Michal Kankowski’s Journey to $6,000/Month with Kickstart Side Hustle
Michal Kankowski’s Journey to $6,000/Month with Kickstart Side Hustle
Nov 26, 2024
Michal Kankowski
Michal Kankowski
⏳ 6 min
⏳ 6 min
Revenue/month
Revenue/month
$6000
$6000
$6000
No. of founders
No. of founders
1
1
1
Startup costs
Startup costs
$55
$55
$55
Company type
Company type
Company type
E-commerce
E-commerce
E-commerce
Contents
The Backstory
The Backstory
Meet Michal Kankowski, a jack-of-all-trades who's done everything from trimming horse hooves to performing stand-up comedy. Today, though, he's building a career as a fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and running a paywalled marketing library called Kickstart Side Hustle. What began as a small newsletter side project blossomed into a full-time income source, netting him up to $6,000 monthly.
Let's dive into how Michal did it, the twists and turns along the way, and his hard-earned advice for budding founders.
Meet Michal Kankowski, a jack-of-all-trades who's done everything from trimming horse hooves to performing stand-up comedy. Today, though, he's building a career as a fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and running a paywalled marketing library called Kickstart Side Hustle. What began as a small newsletter side project blossomed into a full-time income source, netting him up to $6,000 monthly.
Let's dive into how Michal did it, the twists and turns along the way, and his hard-earned advice for budding founders.
Lesson #1: Simplicity Isn’t Easy
Lesson #1: Simplicity Isn’t Easy
Michal’s first rule is that building a business is simple – in theory. “It’s simple, but it isn’t easy,”. Once you know what needs to be done, success becomes a matter of effort. He wanted to cut through the fluff in the marketing world, where articles brag about “viral marketing secrets” but often fail to provide actionable insights. Instead, Michal built Kickstart Side Hustle to break down the mechanics of marketing successes.
This vision for straightforward, actionable marketing advice laid the foundation for Kickstart Side Hustle. In his words: "People don’t buy products; they buy emotions."
Michal’s first rule is that building a business is simple – in theory. “It’s simple, but it isn’t easy,”. Once you know what needs to be done, success becomes a matter of effort. He wanted to cut through the fluff in the marketing world, where articles brag about “viral marketing secrets” but often fail to provide actionable insights. Instead, Michal built Kickstart Side Hustle to break down the mechanics of marketing successes.
This vision for straightforward, actionable marketing advice laid the foundation for Kickstart Side Hustle. In his words: "People don’t buy products; they buy emotions."
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➤ Every week, we dig up stories of how regular people started and grew their businesses—
➤ Plus the marketing hacks that won them customers.
➤ Then, we share those insights with you.
➤ Every week, we dig up stories of how regular people started and grew their businesses—
➤ Plus the marketing hacks that won them customers.
➤ Then, we share those insights with you.
How Kickstart Side Hustle Came to Life
How Kickstart Side Hustle Came to Life
Michal launched Kickstart Side Hustle as a newsletter focused on real, in-depth case studies on marketing strategies. Here’s what he’s built so far:
Platform: Kickstart Side Hustle is a membership site with 1,500 users and a newsletter with 6,000 subscribers.
Revenue Model: Memberships drive revenue. Michal initially experimented with newsletter ads but decided to focus solely on subscriptions. He’s made over $120,000 from the platform, with monthly revenue fluctuating between $2,000 and $6,000, including freelance gigs.
But that’s just the highlight reel. Let’s get into the details of how Michal built his business and his journey from bootstrapping.
(Kickstart Side Hustle landing page)
Michal launched Kickstart Side Hustle as a newsletter focused on real, in-depth case studies on marketing strategies. Here’s what he’s built so far:
Platform: Kickstart Side Hustle is a membership site with 1,500 users and a newsletter with 6,000 subscribers.
Revenue Model: Memberships drive revenue. Michal initially experimented with newsletter ads but decided to focus solely on subscriptions. He’s made over $120,000 from the platform, with monthly revenue fluctuating between $2,000 and $6,000, including freelance gigs.
But that’s just the highlight reel. Let’s get into the details of how Michal built his business and his journey from bootstrapping.
(Kickstart Side Hustle landing page)
Building the MVP with $55
Building the MVP with $55
Michal’s MVP (minimum viable product) was just a newsletter and a landing page on WordPress. He spent $55 on a web server and used the free trial of GetResponse for email automation. His approach to building Kickstart Side Hustle was classic indie hacker:
Stack: WordPress for the website, Hostinger for hosting, EmailOctopus for email, Gumroad for payments, and Pabbly to connect it all.
Challenges: As a first-time website builder, he hit plenty of roadblocks but leaned heavily on Google searches and ChatGPT. As he puts it, “Everything is figureoutable.”
To validate the idea, Michal created a simple landing page to gather emails and worked part-time on Kickstart Side Hustle until he was confident people wanted more. It only took him two days to set up the site and another three to validate the idea.
