Welcome to Money Making Story,

Today, we’re thrilled to share the story of Mark, who overcame multiple startup failures to eventually create a $1M portfolio of profitable projects.

In this discussion, we’ll discuss his:

• Top Advice

• A Troubled Start

• University and Addiction

• The Turning Point: Hong Kong

• The Ultimate Productivity Cheat Sheet

• The Entrepreneurial Spark

• The Move to South Korea and More Failures

• Hitting Rock Bottom and Pivoting

• COVID-19 and Another Collapse

• The Big Breakthrough

• Advice for Freelancers Who Want to Scale

• A Story Worth Reading

Top Advice:

"Success doesn’t come from playing it safe—it’s about risking everything to pursue your passion and learning from failures along the way."

Mark’s path from living in his parents' house with zero dollars in his bank account to becoming a self-made millionaire is a testament to resilience, risk-taking, and the relentless pursuit of growth. His journey wasn’t paved with overnight success or easy wins—it was filled with failures, lessons, and moments of near defeat. Yet, through it all, Mark emerged as a thriving solo developer, embodying the spirit of perseverance and innovation.

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A Troubled Start

Mark was born in October 1993 in a small town near Paris, France. Growing up, he had a beautiful childhood, often spending hours building with Legos. However, the middle school brought challenges. He found school dull, the curriculum outdated, and the ranking system unfair. With poor grades, teachers labeled him a troublemaker, pushing him to the back of the classroom.

His parents, who had worked their way out of poverty through education, expected the same from him. But Mark struggled to connect with school and often clashed with both his teachers and family. After being expelled, his parents had to intervene to get him back in, and he made a promise to graduate.

Middle school brought frustration. The outdated curriculum and the rigid grading system failed to inspire him, leading to poor grades and a reputation as a troublemaker. This disconnect widened the gap between him and his academically driven parents. Despite a rocky academic path that led to his expulsion, Mark promised his parents he would graduate, a promise he eventually kept.

University and Addiction

After high school, societal pressure led Mark to pursue a master's degree in computer science, despite having no clear passion for it. University life mirrored his earlier academic struggles—he found himself deeply addicted to World of Warcraft, spending an astonishing 65 days in the game within a year.

In 2013, he enrolled in a master's program in computer science, moving into his apartment for the first time. However, newfound freedom led to chaos. He developed a smoking habit, ignored his studies, and was eventually expelled. His parents once again had to plead for his readmission, and he promised to do the bare minimum to graduate

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The Turning Point: Hong Kong

In 2015, Mark’s girlfriend was accepted into a student exchange program in Hong Kong. Desperate to follow her, he found a loophole—getting an internship in Hong Kong. There were two major obstacles: he barely spoke English, and he had no valuable skills. Determined, he changed his computer settings to English, forced himself to Google only in English, and decided to learn programming.

He managed to secure an internship, though it turned out to be a disaster. His lack of coding skills was exposed, and he nearly got fired. However, the experience of living in Hong Kong broadened his perspective. He returned to France transformed and eventually graduated, though he admitted to copying answers during exams.

The Ultimate Productivity Cheat Sheet

The Entrepreneurial Spark

Returning to France, Mark was inspired by The Social Network and dreamed of becoming the next Mark Zuckerberg. He worked as a waiter, learning the power of customer experience while developing his first app—Tinder for sports lovers. A year of coding led to a buggy, unmarketable app, and his first major entrepreneurial failure. Despite the heartbreak, this experience planted the seed for future success.

His next venture took him to South Korea, where he partnered with a friend to start an AI-based flight prediction startup. Though they secured investors and built an MVP, their lack of marketing knowledge doomed the project. Another failure. Another lesson learned.

The Move to South Korea and More Failures

When a friend offered him a chance to co-found an AI startup in South Korea, Mark leaped, leaving behind his family, girlfriend, and failed project. The startup aimed to predict flight ticket prices, but he and his co-founder lacked business development skills. After months of struggle, the venture failed.

