Idea Discovery (July 2022)
In person consulting meeting
Met with a publishing company while doing AI consulting. They revealed ~$2M/month in book revenue, which showed Joe the scale possible in digital publishing. He said nothing of his idea on the call, but immediately formulated his own AI book brand concept.
→ Business concept validated by proxy — saw $2M/month revenue was possible in publishing
Launch (August–September 2022)
Ai content generation
Generated 40 AI ebooks using GPT-3 over two months. Used GPT to create chapter outlines, then generated each subtopic individually. Personally proofread every book. Self-funded entirely from minimum wage job earnings.
→ $40 total revenue by end of September 2022
First Sales (October 2022)
Pinterest ads consideration campaigns
Ran Pinterest consideration campaigns to test multiple niches. Used outcome-driven ad creative targeting 'ambitious people' — tugging on the result they want to achieve and positioning the ebook as the path to get there.
→ First profitable day on Oct 3 ($20 profit); $40 profit on Oct 4; exponential growth began
Scaling (Oct–Dec 2022)
Pinterest ads conversion campaigns
Moved from consideration to conversion campaigns on Pinterest after identifying winning niches. Set up Pinterest pixel/tag, dialed in landing page copy, above/below-fold conversion optimization, and brand image. Built dedicated landing pages with value stacks, chapter previews, and professional brand presentation.
→ Hit first $1K profit day on December 28, 2022
Growth (2023)
Landing page optimization
Continuously optimized landing pages to reduce bounce rate below 70–80%. Focused on brand image, value stacks, and chapter previews as the primary conversion tool. Hired a proofreader on retainer to maintain book quality at scale.
→ $390K total profit; business valued at $930K
Monetization / Exit Partial (2023)
Business marketplace listing
Listed the business on marketplaces 'just to test.' Received a first offer of $930K for the full business. Instead of selling outright, structured a deal to sell 40% to an investor while retaining control and beginning to build a second book brand to repeat the process.
→ First offer: $930K valuation; sold 40% stake; business valued at $930K
Expansion (Late 2023)
Info product course teaching
Began teaching others how to build their own AI book brands, converting his playbook into a coaching/course product. Reported 'really successful students' already generating meaningful revenue.
→ New revenue stream opened; described as 'extremely rewarding' but no specific revenue figures given