Founder stories
$100K ARRen 3 years
4 jalons
Acquired
Brian Dean and team joined Semrush. Price not disclosed.
Failed with first 5 businesses, created Skyscraper Technique, acquired by Semrush
Fondateur
Brian Dean
Fondateur Solo•Non-technique•USA
Engagement
Temps pleinExpérience
ExpérimentéProduit
SEO training and link building strategies blog.
Type
Produit d'InformationSecteur
ÉducationModèle
Paiement uniqueStratégie marketing
Comment Brian a acquis ses clients
Canal de croissance
SEO / Contenu
Également utilisé
CommunautésTwitter / X
Tech Stack
Outils utilisés pour construire Backlinko
WordPressConvertKitAhrefsYouTube
L'histoire complète
I failed with my first 5 online businesses before Backlinko worked. Created the "Skyscraper Technique" which became an industry standard. Eventually acquired by Semrush.
5 Failures First
Don't expect your first idea to work. My first 5 businesses failed before I found what worked.
The Skyscraper Technique
Find content that's ranking, make something 10x better, then reach out to everyone linking to the original.
Building Authority
170K+ newsletter subscribers. Became one of the top 100 business blogs. Then Semrush acquired us.
- Failed businesses before success: 5
- Newsletter subscribers: 170K+
- Exit: Acquired by Semrush
Points clés à retenir
1
Find content gaps and fill them 10x better
2
Skyscraper Technique works for link building
3
YouTube complements written content
4
Persistence through failures is key
Publié à l'origine surBacklinko Blog
Inspiré par le parcours de Brian ? Générez une idée de business dans le secteur Éducation grâce à l'AI et aux données de vrais fondateurs.
Parcours des jalons
Brian a atteint 4 jalons sur le chemin vers $100K ARR
Premier Client
2 months
February 2013
44% plus rapide
vs moy. 4 months+4 months jusqu'au prochain jalon
$1K MRR
$1,000
6 months
June 2013
47% plus rapide
vs moy. 11 months+6 months jusqu'au prochain jalon
$10K MRR
$10,000
1 year
December 2013
45% plus rapide
vs moy. 1 year+2 years jusqu'au prochain jalon
$100K ARR
$1,000,000
3 years
December 2015
6% plus rapide
vs moy. 3 years3 years
Durée totale du parcours
4
Jalons atteints
Le parcours de Brian vers $100K ARRPremium
Le chemin, les décisions et le contexte derrière cette étape clé
Débloquez le parcours complet de Brian
Découvrez l'analyse complète : stratégie de lancement, méthodes de validation, coûts de démarrage, expert analysis, replication playbook, et bien d'autres insights actionnables.
Passer à PremiumAccès instantané à tous les parcours de fondateurs
Frequently asked questions
Who acquired Backlinko?
Backlinko was acquired by Semrush for an undisclosed price on January 2022. Brian Dean and team joined Semrush. Price not disclosed.
How long did it take Backlinko to reach $100k arr?
Brian Dean took 3 years to reach $100k arr with Backlinko.
Was Brian Dean a solo founder?
Yes. Brian Dean built Backlinko as a solo founder.
What marketing channel did Backlinko use to grow?
Backlinko grew primarily through SEO / Contenu.
What industry is Backlinko in?
Backlinko operates in Éducation.
D'autres histoires qui pourraient vous plaire
Des fondateurs avec des parcours ou des stratégies similaires
ML
Marc Lou
From Paris waiter to $250K in 5 months selling a code boilerplate
My journey took me from being a Paris waiter to an $80,000/month solopreneur over seven years of persistence. After 17 failed projects, I found succes...
$100K ARR dans 5 months·Solo
Produit d'InformationOutils Développeur🇫🇷 FR
DP
Danny Postma
How I made $100K in 2 weeks with an AI headshot tool
After selling my previous AI company Headlime for seven figures, I took time off in 2021. I was growing increasingly bored when an idea struck me: why...
$100K ARR dans 14 days·Solo
SaaSAI / ML🇳🇱 NL
Courtland Allen
Indie HackersHow I built Indie Hackers and sold it to Stripe
I was frustrated with how hard it was to find real information about starting an online business. Everyone talked about raising venture capital, but I...
$1K MRR dans 4 months·Solo
MarketplaceCréation de contenu🇺🇸 US
Vous avez apprécié cette histoire ?
Recevez chaque semaine dans votre boîte mail des parcours de fondateurs comme celui-ci.