Michal’s MVP (minimum viable product) was just a newsletter and a landing page on WordPress. He spent $55 on a web server and used the free trial of GetResponse for email automation. His approach to building Kickstart Side Hustle was classic indie hacker:
Stack: WordPress for the website, Hostinger for hosting, EmailOctopus for email, Gumroad for payments, and Pabbly to connect it all.
Challenges: As a first-time website builder, he hit plenty of roadblocks but leaned heavily on Google searches and ChatGPT. As he puts it, “Everything is figureoutable.”
To validate the idea, Michal created a simple landing page to gather emails and worked part-time on Kickstart Side Hustle until he was confident people wanted more. It only took him two days to set up the site and another three to validate the idea.
Early Growth
Early Growth
Michal launched Kickstart Side Hustle on Product Hunt as a freemium newsletter in June 2020. Within three days, he racked up 800 subscribers and made $100 from his $15/year premium plan. He admits he was mostly lucky – few newsletters were being promoted on Product Hunt at the time.
From there, he promoted Kickstart Side Hustle on platforms like Twitter and Indie Hackers, copy-pasting case studies and sharing his journey.
Michal launched Kickstart Side Hustle on Product Hunt as a freemium newsletter in June 2020. Within three days, he racked up 800 subscribers and made $100 from his $15/year premium plan. He admits he was mostly lucky – few newsletters were being promoted on Product Hunt at the time.
From there, he promoted Kickstart Side Hustle on platforms like Twitter and Indie Hackers, copy-pasting case studies and sharing his journey.
Pivoting and Finding Product-Market Fit
Pivoting and Finding Product-Market Fit
By October 2020, Kickstart Side Hustle had evolved from a newsletter into a full-on marketing library with an annual membership fee of $50. Michal then added a new element to the platform: a catalog of marketing psychology principles, which became a huge hit. By sharing just one sample piece of content in a Facebook group, he had people buying memberships on the spot. That day, he made $1,000.
In January 2021, Michal launched an upgraded version of Kickstart Side Hustle with tiered pricing:
$99 for marketing psychology content
$149 for both psychology and case studies
$449 for a lifetime deal
This time, he was ready for Product Hunt. He prepped an animated logo, visuals, a video, discounts, and even gathered people to vote for his launch. The results? $10,000 in a week – enough to go full-time on Kickstart Side Hustle.
By October 2020, Kickstart Side Hustle had evolved from a newsletter into a full-on marketing library with an annual membership fee of $50. Michal then added a new element to the platform: a catalog of marketing psychology principles, which became a huge hit. By sharing just one sample piece of content in a Facebook group, he had people buying memberships on the spot. That day, he made $1,000.
In January 2021, Michal launched an upgraded version of Kickstart Side Hustle with tiered pricing:
$99 for marketing psychology content
$149 for both psychology and case studies
$449 for a lifetime deal
This time, he was ready for Product Hunt. He prepped an animated logo, visuals, a video, discounts, and even gathered people to vote for his launch. The results? $10,000 in a week – enough to go full-time on Kickstart Side Hustle.
Scaling Through Partnerships and Social Media
Scaling Through Partnerships and Social Media
Michal realized that Kickstart Side Hustle could grow even further by teaming up with community admins and influencers. He offered special deals, each with discounts and limited-time offers, which led to $2,000 to $15,000 per deal.
Around this time, he also experimented with “building in public” on Twitter, netting $500 to $1,000 monthly just from sharing his journey.
Cold Outreach
Since then, Michal has leaned heavily on cold outreach to get additional consulting and copywriting gigs related to Kickstart Side Hustle. He’s well aware of how challenging it can be to maintain growth but is committed to doubling down on his channels.
Michal realized that Kickstart Side Hustle could grow even further by teaming up with community admins and influencers. He offered special deals, each with discounts and limited-time offers, which led to $2,000 to $15,000 per deal.
Around this time, he also experimented with “building in public” on Twitter, netting $500 to $1,000 monthly just from sharing his journey.
Cold Outreach
Since then, Michal has leaned heavily on cold outreach to get additional consulting and copywriting gigs related to Kickstart Side Hustle. He’s well aware of how challenging it can be to maintain growth but is committed to doubling down on his channels.
Time Management and Staying Focused
Time Management and Staying Focused
Michal knows firsthand how tough it is to balance multiple gigs as an indie founder. His advice? Time blocking and theme days. Here’s a look at how he manages his week:
Monday - Wednesday: 80% SEO-focused tasks
Thursday - Friday: 80% product development
Remaining 20%: Daily essentials and smaller tasks
This structure, he says, beats 99% of other time management tools and systems. By avoiding constant task-switching, he’s been able to get more done in less time.
Michal knows firsthand how tough it is to balance multiple gigs as an indie founder. His advice? Time blocking and theme days. Here’s a look at how he manages his week:
Monday - Wednesday: 80% SEO-focused tasks
Thursday - Friday: 80% product development
Remaining 20%: Daily essentials and smaller tasks
This structure, he says, beats 99% of other time management tools and systems. By avoiding constant task-switching, he’s been able to get more done in less time.
