1. You learn marketing by shipping
- You can’t “study” your way into marketing mastery.
- You only learn it by launching, testing ideas in the wild, seeing what works, and what doesn’t.
“You can only learn how to ship products by shipping products.”
2. Build, don’t wait Speed is your greatest marketing edge.
- Nico’s best-performing apps were built and released within days.
- The faster you launch, the faster you learn what the market actually wants.
3. Validation > Vision
- Most products fail because founders build for themselves, not for others.
- He validated every idea through feedback, pre-sales, and simple MVPs.
“If people won’t buy the crappy version, they won’t buy the final version.”
4. Detach from your product
- Love the problem, not your idea, because emotional attachment kills speed.
- Treat every project like an experiment, not your identity.
“You need to dissociate yourself from your product.”
5. People buy results, not features
- Every successful launch sold a transformation.
- Customers wanted logos, not AI; solutions, not tech.
- Your copy should focus on what users become after using your product.
6. Start small, charge when they see value.
- He started with simple versions to validate demand, then charged once people found value.
- Pricing isn’t about what it’s worth to you — it’s about what it’s worth to them after they’ve tried it.
7. Use momentum as marketing
- Every win (new sale, a Product Hunt badge, a viral tweet) compounds.
- Consistent posting builds trust, curiosity, and drives sales.
- Show your journey–that is the marketing
8. Copywriting is your superpower
- Nico read old-school marketing books from Ogilvy, Schwartz, Hopkins.
- He writes to mirror his customer’s desires – direct, emotional, and clear.
- Once you master copy, you’ll never rely on luck again.
9. Distribution beats originality
- You don’t need a unique idea– just a product that’s visible to the right audience.
- MakeLogoAI wasn’t the first, but it was early, fast, and visible.
- Being first to ship in a rising trend wins attention.
10. Access Is the Real Validation
- Even if people want your product can you reach them? If not, it’s not a business.
- Before building, ensure you have a direct path to your audience (Twitter, Reddit, ads, or niche forums).
“You might have an amazing product, but if you can’t reach your target audience, it won’t sell.”
11. Build in public
- People didn’t just buy the product they bought into his journey.
- Building in public turns curiosity into community.
12. Marketing = psychology
- Marketing is learning to sell transformation.
- The customer has a current situation and a desired situation.
- Your product is the vehicle that gets them there.
“You can’t automate persuasion. You have to understand why people buy.”
13. Don’t chase hype, sell shovels
- He warns that trends like “AI gold rushes” attract copycats.
- Instead, build tools that help others succeed within those trends.
“During a gold rush, the people who made money were the ones selling shovels.”
14. Feedback > ideas
- He improves based on real feedback, not imagination.
- Listen, analyze patterns, and improve fast.
- The market will tell you what to build next if you’re listening.
15. Community = compound interest
- Those early Twitter followers became Nico’s first customers and later, his promoters.
- Every new launch got easier because people already trusted him.
- That’s the beauty of community: it compounds over time, and your audience becomes your strongest moat.
16. Price it right, sell it fast
- He sold MakeLogoAI quickly because he priced it right, not high which drew in multiple buyers and sparked competition.
- (The final buyer offered $65,000, even though he originally listed it for $49,000–$50,000.)
17. Think like a marketer when selling your startup
- When listing on Acquire, he sold benefits, not metrics:-
- Product Hunt badge
- Proven customers
- Growth opportunities
- A ready-to-grow AI business”
He even wrote a short document on how the buyer could expand it further.
18. Your story sells
- People follow people, not logos.
- His story of learning to code, building in 48 hours, and selling in 3 months made people share his story.
“Stories travel farther than sales pages.”
19. Marketing is repetition.
- You won’t find the right message instantly.
- You test, fail, learn, and do it again.
- Each launch helps you see what copy actually works.
20. Discipline > motivation
- Motivation fades but consistency wins.
- He built every day, coded relentlessly, and iterated without waiting for inspiration.
- Consistency is the most underrated marketing weapon.
“Motivation helps, but discipline keeps you running in the long run.”
21. Paid Lessons, Not Failures
Each failed project sharpened his marketing sense
- Messaging,
- Pricing,
- Audience,
- Product market fit
22. Your MVP is your best ad
- Your product’s first impression is marketing.
- Even a simple version should deliver instant value.
- Your message & product experience must align.
23. Sell when you hit your ceiling
- He exited because he knew he’d taken the product as far as he could.
- Good founders build momentum but great ones know when to transfer it.
24. Transparency builds trust
- Whether in your social media posts or private negotiations, honesty sells more than hype.
- People trust clarity more than cleverness.
25. Marketing success = Speed × Clarity × Empathy
Speed: Ship and test.
Clarity: Communicate the transformation.
Empathy: Understand the user’s problem better than they can describe it.