Today, we’ll introduce you to Max, an entrepreneur and investor based in Berlin, who has turned his passion for creating into a thriving business. Max has been building internet projects since he was just 13 years old, starting with websites and graphics, and even developing a browser game.
His first major venture was in the education sector, where he found joy in combining his knack for building with his desire to share knowledge and foster growth among others.
Currently, Max runs Wizard Ventures, where he builds, buys, and manages a range of online businesses, including:
- BaseTemplates (the go-to source for startup templates)
- Tona (a tool for automated competitor monitoring)
- Magic Design (a subscription service for all your design needs)
- Startup&VC (a job board for venture capital opportunities)
- VC Stack (a resource hub for VC investors)
Today, however, the spotlight is on BaseTemplates.
The birth of a business
In 2019, while Max was still running his educational startup, his entrepreneurial curiosity led him to explore new opportunities. One day, he decided to join a competition that required a standout pitch deck. Determined to shine, he searched for a top-notch template and found the BaseTemplates Pitch Deck Template. Max bought it, crafted his presentation, and won the competition!
A few weeks later, Max heard some exciting news: the creator of the BaseTemplates Pitch Deck Template wanted to sell the business. Intrigued, Max dove into the financial details and had long talks with the founder to learn more about what made the business successful.
What he found was nothing short of exciting. Sales were happening every day without any marketing costs, and there were big revenue jumps when the templates were launched on ProductHunt. This steady stream of organic sales and the potential for significant boosts during launches sparked Max's entrepreneurial spirit. He imagined owning a business that could make money effortlessly, even while he slept.
Eager to seize this opportunity, Max quickly made an offer to buy BaseTemplates. The negotiations went smoothly, and the deal was finalized. With this acquisition, Max saw the chance not only to keep the business thriving but also to grow it in new and exciting ways. This marked a key moment in his journey, combining his talent for finding opportunities with his love for building and expanding successful ventures.
Gaining initial customers
When Max took over BaseTemplates, it had just one product and a limited content section. Despite its modest beginnings, there was already a steady stream of customers. Max saw the potential for growth and immediately crafted a comprehensive plan to scale the business dramatically. His strategy included migrating the website to a new content management system (CMS) to improve functionality and user experience, enhancing the existing content to provide more value to users, and exploring new marketing channels to promote the additional products he envisioned.
Over the next four years, BaseTemplates transformed under Max's leadership. The company expanded its offerings to include an impressive array of products and a wealth of free resources and tools. This growth was not just in terms of product range but also in customer engagement and satisfaction. Max's efforts led to a significant increase in daily traffic and a remarkable boost in revenue.
However, the most rewarding aspect for Max was the impact on the community. He helped tens of thousands of founders with their fundraising efforts, enabling them to bring their innovative projects to life.
Marketing strategies for success
Max believes that while building a product is straightforward, selling it is where the real challenge lies. Upon taking over BaseTemplates, he noticed that organic traffic primarily came from a handful of blog posts, along with referrals from larger sites. Determined to enhance visibility, he produced a plethora of content focused on startups, fundraising, and pitch decks, writing 30 new blog posts and optimizing for long-tail keywords like “Pitch Deck Business Model Slide.”
As part of his strategy, Max created free resources, starting with PitchDeckHunt, a collection of over 150 pitch decks from leading startups worldwide.
After launching it on ProductHunt, it garnered over 1,000 upvotes and brought a surge of traffic. He also reached out to various websites to secure backlinks, which greatly contributed to BaseTemplates’ visibility.
Additionally, Max launched the Investor Pitch Training and a Fundraising Checklist to further engage users.
One of his key tactics involved harnessing the power of ProductHunt. Although new to launching products, he took the plunge and saw thousands flock to the site during each launch, leading to valuable backlinks and an increase in revenue with every product release.
The sense of community support became a vital growth factor, as satisfied users shared their experiences across forums and social media.
Max also tapped into affiliate partnerships by identifying where founders spend their time online, such as OpenVC, and negotiated revenue-sharing deals.
This approach successfully onboarded five partners, contributing to 5-10% of BaseTemplates’ total revenue.
Revenue generation
BaseTemplates primarily generates income through digital product sales, supplemented by custom pitch deck design services.
The result? A monthly revenue stream exceeding $15,000, thanks to the high margins of digital products.
Conclusion
Max's journey showcases the impact of passion and clever thinking. From a young age, he was fascinated by building websites and games, constantly looking for new ways to innovate. Acquiring BaseTemplates, which began as a single-product business, marked a significant turning point in his career.
Seeing its potential, Max rolled out a strategic plan, created valuable content, and employed clever marketing techniques. His efforts not only increased traffic and revenue but also helped thousands of founders with their fundraising needs. He made the most of platforms like ProductHunt, launched resources like PitchDeckHunt, and established affiliate partnerships. Now, BaseTemplates brings in over $15,000 a month from digital product sales, showing that with the right mindset, even a simple idea can grow into a thriving business that inspires others.