Alone and disillusioned, Mark tried another business—selling a couple of mittens in South Korea. He and his girlfriend launched “Glovers” but failed to sell online. Instead, they resorted to selling on the streets on freezing winter nights. Despite some success, the business was unsustainable and shut down in 2018.

Hitting Rock Bottom and Pivoting

Financially and emotionally strained, Mark and his girlfriend started a clothing brand, Glovers—a niche product selling mittens for couples. Despite their efforts, the venture flopped, forcing the couple into a $500-a-month underground apartment in Seoul. Mark took background acting gigs just to make ends meet.

A pivotal moment came when a friend suggested a fundamental shift in his approach: sell it before you build it. Embracing this advice, Mark pitched a gamification tool for escape room businesses. To his surprise, he landed his first paying customer, earning $300 upfront and $99/month in recurring revenue. For the first time, he made money online—a breakthrough that reignited his passion.

COVID-19 and Another Collapse

The business grew steadily, allowing him and his girlfriend to move to Bali, where he adopted a healthier lifestyle and discovered his love for surfing. However, COVID-19 struck in 2020, shutting down escape rooms and wiping his income overnight. Despite the setback, Mark didn’t stop. He experimented with new ideas—some failed miserably, like The Golden Plumber, a $4 PDF guide to avoid post-pee drips—but each failure taught him invaluable lessons.

At his lowest, Mark faced depression and an emotional breakdown, but instead of giving up, he pivoted once more. He took a job as a remote software engineer, earning $9,000/month, and worked for Ty Lopez. The stability allowed him to heal, grow, and—most importantly—learn. He read books, refined his coding skills, and planned his next entrepreneurial move.

The Descent Into Depression

Mark experimented with new projects, including a bizarre attempt to sell a PDF on improving male bladder control. Running ads on adult websites, he made just $4 in two months. By late 2021, he was 27, broke, out of shape, and living with his parents again. Overwhelmed with failure, he suffered a breakdown, physically lashing out in frustration.

The Software Engineer Phase

Realizing he needed stability, Mark pursued a job as a software engineer, despite lacking formal experience. After multiple rejections, he landed a remote position working for internet marketer Tai Lopez, earning $9,000 per month. For the first time in years, he felt a sense of purpose, regained his confidence, and started reading books, a habit that changed his life.

The Pivot to Solo Development

With the COVID lockdown lifted, Mark returned to Bali in 2022. Shortly after, he was fired. Inspired by solo developer Pieter Levels, he embraced a new strategy: building and launching small projects quickly. He set five rules—prioritizing sleep, sharing transparently on Twitter, releasing projects quickly, always launching, and focusing on process over outcome.

The Big Breakthrough

ShipFast When he was eventually laid off, Mark saw it not as a setback but as a signal to return to building his businesses. Inspired by the indie hacker community, he adopted a new approach: build in public, share his journey, and focus on small, simple projects that solved real problems.

His breakthrough came with ShipFast, a codebase designed to help solo developers build and ship projects faster. The product generated $4,000 in its first 24 hours and $50,000 in its first month, finally giving Mark the financial success he had dreamed of.

Mark continued launching projects, each bringing in anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per month. In early 2024, he started YouTube, growing his audience to nearly a million subscribers within months. His revenue skyrocketed, peaking at $143,000 in a single month.

Advice for Freelancers Who Want to Scale

• Embrace Failure as a Learning Tool

• Adaptability is Key

• Sell Before You Build

• Invest in Yourself

• Start Small, Scale Smart

• Share Your Journey

• Prioritize Health and Well-being

• Persistence Pays Off

• Solve Real Problems

• Freedom Over Fortune

  More about Mark

Today, Mark enjoys a life he once only dreamed of—surfing every morning, working on projects that excite him, traveling the world with his wife, and, most importantly, living life on his terms. His journey, marked by countless failures, hard-learned lessons, and unwavering perseverance, serves as a beacon for aspiring entrepreneurs everywhere. His advice for aspiring entrepreneurs

A Story Worth Reading

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