HeadshotPro

The step-by-step playbook behind HeadshotPro, built only from the sourced facts we found (14 facts, each with its evidence label and link), plus a copy-paste replication prompt for Claude or ChatGPT.

1. The order they did it in

1. Sept 2022: Stock AI (quality too low, no buyers) → ProfilePicture.AI, built in ~30 hours, six figures in sales in its first week. Self-reported source
2. Launched Deep Agency and HeadshotPro at the same time; HeadshotPro got the sales. Self-reported source
3. ~6 months in (Aug 2023): first job post (ML engineer), moving from solo to a small team. Self-reported source
4. 2023–2026: $10M+ revenue since launch, 17M headshots, 200K+ shoots. Public data source

2. How they got customers (more growth methods)

1. Bought headshotpro.com for $3,000 for the keyword boost. Self-reported source
2. Acquired an SEO-trafficked competitor and rebuilt its landing page (conversion up ~6x); bought profilepicturemaker.com and banner-linked it to HeadshotPro. Self-reported source
3. Optimizes conversion heavily; sells one-time purchases rather than subscriptions. Self-reported source

3. Stack + monthly costs

1. Built his own model work in Python (pose extraction) during the pivot from ProfilePicture.AI. Self-reported source
2. Automated refunds and support; his wife handled 2–3 hours/day of support in 2023. Self-reported source
3. Monthly costs: not disclosed. Self-reported source

4. What didn't work (skip these)

1. Deep Agency got press but no sales (~0.3% conversion vs ~10x that for HeadshotPro). Self-reported source
2. Stock AI: quality wasn't there and people wouldn't pay. Self-reported source
3. ProfilePicture.AI faded to "barely any revenue" after the hype passed. Self-reported source
4. Copycats cloned his landing pages and copy. Self-reported source

Doubts we flagged

• Third-party sites claim "first customer in 1 day" and "$300K MRR"; neither traced to a founder statement. Not used.

5. Copy-paste replication prompt

You are my AI co-founder. Help me replicate the playbook behind HeadshotPro, using ONLY these sourced facts (evidence label in brackets):

GROWTH METHODS (in order):
- Picks product ideas from keyword research (high search volume, low keyword difficulty) so Google brings the traffic. [self]
- Ranks #1 for "AI headshots"; when a big competitor (Remini) went viral, his sales tripled from search spillover. [self]
- Bought headshotpro.com for $3,000 for the keyword boost. [self]
- Acquired an SEO-trafficked competitor and rebuilt its landing page (conversion up ~6x); bought profilepicturemaker.com and banner-linked it to HeadshotPro. [self]
- Optimizes conversion heavily; sells one-time purchases rather than subscriptions. [self]

STACK & COSTS:
- Built his own model work in Python (pose extraction) during the pivot from ProfilePicture.AI. [self]
- Automated refunds and support; his wife handled 2–3 hours/day of support in 2023. [self]
- Monthly costs: not disclosed. [self]

TIMELINE:
- Sept 2022: Stock AI (quality too low, no buyers) → ProfilePicture.AI, built in ~30 hours, six figures in sales in its first week. [self]
- Launched Deep Agency and HeadshotPro at the same time; HeadshotPro got the sales. [self]
- ~6 months in (Aug 2023): first job post (ML engineer), moving from solo to a small team. [self]
- 2023–2026: $10M+ revenue since launch, 17M headshots, 200K+ shoots. [public]

WHAT DIDN'T WORK:
- Deep Agency got press but no sales (~0.3% conversion vs ~10x that for HeadshotPro). [self]
- Stock AI: quality wasn't there and people wouldn't pay. [self]
- ProfilePicture.AI faded to "barely any revenue" after the hype passed. [self]
- Copycats cloned his landing pages and copy. [self]

Task: 1) Ask me 5 questions about my skills, audience, budget and niche. 2) Map each fact above to an equivalent action for my niche. 3) Produce a week-by-week plan to my first dollar, with the cheapest tool for each step. 4) Flag which steps depend on advantages I may not have (audience, timing, capital). Do not assume any fact beyond the list.