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Jozef Turned $150 into a $2M AI App
From failure to fortune: How Jozef turned a simple AI idea into a $2M success story.
Welcome to Money Making Story,
Today, we’re thrilled to share the story of Jozef, who turned a $150 domain purchase into Stealth GPT, a $2 million AI-powered SaaS business.
In this discussion, we’ll discuss his:
Top Advice
The Birth of Stealth GPT
The Early Struggles
Discovering the Idea for Stealth GPT
IQ vs EQ vs SQ
Building the MVP on a Shoestring Budget
Scaling Through Smart Marketing
Lessons in Product Development
Key Tools and Team Expansion
From Solopreneur to Startup Leader
Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
From Solopreneur to Startup Leader
A Story Worth Reading
Top Advice:
"The combination of identifying a clear problem, leveraging accessible tools, and focusing on marketing can turn a simple idea into a life-changing business."
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At just 23, Jozef faced a life-altering setback, including a $400,000 federal penalty. By the age of 28, he turned his fortune around, building Stealth GPT, a revolutionary AI app generating $2 million in revenue. Without advanced coding skills, Jozef’s story is a testament to the power of resilience, resourcefulness, and the drive to solve real-world problems.
The Birth of Stealth GPT
Jozef's brainchild, Stealth GPT, is a subscription-based AI web app that creates undetectable AI-generated text or modifies AI-generated content to make it indistinguishable from human writing. He launched the app in March 2022 and has since grown it to $200,000 monthly recurring revenue (MRR), boasting over 8,500 active subscribers.
But the journey wasn’t smooth sailing—it was paved with financial setbacks, learning new skills, and leveraging clever marketing strategies.
The Early Struggles: Learning From Failure
Before his success, Jozef ventured into cryptocurrency. His startup, J Squared Invest, aimed to guide newcomers into crypto investments. However, the 2018 crypto crash obliterated his finances and left him with a $400,000 penalty from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The ordeal taught Jozef resilience and humility, essential traits that fueled his later success.
Discovering the Idea for Stealth GPT
In late 2022, Jozef noticed the meteoric rise of ChatGPT and foresaw a future where AI-generated content would dominate. This insight led him to explore the countertrend: tools to make AI content undetectable. Inspired by a TikTok video about AI detectors, Jozef reverse-engineered their methodology and built a solution to bypass them. Within days, his tool consistently fooled AI detectors, sparking the birth of Stealth GPT.
Building the MVP on a Shoestring Budget
With only $150 spent on a domain and hosting, Jozef used Next.js, React, and Vercel to build the app. For databases, he opted for Supabase, benefiting from their robust free tier. By March 2023, the MVP was live, and he attracted his first customers through listings on platforms like Futurepedia and organic TikTok mentions.
Scaling Through Smart Marketing
Stealth GPT’s growth hinged on effective marketing:
UGC on TikTok and Instagram: Early efforts involved educating the market about the tool’s unique features and benefits.
Google Ads: Later, the team invested heavily in Google Ads, achieving low customer acquisition costs ($10–$20 per conversion) that allowed for rapid scaling.
Customer Incentives: Free trials introduced users to the platform’s capabilities, converting them into paying customers.
Jozef’s focus on reinvesting revenue into marketing ensured sustained growth, even as monthly expenses climbed to $100,000.
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Lessons in Product Development
Jozef emphasized simplicity in product design, catering to broad problems rather than niche requests. His approach: deliver solutions in as few clicks as possible. Feedback from users informed usability improvements, but he avoided overengineering based on individual feature requests. This balance between functionality and simplicity helped maintain a wide user appeal.
Key Tools and Team Expansion
Stealth GPT relies on:
Next.js and React for the front-end.
Vercel for fast, reliable deployment.
Supabase for database management.
Buffer for social media management.
Google Suite for collaboration.
What began as a solo venture has now grown to a team of 6–7 employees, with additional hires planned.
From Solopreneur to Startup Leader
Jozef’s typical day involves monitoring system performance, overseeing ad campaigns, and strategizing with his team. He also invests time in learning from online communities, drawing inspiration from fellow indie hackers and creators.
Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
When asked what he’d tell his younger self, Jozef emphasized:
Jozef’s advice for those looking to emulate his success:
Find a Problem You Care About: Look for inefficiencies in areas you’re passionate about.
Validate Ideas Quickly: Critically assess whether your solution addresses a real need.
Prioritize Marketing: A great product is meaningless without distribution.
Leverage Free Tools: Use the abundance of free or low-cost resources available to build your MVP.
The Stealth GPT Blueprint
Jozef’s journey exemplifies how determination, learning, and leveraging the right tools can lead to extraordinary success. He turned a simple idea into a thriving business by solving a relevant problem and embracing modern marketing strategies.
If you’re inspired to start your own venture, Jozef’s story serves as a reminder: with a laptop, Wi-Fi, and dedication, the possibilities are endless.
A Story Worth Reading
"Jack Ma" was rejected by Harvard 10 times and failed 30 company interviews. He even applied a job at KFC with 29 others, and all of them were selected except him.
Finally, he created Alibaba and became the richest man in China with a $38 billion fortune.
Here is his Life's… x.com/i/web/status/1…
— Manifest_Lord (@Manifest_Lord)
12:38 PM • Nov 24, 2024
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