A Better Lemonade Stand #319

Insights, trends, & tools to build a better online business.

Author

Richard Lazazzera
December 17, 2024

This is it.

The final newsletter of 2024. As I mentioned last week, the following two issues fall on Christmas and New Year’s, so I’ll be taking a short break to spend time with my family—and dive deeper into some AI coding tools.

Lovable, I’m looking at you. 👀

Reflecting on this past year, I can’t help but smile.

A little over a year ago, I made a bold pivot: after a decade in ecommerce, I pivoted A Better Lemonade Stand to focus on exploring the intersection of AI, no-code, and automation.

The year before that, I was utterly lost.

I’d spent 10 years growing A Better Lemonade Stand into one of the largest independent ecommerce blogs, but I’d lost the passion I once had for it.

Shutting it down felt like closing a chapter of my identity—and at the time, I didn’t know if I’d ever resurrect it or where my next chapter would lead me.

I took a year off. Offline. I renovated my home, unplugged from work, and spent time searching for what was next. Then AI entered the picture—and with it, the spark that reignited my passion for online business.

(If you’re new here or haven’t read it yet, you can explore my full story here.)

This past year has been one of adventure, exploration, and discovery.

I experimented with countless new tools and AI models, testing generative platforms, automation workflows, and creative AI tools. I built mini-apps to explore new possibilities, created AI-driven art and music, and experimented with ways to automate and enhance workflows.

Along the way, I uncovered new opportunities in digital entrepreneurship and shared the most interesting insights, trends, and tools with you.

And through it all, I’ve learned that the intersection of AI, no-code, and automation isn’t just a playground for experimentation—it’s a launching pad for the next era of online business.

As we step into 2025, the digital entrepreneurship and creator economy landscapes continue to evolve. The tools to build and scale online businesses are more powerful and accessible than ever. Opportunities abound—but so do challenges.

Standing out, scaling, and building something sustainable has never been harder. Attention spans are shrinking. Media and coding are being democratized faster than ever, which means more competition. Trust in information is fragile. Google’s algorithms feel like a guessing game, and platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube constantly shift, forcing creators to stay nimble or become a has-been.

Despite these hurdles, I’m more optimistic than ever.

I’ve always had a knack for spotting trends and seeing where they might lead, and it feels abundantly clear: 2025 will be a pivotal year for entrepreneurs, creators, digital explorers… and AI Robots, but that’s another story.

If this year has taught me anything, it’s that curiosity, creativity, and resilience are the keys to moving forward—and I’m excited to continue sharing this journey with you in January.

/end of monologue

With that said, let’s dive into this week’s content. Here’s what I’ve lined up for you:

  • 📈 Trend Spotlight: Discover how boilerplates and AI coding tools provide a more straightforward approach to SaaS development.

  • 💡 Case Study: Learn how John Hu, founder of Stan, used TikTok videos to create a platform that has generated over $200M for creators.

  • 📲 Breakthrough: Explore how Lovable and Supabase make SaaS development faster and more user-friendly.

  • 🔎 Update: Understand the implications of ChatGPT's new search functionality on SEO tactics.

💛 Sponsor

Don’t even pretend — you want to know how LEGO does their email marketing.

Back in 2020, LEGO Colombia’s subscriber base grew so much, it became a challenge to manage it. And if you want new results, you can’t keep playing by the old rules.

To pull this off, they made a power move: switching their ESP from Mailchimp to Omnisend.

The payoff?

  • 37% open rates across all automations

  • 10% click-through rates

And look, we get how some of the smaller brands may find it hard to relate to the industry giants. But we can all learn a thing or two from them regardless.

📈 Trends

💡 Insights

🚀 Stan: Empowering Creators to Earn $200M+

In an interview with Creator Spotlight, Stan’s founder John Hu shared how he turned TikTok into a launchpad for building a platform that empowers creators to monetize their skills through digital products, coaching, and memberships—helping them build thriving businesses and earn $200M+ along the way.

Key Takeaways:

  • Content = Growth: John didn’t chase creators. Instead, he met them where they were: TikTok. By sharing his story and teaching others how to monetize, John built trust and attracted thousands of creators. This content-first approach fueled Stan’s rise to $33M ARR in just a few years.

  • Low-Ticket Wins: The sweet spot? Products priced between $9–$47. Templates, guides, and quick coaching calls are accessible for buyers, but they add up fast—helping creators scale their income without friction.

  • Building the Creator Middle Class: Stan isn’t just for the elite. Over 11,000 creators have earned at least $1K by selling digital products—from courses to coaching sessions.

📲 Build a SaaS in Minutes Without Code

Following up on our trend report, here’s an example of how AI tools like Lovable make SaaS development faster and more accessible for generating your project idea.

What Stood Out:

  1. AI as Your Product Manager: Treat AI as a collaborator, not just a coder. Define features, flows, and user requirements clearly to get accurate results.

