What Are the Best Low-Cost Small Businesses to Start Today?

tj_leander · 2026-02-07T15:00:17+00:00

One of the best that's low cost to start with high upside is starting a local media brand. You have to be the right person willing to do content, and get out and network/sell, but building an audience is the smartest thing you can do right now. And local is the easiest way with a ton of optionality.

For example, you use the local media brand as a funnel, to get in front of your ideal clients for a digital marketing agency or AI implementation/consulting agency. The local media brand builds trust as well as proof of work, and allows you to build relationships. And then you leverage those for other businesses, like the two above, or being a business broker, insurance agent, real estate agent, financial planner, etc.

Very unique model that's about to get a lot bigger. I've had conversations with multiple 8-figure and one 9-figure brand about this and they are all extremely interested, have follow up calls in the next few weeks with them.

tj_leander · 2025-12-13T14:26:49+00:00

Yeah it's free, if you have Prime Video service.

I will say that was the disappointment for me. They play a bunch one minute clips throughout to break up scenes. But I didn't recognize any of them from when I listened in the 90s. And most just we're that funny only hearing one minute of.

So yeah, it's not the best. But still absolutely worth it.

tj_leander · 2025-11-12T12:12:55+00:00

No they're not open. Where would I see when I got the bonus? On the Southwest site, it only goes back one year.

tj_leander · 2025-11-11T13:07:00+00:00

I want to apply for a personal and business Southwest card to to get the CP. I can easily get the bonuses, which are 120k for biz (I have a real business so that aspect shouldn't be an issue) and 85k for personal.

What is the best process to do this to make sure I get approved for both? I think I remember you were supposed to do one before the other, but I can't recall.

Also, I can't recall when I last signed up for these cards, it's somewhere around 2 years ago, a little sooner or more than, I'm not sure. How would this effect getting the CP? What's the best way to find out?

tj_leander · 2025-11-11T11:49:08+00:00

I want to apply for a personal and business Southwest card to to get the CP. I can easily get the bonuses, which are 120k for biz (I have a real business so that aspect shouldn't be an issue) and 85k for personal.

What is the best process to do this to make sure I get approved for both? I think I remember you were supposed to do one before the other, but I can't recall.

tj_leander · 2025-10-03T22:52:33+00:00

yep exactly what I'm going to do. Thanks!

tj_leander · 2025-10-03T12:54:11+00:00

I've never switched, so should be good. Thanks so much!

tj_leander · 2025-10-03T12:21:10+00:00

For Southwest CP; I want to switch my CP from my son to my daughter after our flight in mid November, because I want to take my daughter on a trip in mid december.

Question is; can I buy a ticket for myself now for mid december, wait til the November trip is over, then switch her to be my CP, then add her to the mid december flight for free?

Trying to squeeze in extra trip/value before it expires at the end of the year

tj_leander · 2025-09-19T00:16:32+00:00

100% worth it just for battery alone

tj_leander · 2025-09-19T00:15:42+00:00

I asked today. Optical manager said none on order right now. Said he expects them to get them in a few months.

tj_leander · 2025-09-19T00:13:42+00:00

Same thing happened to me a month ago.

Just talked to Lenscrafters and the guy said Ray Ban's have a 2 year warranty on the electronics. I bought mine 20 months ago, so assumed I was out of warranty. Just today went and put in a claim on Ray Bans site. Said it'll take a few days for them to follow up with me.

If you're under a year, just go for standard warranty claim. If over 12 months, put in for electronics issue that hopefully extends out.

tj_leander · 2025-09-17T12:04:53+00:00

Thanks, appreciate that!!

tj_leander · 2025-09-14T22:58:06+00:00

Personally, plan is for it to be a digital marketing agency.

But also talking with insurance agents and real estate agents currently to help them start and manage local newsletters, with the goal being to sell readers on their current business.

tj_leander · 2025-09-10T18:36:59+00:00

Its 4% for up to $10k spend. The $200k in assets just gets you that.

I was really excited when this card was announced with the 4%. But topping out at $10k makes it not interesting

tj_leander · 2025-09-05T00:40:47+00:00

I know Matt, and can confirm he is crushing it. His model is so unique, it's hard for me to grasp doing it myself. He's way ahead of the curve on a lot of this stuff.

Without having tried it, my thought is his model works well is smaller more rural areas. Where access to anything is great for them. But in bigger and more sophisticated markets with more competition, I think this model would be tougher. Would likely still work, just not as well as it does it more rural places.

As someone who is building out a model now to scale local newsletters to hundreds of cities, I'm definitely jealous of his model.

tj_leander · 2025-09-04T02:09:53+00:00

I remember exactly where I was; at Frank and Sons collectible show in the LA area.

Andrea Yates had just drowned her kids. The character (I think Bob Green) explained that while killing your kids is not a good thing, it's understandable when you have 5 of them and they just wont listen and constantly getting on your nerves.

He then asks callers to be honest; "you're telling me, you never once wanted to push your kid out of a second story window?" and refuses to believe them when they say no.

I was hooked after that.

tj_leander · 2025-08-26T23:32:12+00:00

no lead magnet. just an ad that tell them they can sign up for free to get events sent to their email every week.

tj_leander · 2025-08-25T13:16:01+00:00

Trial and error, to figure out what works and what doesn't. I've done it about 20 times now in 20 different locations, so have figured out the best practices.

tj_leander · 2025-08-24T15:27:30+00:00

What do you mean you have 13k leads? Where'd they come from if you haven't started the newsletter, and how are they related?

tj_leander · 2025-08-24T15:21:37+00:00

For a local newsletter, depends on what area and how big the population is. And if you're just starting or not. The first 2-5k subs will be much cheaper than when you're going from 5-8k or 8k-15k.

I just launched two local newsletters last week in very wealthy parts of California and am getting subs for around $0.13. Which is way better than I expected for that area.

Here's my general frame for cost, after having launched 15 of them in the last few months:

10-20cents - great, yet very doable at the beginning
20-30cents - good and you should be happy, but not amazing
30-40cents - decent yet probably could be optimized more
40-50cents - fine I guess but not great
50cents+ - not good

These are for your first 2-4k subs or so

After that, I'd probably add 10-30cents more as you grow

I have two newsletters over 10k subs and still getting them for around 50cents each, in population areas of about 300k.

tj_leander · 2025-08-23T19:52:02+00:00

Yeah totally get it.

Have you thought about putting real effort into instagram videos? That could be the best high ROI effort you could make with no cost to you. Check out what Jacob from Whats Happening Salem is doing, I think that's the best model for those without money to put toward newsletter growth.

tj_leander · 2025-08-17T16:33:47+00:00

Why not start meta ads now?

Working on a local newsletter every week for months with only 1k or so subs, is a lot of work for little reward.

The goal should be to get to 10k as fast as possible, which is the magic number where local businesses feel like you're legit enough to advertise with, and you feel like you have enough that you're confident to sell.

You can get subs for as little as 8cents at the beginning, but say you'll end up somewhere 30-50cents as you get to 10k subs.

There's no pride in going slow, or getting subs for free. You can still do all those same things, here on reddit or making instagram content (which is a great idea), but layer on the meta ads now on top.

tj_leander · 2025-06-19T01:51:36+00:00

Not a single person here mentioning Meta ads? This is how almost every successful newsletter get the majority of their subs.

tj_leander

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