Nikonomics - The Economics of Small Business

227 - He Built a $200K Newsletter. Then launched a $100K Christmas Lights Biz with Jas Singh

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Sep 5, 2025

Jas Singh, the founder of Winnipeg Digest, shares his entrepreneurial journey, turning a local newsletter with over 100,000 subscribers into a thriving business. He reveals a clever giveaway strategy that helped him rake in $5,000 in just one week for his seasonal holiday lighting company, all without a website! Jas discusses the merits of a seasonal business model, key marketing tactics, and how he plans to leverage his audience for future ventures. This is a fascinating dive into the power of community and innovative marketing.

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ANECDOTE

Launched With No Website, Sold Fast

Jas launched the Christmas lighting business with no website and sold jobs within a week.
He used his newsletter audience directly to validate demand and get early customers.

INSIGHT

Newsletter As A Distribution Engine

Jas uses the newsletter audience as a distribution channel to create and partner in new businesses.
They act as a marketing arm and take profit splits with partners who handle fulfillment.

ADVICE

Pick Seasonal, Audience-Fit Businesses

Choose a seasonal, high-LTV business if you want optionality to shut it down easily.
Pick services where your audience's primary decision-maker matches your subscriber demographics.

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🚨MY NEWSLETTER https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe 🚨

Join me, Nik (https://x.com/CoFoundersNik), as I interview Jas from Winnipeg Digest (https://x.com/creatingjas). Jas is back for a third time, and his journey is incredible to watch. He first built a local newsletter, the Winnipeg Digest, into a massive distribution channel with over 100,000 people in his audience. Now, he's leveraging that audience to launch his own businesses, starting with a seasonal holiday lighting company.

In this episode, we break down his new venture from the ground up. Jas shares the exact strategy he used to launch the lighting business using his newsletter, including a brilliant giveaway tactic he learned from Alex Hormozi.

He explains why he chose a seasonal business, his goal of hitting $100,000 in revenue in his first season, and how this entire project serves as a case study to attract future business partners. We get into the nitty-gritty of his first week—how he sold $5,000 in jobs with no website, just an ad in his newsletter.

This is a masterclass in using an existing audience to create new revenue streams and build a portfolio of companies.

Questions This Episode Answers:

• How can you leverage a newsletter audience to launch a completely new business?

• What's a smart, low-cost marketing strategy to get your first customers for a service business?

• Why would an entrepreneur choose a seasonal business model like holiday lighting?

• What are the key startup costs and revenue goals for a new holiday lighting business?

• How can a new business be used as a "case study" to attract future equity partners?

Enjoy the conversation!

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This week we covered:
00:00 Launching a New Venture: Christmas Lights Business

02:41 Building on Audience: From Newsletter to Business

06:02 Marketing Strategies and Initial Success

08:54 Understanding the Business Model and Pricing

11:44 Execution Challenges and Future Plans

14:39 Exploring New Opportunities and Growth

18:02 Final Thoughts and Future Outlook