Birthday Alarm

A service that reminds users of their friends' and families' birthdays and offers paid options to send cards.

Why It Works

The business utilizes viral marketing, growing its user base significantly without traditional marketing spend.

Revenue & Traction

Generated over $50 million in revenue over 25 years, with profits of around $3 million per year.

Founding Story

Started by Michael Birch and Zotri Birch, leveraging viral marketing strategies to grow the user base.

Business Playbook

Focus on creating a simple and valuable reminder service that encourages users to engage with the platform.

Why this works now

Most birthday reminder services struggle due to user retention, yet Birthday Alarm thrives by integrating with social media platforms for effortless friend tracking. In its early days, the founders engaged users on Facebook groups dedicated to event planning, driving sign-ups through tailored posts. A current challenge is the reliance on third-party platforms, which can limit direct user engagement and control over the customer experience.

Additional Information

The company has over 50 million members and has been operational for over 25 years.

Source

Podcast: My First Million

Episode: 4 dumb ideas that made people rich

Creation Date: January 23, 2026

12 more ideas and case studies from this episode

This was one of the case studies discussed on 4 dumb ideas that made people rich. See every idea and case study pulled from this episode in one place.

See all 13 from this episode →

Ideas worth reading next

More case studies

More case studies from My First Million

See all My First Million coverage →