Welcome to Money Making Story,

Today, we’re thrilled to share the story of Chris, who scaled from a college iPhone repair shop to 17 revenue streams and a $3 million net income goal.

In this discussion, we’ll discuss his:

• Top Advice from Chris

• The Foundation of Chris’ Success

• The Start of Chris’s Journey

• Turning Scraps into Gold

• Job Interview Cheat Sheet

• How Chris Finds and Validates Business Ideas

• Chris’ Viral Marketing Framework

• Repeatable Frameworks for Success

• Chris’ Tools and Tactics

• Diverse Revenue Streams

• Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

• A Story Worth Reading

Top Advice from Chris:

"Don’t wait for the perfect idea. Start something, and it will lead you to the perfect thing."

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Chris, a serial entrepreneur with 17 revenue streams and a knack for going viral with his business ideas, has built a career on turning seemingly ordinary opportunities into extraordinary successes. Starting with a single iPhone repair shop, Chris scaled his ventures to a multi-million-dollar enterprise, earning over $1.5 million in annual income. His story offers insights into finding and validating business opportunities, leveraging simple yet effective frameworks, and capitalizing on creativity over capital.

The Foundation of Chris’ Success

Chris’ entrepreneurial journey is built on three core principles:

1. Curiosity: Asking the right questions and diving into the unknown.

2. Resourcefulness: Leveraging small budgets to spark creativity.

3. Taking Action: Starting immediately, even if the plan isn’t perfect.

The Start of Chris’s Journey

In 2010, while studying at the University of Alabama, Chris stumbled upon his first business idea. A classmate mentioned a broken iPhone, sparking Chris’s curiosity. Soon after, he encountered a student offering iPhone repairs for $60. Intrigued, Chris asked questions, learned the basics, and launched his first iPhone repair shop.

Instead of starting small, Chris signed a five-year lease for prime real estate, believing the sooner he opened, the quicker he could capture revenue. Within 18 months, he scaled to five locations and sold the business to a local competitor.

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Turning Scraps into Gold

The sale of his repair shops coincided with a cold call that changed his trajectory. A company wanted to buy broken iPhone screens, a concept Chris initially found puzzling. He soon discovered the screens could be refurbished in China and resold. This insight led him to launch LCD Cycle, a business that bought and resold broken screens.

Starting with $28,000 in revenue in its first month, LCD Cycle doubled its income month-over-month, hitting $2.1 million in its first year. By understanding the pain points of iPhone repair shops and using a database of leads, Chris not only sold refurbished screens but also new parts, transforming the business into a comprehensive supplier.

Job Interview Cheat Sheet

How Chris Finds and Validates Business Ideas

Chris uses a data-driven framework to identify opportunities:

1. Start with a Database:
   Chris begins every business by building a comprehensive database of potential customers. For LCD Cycle, he scraped Google Maps for every iPhone repair shop in the U.S., resulting in a list of 20,000 leads.

2. Cold Outreach:
   Using virtual assistants, he launched a cold-calling campaign offering to buy broken iPhone screens. This built trust and opened doors for upselling new parts.

3. Leverage Constraints:
   By operating on limited budgets, Chris forces himself to be creative.

Chris’ Viral Marketing Framework

Chris doesn’t shy away from bold marketing stunts, often turning them into viral sensations.

The Buc-ee’s Stunt:

• Noticing Buc-ee’s (a popular Texas-based gas station chain) lacked an online store, Chris launched a third-party e-commerce site selling their products.

• The store went viral, generating $160,000 in its first 30 days and over $1 million in its first year.

• Chris achieved this by cold-emailing journalists and leveraging legal loopholes to operate the store without Buc-ee’s consent.

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Repeatable Frameworks for Success

Chris uses several key frameworks to launch and grow businesses:

1. Start Hyperlocal:

Test new ideas in small, localized markets before scaling.
Example: Chris’ tree-trimming business began by partnering with local crews and marketing to real estate agents.

2. Lead with Value:

Offer valuable insights before making a sales pitch.
Example: For landscaping businesses, Chris cold-emails owners with data comparing competitor density in neighboring cities, sparking conversations and building trust.

3. Feed Your Curiosities:

Chris balances multiple projects by focusing on what excites him most.

Chris’ Tools and Tactics

To scale his businesses efficiently, Chris uses a carefully curated tech stack:

• Outscraper: For scraping Google Maps and building customer databases.

• Upwork: To hire virtual assistants and freelancers for cold outreach and other tasks.

• Google Sheets + GPT for Sheets: For extracting insights from scraped data using AI.

• TidyCal: For managing bookings and monetizing time slots.

• BuiltWith: To analyze competitors’ tech stacks and uncover opportunities.

Diverse Revenue Streams

Chris’s portfolio includes ventures like:

• Tree Trimming Services: Without owning a single chainsaw, Chris launched a tech-enabled tree service by connecting with local crews and marketing to real estate agents.

• Pet Cremation Leads: Identifying untapped search volume for pet cremation services, Chris created a programmatic SEO website that generates leads for existing facilities.

• Perfume Vending Machines: After a viral TikTok video, Chris collected 3,000 leads and partnered with manufacturers to launch Side Vending, a company selling niche vending machines.

Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Chris believes anyone can succeed by following these principles:

1. Start Small: Focus on hyperlocal markets and low-cost launches.

2. Say Yes to Everything: Exploring multiple ideas will lead to the perfect opportunity.

3. Be Impatient with Action: Don’t wait for the perfect conditions; take action immediately.

4. Embrace Constraints: Limited resources often inspire the most creative solutions.

5. Use Data to Validate Ideas: Tools like scraping software and Google Analytics can uncover hidden opportunities.

Learn More About Chris Koerner

For Chris, life is about taking risks, embracing challenges, and chasing what excites him. Whether it’s starting a tree-trimming business or partnering with a global brand, his mantra remains: “What if?” By planting seeds and chasing opportunities, Chris has built a fulfilling life full of stories—and plenty of revenue streams to match.

A Story Worth Reading

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