#28

🌟 This Week’s Spark

Starting an online business in 2025? You're not late — you're right on time. AI is leveling the playing field, creators are launching digital products in days, and there’s never been more opportunity with less overhead. Start messy. Learn fast. Go.

5 Online Business Models You Can Start With Zero Inventory

You don’t need a garage full of products to launch a money-making business in 2025. These 5 models let you go from idea to income without touching a single box:

1. Digital Products
Create and sell eBooks, Notion templates, mini-courses, or swipe files. No shipping, no suppliers — just creativity. Platforms like Gumroad or Lemon Squeezy make it simple.

2. Affiliate Marketing
Promote tools, courses, or services you already love. Earn commission every time someone buys through your link. Start with high-trust content: reviews, tutorials, or comparison posts.

3. Print-on-Demand
Sell merch (shirts, mugs, posters) without ever printing or shipping anything yourself. Use tools like Printful or Gelato connected to a Shopify store.

4. Coaching or Consulting
Package your knowledge into a service. Book clients via Calendly and host sessions on Zoom. Add digital resources for extra value.

5. Membership Communities
People pay monthly for access to your expertise, accountability, or a like-minded group. Use platforms like Circle or Skool to manage it.

🔥 No inventory. No excuses. Just pick your lane and launch.

🎥 TikTok, YouTube, or IG? Picking the Right Channel for You

Choosing the right platform can be the difference between crickets and clients. Here’s how to match your personality and goals to the best fit:

👉 YouTube = Long-Form, Evergreen, Authority
Perfect if you’re a teacher at heart. Tutorials, reviews, and storytelling shine here, and videos rank for years.

👉 TikTok = Fast Growth, Trendy, Creative
Short, punchy, raw. If you’re quick on your feet and don’t mind hopping on trends or sharing value in <60 seconds, this is your playground.

👉 Instagram = Visual, Personal, Community-Driven
Best for building a brand identity and connecting directly with followers. Stories and DMs = your digital handshake.

🚨 Bonus Tip: Repurpose content across all three. Record once, post everywhere with platform-native tweaks.

🎯 Pick one to go deep on. Then add others when it feels natural, not forced.

⚙️ How to Automate 80% of Your Business with Zapier

Imagine waking up to DMs answered, leads captured, files sorted, and emails sent — without lifting a finger. That’s the magic of Zapier. Here’s how to start automating:

Step 1: Capture Leads Automatically
New subscriber on ConvertKit? Zapier can add them to a Google Sheet, send a Slack alert, and even trigger a welcome email flow.

Step 2: Save Time on Content Publishing
Post a blog → Automatically share it on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Zapier can even upload YouTube descriptions and pin your posts.

Step 3: Organize Your Files Like a Pro
Upload a client intake form? Zapier can rename the file, store it in a Drive folder, and update your Notion database.

Step 4: Automate Client Onboarding
Send invoices via Stripe, create a new folder in Google Drive, send a welcome email, and schedule the first meeting — all automatically.

Step 5: Get Daily Biz Insights in Your Inbox
Zapier can generate reports from Airtable or Google Sheets and email them to you every morning at 8 am. CEO mode.

⚡ You don’t need to be techy. You just need to know what’s repetitive — and let Zapier handle it.

💸 $0 to $5K/Month: A Real Look at a One-Person Digital Product Biz

Let’s break down a solo digital hustle that scaled to $5K/month with no team, no paid ads, and no viral dances:

👩‍💻 Meet "Sam"
Sam launched a Notion productivity template on Gumroad in January. It was ugly but useful.

📈 Growth Path:

• Month 1–2: Posted 3x/week on Twitter and Reddit, shared behind-the-scenes building the product.

• Month 3: Partnered with 2 small creators to cross-promote. Built an email list of 900 subscribers.

• Months 4–5: Launched a second product and offered a bundle. Ran a $19 weekend promo.

• Month 6: Started a newsletter. Linked it in every product. Total revenue hit $5,214/month.

🧠 The Key Moves:

• Kept it simple.

• Focused on one buyer problem.

• Showed up online consistently.

• Turned early buyers into superfans with bonuses and fast replies.

💥 Start small. Sell one thing. Build from there. This is the new lean launch model.

🧰 A Simple Tech Stack for Digital Product Creators

You don’t need fancy software or a team of devs to launch a digital product in 2025. You just need a clean, simple stack that lets you create, sell, and grow. Here’s a no-fluff tech stack built for speed and solo creators:

🔨 1. Product Creation

• Canva – For eBooks, lead magnets, templates, and digital downloads

• Notion – For templates, guides, and even hosting full digital workspaces

• Tella or Loom – For screen recordings if you’re selling video-based mini courses

🛒 2. Sales & Checkout

• Gumroad – Simple, free-to-start platform to host and sell digital products

• Lemon Squeezy – Clean UX and great for global creators needing VAT compliance

• ThriveCart – Premium option with upsells, funnels, and affiliates built-in

📬 3. Email & Funnels

• ConvertKit – Made for creators. Tag-based automation, free tier, and fast setup

• MailerLite – Solid alternative with slick landing pages and automation

• Beehiiv – If you're building an email-first product business or newsletter funnel

🧩 4. Automation & Operations

• Zapier – Connect your tools and automate onboarding, emails, and reports

• Airtable – Organize customer data, testimonials, product ideas, and tasks

• Stripe – Secure, pro-level payment processing (integrates with almost everything)

📈 5. Marketing & Analytics

• Buffer or Hypefury – Schedule your social content with auto-RSS from your blog

• Fathom Analytics – Privacy-first, super clean analytics for your site

• Google Search Console – Free SEO insights. Track what’s working organically

💡 Pro Tip: Start with just the essentials. Nail product → checkout → email. Add the rest as you grow.

🚀 You don’t need more tools. You need momentum.