Let's be honest—most "I made a million online" stories are complete garbage. They're either outright lies, survivorship bias at its finest, or they leave out the 90% of the work that actually matters. You know the type: "I made $10,000 in my first month with this one weird trick!" followed by an affiliate link to some overpriced course.
But every once in a while, you stumble across a story that feels different. Real. Messy. Human.
That's exactly what happened when Nicolas, a former baker from France who dropped out of school at 16, shared how he went from waking up at 4 AM covered in flour to generating over $1.5 million in revenue. His Reddit post blew up because it wasn't about magic formulas—it was about obsession, iteration, and solving real problems for real people.
I've analyzed his approach, dug through the comments (all 161 of them), and identified what actually made this work when so many other attempts fail. This isn't about copying his exact business—it's about understanding the principles that can be applied to almost any online venture in 2026.
The Mindset Shift: From Trading Time for Money to Building Systems
Nicolas started exactly where most people do: trading hours for dollars. As a baker, his income was directly tied to how many hours he could physically work. Come home wrecked, barely make rent, repeat. Sound familiar?
The first breakthrough wasn't a technical skill or a secret platform—it was a fundamental shift in how he thought about value creation. Instead of asking "How can I make more money per hour?" he started asking "How can I create something once and sell it thousands of times?"
This seems obvious now, but it's where 90% of people get stuck. They try to scale their time through freelancing or consulting, which just creates a slightly better-paying job. The real leap happens when you separate your income from your direct time investment.
For Nicolas, this meant digital products. Not because they're magical, but because they have near-zero marginal cost. Create once, sell infinitely. But here's what most guides don't tell you: the initial creation phase is brutally difficult. You're essentially compressing years of learning and experience into a package someone can consume in hours.
The Product Evolution: From Information to Transformation
Here's where things get interesting. Nicolas didn't start with a perfect product. His first attempts were... well, let's just say they weren't million-dollar ideas.
He began in a niche he understood deeply from his own struggles: helping people improve their productivity and workflow using technology. But instead of creating generic "productivity tips" content, he focused on specific, painful problems his audience faced daily.
One of his early products was a simple PDF guide about optimizing a particular software workflow. It sold for $27. Not life-changing money, but it validated something crucial: people would pay for solutions to their specific frustrations.
The evolution went something like this:
- Phase 1: Simple PDF guides ($27-47)
- Phase 2: Video courses with templates ($97-197)
- Phase 3: Done-for-you templates and tools ($297-497)
- Phase 4: Community + ongoing support ($997/year)
Notice the pattern? He started small, proved the concept, then systematically increased the value (and price) as he understood his customers better. This is completely backwards from how most people approach digital products—they try to build the $997 product first, then wonder why nobody buys it.
The Traffic Machine: Organic Growth That Actually Scales
Here's the question everyone in the comments was asking: "How did you get people to actually find your stuff?"
Nicolas's answer was refreshingly old-school: he created genuinely useful content that solved specific problems. No shady SEO tricks, no buying followers, no sketchy Facebook ads.
He focused on two main channels:
1. YouTube Tutorials That Actually Help
Not the polished, overproduced kind. His early videos were screen recordings with his voice explaining exactly how to solve a particular problem. The kind of video you search for when you're stuck at 2 AM trying to meet a deadline.
The magic wasn't in the production quality—it was in the specificity. Instead of "How to Be More Productive," he made "How to Automate This Exact Tedious Task in Under 5 Minutes."
2. Community Building Before Selling
He spent months (yes, months) just helping people for free in online communities related to his niche. Not with links to his products, but with genuine advice. When someone had a problem he'd solved before, he'd share the solution openly.
This built something money can't buy: trust. And when you have trust, selling becomes helping. People started asking: "Do you have a more complete guide on this? I'd pay for it."
That's the dream scenario—customers asking to buy from you.
The Automation Stack: Working Smarter in 2026
One insight from the discussion that's particularly relevant today: automation isn't optional anymore. Nicolas mentioned spending significant time early on automating repetitive tasks so he could focus on creating value.
In 2026, here's what that looks like in practice:
For content distribution, he used tools to automatically share new content across platforms (with customization for each). For customer support, he built a comprehensive FAQ and used AI-assisted responses for common questions. For content research, he monitored what questions people were actually asking in his niche.
One tool he mentioned for handling more complex data gathering and automation tasks was Apify. While he didn't rely on it exclusively, he noted that for certain technical tasks—like gathering pricing data from competitors or automating complex workflows—having a robust scraping and automation platform saved dozens of hours monthly.
The key insight here: automate everything that doesn't require your unique voice or expertise. Your time should be spent on things only you can do.
The Pricing Psychology: Why $297 Works Better Than $300
This was a subtle but crucial point from the discussion. Nicolas experimented extensively with pricing and discovered something counterintuitive: in his niche, $297 consistently outperformed $300.
