Startup Name

Johnny Mecuerdo

Startup Description

MikedOut is a digital visibility platform designed to help entrepreneurs, creators, and small business owners get their name out there by turning their knowledge into brand-driven content, media assets, and audience-ready messaging.

Startup Industry

Commerce and Shopping

Website

What's your tagline / mission?

MikedOut helps creators, solopreneurs, and small businesses amplify their message, grow their visibility, and build digital credibility through content that gets their name out there.

How did you start working on this idea?

I had this idea, while completing an MBA in 2015, to help creators, solopreneurs, and small businesses improve their odds of success by letting customers know that they exist.

What problem are you trying to solve and how big is it?

Most creators and small business owners struggle to gain meaningful visibility online because they lack the time, tools, or strategic knowledge to create and distribute high-impact content. As AI reshapes the marketing landscape, those without a scalable content system risk being left behind.

MikedOut solves this by helping users turn their expertise into structured, branded content that builds credibility, attracts opportunities, and scales across digital channels.

Globally, over 500 million entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and content creators are actively seeking ways to increase their visibility and credibility in crowded digital markets—making this a multi-billion-dollar challenge with growing urgency.

What is your solution and how does it work?

MikedOut provides a structured platform that helps individuals turn their knowledge into branded content and distribute it for maximum visibility.

Users start by identifying their areas of authority using our guided frameworks. Then, with AI-powered templates and prompts, they generate content tailored for specific platforms like LinkedIn, podcasts, newsletters, and digital products. MikedOut walks users through editing, refining, and packaging content for strategic distribution.

The program integrates live coaching, community accountability, and workflow systems that remove the guesswork from visibility building—so users can consistently “get their name out there” without burnout or confusion.

What is your business model / how do you make money?

MikedOut operates on a hybrid business model that combines cohort-based training, digital product sales, and B2B partnerships.

Primary Revenue comes from paid workshops, including a flagship 3-week content distribution cohort priced at $997 per participant.

A la carte sessions and digital templates are sold individually through the MikedOut platform.

B2B collaborations with schools, nonprofits, and corporate training departments generate institutional licensing fees.

Future expansion includes subscription-based access to on-demand content, AI prompt libraries, and publishing toolkits.

This multi-tiered approach ensures recurring revenue while remaining accessible to both individuals and organizations.

How did you go to market and start acquiring customers?

MikedOut launched by leveraging a grassroots strategy centered around community engagement, strategic partnerships, and live cohort experiences.

Initial traction came through webinars, content showcases, and free live sessions that introduced the core frameworks.

Outreach was focused on existing educational networks, local school districts, and entrepreneur communities, creating early adopters and warm leads.

Partnerships with aligned platforms (like Brilliant Directories and Forento) enabled cross-promotion and feature integration.

Organic content and email campaigns, supported by tools like Press Ranger and Subscribr, further expanded reach.

As credibility grew, word-of-mouth and alumni referrals became the most effective growth channels.

This approach validated the product-market fit while building an engaged, mission-aligned user base.

How many customers and paid users do you have?

MikedOut is currently in its pilot phase, focused on refining the program framework, testing content workflows, and collecting feedback from early participants. This phase is being used to validate the market need, improve the user experience, and prepare for a broader public launch through strategic partnerships, targeted marketing, and cohort-based enrollment.

What's your vision and strategic roadmap for product & marketing?

MikedOut’s vision is to become a go-to ecosystem for content-driven personal brand growth, where creators, solopreneurs, and educators can consistently turn knowledge into visibility and monetization. The roadmap is designed to scale from live cohort delivery to a full self-service platform that integrates AI, publishing workflows, and content tracking.

Product development is being actively managed in ProductLift, prioritizing:

GPT-integrated content templates

Cohort automation and scaling tools

A branded digital product builder

Personalized publishing dashboards

Marketing efforts are being phased around three pillars:

Educator & Entrepreneur outreach through targeted partnerships

Referral-driven alumni growth

Sponsored visibility via content challenges and free workshops

This roadmap ensures alignment between user feedback, tool development, and brand visibility while keeping product-market fit at the core of every release.

Who is in your team?

MikedOut is currently led by a solo founder who brings a multidisciplinary background in education, branding, content strategy, and AI-powered tools. As the architect of the A Village of One ecosystem, the founder is responsible for all aspects of program development, delivery, and strategic direction.

To support scalability, MikedOut is structured to integrate contract-based collaborators for design, development, and marketing as needed, with plans to build a core team post-launch based on early revenue milestones.

Are you looking to raise funds at the moment?

MikedOut is currently self-funded and not seeking external investment at this time. The focus remains on refining the pilot, validating the business model, and achieving sustainable, revenue-driven growth before considering funding opportunities.

What would you advise to someone who is starting up?

Plan and strategize thoughtfully from the beginning. Build a solid infrastructure—your systems, content foundation, and workflows—that can support growth without constant reinvention. Do the work up front, stay consistent, and focus on creating real value. That foundation will become the leverage you need to scale with confidence.

Your idea can change the world, let's make it a reality!

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