My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
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Professional communities
Free entry with progressive value demonstration
Why It Works
Allows people to experience value before paying, creates network effects, and builds trust through demonstrated expertise
Prerequisites
Valuable free contentClear upgrade pathCommunity management capability
How to Execute
1
Create free community with basic valuable content
2
Provide daily tips and scenarios for practice
3
Document and share member success stories
4
Offer progressively advanced paid tiers
5
Use community feedback to improve offerings
When It Fails
When free value is too low to engage users, or when monetization path isn't clear to community members
Real Example
“Start negotiation skills community with free daily practice scenarios, then convert engaged members to paid advanced training based on their demonstrated results.”