How Marc Lou Went From Fired to $65K/Month as a Solopreneur
How Marc Lou Went From Fired to $65K/Month as a Solopreneur
Oct 4, 2024
Marc Lou
Marc Lou
● 7 min
● 7 min
Revenue/month
Revenue/month
$63,247
$63,247
$63,247
No. of founders
No. of founders
1
1
1
Starting costs
Starting costs
N/A
N/A
N/A
Contents
How he started
How he started
Marc Lou was fired by Tai Lopez in November 2021, but instead of letting that setback define him, he transformed it into fuel to launch a whirlwind of startups and reclaim his freedom. Here's how he went from "fired" to $65,000 a month—all while surfing and living on his own terms.
Marc Lou was fired by Tai Lopez in November 2021, but instead of letting that setback define him, he transformed it into fuel to launch a whirlwind of startups and reclaim his freedom. Here's how he went from "fired" to $65,000 a month—all while surfing and living on his own terms.
The First Four Years: A Whole Lot of Failure
The First Four Years: A Whole Lot of Failure
Marc’s journey didn’t start on a high note. In 2016, he saw himself as the next Mark Zuckerberg, ready to take the entrepreneurial world by storm. Reality check? It took him two years just to make his first dollar online. After four years of constant grinding, he managed to grow a SaaS business to $3,000 MRR. But instead of feeling like a success, Marc started to feel like a failure.
By 2021, the weight of his entrepreneurial struggles hit hard, and he stepped away from his business dreams. For a while, he worked as a product manager for Tai Lopez to find some stability. This gave him a renewed sense of purpose. So when he got fired in November 2021? It barely fazed him.
Marc’s journey didn’t start on a high note. In 2016, he saw himself as the next Mark Zuckerberg, ready to take the entrepreneurial world by storm. Reality check? It took him two years just to make his first dollar online. After four years of constant grinding, he managed to grow a SaaS business to $3,000 MRR. But instead of feeling like a success, Marc started to feel like a failure.
By 2021, the weight of his entrepreneurial struggles hit hard, and he stepped away from his business dreams. For a while, he worked as a product manager for Tai Lopez to find some stability. This gave him a renewed sense of purpose. So when he got fired in November 2021? It barely fazed him.
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Enter the "Build in Public" Community
Enter the "Build in Public" Community
The Twitter “build in public” movement opened Marc’s eyes to a different way of working—solo, nimble, and location-independent, just like his heroes Pieter Levels and Danny Postma. Inspired, he wanted the same level of freedom.
At the time, Marc was living in Bali with his wife, $20,000 in the bank, and no real audience to speak of. His coding skills were mediocre, but his drive? Sky-high.
The Twitter “build in public” movement opened Marc’s eyes to a different way of working—solo, nimble, and location-independent, just like his heroes Pieter Levels and Danny Postma. Inspired, he wanted the same level of freedom.
At the time, Marc was living in Bali with his wife, $20,000 in the bank, and no real audience to speak of. His coding skills were mediocre, but his drive? Sky-high.
Just for Fun: The First Projects
Just for Fun: The First Projects
In December 2021, Marc launched Mood2Movie, a simple app that recommended movies based on your mood. It was more of a fun experiment than a business venture, but it went viral on Reddit, bringing in 10,000 visitors. That initial rush of attention gave Marc content to share on Twitter, helping him grow his account.
Over the next six months, Marc launched seven more projects, purely for fun. He learned coding, SEO, marketing, and launching strategies along the way. His audience on Twitter grew to 1,000 followers by July 2022.
During this time, Marc kept his routine simple: eat well, exercise, and enjoy life.
Money was scarce, but he was having too much fun to care.
In December 2021, Marc launched Mood2Movie, a simple app that recommended movies based on your mood. It was more of a fun experiment than a business venture, but it went viral on Reddit, bringing in 10,000 visitors. That initial rush of attention gave Marc content to share on Twitter, helping him grow his account.
Over the next six months, Marc launched seven more projects, purely for fun. He learned coding, SEO, marketing, and launching strategies along the way. His audience on Twitter grew to 1,000 followers by July 2022.
During this time, Marc kept his routine simple: eat well, exercise, and enjoy life.
Money was scarce, but he was having too much fun to care.
Falling in Love with the Wrong Product
Falling in Love with the Wrong Product
In August 2022, Marc decided to go all-in on Habits Garden, a gamified habit tracker that was making around $200/month. He used a clever side-project marketing approach—launching free tools like VisualizeHabit to drive traffic to his paid product. The strategy worked, and Habits Garden grew to 10,000 users by January 2023.
However, despite launching a mobile app, the product’s revenue topped out at $700/month—not enough to justify the months of work. In hindsight, Marc admits he fell in love with the wrong product.
