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In this week's episode of the Niche Pursuits podcast, Jeff Price and I discuss how he built Texas Slab Guys into a concrete business with a $2 million annual revenue run rate in just 12 months. His story is especially interesting because he left fintech and startup life to pursue a “boring” blue-collar business in Houston. Jeff shares how he used AI to save time, qualify leads, answer missed calls, and improve margins without trying to replace physical work. We also talk about hiring mistakes, premium positioning, customer service, and why reliability can remain a major advantage for local service businesses. Watch the Full Episode Leaving Fintech to Build a Concrete Company Jeff's background is far removed from concrete. Before launching Texas Slab Guys, he worked in corporate strategy and finance, founded a fintech company that raised $2 million, completed an MBA at Rice University, and later worked at a Series B startup that had raised more than $30 million. Although entrepreneurship appealed to him, his first venture didn’t become the financial success he hoped for. Instead of returning to another startup, he decided to pursue business ownership in a completely different industry. His original plan wasn't to launch a concrete company from scratch. He spent months researching blue-collar businesses that fit a specific set of criteria before attempting to acquire one. He contacted thousands of owners and narrowed his search to only a handful of potential acquisitions before a deal eventually fell apart. That failed acquisition introduced him to the concrete industry and showed him the opportunity available in Houston. A few factors convinced him to move forward: High demand for concrete services Large local market Opportunity to stand apart through customer experience An industry where AI cannot replace the physical work Houston also has more concrete per capita than any other metropolitan area in the Americas, making it an attractive location for this type of business. Building Momentum After a Difficult Start The first several months were far from perfect. Jeff finished 2025 with less than $200,000 in revenue and admits he made nearly every mistake possible during those early months. One of the biggest problems involved hiring dependable subcontractors. Rather than technical knowledge, reliability became the biggest challenge. He discovered that success depended on finding people who would: Show up when scheduled Deliver consistent artistry Communicate clearly Follow through on commitments Once he assembled a dependable team, growth accelerated. Jeff describes that turning point as the moment the business finally began gaining traction during the first half of 2026. Winning Customers by Doing the Simple Things Well Many business owners spend enormous amounts of time searching for complicated marketing strategies. Jeff believes his biggest advantage comes from something much simpler. He noticed that many competitors failed to answer their phones or missed appointments with potential customers. That created an opportunity to stand apart without dramatically increasing marketing spend. His team focuses on a few consistent habits: Answer every phone call possible Arrive on time Finish projects as promised Ask satisfied customers for video testimonials Those testimonials are then shared across platforms including Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, creating a steady stream of social proof that reinforces the company's reputation. Instead of competing only on price, Jeff says many residential customers later introduce him to commercial opportunities after seeing the quality of his work firsthand. Using AI to Remove Friction Instead of Replacing People One of the most interesting parts of our conversation centered on Jeff's approach to artificial intelligence. He doesn't view AI as something that replaces concrete contractors. Instead, he uses it to remove repetitive administrative work that slows business growth. His custom quoting system helps qualify leads before someone spends hours driving across Houston to meet with prospects who may never become customers. Rather than immediately scheduling every estimate, the tool gathers information that helps determine: Project size Customer urgency Estimated pricing Lead quality Jeff built much of this system himself using Replit, allowing him to create software through natural language prompts rather than traditional programming. Although the system doesn't eliminate every in-person estimate, it reduces wasted trips and allows him to spend more time with qualified prospects. Saving Time One Hour at a Time Jeff was careful not to exaggerate AI's impact. He explained that his quoting tool has not eliminated entire workdays. Instead, it consistently saves small amounts of time that add up over weeks and months. Those time savings include: Faster lead qualification Fewer unnecessary site visits Less administrative work More time spent on sales conversations He described these improvements as compounding gains rather than overnight transformations. That perspective offers a refreshing contrast to many AI discussions that promise dramatic overnight changes. Why an AI Voice Agent Became One of His Best Investments Jeff also uses an AI voice agent to answer calls whenever