Ideas to Income: The rise of an improbable business from the “End of the World”
Apr 13, 2026
From San Martin de Los Andes, Argentina
”I believe Buenos Aires is as eternal as water and air!” ~ Jorge Luis Borges
Greetings from ‘The End of The World!' In each issue we endeavour to share news and ideas that help you to grow your business’ profits and revenues without spending a fortune on sales or marketing.
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We spent a few days last week in the capital of this country – Buenos Aires. Once described as the Paris of the South – it is a bustling city of over three million in the capital proper with an estimated 13 – 18 million in the metropolitan area. This makes it one of the largest urban areas in South America.
The country is a land of stark contrasts, where the Andes kiss the sky, the fertile pampas supply the world with wheat and cattle and tango weaves through the streets. It’s a tapestry of flavors and passions, from asado to soccer, echoing a spirit both fierce and poetic, inviting all to dance to its timeless rhythm.
Whilst in the capital, we had the occasion to enjoy excellent espresso with an Australian expat who, with his family, have made Buenos Aires their home for the past 10 years.
He came to my attention due to a unique and unusual newsletter.
One that covers the absurdity of today’s political scene, with unexpected but useful references to historical events – illustrating that no matter how much has changed –much remains woefully the same.
While his subject matter is of terrific interest to me, it is the business model he has built that I wish to convey to you.
It contains some very important facets.
Most writers either earn their living by selling or getting paid per piece of writing they produce. This could be for an article they are commissioned to do. Or a book perhaps – which may or may not be successful.
Or they are employed on a salary basis from a publication or newspaper. If the latter, their earnings typically would not be much.
This fellow has figured out how to write an entertaining and educational newsletter whereby folks are willing to pay a monthly or yearly fee, to receive. Bit by bit he has been able to increase his paid subscription base to many thousand – thus earning him significant 5 figures on a monthly basis.
You may want to know – how was this possible?
Two key strategies.
He began his newsletter with a free offering. Receive my “news”, which is a few times a week – for free. As most of you know – “free” is a most powerful offer and a compelling offer is necessary to pull in “buyers’.
Then, he began offering a paid version. Continue to receive the current offerings but also get access to “behind the scenes” interviews and podcasts, with some of the most renowned experts in their field. This version was also inexpensive, at just $10/month or $100 for the year. Easy to buy and easy to exit.
He promoted his newsletter via a well known and widely subscribed publication. This other newsletter had hundreds of thousands of subscribers and all it took was a few notices from it – for his little venture to become known.
This latter strategy is known as finding and leveraging a Strategic Alliance.
A strategic alliance, for those not familiar, is where two or more businesses collaborate and leverage each other's strengths to achieve mutual goals. Unlike a merger or acquisition, each company remains independent, but they work together to share resources, expertise, or access to markets.
In our newsletter example, you may ask – where is the advantage to the larger, more profitable company?
I do not know for certain. I do know that our new writer friend had worked for many years with the owner of the other company. That owner may well have helped our friend out of a philanthropic gesture. Or maybe he reasoned that his own readers would enjoy the new publication. Maybe our writer friend is paying a small referral commission for every sale.
The key point for you, is that you can always speed up your marketing efforts if you can piggy-back onto the success of another business that is serving the same or similar customer as the one you want to reach.
You next question may very well be sure, Hugh, the strategy of creating a subscription model of business works well for the written word. The world of information.
What about my bricks and mortar business?
How can I create this kind of revenue for me?
Let’s use the example of an exterior painting contractor.
Offer regular maintenance services to keep the exterior paint in optimal condition. This could include annual touch-ups, cleaning, and inspections to address any wear and tear.
Create a subscription package that includes:
a. Annual or bi-annual inspections to assess the condition of the paint and identify any issues.
b. Scheduled touch-up services to address minor chips, cracks, or fading.
c. Exterior cleaning services to remove dirt, mold, and mildew that can damage the paint.
Set Pricing Strategy Pricing Tiers:
a. Basic: Annual inspection and touch-up service.
b. Standard: Includes cleaning services in addition to basic package
c. Premium: Comprehensive package with priority scheduling and discounts on major repainting projects
Market the Subscription
Focus on Customer Retention
a. Engagement: Regularly communicate with subscribers through reminders, updates, and personalized service recommendations.
b. Incentives: Offer loyalty rewards, such as discounts on additional services or priority scheduling for long-term subscribers.
Monitor and Adjust
By implementing these steps, an exterior painting contractor can create a subscription revenue model that provides ongoing value to customers while generating a steady income stream.
This kind of strategy can be developed and created by any business.
Furthermore, if you work with business owners, this is just the tip of the iceberg in both strategy and detail of implementation that we have created to help professionals like you. Software which you could have at your fingertips, to be used to help your clients achieve superior results.
Learn how you can get your own access here.
Until next week,
Stay healthy and focus on profit!
- Hugh
The “Profit Accelerator” Expert
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P.S. Every week I interview professional men and women who are experts in their field. We then take that interview and publish it on various newswires. If you have an expertise that can help small business owners grow and build their companies then apply to be interviewed and we will feature your insights in a published article and publish it, free of charge. Head to: https://hughsprofitpath.com/
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