Justin Welsh: Building his one-person business to $10M

Justin Welsh is a solopreneur and creator with an impressive presence on platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter (X). He’s built a multi-million dollar one-person business, generating significant revenue through digital products, coaching, and community building. So, what kind of content does he create? How does he promote it? And, most importantly, how does he make his money?

What Content Does Justin Create?

Justin is known for sharing insightful, practical advice for solopreneurs and creators looking to build one-person businesses. His content focuses on helping others monetize their skills and create scalable income streams. Here’s a breakdown of his primary content:

• Articles—Justin has written many articles, grouping them nicely into categories. These help him rank on Google and bring him organic traffic. An excellent example is this article, which ranks first for “Escape the rat race.”

I do? Cool.

— Justin Welsh (@thejustinwelsh) February 12, 2024

• LinkedIn Posts
  Justin built his initial audience on LinkedIn. He posts daily on solopreneurship, marketing, and building an audience. His posts are often concise, actionable, and aimed at a professional audience. His daily engagement has resulted in significant growth over time.

• Twitter (X) Threads
  Justin also leverages Twitter to engage with a broader audience. His Twitter threads are longer-form insights into his strategies for solopreneurs, offering advice on growing an audience, monetising content, and scaling a one-person business.

• Digital Products
  Justin is well known for his courses, notably “The LinkedIn Operating System” and “The Content Operating System.” Both high-value, low-maintenance products teach creators how to leverage LinkedIn and create content to build scalable businesses.
• Newsletter
  Justin writes a weekly newsletter that shares business tips, behind-the-scenes insights, and lessons from his solopreneur journey. The newsletter is vital in nurturing his audience and directing them toward his products and services.
• Community – Justin did run a community but shut it down, it had reached a decent level of income before he stopped doing it.

I shut down my community. Prior to that it was a quarterly membership.

For MRR, it's a $9/month subscription that goes out via email to 2,300 people or so.

— Justin Welsh (@thejustinwelsh) May 22, 2023

How Does Justin Promote his content?

Justin Welsh’s promotion strategy is a masterclass in organic growth. He leverages high-quality content to drive traffic to his digital products and services without relying on ads.

He shared insights into how he does this in a recent newsletter: “The 1-3-5 Method” which turns 1 piece of content into 16 that can be promoted across the web.

• LinkedIn and Twitter
  As mentioned, Justin is most active on LinkedIn and Twitter, repurposing his content and engaging with his audience. His consistent posting schedule allows him to build strong relationships with his followers, who trust his advice and are eager to purchase his products.
• Affiliate Marketing – Justin partners with brands that align with his audience’s interests and needs. Through affiliate marketing, he can recommend products and tools, earning additional income while adding value to his audience.
• Affiliates – Justin has a clever tactic to recruit additional affiliates to sell his courses. It works a charm.

At the halfway point of my course, people are encouraged to leave a testimonial & sign up for an affiliate program. I built the same automation at the conclusion of the course. I now have 1,400+ affiliates that have generated $280,000+ in revenue.

Justin’s Tweet

• Podcasts and Guest Appearances
  Justin regularly appears on podcasts, discussing his solopreneur journey and providing practical advice on scaling a one-person business. These guest appearances allow him to tap into new audiences and expand his reach.

How Does Justin Make Revenue?

Now, let’s look at how Justin has diversified his revenue streams. He’s built a robust and scalable model that generates income through multiple sources. Detailed revenue splits for Justin Welsh’s revenue streams (such as exact percentages from digital products, affiliate income, etc.) are not publicly available – the chart below is estimated.

Yesterday, my little one-person business crossed $4M in revenue.

It took 1,352 days, I ran zero ads & operate at a 94% margin.

Here are the 20 steps of my wild & strange journey:

Hope it's helpful to someone.

[🧵 thread]

— Justin Welsh (@thejustinwelsh) May 22, 2023

What Can You Learn From Justin?

• Consistency is Key
  Justin’s success comes from showing up daily on LinkedIn and Twitter, sharing practical advice, and engaging with his audience. His consistent content production has built him a highly engaged following.
• Scalability Through Digital Products
  By focusing on creating digital products that solve problems for his audience, Justin has built a scalable business without the need for a large team.
• Diversification of Income
  Justin has diversified his revenue streams effectively, from digital products to affiliate marketing and newsletter sponsorships. This allows him to reduce reliance on any one source of income.
• Community Building
  Justin’s community-centric approach has paid off. By nurturing a close-knit group of solopreneurs, he’s fostered a sense of belonging that keeps people engaged and invested in his products.