Avoiding the “Agency Trap”
Avoiding the “Agency Trap”
Michal’s journey wasn’t all smooth sailing. After an incredible $20,000 month, he fell into the “agency trap,” a common pitfall for early entrepreneurs. He hired a marketing agency, thinking they’d boost his growth, but the opposite happened: the agency spent his budget, misaligned the content, and failed to bring in new clients.
That experience left Michal devastated. He entered what he calls a “desperation spiral,” where he chased short-term gains instead of focusing on long-term goals. Ultimately, it taught him to stay true to his vision and value sustainable growth over quick wins.
Michal’s journey wasn’t all smooth sailing. After an incredible $20,000 month, he fell into the “agency trap,” a common pitfall for early entrepreneurs. He hired a marketing agency, thinking they’d boost his growth, but the opposite happened: the agency spent his budget, misaligned the content, and failed to bring in new clients.
That experience left Michal devastated. He entered what he calls a “desperation spiral,” where he chased short-term gains instead of focusing on long-term goals. Ultimately, it taught him to stay true to his vision and value sustainable growth over quick wins.
Mental Health Matters
Mental Health Matters
One of Michal’s biggest takeaways from his low point was the importance of mental health. When you’re in a good mood, you’re in an “abundance state” where ideas flow, and possibilities feel endless. But when you’re in a bad mood, everything shrinks into a “lack state,” where even simple problems seem unsolvable.
He learned that keeping a strong mental state – ideally backed by at least 12 months of savings – is crucial to a founder’s success.
One of Michal’s biggest takeaways from his low point was the importance of mental health. When you’re in a good mood, you’re in an “abundance state” where ideas flow, and possibilities feel endless. But when you’re in a bad mood, everything shrinks into a “lack state,” where even simple problems seem unsolvable.
He learned that keeping a strong mental state – ideally backed by at least 12 months of savings – is crucial to a founder’s success.
Michal’s Advice for New Founders
Michal’s Advice for New Founders
Michal’s journey is packed with insights. Here’s his advice for anyone looking to start a business:
Find Your Community: Surround yourself with successful, driven people, whether on Twitter, Indie Hackers, or in real life.
Learn from Other Founders: Look up how others validated their ideas and gained their first users. Platforms like Indie Hackers and StarterStory & FounderNoon are goldmines.
Build Mentor-Like Relationships: Reach out to people in similar (but not identical) niches and learn from them.
Create a Financial Safety Net: Work on your side project until it earns as much as your full-time job or save up ten months’ worth of expenses.
Schedule Your Time: Plan your calendar three months ahead, using theme days and time blocks.
Focus on One Strategy: Choose one marketing strategy and grind it out for 1-2 months before switching.
Constantly Optimize: Tweak your approach based on results, and reach out to mentors for advice.
His final advice? "Luck favors those who hustle their way to a solution."
Michal’s journey is packed with insights. Here’s his advice for anyone looking to start a business:
Find Your Community: Surround yourself with successful, driven people, whether on Twitter, Indie Hackers, or in real life.
Learn from Other Founders: Look up how others validated their ideas and gained their first users. Platforms like Indie Hackers and StarterStory & FounderNoon are goldmines.
Build Mentor-Like Relationships: Reach out to people in similar (but not identical) niches and learn from them.
Create a Financial Safety Net: Work on your side project until it earns as much as your full-time job or save up ten months’ worth of expenses.
Schedule Your Time: Plan your calendar three months ahead, using theme days and time blocks.
Focus on One Strategy: Choose one marketing strategy and grind it out for 1-2 months before switching.
Constantly Optimize: Tweak your approach based on results, and reach out to mentors for advice.
His final advice? "Luck favors those who hustle their way to a solution."
Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Michal’s journey shows that success often lies in the blend of hard work, resourcefulness, and resilience. He turned a $55 project into a growing marketing platform and consulting career. For aspiring founders, his story is proof that, with the right mindset, anything is possible.
P.S. I’ve got a weekly newsletter where I share Stories of how regular people started and grew their businesses— Plus the marketing hacks that won them customers. Then, I share those insights with you. I would love for you to join us here
Shoot me a DM if you want to share your story or visit this page to submit your information 💌
- h/t Michal's Twitter, Indie Hackers ⇢ Great resources
Michal’s journey shows that success often lies in the blend of hard work, resourcefulness, and resilience. He turned a $55 project into a growing marketing platform and consulting career. For aspiring founders, his story is proof that, with the right mindset, anything is possible.
P.S. I’ve got a weekly newsletter where I share Stories of how regular people started and grew their businesses— Plus the marketing hacks that won them customers. Then, I share those insights with you. I would love for you to join us here
Shoot me a DM if you want to share your story or visit this page to submit your information 💌
- h/t Michal's Twitter, Indie Hackers ⇢ Great resources
