Founder Playbook · Starter Story
9 tactics from Cole, Ian & Jake
I Spent 24 Hours With Roblox Millionaires
Watch the full episode“I think it taught me a valuable lesson about test first and then build don't build then test you can waste years building a startup or a game and then it ends up being worth nothing but if you build it and it somewhat works to begin with you know you have something”
Test the Concept First Before Building the Full Product
Cole spent three years and $300,000 building an ambitious game that failed. After watching his brother Ian build a viral hit over a single college winter break, Cole called his programmer and said 'let's make a game in 2 weeks.' That constraint crystallized a core principle he now lives by: validate before investing deeply.
“The way we get about 95% of our clients is LinkedIn so I basically built a LinkedIn account where I was putting out you know a lot of educational content as well as our work over time when people were like 'Hey I need to either figure out a strategy for coming to Roblox or I need someone to make video content,' we were the people that they thought of i don't do cold outreach i don't do cold calls”
Build Inbound Authority on LinkedIn Before Selling Anything
Jake runs a Roblox marketing agency serving major brands without cold outreach or cold calls. He became the visible expert in the space first through educational LinkedIn content, then waited for inbound demand to arrive. Prospects already convinced they need help come pre-sold on his expertise before ever speaking to him.
“I always focus on clickability is the game clickable because if it's not no one's going to play it bake the Baby for example was like that was a crazy title and that's why it worked and Hide or Die Hide or Die that's pretty dramatic so I think being like dramatic or or unique in some way it always works out”
Build a Clickable Title Before Writing a Single Line of Code
Cole describes his framework for what makes a Roblox game reach the top: clickability, social, and replayable. Before mechanics or monetization, the name and concept must stop someone mid-scroll. Ian's 'Bake the Baby' title alone drove viral spread before any marketing spend.
“I also use consulting as a really big way of getting clients so you do a paid consulting call at the end they also need someone to execute that's where we also come in so it's like I'm not paying I'm getting paid for the lead”
Use Consulting Calls as a Paid Lead-Generation Funnel
Jake acquires 95% of his clients through LinkedIn content, then converts interest into paid consulting sessions. Prospects pay to pick his brain on Roblox strategy, and those who need implementation naturally become agency clients. The insight is that charging for the discovery call flips the usual sales dynamic — the lead pays you before the deal even closes.
“if I play the game and I'm level 10 and I got to be level 100 to see the next thing then I'm like well maybe I'll play again to see what was behind that door so you got to build a curiosity in the user same way for YouTube video so yeah I need to be clickable social and replayable that's the formula”
Treat Replayability as the Algorithm Signal That Keeps Driving Traffic
Cole breaks down the three-part formula for top-100 Roblox games: clickable, social, replayable. Roblox surfaces games in its discovery algorithm based on engagement depth — the longer players stay and return, the more the platform amplifies the game organically, functioning identically to how YouTube ranks watch-time-heavy content.
“if I play the game and I'm level 10 and I got to be level 100 to see the next thing then I'm like well maybe I'll play again to see what was behind that door so you got to build a curiosity in the user same way for YouTube video”
Build Curiosity Loops So Players Always Chase the Next Unlock
Cole argues that if a player can see everything the product offers in the first 10 minutes, they will leave and never return. The fix is progressive disclosure — always keep the next reward just out of reach. This mechanism applies equally to games, SaaS dashboards, and content platforms.
“we make all our money from just like daily shops so we sell like a pigeon skin cow skin and we make money from selling coins as well so you can use these coins right here to buy skins and then you can also buy abilities as well”
Sell Cosmetic Skins Daily to Maximize Revenue Per Paying User
Ian walks through the monetization of Bake the Baby, pulling in ~$25K/month from 150,000 daily active users. A rotating daily shop — not one-time purchases or subscriptions — drives average revenue per paying user that the host calls 'pretty crazy.' The daily refresh creates a recurring purchase trigger without any subscription infrastructure.
“creating the space for you to have thoughts it'll make you like a 10x better entrepreneur because you like you all just have more actionable steps on what to do next”
Create Space for Rest So You Think Clearly as an Entrepreneur
Cole pushes back on the hustle-culture trope that you must grind 24 hours a day. The trio describe a deliberate rhythm: focused 4-5 hour deep work sessions with phones elsewhere, then phone-free downtime. They frame rest not as laziness but as the source of strategic clarity that generates the next breakthrough idea.
“I have a business partner who who does like all the programming for all the games basically... he has half of it”
Partner With a Technical Co-Founder and Split Profits Equally
Cole is not a programmer — he handles UI, building, and business operations while his partner owns all the code. Both Cole and Ian independently structured their games as 50/50 splits with technical co-founders. This let them launch and iterate without personally learning to code, keeping the core team lean and incentive-aligned.