Breaking Down What's Coming in 2025

Hey there,

Happy New Year, and welcome to the first newsletter of 2025! I've noticed quite a few new faces joining our community over the holidays, so let me take a moment to (re)introduce myself.

I'm a first-gen Russian Jewish American and a different kind of player in the startup world who's built and sold 3 companies by breaking the "rules." From launching one of the first iOS analytics platforms in 2009 to growing a shopping cart abandonment solution to $2M ARR in 18 months and a company acquired before my 21st birthday, I've learned the best opportunities often hide in plain sight.

Now, as founder of 77Labs with a global team across 5 countries, I focus on solving and investing in unsexy problems with practical, no-fluff solutions that work, not what's trending in Silicon Valley.

Thanks to everyone who voted on what you're most excited to see this year. Your feedback has shaped what's ahead. While we didn't get as many votes as we hoped for, those who did vote showed a clear interest in understanding how successful businesses actually work. So we're kicking off 2025 with Strategic Business Breakdowns, perfectly aligned with what I've been crafting behind the scenes.

Starting next week, we're launching a new series focused on deep-diving into successful companies' playbooks, analyzing what actually drove their growth, and extracting actionable insights you can apply to your own ventures. Every other week, I'll break down real growth strategies, operational decisions, and pivotal moments that transformed good companies into great ones in a way that cuts through the usual noise and gives you actionable insights.

As we prep to launch our new series, let’s kick off 2025 with a little spark of inspiration and a nudge to get moving. The future belongs to those who take the first step—so why not start today?

Here are 5 actionable ideas you can dive into tomorrow and turn into the next million dollar business:

1. Code Migration Assistant 
   PITCH: Automate painful library updates & tech debt using AI
   WHY NOW: Every company is drowning in legacy code
   MODEL: SaaS + enterprise customization

2. B2B Subscription Payments 
   PITCH: The Stripe for complex subscription billing
   WHY NOW: Current solutions break at scale
   MODEL: % of processed revenue

3. Plain English Process Automation 
   PITCH: "Explain what you want" → automated workflow with connectors
   WHY NOW: Every operation needs automation, no one can build it for non-techies
   MODEL: Freemium + industry templates for most useful processes

4. AI Advisor for SMB Retail 
   PITCH: Talk to AI about operations, costs, inventory, merchandising, and foot traffic
   WHY NOW: SMBs need AI insights without enterprise fees while being low tech & on-prem
   MODEL: Hardware + insights subscription

5. Service Provider Booking Brain 
   PITCH: AI-powered voice scheduling for home maintenance and service providers
   WHY NOW: Service businesses relying on calls vs online booking, and who loves calling? 🤷🏻‍♀️
   MODEL: Per-booking fee + white label

So now, here’s what’s coming your way in Q1:

• Curated dinner series in major tech hubs (stay tuned for details next week!)

• Interactive brainstorming workshops

• Deep dives into founder case studies

• Tools and apps designed to inspire and improve your life

• Expert-led roundtables tackling specific challenges (Let me know who you want to hear from)

Speaking of building together, the response to our dinner series announcement has been incredible. We're finalizing locations for Q1, and spots will be limited. More details coming soon.

This year is all about turning ideas into action. Whether you’re launching your first company, diving deep into your side hustle, or chasing the next big thing, this community is here to help you think smarter, work bolder, and build better.

Next week's edition will kick off our Strategic Business Breakdowns Series with a company that everyone overlooked until they quietly became the industry standard. You won't want to miss this one.

Here's to challenging the status quo in 2025! 🚀

With love,

Yoela

P.S. If you know someone who needs this kind of no-BS insight in their inbox, forward this to them. Let's grow this community with people who think differently. I sincerely appreciate it!