Level: 1
1. Monetize
Reading time: 5min
Level Overview
What to do: Monetize
Your role: Starter
Headcount: 1
Revenue: Under €$100k a year (some revenue starts here)
Leadership structure: Still just you
US companies at this level: 30,000,000 (businesses that exist reach at least this; only about 9% of US people own a business)
French companies at this level: 5,180,000 (businesses that exist reach at least this; only about 7.5% of French people own a business)
| Area | Constraints | To Level-Up |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Product or service not good enough to sell. | Make v1 product: fix it until it’s good enough to be sold. |
| Marketing | Nobody knows you now sell paid stuff. | Tell people you have paid stuff. Show how your paid version is better than the previously free one. |
| Sales | You still don’t have selling skills. | Use the good results from free people as proof to sell paid people. |
| Customer Service | Free customers don’t like or use your thing. | Figure out why they don’t like it or don’t use it by talking to them. |
| Information Tech (IT) | You have no basic software, tools, or social media. | Figure out the free tools you need by reading online forums, joining free groups, and asking AI chatbots. |
| Recruiting | There are things you don’t know how to do, or don’t have the time to do them. | Reach out to people you already know to help you out OR get help from people on freelancer platforms. |
| Human Resources (HR) | You pay freelancers to get work done and don’t get what you want. | Set basic vendor expectations and agreements. |
| Finance | You don’t have a way to collect money. | Set up payment processing. Run your first payment or get your first deposit. |
Bottom line: Your business makes no money.
Graduate by: Make your first sale.
What’s going on
You gave stuff away and learned something. Now comes the hard line: will anyone pay?
You’re still one person, a starter. Either your product/service doesn’t feel like people would pay for it yet. Or it does, but you’re scared to ask. Both are normal.
You’ll probably feel nervous about charging, worried people will say no, then proud when someone says yes. That discomfort is part of the job. A real business starts when money changes hands, not when the free version gets compliments.
What to do (in order)
1. Make a v1 people will pay for
Fix what’s in the way of a yes. Too slow, too messy, unclear result, hard to use: talk to free users and repair the worst problems. The version 1 (v1) doesn’t have to be perfect. v1 needs to be good enough so that a normal person thinks the price is fair.
2. Say that it costs money
Tell the same people who tried v0 for free: paid exists, what they get, what it costs, and how the paid version is better than the free one was. When available, sign up for free ad spend credits on platforms like Google or Facebook/Meta so later tests don’t burn cash on day one.
3. Sell with proof from free results
You don’t need a fancy pitch yet. Use what free users got: “Here’s what it did for them. Here’s the paid version. Here’s the price.” Talk to people about their problems and show how you solve them. Start with people who already liked the free work. Be honest about cost and outcome.
4. Find hidden costs with people who struggle
If free users ghost, stall, or complain, ask why. Hidden costs are the friction they feel even when they don’t name it: time, confusion, extra work on their side, embarrassment. Fix those before you scale asking for money.
5. Collect money for real
Payment tool live (Stripe, PayPal, Square, or local equivalent). One real charge. Deposit in the business account. Track who paid. Don’t leave it as “we’ll sort it later.”
6. Small help with clear rules
When you can’t do everything: hire friends, or freelancers on platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, Malt. Keep scopes small. Write expectations so you don’t pay for nothing. Learn free tools from groups, forums, YouTube, or you favorite AI chatbot. Nothing fancy required.
Don’ts
- Big ad budgets before a clean first sale path
- A full team
- Perfect brand and ten products
- Staying free forever because asking feels awkward
Resource recommendations for Level 1
To get the first paid yes, start here:
- Sales Psychology: Helping Humans Make High-Stakes Decisions
- Blue Pill or Red Pill?
- No-Oriented Questions
- The CLOSER Framework
You’re ready for the next level when
- People pay your price more than once (consistent first sales to different customers, not only one lucky friend)
- Money hits the business account through a real payment setup
- You know the main reasons free users stalled and you fixed the worst for v1
- You tell people the paid offer exists without hiding
- Basics work: simple tools, clear vendor notes if you use help, money tracked
Common traps
- Forever free: comfort that blocks the first sale.
- Perfect before price: endless polish, zero proof anyone will pay.
- No payment rails: handshakes and cash only in the personal account.
- Silent paid launch: product ready, but almost nobody told.
- Fuzzy freelancers: paying for work with no written “done means this.”
Next
When sales are real and v1 holds, go to Level 2: Advertise. Customers still come in waves, so you market every day, keep quality high for paying people, and use freelancers without turning into chaos.
For now, monetize. Make v1 worth paying for. Ask. Collect. Learn. Don’t rush, and don’t hide from the price either.
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