🧠 3 Idea Thursday - Better Dating Apps, Onboarding Agency, Local Newsletters

We’re back again for more business ideation/inspiration.

Two bits of news this week:

First, I’m sending the first deep dive on Monday. It’s about the Shopify app from a few weeks ago. So keep an eye on your inbox Monday afternoon.

Second, I’m switching up the format a bit. I’m extending beyond JUST business ideas. I want to bring you the most interesting stuff I can each week, and that’s not always a specific business idea. So it’s now gonna 3 ideas from one of these categories:

1. A specific Biz Idea

2. A Problem that needs to be solved

3. An Opportunity/Trend that is emerging

4. A Side Hustle to make some extra income

5. A Tactic to start/grow/operate a business

As always, I’m a man of the people, so if you hate it let me know. And I’ll go back to the traditional format of three weekly business ideas.

So, what’s on the agenda today? Just 3 ideas that are like an adult jumping into a kiddy pool.

They’re gonna make waves.

1. Dating Apps Stink - We need better ways to meet people online

2. Software Onboarding - Get new users set up correctly

3. Local Newsletters - Become a local media magnate

🧠 Problem: Dating Apps Suck

I don’t think this is news for anyone, but for most people, dating apps suck. Swiping culture, short-term thinking, pay-to-play, and loads of data like this and this, aren’t helping people find love. And the dating app companies don’t have much of a reason to do anything about it.

It’s a classic example of misaligned incentives.

Sure, lots of people use apps for hookups and casual dating, but most users are looking for a serious relationship. The problem is that creating relationships isn’t a revenue driver for the companies. They make money by keeping people on the app for as long as possible.

How do you solve this? Starting a dating app or service with a business model that incentivizes the company to create long-term relationships, not keep people on the app forever.

• Classic Matchmaking - Charge per date for traditional matchmaking services. Companies like Keeper are using AI to streamline this.

• Forced First Dates - Make users have a video call before they can get another match. This will encourage users to be more intentional with their choices on the app.

• Make $$ From Dates - Let users make dinner reservations or buy tickets to events on the app, and take a percentage so you make money from setting up dates.

• Play the Long Game - Start a bridal registry, wedding planning, or engagement ring business, and use the dating app as your top-of-funnel acquisition. Then you’re REALLY incentivized to facilitate long-term relationships.

• Play the REALLY Long Game - Start a baby-related business and create a dating app for people looking to start families.

Alright, those last two are a little wild.

But as more people meet online every day, and the current options all offer terrible user experiences, we need hustlers like you to get out there and start coming up with creative solutions.

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🧠 Biz Idea: Agency for Onboarding Calls

I heard this one on Greg Isenberg’s podcast.

Have you ever found a piece of software that seems really cool, everyone’s raving about it, you download it, get completely lost, and never use it again?

Yeah, me too. I was lost in Notion until a friend sat with me for an hour and gave me a hands-on walkthrough.

If these companies offered free onboarding calls that acted as a quick-start guide, confused customers would be much more likely to stick around.

Higher LTV = More $$$.

The opportunity here is to start an agency that offers this service and charges on a per-call basis. Use cold email to get your first clients and do the initial calls yourself to test the process.

After that, use something like Sagan Passport (featured in last week’s email) to find employees and scale fast.

In the episode, Greg said to contact him on Twitter/X if you’re interested in starting this, so go for it.

🧠 Side Hustle: Local Newsletter

It seems like everyone has a newsletter these days. 👀 

But even in this saturated market, I think local newsletters are still way underrated.

Now, I know this isn’t a novel idea. But every city in the U.S. with a population greater than ~40,000 could sustain a local newsletter that creates, at minimum, a solid side hustle income.

So, what do you write about? You could include things like:

• A local events calendar

• Business recommendations (like a better Yelp)

• Coverage of local news

Use short-form video talking about your town to grow the list, sell ads to local businesses, and become your town’s #1 independent journalist.

📖 Brainfood

Here’s a 3-pack of useful/interesting/entertaining content I’ve come across this week:

1. Cody Schneider is my favorite new follow. He’s in personal brand turbo-growth mode and is a human water hose of interesting business ideas and growth tactics.

2. Here’s a 4 HOUR podcast about AGI and AI alignment that could be total BS because I don’t have the mental horsepower to understand all of it, but it’s still interesting.

3. I’m trying to become a better storyteller to make this newsletter more entertaining, and I just finished reading Storyworthy. If you want to tell better stories, start with this book.

Let me know what you think of the new format. And don’t forget to be on the lookout for the first deep dive on Monday!

— Andrew ✌️