he cannot. For roughly $100 per month, the system answers missed calls, gathers customer information, summarizes conversations, and sends him a text recap immediately afterward. The voice agent collects information including: Customer name Phone number Email address ZIP code Project description One story perfectly illustrates its value. While Jeff was meeting another customer, a man named Dwayne called after failing to reach five other concrete companies. The AI agent handled the conversation, collected the necessary details, and created an opportunity that eventually became a $15,000 project. Even more impressive, Jeff estimated that the project would require only about $3,000 in direct costs, making it an exceptionally profitable job. Without someone answering the phone, that opportunity likely would have gone elsewhere. Treating AI as a Force Multiplier Jeff repeatedly emphasized one idea throughout our discussion. AI works best when it multiplies people's productivity rather than replacing them. He believes many service businesses can benefit from inexpensive automation simply by making themselves easier to contact. Many local businesses still miss incoming phone calls every day. For service companies such as: Plumbers Electricians Lawn care providers Contractors Cleaning companies An AI receptionist can prevent missed opportunities without requiring expensive software development. Jeff views these systems as productivity multipliers that eliminate repetitive administrative tasks, allowing owners to focus on higher-value activities. Standing Out Through Premium Service Competing solely on price rarely creates long-term success. Jeff chose a different strategy. His company installs 5,000 PSI concrete, enabling customers to drive on new driveways much sooner than many competing installations.  That premium positioning creates advantages beyond the material itself. Customers value: Shorter project disruption Reliable scheduling Better communication Consistent artistry Jeff shared that many homeowners willingly pay more because minimizing inconvenience matters more than finding the lowest quote. That premium approach also generates referrals. One satisfied residential customer later hired his company for commercial work connected to a dental practice, creating another profitable project through reputation rather than advertising. Measuring Growth by More Than Revenue The financial growth has been remarkable. Just over one year after launch, Texas Slab Guys reached a revenue run rate exceeding $2 million annually. Jeff also shared several performance metrics: Roughly 50% gross margins per project Approximately 10% to 20% overhead Nearly $80,000 in revenue during June alone Those numbers reflect a business that has grown rapidly while continuing to refine its operations. Still, one part of the conversation stood out more than any financial statistic. Jeff explained that entrepreneurship changed what success means to him. Early in his career, financial freedom represented the primary goal. Today, he defines success differently. He wants the flexibility to coach his children's sports teams, spend more afternoons with his family, and control how he invests his time. That shift highlights something many entrepreneurs eventually discover. Building a business creates financial opportunities, although the greatest reward may be the freedom to spend time on the people who matter most. Learning Through Hiring Mistakes Jeff also reflected on one lesson that shaped his first year more than any software tool. Finding dependable people proved far more difficult than learning the technical side of concrete work. He openly admitted making poor hiring decisions before assembling a reliable team. His approach now centers on long-term relationships built through: Paying partners promptly Communicating clearly Treating subcontractors with respect Building consistent operating procedures Once trust developed inside the business, Jeff found it much easier to focus on growing the company rather than solving daily operational problems. Final Thoughts Jeff Price's story offers an interesting reminder that opportunity often exists in industries many entrepreneurs overlook. Rather than chasing the latest software trend, he built a concrete business, embraced AI where it made sense, and concentrated on solving everyday customer frustrations. His approach combines dependable service, thoughtful automation, and steady operational improvements instead of relying on flashy technology alone. Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this conversation is that AI doesn't have to replace traditional businesses. In many cases, it simply gives owners more time to focus on serving customers, building relationships, and creating companies that continue growing long after the first year. Links & Resources Learn more about Texas Slab Guys Related Posts 1,023 Video Production Company Slogan Ideas to Direct Your Business to SuccessWhy You Should NOT Start a PodcastPodcast 124: Niche Site Beginner to Expert – How Nick Hasche Built a $10,000 a Month Site PortfolioTop 10 Best GoDaddy Alternatives for Your Web Hosting NeedsHow Mike Dinich Built an SEO Focused Personal Finance Blog with 700k Visitors a Month The post How Jeff Price Built a $2M Concrete Business in 12 Months appeared first on Niche Pursuits.

