Welcome to the First Digital Dollar Project
Every week, a solopreneur shares the honest story of how they earned their first dollar online. They also join me on Substack Live to dive deeper into their journey.
Each story follows one path from idea to struggle to income. You will see the doubts they faced, the pivots they made, and the exact steps that led to that first sale.
Whether you are still searching for your breakthrough or already building momentum, these stories show you what is possible when you take action.
This live session expands on the story we shared earlier this week, going deeper into the behind-the-scenes details with Orel
People LOVE this series! And don’t take my word for it, check out some of the comment on this Live and the First Digital Dollar Series!
Read the post by Orel :
More on the project:
From 18 months of failure to $6K MRR on Substack
Most people only see the wins.
This Live showed the messy middle.
In this Substack Live, I sat down with Orel , founder of WriteStack, to unpack what really happened before his first online sale.
It was an awesome chat.
Here’s what we covered.
What you’ll learn from this Live:
Why Orel failed for almost 18 months building product after product, and why none of them worked.
The exact mistake he kept repeating when validating ideas.
Why focusing on one product for six months changed everything.
How WriteStack started as a simple article idea generator and pivoted into a notes-first Substack growth tool.
The role of direct messages in landing his first paying customer.
Why feedback mattered more than features in the early days.
What went through his mind when the first $9 subscription came in.
How his mindset before the first dollar was completely different from after.
A practical breakdown of consistency, burnout, and when to push vs when to pause.
Real data-backed insights on how many Substack Notes per day actually move the needle.
Why reposting winning Notes is not lazy, and how Orel uses stats to do it on purpose.
One moment stood out.
After all that effort, when the first dollar finally arrived, Orel didn’t celebrate.
He thought, “Okay. How do I make more?”
That shift matters.
If you’re still chasing your first digital dollar, this Live will feel uncomfortably familiar.
If you’ve already earned one, this will help you earn the next ten.
Watch the full recording if you want to understand:
Why most people quit too early.
Why strategy matters as much as the product.
Why your first win changes everything, even if it feels small.
This Live is part of the First Digital Dollar Project, where solopreneurs share the real story behind their first online income.
No BS.
Just truth.
Watch the recording.
Have fun.
Thank you Michael Kaye, Tony U. Francisco, Ph.D., MagickMica, Manika, and many others for tuning into my live video with Orel!
Join me for my next live video in the app.
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Your future self will thank you.
Thanks for reading! Ready for the next step?
Let’s crack the growth equation and build a thriving one-person business on your terms!
Anfernee
