1.🎩 Justin Welsh - ~$4.15M
Money Source: newsletter(Saturday essay) + courses
One idea: Teach aspiring solopreneurs to build a biz, no team.
Grew a newsletter to ~185K and turned it into $4M+/year with zero employees


2.Sahil Bloom - $10M+
Money Source: Book + newsletter + Courses
One Idea: Showed mid-career pros that "writing what you're curious about" is a real business.
Started a newsletter sharing mental models and life/finance frameworks.


3.Ali Abdaal - ~$3.7–5M/year
Money Source: YouTube / productivity + courses·
One obsession: Productivity that doesn't burn you out — became a 6M-subscriber channel, a bestselling book (Feel-Good Productivity), and courses.
A working doctor who filmed study tips on the side.
Gave a generation permission to chase "feel-good" output over grind.

4.Lenny Rachitsky - $4M+/year
Money Source: Newsletter + podcast + job board
One Idea: Ex-Airbnb PM who started answering product-management questions in public.
Crossed 1M+ subscribers; the paid newsletter alone does $2M+/year.
Turned "the advice I wish I'd had" into the #1 business newsletter on Substack.

5.Justin Moore - · $5M+ in deals,
Money Source: Newsletter (Creator Wizard) + courses
One Idea: Took a skill creators were too afraid to talk about — getting paid — and built a whole business teaching it.
Earned $5M+ in his own brand sponsorships, then turned "how I land brand deals" into courses, coaching, and a newsletter.