Incremental attribution reports only the conversions your ads actually caused, and most advertisers would be better off making it their default. But standard attribution isn't the real problem, it's the advertisers who take inflated view-through results at face value and scale on them anyway. Jon explains why he'd push nearly everyone toward incremental even though he doesn't always use it himself, and why the drop advertisers fear is mostly an illusion.

In this episode, we’re diving into a debate that’s coming up more and more with e-commerce store owners right now, whether to keep blogging on WordPress or move everything over to Shopify. We break down why, after years of recommending WordPress as the gold standard, we’ve changed our minds for most situations. You’ll also hear us get into the real state of blogging in 2026, what’s actually still working, and why where your content lives matters more than ever for tracking, ads, and AI search. Enjoy the episode! What You’ll Learn Why WordPress Stopped Fitting Our Needs The Tools And […] The post 643: We’re Ditching WordPress After 12 Years. Here’s Why appeared first on MyWifeQuitHerJob.com.

In this episode, I sit down with Dawn LaFontaine, a student in my create a profitable online store course, a former stay-at-home mom who couldn’t get hired anywhere after 27 years out of the workforce and decided to build her own business selling cat toys instead. Dawn walks us through the painful years she spent trying to make her original cardboard cat house product work, the accidental Instagram moment that led her to the product that actually took off, and her wholesale outreach strategy that closes at 50% without ads. Enjoy the episode! What You’ll Learn How A Single Annoying […] The post 639: She Built A 6-Figure Cat Toy Business Because Someone Annoyed Her On IG With Dawn LaFontaine appeared first on MyWifeQuitHerJob.com.

In this week’s episode of the Niche Pursuits podcast, Denis Yurchak and I discuss how he turned Skype’s shutdown into Yadaphone, a fast-growing software business with more than 20,000 users and $17,500 in monthly revenue in a little over a year. We also talk about eSIMPal, his newer travel eSIM venture, which is already making about $2,000 per month. What makes this interview stand out is the speed of execution. Denis spotted a gap, built quickly, stayed close to user feedback, and found traction through smart marketing, simple pricing, and a lean solo-founder approach. Watch the Full Episode How Denis Built the Foundation for Indie Products Before Yadaphone, Denis had already spent years trying to build products that might stick. He had worked as a software engineer for 6 years. His degree was in international relations, not computer science, and he entered programming after realizing that his original field offered few job options. That background matters because it shaped how he viewed software. He was less interested in being one small part of a large company and more interested in building something himself from scratch. He taught himself programming during a summer break. Before Yadaphone made money, he had built around 10 products that did not go far financially. Those earlier projects still taught him how to ship, post publicly, and handle feedback. That part of the interview matters because Yadaphone didn't come out of nowhere. It came after years of failed attempts, small lessons, and repeated reps. How Denis Turned Skype’s Shutdown Into a Product Idea The spark for Yadaphone came when Microsoft announced that Skype was being retired. Denis saw people complaining online, including Pieter Levels on X, and realized there was still a large group of people who depended on Skype for a simple reason. They needed to call banks, government offices, accountants, and other traditional numbers while living or traveling abroad. That point is easy to miss if you only think of Skype as an old chat tool. For many people, it was still a low-friction way to make international calls from a laptop without dealing with subscriptions or telecom headaches. Denis had used Skype himself while traveling. He already had some experience with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. He built the first version of Yadaphone in a single weekend. His first posts on X got almost no traction because he didn't have an audience there yet. The first traction came from Reddit, not X. People found the product, bought credits, and gave him the kind of validation every founder remembers: live Stripe notifications from strangers paying for something he had just built. How Early Validation Changed the Direction of the Business One of the best parts of the interview was Denis describing what those first users did next. They didn't just buy and disappear. Some of them sent suggestions, pointed out what was missing on the landing page, and treated the product like something they wanted to help improve. That kind of response