To decide whether to launch a "core" market with full-time staff, 6AM City evaluates it against three criteria: an existing advertiser base, a clear path to audience growth, and a local advocate (like an economic development group) to champion their entry. This "Three A's" model provides a structured, qualitative checklist for de-risking new market expansion.
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Instead of a rigid plan, early-stage companies should establish core GTM "tent poles": a defined ICP, answers to the four essential questions of value, and an engagement model. These elements provide structure but can be flexibly adjusted based on market feedback without causing the entire strategy to collapse.
6AM City treats its reliable cost-per-subscriber from Meta lead ads as the baseline for evaluating all other growth tactics. For any new initiative, like a community event, they compare the cost against the number of subscribers it would have generated via Meta ads. If a $5,000 event doesn't yield 5,000 subscribers, the ROI is considered negative.
Before launching, assess a product's viability by the sheer number of potential distribution points. Manufacturing and logistics are solvable problems if the market access is vast. This reverses the typical product-first approach by prioritizing market penetration from day one.
To scale effectively, resist complexity by using the 'Scaling Credo' framework. It mandates radical focus: pick one target market, one product, one customer acquisition channel, and one conversion tool. Stick to this combination for one full year before adding anything new.
This framework provides a structured approach to planning by answering five questions: What's our aspiration? Where will we play (ICP)? How will we win (pillars)? What capabilities do we need? And what management systems (budget, headcount) are required?
To expand beyond its core market, OnlyFans avoids risky big bets on established creators. Instead, it uses a deliberate incubator model, tested with comedy. By creating and promoting a touring show on its free OFTV platform, it builds a new creator ecosystem from the ground up before committing to a full-scale launch.
Instead of subscriber counts, 6AM City uses a specific revenue threshold to decide when to staff an AI-powered "seed" market with a human editor. Once an automated newsletter can generate enough revenue to cover an editor's salary (e.g., $5,000/month for a $60,000/year role), the company invests. This ensures financially sustainable, de-risked expansion.
Instead of creating a market expansion strategy from scratch, ServiceUp explicitly copied the playbook of DoorDash, a successful three-sided marketplace in an adjacent vertical. This involved entering a new city and simultaneously acquiring customers, suppliers (shops), and drivers, accelerating growth.
When expanding his law firm, John Morgan uses a 'bullets before bombs' strategy. He first enters a new city with a small, low-cost team and ad budget (the 'bullets') to test viability. Only after seeing positive traction does he commit significant capital and resources (the 'bombs'), de-risking growth.
Initially, 6AM City hired two editors per market. Over time, they discovered a more efficient model: empowering a single, autonomous local editor and centralizing all other operations (marketing, sales support, design). This streamlined the process, reduced overhead, and allowed the local editor to focus purely on creating a high-quality, localized product.