The 5 Commandments of the Fastlane: How to Build Profitable Online Businesses

Business· 5 min read

The 5 Commandments of the Fastlane: How to Build Profitable Online Businesses

Three years ago I read "The Millionaire Fastlane" by MJ DeMarco. It wasn't the book that changed my life—it was what I ignored from it.

DeMarco talks about two paths: the "Slowlane" (safe job, retire at 65) and the "Fastlane" (build businesses that scale). What I discovered is that most people trying the Fastlane fail because they apply the principles wrong.

I made those mistakes. I built products nobody wanted. I spent months on ideas that died in a week. But in the process, I discovered 5 rules that work consistently.

Commandment 1: Validate Before Building (48 Hours Max)

This is the most important. 90% of failures come from building first and validating after.

My process:

Day 1: I identify a problem I have or I've seen in others. Not abstract ideas—real problems that create friction.

Day 2: I talk to 5-10 people who have that problem. I don't sell. I ask:

  • How much would you pay to solve this?
  • Did you try solving it before? How?
  • Who else has this problem?

Day 3: I launch a simple landing page (Vercel + Supabase, 2 hours max) with an "Early Access" button. If I don't get 20 emails in 7 days, the idea dies.

Real example: 6 months ago I identified that developers spend 3-4 hours weekly integrating different APIs. I validated with 8 developers in my network. 7 said they'd pay €50-100/month for a solution. I built an MVP in 2 weeks. Today I have 40 paying customers at €79/month.

Golden rule: If you can't explain the problem in 2 minutes to a stranger, you don't understand it well enough.

Commandment 2: Monetize From Day 1

Businesses that don't make money aren't businesses. They're hobbies with ambitions.

Don't wait for the "perfect product." Charge from the MVP.

My approach:

  • Basic tier: €29-49/month (solves 80% of the problem)
  • Professional tier: €99-149/month (specific use cases)
  • Enterprise tier: Custom (for clients with budget)

When I launch, 70% of users go basic. 20% professional. 10% negotiate enterprise. That's normal.

What matters: from day 1, I know exactly how much it costs to acquire a customer and how much they earn. If LTV (lifetime value) isn't 3x CAC (customer acquisition cost), the idea doesn't scale. Period.

Real case: A colleague built an AI agent to automate emails. He didn't charge for 3 months because he "wanted feedback." When he finally asked for money, users said no. He'd trained his market to expect free. It failed.

Commandment 3: Use AI to Multiply Your Speed

This is where most entrepreneurs waste the opportunity.

It's not about using ChatGPT to write copy. It's about using AI to do work that previously took 2-3 people.

My current stack:

  • **Claude + MCP** for architecture and design decisions
  • **Next.js + Supabase** for building (Claude Code accelerates this 3x)
  • **AI agents** to automate onboarding and support

Example: I have an AI agent that: 1. Reads emails from new customers 2. Identifies what they need 3. Creates a personalized plan 4. Sends a tutorial video specific to their use case

All automated. Zero intervention from me. Takes 2 hours to set up but saves me 10+ hours weekly.

The truth: If you're building an online business in 2025 without using AI, you're competing with one hand tied behind your back.

Commandment 4: Focus on Retention, Not Acquisition

This is what separates winners from those who go broke.

It's 5x cheaper to retain a customer than acquire a new one. But 80% of entrepreneurs ignore this.

My key metric: Churn Rate. If I lose more than 5% of customers monthly, I have a product problem, not a marketing problem.

What I do:

  • Weekly email with tips/updates (not sales)
  • Monthly check-in with customers ("How's it going? Need anything?")
  • Public roadmap (customers want to know what's coming)
  • Private Discord community (creates emotional dependency)

Result: My churn is 2.3%. That means my customer LTV is 43 months. At €79/month, that's €3,400 per customer. With CAC of €300, the ratio is 11:1.

That's profitable. That scales.

Commandment 5: Document and Sell Your Knowledge

This is the part many ignore: while you build, document.

Not to be a "thought leader" (that term gives me hives). But because: 1. It validates that you understand the problem 2. It attracts customers naturally 3. It creates a second income stream

My process:

  • Share failures publicly (not just wins)
  • Publish tutorials about what I build
  • Sell courses on idea validation (€297, 200+ students)

That generates 15-20% of my total income. But more importantly: it positions me as someone who understands.

When I launch a new product, my audience already trusts me.

The Pattern You See Here

All these commandments have something in common: Speed + Validation + Monetization.

It's not about having the perfect idea. It's about finding good ideas, validating them fast, monetizing them fast, and improving based on data.

MJ DeMarco talked about "Commandments" in his book. I added a 5th because reality changed. Now we have AI. Now we can validate in days, not months. Now we can monetize without investment.

Anyone not taking advantage of this is leaving money on the table.

Next Steps

If you're considering building an online business:

1. This week: Identify 3 problems I have or I've seen in others 2. Next week: Validate with 5 people (max 2 hours per problem) 3. Week 3: Launch a simple landing page 4. Week 4: If you have 20+ interested emails, build the MVP. If not, kill the idea.

Don't wait for it to be perfect. Perfect never comes.

The Fastlane isn't about luck. It's about following a process that works, repeatedly.

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Which of these commandments aren't you following? Reply in the comments.