changed the energy of the business. Instead of polishing in private, Denis had proof that people would trust a one-person company if the product solved a painful enough problem. Denis reached out to buyers directly for feedback. In the first six months, he tried to contact everyone who had purchased credits. Pieter Levels later reposted Yadaphone, which led to about 200,000 impressions overnight. That repost created a spike Denis could see in real time. He watched traffic jump from dozens to hundreds at once, and it gave him the push to keep fixing bugs, polishing the offer, and posting everywhere he could. How Yadaphone’s Pricing Reduced Friction Yadaphone’s pricing is one of the clearest examples in the episode of a founder paying attention to what people already liked about the old product they were losing. Instead of forcing customers into subscriptions, Denis kept the credit-based model that many former Skype users preferred. That decision was especially smart because it lowered trust barriers. A customer doesn't need to commit to a monthly plan to test a new company. They can just buy a small amount of credit and see if it works. Individual users can top up credits and use them whenever they want. Credits do not expire. Yadaphone offers a no-questions-asked refund policy. Enterprise accounts start at $100 and let teams share one central balance. The company does not charge per-seat fees for team members. He charges a subscription for one extra feature: a phone number add-on. That gives users a US or Canadian number for incoming calls, SMS, and some OTP use cases. This adds another layer to the product without forcing the whole business into recurring pricing. How Denis Used Listicles to Get High-Intent Traffic The smartest growth tactic in the interview was Denis’s approach to old Skype listicles. Once Skype shut down, there were still countless blog posts ranking in Google for terms related to cheap international calling, online calling tools, and Skype alternatives. Denis saw that as an opening. Those articles needed updating, and if he could convince site owners to replace Skype with Yadaphone, he could inherit highly targeted traffic from pages that already ranked. He searched for articles that still mentioned Skype. He found the author or content owner through email, LinkedIn, or X. He sent a short note pointing out that Skype had shut down. He explained why Yadaphone was a good replacement in one clear pitch. This worked because it was helpful, not pushy. The site owner had a stale article, Denis had a relevant replacement, and both sides stood to gain from updating the page. The results were fast. Denis said that one strong article placement led to roughly 50 signups per day, which is massive for a solo founder. He saw direct traffic gains from updated listicles. He also got an SEO lift from those mentions and backlinks. He said the hard part wasn't the traffic; it was the cold outreach and follow-up. Rejection rates were high, but one yes could be worth a lot. He also shared a smart second step in that funnel. After people saw Yadaphone in a list, many would search for reviews, so he made sure Trustpilot looked credible. According to Denis, 10 to 15 strong reviews can go a long way toward helping people decide whether to trust a smaller software company. How Enterprise Customers Changed the Revenue Mix Yadaphone may have started as a product for travelers and solo users, but enterprise customers became a major part of the business. Denis said the company now has 30 enterprise customers, and those accounts generate around 30% to 40% of monthly revenue. That is a meaningful split because it shows how a simple self-serve tool can also grow into a business product without losing its original appeal. A small company can use the same system as an individual, just with team access and shared credits. Some enterprise buyers came from Reddit. One early enterprise customer reached out within the first week of launch. Denis told him yes before the feature even existed. He then coded the organization logic overnight and demoed it the next morning. That story says a lot about how Denis works. He is willing to sell into demand first, then build the feature quickly if the request makes sense and the customer value is there. Enterprise buyers do ask for more hand-holding up front. Denis said they want demos, live calls, and direct answers, even when the FAQ already covers the basics. Still, once those companies are on board, they tend to stay. Over the course of a year, only one of Yadaphone’s 30 enterprise customers churned, and Denis said that one was due to unclear copy on the landing page, not a weak product. How a Misunderstanding Led to eSIMPAL  The second business, eSIMPAL, came from an unexpected place. People kept landing on Yadaphone and asking for a travel eSIM, partly because the site copy wasn't clear enough, and visitors thought it was part of the