Since starting my $1m challenge, I wanted a way to visually track my progress and share it with people online so I came up with the idea of creating the $1,000,000 grid.
Each square in this grid represents $1,000 in revenue. Every time I make some money, I update a JSON file, which updates the grid in real time. This way, anyone visiting my website can see the progress on my journey to making $1 million.
As I shared this idea on X (Twitter), and people began commenting that it reminded them of the Million Dollar Homepage story from 2005.
For those who don’t know, a guy named Alex Tew created a website with a grid of 1,000 x 1,000 pixels and sold each pixel for $1 to companies who wanted to promote their products.
The idea was so simple, yet so powerful that it went viral in the news, making Alex $1 million in just a few months!
Honestly, when I first made my grid, I didn’t even think about Alex’s story. I knew about it, but it didn’t cross my mind until people brought it up. Then, it got me thinking…
What if I try something crazy…? 🤔
What if I sell a square in my grid for $1,000, and in return companies can promote their products directly on the grid? They could add their name, logo, and a link to their website.
Is it a long shot? Probably.
But hey, it wouldn’t require too much effort, so why not give it a try?
After all, this wasn’t my main goal. I wasn’t planning to make big money from this. It was just a fun idea I wanted to test out quickly.
So, I added a note under the grid saying, “If you’re a company that wants to promote your product on my page, feel free to reach out!” As simple as that.
Then I shared the update on X (Twitter), and WOW!
Someone reached out almost immediately. That was fast!
This guy loved the idea and wanted to support my journey while promoting his business.
“How much?”, he asked.
“$1,000 per square”, I said.
He had to check with his team for their marketing budget, but after some back-and-forth, they decided not to go through with it.
Oh well! No problem. I’ll just kept moving forward.
It just the beginning anyway so I wasn’t worried.
Then…
The miracle happened
A few days later, I was chatting with a friend of mine, who happens to be the creator of Frontend Masters. I kept talking about my posts, videos, and my yapping on social media and he finally said:
“Dude, you need to stop talking and start making money!”
Woah. That was some tough love.
But he was right! I’ve been procrastinating. It was time to take action!
And then it hit me. đź‘€
“He told me to stop talking and start making money, eh? So let’s make money then!” 👊
So I went ahead and asked him: “What if you promote Frontend Masters on my grid?”
Honestly, I was mostly bluffing, trying to take action like he said. But to my surprise, he responded:
“You know what? We’re running a sale right now, so let’s do it! I’ll send you $1,000.”
“What?!” I was shocked! 🤯
I actually sold a square in my silly grid!
Right after that, I crafted one of my best posts ever! I wanted people to feel the excitement I felt. I’ve been a long-time customer of Frontend Masters, so I genuinely wanted to make it work.
And guess what? The post went viral! 🤯
Hundreds of likes, tons of comments, and tens of thousands of impressions!
All of this happened on a Friday.
But the next day, something even crazier happened…
The gift that keeps on giving
I got a DM from someone. Someone pretty famous in the startup world. His business makes a lot of money! I was familiar with his work, but I didn’t know him personally.
He DMed me and asked if he could buy a square in my grid!
What?! 🤯
He requested to remain anonymous, so I’ll respect his wishes.
But here’s where the story goes even crazier…
Instead of promoting his company, he wanted to use his square to promote a charity: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
He shared that he had had thyroid cancer last year and saw this as a way to give back. He thought my website might get a lot of attention from startups, and he wanted to see at least one wholesome square on my grid that supports a good cause.
Wow! I was blown away. I never imagined something like this would ever happen!
So I added the square to the grid and linked it to the charity. Then I spent ages crafting the perfect post, hoping to help with his vision and get people to donate to the charity.
Thankfully, this post did really well too!
I don’t have access to the donation stats so I don’t know how much money was raised, but I really hope people donated and it continues to bring in support for the charity over time!
Conclusion
And that’s how my silly little grid made $2000 in two days, and even helped promote a fantastic charity!
The takeaway from this story?
Never be afraid to try out your ideas, even the silly ones.
I often see quirky projects get tons of traction online. You never know what will work unless you try. So go for it!
Launch that idea you’ve been sitting on. And when you do, let me know and I’ll cheer you on.
That’s it for this story.
I’ll see you in the next one! 👋