I’ve been known to launch a few projects. And one of the questions I get the most when launching something new is, “how do you plan to monetize it?”.

Here’s the thing: most of the time, I didn’t have a clue. So I’d mumble something about ad revenue, and quickly change the subject.

This used to keep me up at night. Was I working on the right things? Shouldn’t I have some kind of plan for revenue? How would I support myself when my savings ran out?

It all changed the day I got bit by a radioactive spider who also happened to be particularly good at marketing. This is when I came up with the Spiderweb Strategy.

Note: if you want to read more about product strategy, be sure to also check out my previous piece, The Product Spectrum.

The Product Network

Let’s say you have a bunch of different projects.

Some make a little money, some make more. Here’s what your project portfolio might look like (bigger circles mean more revenue):