After a chaotic journey of launching everything from sneaker bots to IT agencies, Schwartz and his co-founders finally struck gold by creating “Etsy for software”—a tech marketplace called Whop that now generates an estimated $354,000 in monthly revenue.
This is the story of how relentless trial, error, and a single, powerful mindset shift turned a scattered hustle habit into a life-changing enterprise.
Introduction: The Unconventional Path to Millions
Think you need one big idea to make it? Think again. Steven Schwartz started his entrepreneurial journey at 13, and by his mid-20s, he had already launched 23 different side hustles. Some made him hundreds of thousands in a single day; others fizzled out.
But the breakthrough didn't come from his 24th attempt—it came from a fundamental realization shared by billionaires like Mark Cuban: Build to solve a problem, not to chase a profit.
This article unpacks Schwartz’s chaotic but calculated rise, revealing the key lessons every aspiring founder needs to hear:
* Why 23 "failures" were his greatest education.
* How identifying a glaring gap in trust within online software markets led to Whop.
* The mindset shift from building for fun to building for a real, paying audience.
* How his own product became the ultimate testing ground for new ideas.
The $354,000/Month Breakthrough: Solving a Problem No One Else Wanted to Touch
For years, Steven Schwartz and his friend Cameron Zoub thrived on the adrenaline of the hustle. In high school, their sneaker-bot software led to six-figure days and flashy purchases, but the income was wildly unpredictable. Later, their IT agency hit $100,000 a month in revenue—a clear sign they were solving a need—but the work lacked creative fire.
The real breakthrough was born from frustration. Zoub spent time in the shadowy online forums where digital products were sold and saw a marketplace riddled with scams and distrust. Sellers had no credible platform; buyers had no protection. They didn't just see a business opportunity—they saw a fundamental safety problem begging for a solution.
Thus, Whop was launched in March 2021. It wasn't just another marketplace; it was a trusted, vetted hub for digital products—the "Etsy for software." By orienting their entire mission around solving this acute problem of trust, they built something people desperately needed and were willing to pay for.
The Core Philosophy: Build What People Actually Use
Schwartz’s hard-won advice cuts through the noise of typical startup hype: “You want to really orient yourself around a real problem that needs to be solved.” He observed that many founders get obsessed with the technical build, crafting "something that no one’s actually going to use." That disconnect, he warns, is the fastest path to demotivation and failure.
This philosophy is echoed by Mark Cuban, who credits his own billion-dollar success to solving a personal problem—streaming college basketball games online—which led to Broadcast.com and its eventual $5.7 billion sale.
The Ultimate Validation: Becoming Your Own Best Customer
Perhaps the most compelling proof of Whop’s success is how the founders use it. The platform has become their own innovation lab. “The beauty of Whop is if we have an idea, we can just go on Whop and try it out,” says Schwartz. They no longer abandon projects to chase the next trend; they now have a permanent, profitable home to launch, test, and scale their own new software ideas. Their product doesn't just serve their customers—it fuels their own endless cycle of creation.
Conclusion: Your Idea Isn’t What Matters—The Problem You Solve Is
Steven Schwartz’s journey from 23 scattered side hustles to a $4.2+ million-a-year company isn't a story of genius. It’s a masterclass in relentless problem-solving. The flashy successes and quiet failures all served a single purpose: to teach him that sustainable, fulfilling success isn't found in the first idea, or even the tenth, but in the persistent pursuit of a real, painful problem.
Stop searching for the perfect idea. Start looking for the obvious frustration, the broken system, the unmet need in your own world. As Schwartz and giants like Cuban prove: Build the solution, and the empire will follow.
* Source: CNBC Make It (August 28, 2023).*
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