to make better decisions. Don't get lost in too much data.

the 5-step framework for making clear choices

73 implied HN points • 20 Nov 24
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Decision-making Productivity Work-life balance Mental health
  1. Establish foundation decisions that are your core rules. This means making important choices once so you don't have to think about them again.
  2. Create templates for regular decisions. These templates will make your choices easier by providing a simple 'if/then' format for common situations.
  3. Batch similar decisions together and set rules for major choices. This helps you make decisions more efficiently and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

5 simple (but effective) strategies for beating burnout

49 implied HN points • 28 Nov 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Self-care Burnout Personal Development Entrepreneurship
  1. Set clear work-life boundaries to avoid burnout. Make time for self-care and disconnect from work when your day is done.
  2. Automate and streamline your tasks to save time and reduce stress. Use tools to help keep track of your work and deadlines.
  3. Build a support network of friends and fellow entrepreneurs. Having people to talk to can help you feel less isolated and more motivated.

the end of the internet is nigh?

49 implied HN points • 23 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Digital Media Community Building Content Strategy User engagement
  1. The internet is getting crowded with spammy content from bots and AI, making real conversations harder to find. It's important to focus on creating genuine and trusted online communities.
  2. Brands need to shift their strategies from chasing algorithms to building direct connections with their audience. This means prioritizing quality content and engaging personally with customers.
  3. Future success lies in balancing technology and human interaction. Startups should aim to create authentic spaces where people can connect, despite the overwhelming digital noise.

How to Sell Your Tiny Empire

12 implied HN points • 18 Dec 24
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Sales Valuation Negotiation
  1. Selling a business can be straightforward and profitable. Just agree on a price, create a contract, and transfer the assets to the buyer.
  2. Understanding your business's value is key. Most online companies sell for 4-4.5 times their annual revenue, but this can vary based on several factors.
  3. When you sell, you can choose between an asset sale and a share sale. Share sales are often better for you tax-wise, but they're harder to arrange.

My #1 biggest startup mistake

85 implied HN points • 11 Oct 23
💼 Business Startup Validation Entrepreneurship Marketing Financial
  1. Validate your startup ideas properly by testing if they can make money, not just if they are good ideas.
  2. Connect with potential customers and speak to them directly to understand if they would pay for your product or service.
  3. Ask a fixed set of questions to potential customers, track their responses, and refine your idea based on the feedback.

Guide #14: How to templatize a service business

49 implied HN points • 25 Oct 23
💼 Business Processes Opportunities
  1. In a service business, you can earn more per hour but your income is directly tied to your time.
  2. To untie time from revenue, focus on templatizing your business by niching down and standardizing processes.
  3. Specializing your services allows for reusing resources and processes, leading to more efficiency in delivering results.

5 reasons why you shouldn’t grow your business

49 implied HN points • 12 Jul 23
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Small business Marketing Automation Strategy
  1. The purpose of a business is to make money consistently, not just to focus on growth.
  2. Avoid the constant stress and demands of big business by aiming for a solid income and free time with a Tiny Empire approach.
  3. To build a successful business, find a model that suits you, test your idea before investing fully, and optimize your processes for efficiency.

Guide #8: Best practices for choosing your marketing channels

36 implied HN points • 16 Aug 23
💼 Business Marketing Entrepreneurship Sales Strategy Customer Acquisition
  1. Focus on marketing channels that give you the best return on investment for your time as a solo-founder.
  2. Be very targeted in your marketing efforts and ask yourself how much it costs to acquire a customer for each channel.
  3. Choose 2-3 marketing channels to focus on, consider direct sales outreach, and think creatively about where your ideal customers are.

The Complete Tiny Empires Guide

12 implied HN points • 30 Aug 23
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Online business Courses Sales
  1. Starting a business takes time and learning from failures is key to success.
  2. Building lean businesses with low costs and high-profit margins can lead to a sustainable 1-person business.
  3. Courses like the Tiny Empires Method and Sales for Introverts offer valuable insights for building successful businesses.

how to manage your emails better

0 implied HN points • 04 Dec 24
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Productivity Marketing Sales Networking
  1. Unsubscribe from emails that aren't useful. Cut out the noise in your inbox to focus only on what truly matters.
  2. Use filters and labels to organize your emails. This helps you find important messages quickly and keeps your inbox tidy.
  3. Check your email at set times, not constantly. This reduces distractions and makes your email management more efficient.

Guide #12: The Psychology of selling

0 implied HN points • 04 Oct 23
💼 Business Sales Pricing Ethics Empathy
  1. Selling is about building relationships and influencing decisions.
  2. Transitioning from hard selling to soft selling can be more effective in sales.
  3. Maintain transparency, honesty, and ethical practices in selling to build trust and long-term relationships.