My thesis for the next 10 years

I just shared this update on social:

Here’s my thesis:

It’s the best time in history to be an entrepreneur.

Thanks to the internet.

10 years ago, it would’ve been impossible to operate at the scale you can today without raising millions of dollars, employing hundreds of people, or being a coding genius yourself.

Even just a few years ago, it would’ve been really tough.

Now you can launch a business in a weekend and operate it at a tiny fraction of the cost (and effort) thanks to the online resources available.

This has birthed a new era of builders. 

Some call themselves Indie Hackers, some go by Solopreneurs, and others identify as Creators.

I see them all within the same family.

They’re all modern-day Internet Entrepreneurs.

These people see the glaring opportunity and have begun building their digital empires.

Common traits I’ve noticed among Internet Entrepreneurs:

• They understand that distribution is leverage and work hard to build every day
• They use AI & automation to keep their businesses as lean as possible
• They work on what they love most and outsource (or eliminate) the rest
• They prioritize how they spend their precious time and energy above all
• They don’t tolerate (or encourage) corporate bureaucracy
• They scale themselves using code, content, & media
• They operate as permissionlessly as possible

A few routes Internet Entrepreneurs make money:

• Information Products
• Productized Services
• Affiliate Revenue
• Niche Consulting
• Sponsorships
• Memberships
• Subscriptions
• Partnerships
• Ad Revenue
• SaaS
• DTC

Distribution outlets they love:

• Email
• Podcast
• YouTube
• Reddit
• X & LinkedIn
• Paid Social
• Product Hunt
• Indie Hackers
• Private Communities 
• TikTok & Instagram

Yes, they often work more than the average full-time employee.

But they seem to have a lot more fun doing so.

Plus, they have more control over their time and energy (even if stressful at times).

In short, the internet has democratized opportunity for those willing to be exceptional at scale.

And the best part: You reap the rewards (financial upside, equity, & ownership) of your work instead of being constrained to a set amount of hours/pay (and not owning the actual work itself).

In other words, provide more value, and you are rewarded appropriately.

It doesn’t have to be linear, either.

If you provide a ton of value to a niche audience (by solving their unique problems) and scale yourself using the internet, then the rewards are exponential.

Old Model  

You + An hour of your time = Fixed Reward

Internet Entrepreneur Model

You + Your Time x The Internet = Uncapped Reward

Rewards can come in the form of money, ownership, distribution, & control.

Which is incredible once you wrap your head around it.

This should feel like playing a video game.

Every day is a chance to play (business & content), rack up the score (revenue & distribution), and level up in the game (opportunities & control).

I believe this is the future of work.

Especially if you’re exceptional at what you do.

What I love most is that you can (and should) build on top of existing experiences, obsessions, and credibility – not starting from scratch.

Yes, this route comes with its own set of risks.

But the risks can be mitigated by following the playbook they have laid out:

1. Create daily content around your obsessions & experiences
2. Build a niche following around your online character
3. Generate owned distribution via social, email, podcast, & community platforms
4. Solve specific problems with products (or services) that you have strong expertise in
5. Keep operating costs low by leveraging existing tools, AI, and automation
6. Build a profitable business from the start
7. Hire as needed not as anticipated 
8. Experiment before going full-time

Here’s a synopsis of my thesis:

Thesis – Building an online presence is one of the highest-leverage uses of your time

“Code & media at permissionless leverage. They’re the leverage behind the new rich. You can create software and media that works for you while you sleep.” — Naval

If any of this sounds interesting to you, then subscribe for more.

– Ish Verduzco

🫡

p.s. I interviewed Jack Butcher to learn how he built his Internet Empire.

Find that episode on YouTube below below ⤵️

The next two episodes are with Ben Wilson (host of How To Take Over The World Podcast) and Kevin Espiritu aka Plant Daddy (CEO of Epic Gardening).

Or listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

The following also play into my thesis:

See the replies of the tweet below for more: