<p><b>Startup Description</b></p><p>My project is a specialized newsletter focused on quantitative finance, delivering actionable insights, trading strategies, and market analysis to help subscribers make informed trading decisions and generate profits. It offers both free and paid content tiers, with paid subscribers gaining access to premium trading strategies that have proven valuable in real-world trading scenarios. The newsletter started as a passion project in early 2023, born from the founder's expertise in quantitative finance and desire to share profitable strategies with a community of traders. It began with organic posts on Medium.com, which quickly gained traction and led to the launch of a dedicated newsletter on Beehiiv to monetize through subscriptions and ads.</p><p><b>Key Highlights</b></p><ul><li>Annual revenue: $12,400 (breakdown: $5,000 from paid subscriptions, $5,000 from ads, $2,400 from Medium.com earnings)</li><li>Annual profit: $11,512 (after subtracting operational costs of $888)</li><li>Churn rate: Approximately 20% monthly (inferred from LTV of 5 months for paid subscribers)</li><li>LTV: $125 per paid subscriber (based on 5 months of subscription at an average $25/month, though exact pricing may vary)</li><li>CAC: $0 (entirely organic growth with no paid marketing spend)</li><li>Business margin: 93% (high due to low overhead and scalable digital delivery)</li><li>Total subscribers: 2,500 on Beehiiv&nbsp;</li><li>Open rate: 45%&nbsp;</li><li>Click-through rate: 3%&nbsp;</li><li>Paid subscribers: 17 (conversion rate from free to paid: ~0.7%)&nbsp;</li><li>&nbsp;Medium.com followers: 3,000&nbsp;</li><li>Content focus: Quantitative finance trading strategies, with high perceived value leading to strong retention among traders</li></ul><p><b>Team</b></p><p>This is a solo-operated project run by the founder, who handles all aspects including content creation, strategy development, audience engagement, and monetization. Responsibilities include:</p><ul><li>Content &amp; Strategy Creation: Researching and writing weekly newsletters on quantitative finance topics, developing and testing trading strategies for free and paid tiers.</li><li>Audience Management: Monitoring subscriber engagement, responding to queries, and curating content based on feedback.</li><li>Monetization &amp; Operations: Managing ad placements, subscription upsells, and platform maintenance (Beehiiv and Medium.com).</li></ul><p>The lean team structure keeps costs low and allows for agile decision-making, with potential for scaling by adding freelance contributors if growth accelerates.</p><p><b>Tech Stack</b></p><ul><li>Beehiiv (Newsletter Platform): Core platform for hosting, sending, and monetizing the newsletter. Used for subscriber management, email automation, A/B testing open/click rates, and integrating paid subscription walls for premium trading strategies.</li><li>Medium.com (Content Distribution &amp; Monetization): Primary channel for organic traffic generation and additional revenue through the Partner Program. Handles article publishing, SEO optimization, and follower growth to funnel users to the Beehiiv newsletter.</li></ul><p>No custom coding or additional frameworks are required, keeping the stack simple and cost-effective at $74/month total.</p><p><b>Marketing and Growth</b></p><p>Growth has been entirely organic, leveraging Medium.com's algorithm for discoverability in the finance niche. Key activities include:</p><ul><li>Medium.com Article Publishing: Weekly posts on quantitative finance topics (e.g., "Backtested Trading Strategies for Volatile Markets") that drive ~80% of new subscribers. Results: Grown to 3,000 followers and $200/month in earnings, with articles averaging 1,000-5,000 views each.</li><li>Cross-Promotion in Newsletter: Teasing premium strategies in free content to convert readers. Results: Steady 0.7% free-to-paid conversion, adding 1-2 paid subs quarterly without ads.</li><li>Community Engagement: Responding to comments on Medium and Twitter shares of strategies. Results: 45% open rate sustained through relevant, high-value content.</li></ul><p>No paid campaigns; all growth is bootstrapped, achieving 2,500 Beehiiv subscribers in under 2 years.</p><p><b>Revenue and Profit</b></p><p>The newsletter operates on a subscription + ads model, with supplementary earnings from Medium.com. Key financials:</p><ul><li>ARR/MRR: $12,400 ARR ($1,033 MRR average). Breakdown: $5,000 ARR from 17 paid subs (~$24.50/month average per sub), $5,000 ARR from targeted finance ads (e.g., brokerage partnerships), $2,400 ARR from Medium Partner Program (~$200 MRR).</li><li>Profit: $11,512 annually ($959 monthly average), after $888 in costs ($69/month Beehiiv Pro plan for advanced analytics/subscriptions + $5/month Medium membership for earnings eligibility).</li><li>CAC: $0, as growth is organic.</li><li>LTV: $125 per paid customer (5-month average lifetime, driven by evergreen trading strategy value).</li><li>Retention: ~80% monthly for paid subs (inverse of 20% churn), high due to proven ROI from strategies helping users profit in trading.</li><li>Churn: 20% monthly, primarily from market downturns affecting trader interest; mitigated by evergreen content.</li></ul><p>Financials are stable and scalable, with ads and Medium providing diversified income beyond subs.</p><p><b>Startup Assets</b></p><ul><li>Beehiiv Email List: 2,500 subscribers (45% open rate, 3% CTR), fully transferable with historical analytics and automation setups. Includes segmented lists for free vs. paid users.</li><li>Medium.com Account: 3,000 followers generating $200/month in Partner Program earnings, with 50+ published articles on quantitative finance (transferable via account handover or content migration).</li><li>Paid Subscriber Database: 17 active paid users with access to premium trading strategies, including CRM export of contact info, subscription history, and LTV data.</li><li>Content Library: 100+ newsletter issues and strategy backtests (valued at $10,000+ in creation time), plus ad partnership contracts ($5,000 ARR).</li><li>Domain &amp; Branding.</li></ul></br>✅ $12,500 in Annual Revenue✅ 17 paid and 2,300 free subscribers✅ Business model: Freemium+Sponsorship✅ Built with Stripe, Beehiiv, Medium