  2. Simplifying Full-Stack Development: Lovable and Bolt recently added Supabase integration, which allows you to set up authentication, databases, and backends in a single prompt. Stripe support is likely next, eventually allowing you to build a full-stack app with minimal effort.

  3. The Future of No-Code SaaS: User experience and design are becoming the true differentiators as backend functionality becomes a commodity.

🔎 AI Search is Changing SEO: What You Need to Know

ChatGPT's new search functionality is reshaping how content is ranked and discovered. Analyzing results from Google and Bing gives you a new landscape for content creators and brands.

Key Takeaways:

  • Long-Form Content Wins: ChatGPT prioritizes detailed, list-style articles from high-authority sites over brand pages. To rank and collaborate with trusted media outlets for honest reviews and features.

  • Local SEO Gets a Boost: ChatGPT relies heavily on Google Maps and positive reviews for localized searches. Authentic, positive Google reviews are crucial for visibility.

  • Ad-Free Search Means Organic-First: With no ads in ChatGPT results, the focus shifts to brand mentions and conveying value. While it doesn’t drive traffic, it positions your brand as a trusted solution in user queries.

🔬 Stop Using Perplexity & SearchGPT Like Google

AI search engines like Perplexity and SearchGPT offer far more than basic Google-style searches if you know how to prompt them effectively.

How to Get Better Results:

  1. Debate Analysis: Go beyond surface-level trends by asking for contrasting views and multiple perspectives on emerging topics.

  2. Blind Spot Analysis: Identify hidden factors and analyze long-term impacts (e.g., 3-5 years) to make smarter decisions.

  3. Trend Tracking: Compare data over time—e.g., “How has cybersecurity evolved in the last year?”—to spot ongoing trends versus temporary hype.

  4. Learning Path Creation: Create clear learning roadmaps for skills you want to learn, such as UX design, at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.

  5. Fact-Checking: Quickly verify claims by asking, “Is it true?” or requesting direct quotes and statistical evidence.

🧰 Apps & Tools

🗨️ Aftercare: Transform surveys into conversations with targeted AI follow-up questions that dig deeper into respondents' insights.

📂 Directify: Build professional directory websites with no coding required.

🎯 Mentor: Break down your goals and stay accountable with a personal AI coach that simplifies tasks, tracks progress, and keeps you motivated.

🖌️ Evrybo: Your all-in-one visual feedback tool, combining design feedback, bug tracking, and project management.

🌊 Data Surf: Merge your browsing, file management, and AI assistance into one experience, all while keeping your data locally stored.

🤖 Product Updates

@ Pika 2.0: Redefining AI Video Creation

Pika 2.0 empowers creators with Scene Ingredients and precision text alignment to revolutionize video storytelling.

  • Scene Ingredients: Allows you to customize every detail of your video. Upload photos to add characters, objects, or backgrounds.

  • Precision Text-to-Video: Turn detailed prompts into polished videos with perfect execution for social content and professional videos.

📒 NotebookLM Gets a Major Upgrade

NotebookLM, Google’s AI-powered research assistant, introduces a sleek redesign, audio interactivity, and NotebookLM Plus for power users.

What Stood Out:

  1. New Unified Interface: Manage sources, chat, and create in one streamlined workspace.

  2. Interactive Audio Overviews: Ask questions and engage with AI hosts mid-conversation.

  3. NotebookLM Plus: Premium plan with expanded features for teams, schools, and enterprises.

💡 Launch Apps & Monetize on Day 1 with Create

Create’s new AI Templates handle everything you need from design, AI, backends, and payments so you can go from idea to MVP in minutes.

Why It’s a Game-Changer:

  1. Complete Solutions: Built-in support for Stripe, OpenAI, and databases.

  2. AI Product Engineer: Create manages the heavy lifting, letting you focus on your niche.

  3. Scalable Templates: Build apps like InteriorAI or HeadshotPro and start earning.

🖇️ Everything Else

🤳 Rapid Development: In just 2 hours, John built and iterated a vacation tracking tool with Replit AI. (👉 How He Built It)

📬 HubSpot’s 89% Newsletter Lead Boost: HubSpot's newsletter strategy got a major glow-up this year, driving an 89% jump in leads. (👉 Read How They Did It)

👨‍💻 How a HubSpot Exec Runs on AI: The SVP of Marketing at HubSpot shares how he integrates AI into his daily workflows. (👉 Get the Full Breakdown Here)

📰 Create Newsletter That People Want to Read: Danielle shared 9 tips for writing B2B newsletters after writing 26 newsletter issues and growing to 8,000+ readers. (👉Check out Danielle’s Newsletter Tips)

📉Social Media ≠ Public Opinion: Only 20% of X users post, proving that trends don’t reflect the majority—vocal minorities skew them. (👉Unpack the Real Impact Here)

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