---
title: "$1.8 billion in projected sales."
url: https://sam-page.com/thinking/1-8-billion-in-projected-sales
date: 2026-05-14
author: Sam Page
type: Post or article
categories: [Emerging tech and AI, Customer experience]
reading_time: 3 min
summary: "One person (ish). 20k in startup capital. Two months from idea to launch."
first_published: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn%3Ali%3Ashare%3A7460591611433930754
---

# $1.8 billion in projected sales.

One person (ish).  
20k in startup capital. Two months from idea to launch.

![](https://sam-page.com/img/thinking/1-8-billion-in-projected-sales-li1.webp)

Matthew Gallagher built Medvi from his living room in LA, selling GLP-1 weight-loss drugs online. He outsourced the regulated parts (doctors, prescriptions, shipping) to specialist telehealth platforms. For everything else he used AI: ChatGPT, Claude, Midjourney, Runway and ElevenLabs covering code, customer service, ad creative, voice and copy.

Almost entirely solo, with some specialist tech help.

Seven lessons in this for any business, big or small.

1. Test and learn

You need to try things to find what works. BCG's research is clear. High-performing companies build a test-and-learn mindset and launch in short, iterative cycles. They don't bet the year on one big plan.

2. Product fit

You need real market opportunity. GLP-1 demand is exploding right now. Matthew met that demand.

3. Understand your customer

You need to speak to their problems and desires in language they actually use. McKinsey research shows customer-centric companies grow revenue at roughly 2x the rate of their peers.

4. Understand marketing

You can't reach a customer you don't know how to find. The Medvi engine is smart direct response wrapped around an in-demand product. For Matthew, marketing was the whole business.

5. Use cutting-edge technology

AI was Matthew's entire workforce (supported by specialists). McKinsey's 2025 State of AI report identifies just 6% of companies as "AI high performers" pulling away from the rest. The gap between businesses using AI to transform their operations and those using it to "tinker" is widening fast.

6. Outsource the bits that aren't high value

The regulated parts of Medvi (doctors, prescriptions, shipping) sat with specialist telehealth platforms like CareValidate and OpenLoop. Matthew never tried to build a pharmacy or a fulfilment operation.

7. Bring in specialists to build the core engine

Matthew didn't build alone. He brought in specialists to set up the systems and tech that make Medvi work. His brother Elliot joined later to filter the incoming noise so Matthew could stay focused on the build.

AI did most of the work. The specialists set the system up to do it properly.

Nobody builds at this scale alone. Not even Matthew! But he was able to do far more than an individual could have done even a few years ago

If you get elements like this right, all the data shows that you will outperform competitors on revenue, customer satisfaction and market share.

Whether you're a solo founder or part of a 5,000-person organisation, the question is the same.

How much of this culture have you built?