In August 2022, Marc decided to go all-in on Habits Garden, a gamified habit tracker that was making around $200/month. He used a clever side-project marketing approach—launching free tools like VisualizeHabit to drive traffic to his paid product. The strategy worked, and Habits Garden grew to 10,000 users by January 2023.
However, despite launching a mobile app, the product’s revenue topped out at $700/month—not enough to justify the months of work. In hindsight, Marc admits he fell in love with the wrong product.
Back on the Grind: 8 Startups in 8 Months
Back on the Grind: 8 Startups in 8 Months
In 2023, Marc sold a small startup for $4,300 and used that momentum to kick off a new strategy: launch startups fast, and keep going until one hits. This time, he set strict rules—no free plans, only build products people need, and move on if there’s no product-market fit.
The result? Eight startups in eight months. Six of them made money, and two paid the bills. By July 2023, he was bringing in $3,000/month. His most successful product at the time was MakeLanding, an AI landing page generator, but it didn’t stick. He wasn’t passionate about it, and it eventually fizzled out.
In 2023, Marc sold a small startup for $4,300 and used that momentum to kick off a new strategy: launch startups fast, and keep going until one hits. This time, he set strict rules—no free plans, only build products people need, and move on if there’s no product-market fit.
The result? Eight startups in eight months. Six of them made money, and two paid the bills. By July 2023, he was bringing in $3,000/month. His most successful product at the time was MakeLanding, an AI landing page generator, but it didn’t stick. He wasn’t passionate about it, and it eventually fizzled out.
Finding Product-Market Fit with ShipFast
Finding Product-Market Fit with ShipFast
After taking a holiday to South Korea with his wife, Marc returned with a clear vision: focus on products he genuinely cared about. He sold MakeLanding for $35,000 and Habits Garden for $10,000, giving him the financial breathing room to focus on his next big thing.
On September 1, 2023, Marc launched ShipFast, a NextJS boilerplate designed to help others launch startups quickly. To his surprise, the product hit a nerve. By the end of the month, ShipFast had generated $40,000. The feedback from customers who made their first dollar online thanks to the product only added fuel to his fire.
Marc kept improving ShipFast and sharing updates on Twitter. By December 17, 2023, his monthly revenue had skyrocketed to $65,400, with a 91% profit margin and zero employees.
After taking a holiday to South Korea with his wife, Marc returned with a clear vision: focus on products he genuinely cared about. He sold MakeLanding for $35,000 and Habits Garden for $10,000, giving him the financial breathing room to focus on his next big thing.
On September 1, 2023, Marc launched ShipFast, a NextJS boilerplate designed to help others launch startups quickly. To his surprise, the product hit a nerve. By the end of the month, ShipFast had generated $40,000. The feedback from customers who made their first dollar online thanks to the product only added fuel to his fire.
Marc kept improving ShipFast and sharing updates on Twitter. By December 17, 2023, his monthly revenue had skyrocketed to $65,400, with a 91% profit margin and zero employees.
What Money Really Buys
What Money Really Buys
So, what does Marc do now that he’s making $65,000/month? Not much has changed. He still surfs, writes, codes, and reads every day. Living on $1,000/month for years taught him that his happiness comes from creating—not consuming.
His biggest takeaway? Find role models, focus on solving real pain points, and don’t fall in love with your code. Keep shipping until you hit product-market fit. It’s the only thing that matters.
So, what does Marc do now that he’s making $65,000/month? Not much has changed. He still surfs, writes, codes, and reads every day. Living on $1,000/month for years taught him that his happiness comes from creating—not consuming.
His biggest takeaway? Find role models, focus on solving real pain points, and don’t fall in love with your code. Keep shipping until you hit product-market fit. It’s the only thing that matters.
Key Lessons from Marc Lou's Journey:
Key Lessons from Marc Lou's Journey:
Find your role models: Having a dream keeps you going when things get tough.
Don’t get attached to your code: Your customers will tell you what works—listen to them.
Focus on painkillers, not vitamins: Build products that solve real problems.
Ditch the free plans: Add a buy button to every product and see who’s willing to pay.
Start, then think: Even if it seems like a dumb idea, ship it. You’ll learn along the way.
Find your role models: Having a dream keeps you going when things get tough.
Don’t get attached to your code: Your customers will tell you what works—listen to them.
Focus on painkillers, not vitamins: Build products that solve real problems.
Ditch the free plans: Add a buy button to every product and see who’s willing to pay.
Start, then think: Even if it seems like a dumb idea, ship it. You’ll learn along the way.
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Full story posted on Marclou.Beehiiv.com
I share more of these case studies in my newsletter and I'd love for you to join here 😊
Do me a favor and pass this on to a friend or share on X/reddit? It'll take just 20 seconds—this one took me about 5 hours to research and write 🫠
Shoot me a DM if you want to share your story or visit this page to submit your information 💌
