250K+ Users and 30+ million views on X: How John Rush is Building an AI Empire Without VC or Employees
24+ startups without raising a single dollar of venture capital
24+ Startups and Building in Public
What if you could grow a SaaS product from 25,000 to 500,000 users without raising a single dollar of venture capital, hiring a team, or sitting through endless calls?
That’s exactly what John Rush is doing.
Best known for acquiring and scaling Unicorn Platform, creating 24+ startups, and “running the most automated org on earth”.
John has built a reputation for running lean projects and compounding assets using SEO, automation, and building in public.
Sponsor ✨
Build in public. Raise in public.
John Rush didn’t need VC to build an AI empire, and neither do you.
Star is a fundraising platform where founders raise capital via fair, transparent, and public token sales.
Why launch a token?
A token lets you fund your project directly from the people who actually believe in what you’re building. They don’t just provide capital; they become your earliest and strongest supporters.
Star raised $450K in their own fundraiser.
Who’s up next?
See how it works at Star.fun
How It Started
Rush grew up in the Caucasus, studied in Norway, and launched multiple VC-backed startups before burning out on the traditional path.
By 2022, he’d shifted to bootstrapping, automation, and directories as a way to build compounding, cash-flowing projects.
When he acquired Unicorn Platform for ~$800k, he saw it not just as a landing page builder but as a system he could rebuild, scale, and monetize with his SEO and automation playbook.
Unicorn Platform wasn’t his first product, but after buying it, he rebuilt it to improve and within two years, the platform grew from 25k to 250k users.
From Zero to Traction
John’s approach is simple:
Automate before hiring. SEObot was built to run SEO for his 24+ Startups.
Invest early in SEO. Most of his projects like OSSsoftware.org, HostedSoftware.org, SaaSsoftware.org are directory-style sites designed to rank and monetize.
Build in public. Every milestone “500k users,” “99 mistakes I regret” becomes content to funnel more attention back to his products.
John hasn’t disclosed whether he plans to exit any other startups again soon, but his AllGPTs project was acquired in 2024.
Proof that his fast-launch, SEO-driven directories can find buyers when timed right.
What’s Next
Today, John runs MarsX, a holding company for his 24+ projects.
He’s gotten ~0.6B impressions and 15M clicks across his portfolio. His content blends founder advice with tactical SEO, and his Substack + X posts regularly rack up millions of views.
For Rush, the money seems less important than the leverage: he’s building businesses that run without calls, employees, or office space.
How You Can Build and Sell a Lean Empire Like John Rush
Today, John runs MarsX, a holding company for his 24+ projects.
He gotten ~0.6B impressions and 15M clicks across his portfolio. His content blends founder advice with tactical SEO, and his Substack + X posts regularly rack up millions of views.
For Rush, the money seems less important than the leverage. He’s building businesses that run without calls, employees, or office space.
John’s Public Playbook
Here’s how to think like John Rush.
1. Start With Real Pain
Focus on problems you experience daily. When they frustrate you, there’s a good chance others feel the same. If a solution resonates, you can validate it quickly, build a waitlist, pre-sell it, even before writing any code.
2. Validate First, Build Light
Use no-code tools like Unicorn Platform (or whatever’s in your toolbox) to prototype fast. Launch simple directories like a curated list, no fancy filters. Build just enough to test demand. Iterate only if traction is real.
3. Launch Fast, Ship Fast
John built NextJSstarter.com in under an hour to prove how speed creates momentum. You don’t need polished products at launch. You need to ship something that works and start learning.
4. Leverage Directories
Directories are your low-effort distribution engines. Identify underserved search terms, claim exact-match or clever domain names, build a quick site and let organic SEO do the rest.
5. Set Up a Cross-Promotion Network
Each product you launch can point to others. If you build four directories, create buttons and links between them to funnel traffic internally. Every tool boosts the others.
6. Automate What You Can
You might not build full AI agents like John’s SEO systems, but you can automate repetitive tasks. Use simple scripts, no-code automations, or built-in workflows and tie them into your product delivery.
7. Share What You Want
“Build in public” works. Post your mistakes, experiments, learnings. Share user milestones or “I just crossed X users” updates. Your journey becomes your marketing with authentic, inspiring, and compelling stories.
8. Fix What’s Broken
If you acquire or inherit something, like John did with Unicorn Platform, treat technical debt as your first product feature.
9. Build for Autonomy, Not Just Exits
You’re want to build tools that provide value, run on autopilot, and scale on their own.
Example Workflow You Could Follow
Spot an inefficiency you face in your workflow or niche.
Research keywords and find low-competition terms and register a matching domain.
Spin up a quick directory site with no-code tools.
