The $0 Startup: How to Sell What You Don't Own

Why the "Middleman Economy" is the fastest path to your first $10k online (without building a product).

Author

Extend Mindset
December 06, 2025

In partnership with

Stop trying to invent the next iPhone.

Seriously.

Most people fail at making money online because they think they need a "Big Idea." They spend months building a product, designing a logo, and writing code, only to launch to the sound of crickets.

There is a smarter way. It’s called Service Arbitrage.

The Logic of the Middleman

Look at the biggest companies in the world:

  • Uber owns no cars.

  • Airbnb owns no real estate.

  • Alibaba holds no inventory.

They are just distinct, highly efficient connectors. They sit in the middle, connecting a person with a problem to a person with a solution, and they take a cut of the transaction.

You can do this on a micro-scale starting today.

The $500 Example

I have a friend, let's call him Mike. Mike noticed that local real estate agents have terrible listing descriptions on Zillow.

  1. Mike emailed 50 agents offering "Premium Copywriting" for $200 per listing.

  2. Three agents said yes ($600 revenue).

  3. Mike went to a freelancer site and hired a top-rated writer to write the descriptions for $50 each ($150 cost).

  4. Mike kept $450 profit.

Mike didn't write a word. He sold the result, not the labor.

This is the Arbitrage Economy. You are selling specific outcomes, outsourcing the work, and keeping the margin.

Why this works in 2025:

  • Low Risk: You don't buy inventory until you have made a sale.

  • High Speed: You can launch this afternoon.

  • Scalable: Once you find a winning niche, you just hire more freelancers.

The 3-Step Execution Plan

If you want to replicate Mike’s results, you need to pick the right niche. Choosing the wrong industry is the #1 reason beginners fail.

See you on the other side,

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