SoloBiz Story: Pieter Levels
中文Introduction
In 2013, Pieter Levels sold all his possessions, packed a backpack and a laptop, and flew to Thailand to begin his digital nomad life. He was once a lost musician earning modest income from YouTube, but felt suffocated by traditional career paths. Ten years later, this Dutch solopreneur, working from Bali to Seoul, has built platforms like Nomad List and Remote OK, generating around $2.7 million in annual revenue with zero employees. His story teaches us that one person with a laptop and fearless experimentation can change the world.
His Story
Pieter Levels' entrepreneurial journey began in childhood when he learned MS-DOS Batch coding from a book called "Windows for Kids," planting the seeds of his technical skills. As a teenager, he became obsessed with drums, bass, and music, dreaming of becoming a DJ. He uploaded music remixes and tutorials to YouTube, reaching 139,000 subscribers by 2012 and earning $2,000-3,000 monthly. Although the income was decent, he found it monotonous, and copyright issues made this path uncertain. Meanwhile, he pursued business degrees at several Dutch universities, from Utrecht to Amsterdam, and even spent three months on exchange at a South Korean university. The Korean experience marked his first time outside Europe, showing him the limitless possibilities beyond his comfort zone. However, after completing his master's degree in 2012, he had no interest in corporate life, believing that business schools' "senior management" dreams were empty talk, and that the real top positions belonged to engineers.
In 2013, inspired by Tim Ferriss's "The 4-Hour Workweek" and independent developer Patrick McKenzie, Pieter decided to become a digital nomad. He sold everything that couldn't fit into his backpack and flew to Thailand to start traveling while building businesses. Initially, he spent months perfecting projects but was too afraid of failure to launch them. In 2014, inspired by Jennifer Dewalt's "180 websites in 180 days," he started his "12 startups in 12 months" challenge, forcing himself to act quickly. His first project, Play My Inbox, which organized music from users' inboxes into playlists, wasn't a huge success but taught him to launch rapidly.
That same year, Pieter accidentally launched the business that would change his life: Nomad List. He had originally just organized data about digital nomad cities (cost of living, internet speed, safety) in a Google spreadsheet, sharing it on X (then Twitter) for feedback. Due to incorrect settings, the spreadsheet was publicly editable, attracting hundreds of people who added city data, quickly making it go viral. Recognizing the market demand, he rapidly developed the Nomad List website, providing information needed by digital nomads and charging subscription fees. The product earned $600 on its first day, then swept through Product Hunt and Hacker News, becoming an essential tool for digital nomads. As of 2024, Nomad List (now renamed Nomads) generates about $30,000 monthly, $360,000 annually, with nearly one million annual visitors.
The success of Nomad List greatly boosted Pieter's confidence. He subsequently launched Remote OK (a remote job board, earning $41,000 monthly), Interior AI (an AI interior design tool, earning $49,000 monthly), and Photo AI (an AI photography application, earning $70,000 monthly). As of 2024, his public projects generate approximately $176,000 monthly, or $2.7 million annually. He transparently shares his income on X, attracting over 422,000 followers and becoming a benchmark for independent developers. However, behind the success lies countless failures. He has built over 70 projects, with only 4 achieving significant profitability. For example, Go F***ing Do It (a productivity app that charges users if they don't reach their goals) and Tubelytics (a YouTube analytics tool) were shut down due to lack of market response.
Pieter's operational approach is extremely minimalist. He taught himself PHP, JavaScript, and jQuery, deliberately using simple technologies and avoiding complex frameworks to ensure his products are easy to maintain. He has deployed over 2,000 automation scripts, achieving 98% business automation, from dynamic pricing to server management, eliminating the need for employees. In 2024, he shifted his focus to AI projects, with Photo AI's monthly revenue accounting for 70% of his total income, becoming his main growth driver. He admits that AI's complexity (such as Python and GPU servers) exceeds his capabilities, so he hired an AI developer to assist, but still maintains control of core operations himself. His lifestyle is equally free, working while traveling from Thailand to Portugal, though recently he has expressed a desire to settle down and start a family.
Lessons & Insights
Pieter Levels' journey offers three key lessons for solopreneurs:
- Experiment quickly, embrace failure: He launched over 70 projects, with only 4 succeeding, but learned from each failure. Rapidly releasing MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) and testing market response is central to his success.
- Share transparently, build community: Pieter publicly shares income and challenges on X, attracting 422,000 followers and building trust. His "build in public" strategy not only drives traffic but also inspires other entrepreneurs.
- Keep it simple, leverage automation: Using simple technologies and over 2,000 automation scripts, he manages hundreds of thousands of users alone. Focus on solving your own pain points (like digital nomad needs) to naturally find your market.
Conclusion
From YouTube musician to a solopreneur earning $2.7 million annually, Pieter Levels built his digital empire with just a laptop and countless experiments. His story reminds us that success doesn't require large teams or massive funding, just courage, simple tools, and keen market insights. Are you also interested in starting your own solopreneur journey? Share your thoughts in the comments, or subscribe to our blog to explore more inspiring entrepreneurial stories every week!