offer. Instead of brushing that off, Denis treated it like a demand. He first looked into partnerships with existing eSIM providers, but the process was slow and expensive, so he chose to build his own product instead. eSIMPAL serves travelers who need mobile data abroad. Denis launched it into a market he already knew how to reach. He used the same audience overlap from Yadaphone to seed traction. He added a button on Yadaphone promoting the new service. Visitors coming from Yadaphone get a 10% discount. That cross-sell made a lot of sense. Someone who needs a way to call internationally while traveling is often the same kind of customer who needs a travel eSIM. The result is a second company already doing about $2,000 per month. It's still smaller than Yadaphone, but it shows how one product can reveal adjacent demand when you pay close attention to user questions. How Denis Runs Two Companies as a Solo Founder Denis shared some of his best operating habits. His main point was simple: guard your time and mental space with real discipline. He has chosen to keep things lean because he doesn't want to become a people manager. That means his products need to be self-serve, his support has to stay under control, and repetitive tasks need to be automated. He builds products that help users solve simple issues on their own. He uses banners, help content, and product cues to reduce support load. He has an internal dashboard where AI drafts support replies for review. He said support usually takes less than 30 minutes a day, or about an hour on bad days. His rule is to automate a task once he has had to do it manually more than three times. Denis said coders often default to building more features because that part feels comfortable, while distribution is the harder work. His own daily routine reflects that lesson. Marketing comes first, then support, then coding when needed. Final Thoughts This episode works so well because Denis didn't just share a success story. He walked through the mechanics of why Yadaphone worked, from the weekend MVP to the credit-based pricing model, from replacing Skype in listicles to building enterprise features on short notice. The numbers make the story compelling. In a little over a year, he grew Yadaphone to more than 20,000 users and $17,500 in monthly revenue, while also getting eSIMPAL to about $2,000 per month. A few themes stayed with me after the interview: Look for markets where a large company leaves frustrated users behind. Keep the buying process simple when trust is still being built. Reach out directly when a stale article or ranking page creates an opening. Treat user confusion and feature requests as signals, not noise. Put distribution ahead of polishing for polishing’s sake. Denis moves fast and goes deep, but there is substance behind every part of the story. For anyone building software, this episode delivers concrete lessons on finding demand, launching quickly, pricing simply, turning listicle outreach into growth, and using automation to keep a one-person business efficient. Links & Resources Learn more about Yadaphone Check how you can use eSIMPal Follow Denis Related Posts Podcast 75: How My Amazon FBA Business Did Over $40,000 in Sales in 30 Days1,015 Cool Exhibition Slogan Ideas to Make an Impression with Your EventPodcast 136: August Monthly Report for Niche Site Project 4375 Dance Business Caption Ideas for Instagram to Get Your Groove OnHow To Make Extra Money Online Without Ever Leaving Your House The post How Denis Yurchak Built Yadaphone to $17,500 a Month and 20,000 Users in Just Over a Year After the Skype Shut Down appeared first on Niche Pursuits.

In this episode, we’re going over key takeaways from Sellers Summit 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, walking through every session from AI-powered ad creative and TikTok Shop launches to sourcing strategies, Reddit SEO, and what buyers actually care about in the current M&A market By the end of this episode you’ll have a full picture of where ecommerce is headed and a list of things you can actually put to work this week. Enjoy the episode! What You’ll Learn Clever growth hacks top sellers are using High-ROI ads, funnels, and retention tricks Product sourcing and launch strategies Sponsors SellersSummit.com – The […] The post 638: The Ecom Strategies Worth Stealing from Sellers Summit 2026 appeared first on MyWifeQuitHerJob.com.

Two new features are changing how Jon creates ads. Push delivery lets you force spend to any existing ad to get answers, eliminating the need to start every new ad with a creative test. And the new creative workflow lets you combine multiple images and videos into a single ad with customizable text and URLs per creative, consolidating what used to require dozens of separate ads. Jon explains why both features make his previous process obsolete and why tying yourself to any single approach guarantees you'll fall behind.