Grow Your Online Business in 2025 

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I often get asked, "What does my perfect online business look like?". 

I will describe the main requirements that should be in place for that.

It's not a definitive list, as follows -

Requirement: At least 70% of revenue should be recurring.

• The core product or services should be recurring.

• Part of the revenue should not be recurring (one-time sales convert better as front-end offers).

• Should solve an ongoing problem (when the business stops delivering, the issue should “resurface”).

Requirement: Business should be a painkiller, not a vitamin.

• When it’s an “....-er” product, it’s often a vitamin (e.g., better, faster, etc).

• Customers should actively be searching for a solution.

Requirement: Has to surf a wave or trend.

• The market should be expanding over time, not contracting.

• Being first to market isn’t a must, but helps a ton.

Requirement: ACV should become $10k+ over time.

• ACV = average customer value, meaning that customers should ultimately (when the business is developed) be worth $10k+. This is the difference between a 7-figure and 8 or 9-figure business.

• This says something about the target audience (B2B), the problem (painkiller) and pricing (ideally value-based pricing to get net negative churn).

Requirement: > 60% margin

• At its core, the business should be able to operate at a 60% margin. At times of growth, the margin can be lower (because more is invested into growth).

Requirement: No inventory (fully digital)

• Nuff said.

Requirement: High barrier to entry

• It should not be easy to enter the market.

• A higher barrier to entry = less competition and less likely to be disrupted.

Requirement: Built with the end in mind

• Although the goal isn’t to sell, it should be built with an exit in mind.

• Shouldn’t be reliant on just my face, for example.

• Should have strong foundations in place, use multiple acquisition channels, etc.

Requirement: I would recommend it to my friends (where relevant)

• To be excited to work on it for the next 5-10 years, I have to stand behind the product/service unconditionally.

• If I wouldn’t recommend it to my best friends (assuming they have the problem it’s solving), it’s a no-go.

Requirement: I can talk about the topic/problem “forever”

• Although the business shouldn’t be relying on my face, I’ll likely use my face to help in marketing. This means I must be excited to talk about this topic for a long time.

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