Why? It feels like a different category psychologically. $300 is "hundreds of dollars." $297 is "two-something." It's irrational, but it works.
More importantly, he discovered that his customers weren't price-sensitive in the way he expected. When he increased prices from $97 to $197, sales actually increased slightly. Why? Because the higher price signaled higher value.
His pricing strategy evolved to include:
- A clear entry point ($27-47 for simple guides)
- A core offering ($197-297 for comprehensive courses)
- A premium option ($497+ for done-for-you solutions)
- An ongoing community option (annual subscription)
This tiered approach did something brilliant: it met customers where they were. Some just wanted the basics. Others wanted the complete solution. A few wanted ongoing support and updates.
The Reality Check: What Nobody Talks About
Here's where Nicolas's story gets really valuable—he openly shared the brutal parts. The comments were full of people asking about the dark side, and he didn't sugarcoat it.
First, the revenue wasn't pure profit. About 30-40% went to taxes (he was based in Europe). Another 20% went to software, hosting, payment processing, and other costs. Then there were the hours—countless hours of creating content that nobody saw initially.
Second, the emotional rollercoaster was intense. He described weeks where he made thousands, followed by weeks where he made nothing. The inconsistency was terrifying until he built up enough of a buffer.
Third, and this is critical: what worked for him might not work for you. His success came from combining his unique experiences (as a baker turned tech enthusiast) with a specific market need. The formula isn't "copy what I did"—it's "understand why it worked and apply those principles to your unique situation."
Getting Started in 2026: Your First 30 Days
Based on the principles from Nicolas's journey, here's what your first month should look like if you're starting today:
Days 1-7: Don't create anything. Seriously. Spend this time in communities where your potential customers hang out. What are they complaining about? What questions keep coming up? Take notes.
Days 8-14: Create one piece of genuinely helpful content addressing the most common pain point you identified. A YouTube video, a blog post, a Twitter thread—whatever fits your skills. Give away the solution for free.
Days 15-21: Based on feedback, create a simple, low-cost product that goes deeper. Maybe it's a checklist, a template, or a short guide. Price it at $27 or less. The goal isn't to get rich—it's to validate that people will pay for your help.
Days 22-30: If you've made even one sale, you're on the right track. Now create a slightly more comprehensive version. If you haven't made a sale, go back to the communities and ask why. Be brutally honest with yourself.
Throughout this process, consider what parts you can outsource or automate. For instance, if graphic design isn't your strength, you might find a designer on Fiverr to create professional-looking templates for your products. The goal is to spend your time on what only you can do—your unique expertise and voice.
Common Questions (And Real Answers)
From the 161 comments, here are the most frequent questions with expanded answers:
"Do I need to be technical?"
Not necessarily. Nicolas was tech-inclined, but the core skill was problem-solving, not coding. Many successful digital product creators use no-code tools extensively.
"How much time does this really take?"
Initially, 10-20 hours per week on top of your regular job. Once established, it can vary wildly. Some weeks might be 40 hours, others might be 5. The goal is to build systems that reduce the ongoing time commitment.
"What if I'm not an expert?"
You don't need to be the world's leading expert. You just need to be one step ahead of the people you're helping. Document your journey of solving a problem, and you'll help others facing the same challenge.
"Should I quit my job?"
Absolutely not. Not until your online income consistently exceeds your job income for at least 6 months, and you have 6-12 months of expenses saved. The stability of a regular paycheck lets you make better long-term decisions.
The Tools That Actually Matter
While tools aren't the secret sauce, having the right ones reduces friction. Based on what's working in 2026:
For creating digital products, platforms like Teachable or Podia handle the technical heavy lifting. For email marketing, something simple like ConvertKit or Beehiiv works well. For payment processing, Stripe or PayPal are standards.
But here's what Nicolas emphasized: don't get lost in tool obsession. Pick one that does 80% of what you need and get started. You can always switch later.
For physical products that support your digital work, consider basics that improve your setup. A good microphone makes your videos and courses more professional. Proper lighting makes you look credible. Even a comfortable chair matters when you're spending hours creating content. You can find solid starting equipment like the Blue Yeti USB Microphone or Ring Light with Stand without breaking the bank.
Where This All Leads
Nicolas's story isn't about getting rich quick. It's about something more sustainable: building a system that creates value for others while giving you freedom and flexibility.
The $1.5 million number is impressive, but it's not the point. The point is the transformation—from being completely dependent on trading hours for dollars to creating systems that work while you sleep.
In 2026, the opportunities are different than they were when Nicolas started, but the principles are the same: identify a real problem, create a genuine solution, help people find it, and continuously improve based on feedback.
The most encouraging part of his story? He wasn't special. He wasn't a genius. He was a baker who got obsessed with solving a problem and documented his process. That's something anyone can do—including you.
Start small. Be helpful. Iterate constantly. The rest follows.
