1 Million Pixels = 1 Million Dollars. A Candid Conversation With Chris Pavlich

Imagine that you want to get something or go somewhere. For me the get something would be a new radio for the ham shack, for the go somewhere, Japan. I always wanted to do that.

One enterprising guy, Chris Pavlich took an idea and has built a site where users can buy pixels. The goal originally to raise funds for studies in Prague. But, the business is taking off and Chris is probably looking at doing some other things.

Cliff T.: Chris welcome to Candid Conversations, what is the name of the site and what exactly are you doing with it?

Chris Pavlich: Hi, Cliff. Thanks for having me. My website is called the Million Dollar Project. The idea is simple: Make $1 million by selling 1 million pixels for $1 each. The main reason for doing this is to gather enough capital to create my own non-profit organization (“The Charity Network” © 2012). However, I am also trying to graduate debt-free and pay for studying abroad in Prague this summer. I don't like the idea of graduating with a huge student debt any more than any other student, but I’ve decided to do something about it now instead of waiting to pay off loans for half of my life! In the process of furthering my education, I will learn invaluable ways to run a successful non-profit. 

Cliff T.: Interesting that you would sell pixels, why did you choose to do this?

Chris Pavlich: I woke up one day and found an order pending for over $40,000! Of course, the advertiser forgot to shrink the image to an appropriate size and abandoned the purchase out of shock at the amount. The biggest problem with the site is that the image has to be manually shrunk by the advertiser beforehand to meet the number of pixels they want to purchase. A lot of people either ignore or forget this and then are surprised to find the estimated cost when they upload an image that is 200X200 pixels (i.e. $40,000). So, to get straight to the point, I am still waiting for my big break.

Cliff T.: 1 million dollars that is a lot of money, now I am assuming that you’re really looking to fund the study trip first. But, the site is probably going to grow, are you planning to make selling pixels a full time business venture?

Chris Pavlich: If I could make a living off of selling pixels, I would do it in a heartbeat. However, there is still a lot to explore out in the world and I really want to hold some full-time positions in consulting or banking. So, even if I was extremely successful with the pixel advertising, I am still going to work in the business world and make my mark there. Hopefully, my non-profit will eventually become my full-time occupation. Of course, the more money I make with this initial venture, the more options I will have available.

Cliff T.: As you mention this is a not for profit venture. What would you like to see happen after Prague?

Chris Pavlich: After Prague, I would like to finish paying off my student debt. I am fully financing my college education because my parents cannot afford to help. Yet, I have managed to keep my debt to a minimum with savings and internship salaries. After that, I am going to conquer one of my life goals: Start a non-profit. My non-profit will be called "The Charity Network" (© 2012). As you may have guessed, it is called “The Charity Network” because it does have something to do with "The Social Network." I hope to create an integration with the Facebook platform that would make it simple for all users on Facebook to donate to charities of their choice, see how and where their money is being used in the world, and link up with friends in global initiatives. It will harness the power of social networking to change the world in a big way with small contributions from everyone. Imagine the possibilities if all 850+ million users donated a single dollar! Poverty and starvation could be wiped out overnight! It is time for the world to stop being apathetic and begin to act in meaningful ways. If citizens of third world countries can stop worrying about the food and water they eat and drink every day, they can move on to build a thriving economy. Thus, any money put into eliminating poverty will be paid back many-fold by bringing new countries into the global economy. It goes without saying that I am very passionate about this cause. If the Facebook integration does not work out, a separate website or an app are backups.

Cliff T.: From what I see you still have lots of room on the site, is getting new clients a challenge?

Chris Pavlich: Well, the site has only been live for about three months now. I have yet to take it to the social media worlds of Twitter and Facebook, but I plan to do so in mid-March. Getting new clients is a challenge because, compared to Facebook ads and Google AdWords, I am a microscopic competitor. Most of the ads on the site right now are from family and friends. However, this site could become an overnight sensation, as The Million Dollar Homepage did seven years ago, if the news media even gave me five seconds of their time. The social media world is a powerhouse, so I will see just how much buzz I can create.

Cliff T.: How are the pixels sold?

Chris Pavlich: Each pixel is sold for a $1. Everyone is welcome to buy my pixels, which are available in 100-pixel blocks (10x10 pixels). There are 10,000 blocks and, thus, 1,000,000 pixels in total. You can buy as many pixels as you like until the entire page is sold out. When you buy some pixels, you upload an image (company logo, symbol, etc.) equal in size to the amount of money you want to spend (e.g. $600 ad = 30 pixels x 20 pixels image). You then pick where on the grid you want your image. Afterwords, you provide your site URL so that when someone clicks the ad it pushes them through to your website. Finally, you will write some ad text and upload a larger image, both of which will appear if someone hovers over your ad with his or her mouse. All purchases are completed securely through PayPal.

Cliff T.: So from what you are saying the client gets 100 pixels or more if they want and that is for 1 flat fee or do they pay for the space each month?

Chris Pavlich: It is one flat, simple fee. The buyer makes a purchase based on the size of the image they upload (e.g. 20x30 pixel image = $600) and that ad will stay up until at least 1/1/2017 guaranteed. If the project is at least 10% successful, the site will exist in perpetuity. So, this one-time advertising cost is minimal when allocated over the long-term.

Cliff T.: This sounds really interesting, maybe I should advertise, Chris thanks for sharing the story with us.

Chris Pavlich: It’s been my pleasure. I would love to have your advertisement on the site. Please, keep in touch.

Chris Pavlich is the brains behind the Million Dollar Project a site where people can buy pixels for one dollar. The site can be found at http://www.million-dollar-project.com/ and Chris also has a blog http://pragueorbust.wordpress.com/ check and the Million Dollar Project out, I think you will find it interesting. Chris wrote to us from Austin TX.