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Justin Welsh Story

SoloBiz Story: Justin Welsh

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solopreneurpersonal brandfounder storylessonsinspiration

By SoloBiz Story Team | 2025-05-24

Introduction

In 2018, Justin Welsh experienced a panic attack while serving as a high-pressure SaaS VP, realizing he needed to reshape his life. He left his high-paying job, began sharing sales insights on LinkedIn, and unexpectedly embarked on a solopreneur journey. Five years later, this American entrepreneur single-handedly built a knowledge business generating $3.85 million annually, amassed nearly 1 million followers across platforms, and works less than 4 hours daily. His story teaches us that systematized content creation and authentic expertise can transform workplace skills into a life of freedom.

The Journey

Born in the United States with a background in sales and marketing, Justin Welsh previously served as a senior executive in the medical SaaS industry, helping two startups reach billion-dollar valuations and raise over $300 million. However, by late 2018, the pressure of managing a 150-person team pushed him to the breaking point. A sudden panic attack became his turning point. In a Medium article, he recalled: "I thought I was going to die in that moment, which made me determined to redesign my life." He began asking himself: what kind of life truly matters?

In early 2019, Justin started sharing sales and SaaS insights on LinkedIn, testing his hypothesis that online influence would be the currency of the future. He posted daily, using his self-created PAIPS formula (Pain, Agitate, Inspire, Prompt, Solution) to precisely capture readers' pain points. Within six months, his LinkedIn following grew from zero to 20,000, prompting him to resign from his VP position in August 2019 to become a full-time solopreneur. Initially, he earned income by consulting for SaaS companies but quickly discovered the potential of digital products.

In 2020, Justin launched his first digital course, "LinkedIn Operating System," teaching how to build a personal brand on LinkedIn, priced at $200, attracting thousands of students. He followed with "Content Operating System," teaching efficient short-form content creation, further expanding his revenue. In 2022, he founded "The Saturday Solopreneur" newsletter, sharing one actionable tip weekly, now with approximately 250,000 subscribers and a reading time of less than 4 minutes. In 2023, he launched his flagship product, "Creator MBA," a 19-hour, 111-lesson course helping solopreneurs build online businesses, becoming his primary income source. As of 2024, his annual revenue reached $3.85 million with a profit margin of about 90%, relying only on one part-time virtual assistant with no full-time employees.

Justin's success stems from systematic operations. He uses Kajabi to integrate his website, email marketing, and course delivery, streamlining business processes. He spends 30 minutes daily creating content, uses TweetHunter to automatically schedule posts, and adapts his LinkedIn content for X and Instagram, achieving cross-platform influence. On X, he shares: "I repurpose popular content, adjust the wording, and reach different audiences." His strategy emphasizes "small improvements," focusing on the 20% of core tasks (like content creation) while avoiding inefficient work. As of 2024, he has approximately 520,000 followers on LinkedIn, 450,000 on X, and a total influence of about 1 million, including newsletter subscribers.

Behind the success, Justin faced numerous challenges. During his early transition, he worried about financial instability and questioned his decision to leave a high-paying job. In an Indie Hackers interview, he said: "I don't want to manage teams, I just want to design a simple, meaningful business." He also had to contend with social media competition and copycats, building "moats" through SEO and email automation. A burn injury experience made him more health-conscious; now he rises early, maintains optimism, and prioritizes family and freedom. On X, he wrote: "I don't need endless growth, just enough to pay bills and save for the future."

Today, Justin Welsh stands as a benchmark for solopreneurs. His courses have helped over 60,000 students, and his brand centers on being a "diversified solopreneur," emphasizing freedom, efficiency, and authenticity. He primarily lives in Los Angeles, occasionally visiting his second home in the Catskills, New York, living a free life where he "forgets what day of the week it is," focusing on creation and influence.

Lessons & Insights

Justin Welsh's experience offers three key lessons for solopreneurs:

  1. Systematization is the foundation of freedom: He uses Kajabi and automation tools to simplify operations, generating $3.85 million in revenue with just 4 hours of work daily. Establishing repeatable processes allows you to focus on high-value work.
  2. Content is your asset: He creates content daily, accumulating 60 million impressions using his PAIPS formula to attract loyal audiences. Authentically sharing your expertise can build long-term influence.
  3. Pursue "good enough" rather than "more": Justin abandoned blind expansion to focus on simplicity and freedom. Define the life you want, then reverse-engineer your business to achieve it.

Conclusion

Justin Welsh's transformation from workplace burnout to earning $3.85 million annually demonstrates how a systematized personal brand can create a life of freedom. Are you also looking to turn your professional knowledge into the first step of your business? Try selecting a field you excel in, list the three main pain points of your readers, share your thoughts in the comments, or subscribe to our blog to explore more practical advice on building online influence, starting your solopreneur journey by solving problems!

Sources

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