SolidGigs

SolidGigs: How Three Built a $435K Revenue Startup with No Funding

February 28th, 2025

Founded By

Preston Lee

Monthly Revenue

$36.3K

Founders

Employees

3 (est.)

Monthly Traffic

Profitable

Yes

Year Started

2017

Customer

B2B & B2C

Revenue Per Visitor

$Inf

Founded By
Preston Lee: Monthly Revenue
$36.3K: Founders
1

Employees
3 (est.): Monthly Traffic
0: Profitable
Yes

Year Started
2017: Customer
B2B & B2C: Revenue Per Visitor
$Inf

Who is Preston Lee?

Preston Lee is the founder of SolidGigs and Millo, having started his career with freelancing while attending university; he later transitioned to full-time entrepreneurship and focuses on supporting freelancers.

What problem does SolidGigs solve?

SolidGigs tackles the daunting task of finding quality freelance jobs by delivering curated, high-quality leads straight to freelancers, saving them time and reducing the stress of client-hunting.

How did Preston come up with the idea for SolidGigs?

Preston Lee, founder of SolidGigs, began his journey by recognizing a common challenge freelancers face: the struggle to consistently find quality gigs. His firsthand experience as a freelancer, working to sustain himself and his family through school, highlighted the need for a reliable source of job opportunities. Observing the freelance community's demand for better resources, he saw a chance to simplify the job-hunting process for freelancers.

Before fully committing to SolidGigs, Preston engaged deeply with the freelance community through his existing platform, Millo, and other freelancing spaces. This allowed him to validate the need for a curated job-finding service and gather insights on what freelancers valued most. He honed the concept of SolidGigs by prioritizing these insights, focusing on hand-picked, high-quality job leads delivered directly to users.

Throughout this process, Preston faced the challenge of balancing his work with family needs, which reinforced his understanding of the importance of efficient, reliable services for freelancers. His commitment to maintaining this balance became a cornerstone of SolidGigs' design, ensuring it saved freelancers time and helped them secure better work opportunities, reflecting his belief in prioritizing family and flexibility.

How did Preston Lee build the initial version of SolidGigs?

SolidGigs began by harnessing technology to create a streamlined platform for job-hunting freelancers. The initial product was a paid email newsletter designed to automate lead generation, providing freelancers with a constant stream of potential job opportunities. The development process involved building an organized, "inbox"-style dashboard aimed at making it easier for freelancers to manage and organize their gigs. Key challenges during development included optimizing the gig-hunting process to incorporate AI assistance, which required ongoing testing and iteration to enhance the product’s functionality and user experience. SolidGigs was able to work efficiently with a small team, thus reinforcing the importance of a lean and agile development approach in creating a functional and scalable product.

What were the initial startup costs for SolidGigs?

Funding: No funding has been reported for SolidGigs.

What was the growth strategy for SolidGigs and how did they scale?

SolidGigs has effectively used a paid email newsletter to boost growth. The newsletter, crafted to deliver hand-picked freelance job leads, offers freelancers quick access to opportunities, saving time. By automating lead generation, it appeals to freelancers who want to focus more on their work and less on finding gigs.

Why it worked: The newsletter model serves a specific need by providing vetted leads directly to inboxes, enhancing convenience. This direct delivery system reduces the time freelancers spend searching for jobs, allowing them to focus more on securing and performing work. The tangible value offered through these precise leads has led to sustained revenue growth and customer satisfaction.

Partnerships and Collaborations

SolidGigs has been building partnerships to foster growth and expand its reach. By aligning with companies and platforms that prioritize work-life balance and freelance empowerment, SolidGigs enhances credibility and exposes its service to the right audience. These partnerships can also involve content collaborations like guest articles or co-hosted events, further extending audience reach.

Why it worked: Partnerships allow SolidGigs to tap into already established communities of freelancers and professionals. These collaborations amplify trust in the brand and widen the audience beyond traditional marketing channels, leveraging shared values to attract more users.

SolidGigs leverages its connection with its parent company Millo, known for its supportive freelance community through blogs, podcasts, and social media interactions. This connection offers a strong platform for organic growth through sharing and community engagement, using Millo’s existing network to introduce SolidGigs.

Why it worked: By fostering a community atmosphere where freelancers exchange advice and experiences, SolidGigs maintains high engagement and loyalty. This community aspect translates into word-of-mouth promotion, effectively bringing in new users who are seeking a supportive freelance network, significantly enhancing user retention and acquisition.

Content and SEO Strategy

Through targeted content creation that addresses freelance issues and job search tips, and its foundational SEO strategies, SolidGigs draws sustained web traffic. By answering specific freelance-related queries and offering valuable resources, the platform ranks well in search results, ensuring a steady influx of potential users.

Why it worked: SolidGigs uses SEO to position itself as a thought leader in freelancing, thereby drawing natural search traffic from individuals seeking freelance support. This method of drawing visitors ensures a steady user base that is likely to convert into paying clients due to the direct relevance of the content to their needs.

What's the pricing strategy for SolidGigs?

SolidGigs prices its services at a monthly subscription rate of $19, offering a curated list of freelance job leads, while also featuring a $2 trial for the first month to entice new users.

What were the biggest lessons learned from building SolidGigs?

Embrace Feedback for Growth: SolidGigs continually improves their platform based on user feedback, showing the importance of listening to customers to enhance service offerings.
Harness Technology: The utilization of AI Gig-Hunters to find more gigs demonstrates leveraging technology for efficiency and better service delivery.
Focus on User Experience: The major upgrade to an "inbox"-style dashboard illustrates the value of making user interfaces intuitive and efficient for better client satisfaction.
Pivot When Necessary: SolidGigs' ability to evolve and integrate new features as needed highlights the importance of adaptability in a changing market.
Grow with Your Mission: By staying true to helping freelancers connect with jobs, SolidGigs exemplifies staying aligned with their core mission for business success.

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