Launch, post to relevant forums, Reddit, X and watch for user interest.
Automate content updates or syndicate from related tools.
Cross-link between your projects for mutual uplift.
Share progress on social or Substack let growth attract attention.
If the project gains traction, consider an acquisition or let it compound further.
John’s strategy is about speed, validation, authenticity, simplicity, and letting SEO and network effects do the heavy lifting.
Now, what’s the next step for you?
Do you already have ideas brewing, or a domain waiting to be launched?
Let’s turn that spark into your own journey and your next No-Code Exit.
About John Rush
His newsletter, John Rush, is focused on sharing startup and growth lessons while he builds his AI Empire.
Quick Stats
Roughly 600,000,000 impressions and 15,000,000 clicks total
John’s Impressive Project Tally
✅ MarsX — Launched
Combination of No Code, Low Code, Custom Code and AI
✅ Unicorn Platform — Launched
AI website builder for SaaS, apps, blogs, directories, and more
✅ CountVisits (V2) — Launched
One-time-pay analytics, live and updated
✅ Cofondr — Launched
Handles non-coding startup tasks with AI + humans
✅ SEObot (seobotai.com) — Launched
Autonomous SEO robot with AI agents
✅ ListingBott (listingbott.com) — Launched
One-click directory listings + backlinks
✅ IndexRusher.com — Launched
Get your web pages indexed fast
✅ TinyAdz — Launched
B2B ad network for tech products
✅ Filmgrail.com — Launched
Cinema SaaS serving millions of users
✅ UIgenerator.org — Launched
Generate and download UI mockups instantly
✅ Devhunt.org — Launched
Indie dev launchpad / directory
✅ AllGpts.co — Launched
Directory of GPTs
✅ Hostedsoftware.org — Launched
Directory of hosted software
✅ OSSsoftware.org — Launched
Directory of open-source software
✅ NextJSstarter.com — Launched
Directory of Next.js starters
✅ LLMmodels.org — Launched
Directory of large language models
✅ MVPwizards.com — Launched
Directory for quick MVP tools
✅ Aitoolfor.org — Launched
AI tool directory
✅ TOP Website Builders — Launched
Curated list of website builders
✅ Saassoftware.org — Launched
SaaS software directory
✅ Bestaiagents.org — Launched
Directory of AI agents
⚡️ SaaSemailer — In progress
Cheap SES-based emailer tool
⚡️ InboxBot — In progress
AI agent for inboxes (email, social, mentions)
🚧 WebPinger — Internal/beta
Monitors sites, AI-judged alerts
🚧 SocialBot — Announced
AI PR agent that creates authentic content
🚧 PMbot — Announced/beta
AI project manager inside Slack/Discord
🚧 ApiForAgents — Mentioned
Set of APIs for agents
🚧 SupportBot — Mentioned/beta
AI support agent
🚧 DirectoryCurator — Mentioned
Agent that builds directories automatically
❓ BizBot (Agent OS) — Unclear
❓ LegalBot — Unclear
❓ AccountingBot — Unclear
❓ DirectoryBot — Unclear
Looking into Future Trends
From 2006 → Now
2006–2012: Developers built desktop apps/games; VC was nearly impossible to access.
2012–2018: Money poured in; raising rounds became easy, but failure rates skyrocketed for those dependent on VC.
2018–present: Rise of bootstrapped, solo, and self-funded startups where many founders are thriving by controlling their own content and revenue streams.
Biggest Opportunities in AI Right Now
UX on top of AI: Current tools are too clunky; the breakthrough is making AI integrated into workflows (not copy-paste prompts).
Don’t compete where big platforms will dominate (e.g., Gmail AI). Instead, focus on “boring niches” like bakeries, local businesses, or professions with repetitive workflows.
Indie founders can build niche AI wrappers making $5–10K MRR quickly and many are already doing it.
Macro Trend: The Rise of the Micro-Acquisition Market
Buying startups is becoming as normal as buying gas stations or local stores.
Non-devs are driving this shift, they’d rather buy something that works than code from scratch.
For builders, distribution is hard → selling is attractive.
For marketers, buy → grow → flip is the new playbook.
ZeroAcquire is a marketplace where you can buy or sell startups with $0 out of pocket.
🤝 Collaboration Over Competition
Indie hackers should think like music labels: independent projects under one umbrella, with shared distribution and resources.
Builders who love to create + influencers who have distribution. That’s exactly where No-Code Exits helps connect talent, resources, and audiences.
👉 Want to Partner with No-Code Exits?
Are you a no-code maker, developer, startup founder, content creator, or social media influencer?
We’re building an ecosystem where collaboration is the default.
It’s pretty simple tell us what your super power is and how you think we could work together.