Building an eSIM Business – Goal $20K Profit by End of 2026

Hi everyone,

I decided to start a journey thread to share my progress building an eSIM business from zero. My goal is to reach around $20K profit before the end of 2026.

I am a software engineer so I will build everything myself. First I will launch the website and later maybe mobile apps if the project grows.

I found a provider that can supply eSIM data plans for good prices, so I think there is a good opportunity here.

The idea is to sell eSIM data plans globally, covering many countries. People will be able to buy internet for the country where they live or for a country where they travel.

So the service will be useful for:

People that travel and want internet immediately when they arrive in another country.

People that want affordable mobile data in the country where they currently live.

The eSIM will work in many countries worldwide, not just one region, so customers can choose different plans depending on where they are.

Right now I am working on the first version of the website and integrating the provider API and payments.

Since I am building it myself the costs are not very high. Most of the investment will go into marketing and testing different ways to get customers.

The main target is to make around $20K profit by the end of 2026, which should be possible if I can get steady sales.

I will share updates about:
Traffic
Sales
Problems
What works and what doesn't

Current status:
Provider ready
Development started
Working on website MVP and API integration

If anyone here has experience in marketing, I’d love to hear your advice.

I will keep updating this thread as I make progress.

How will your prices compare to the big players?

I wish you continued success. I will be following you.

Following this. eSIM market is growing fast with all the travel demand post-pandemic but pricing on the popular corridors is brutal - US, EU and Southeast Asia get squeezed hard by Airalo and Holafly. They have the volume to undercut almost anyone.

One angle worth considering is niche bundles instead of generic country packs. Most big players do one-size-fits-all. You could own a vertical like long-term nomads, remote workers, or a specific region less covered and charge a premium there.

Also worth building referral from day 1. Most eSIM volume comes through travel bloggers and YouTube reviewers who drive big numbers on affiliate commissions. Getting even 3-4 solid affiliates early can accelerate growth faster than paid ads.

What kind of deal did you get with the provider? White-label reseller or do they have direct telecom agreements?

I wish you all the success!

Why eSim? Is it cheaper? How could you be more competitive than an actual big eSim provider?

Proxy Cake said:

How will your prices compare to the big players?

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Compared to the big players, my prices will be about 20–30% cheaper.

Elon Snup said:

Following this. eSIM market is growing fast with all the travel demand post-pandemic but pricing on the popular corridors is brutal - US, EU and Southeast Asia get squeezed hard by Airalo and Holafly. They have the volume to undercut almost anyone.

One angle worth considering is niche bundles instead of generic country packs. Most big players do one-size-fits-all. You could own a vertical like long-term nomads, remote workers, or a specific region less covered and charge a premium there.

Also worth building referral from day 1. Most eSIM volume comes through travel bloggers and YouTube reviewers who drive big numbers on affiliate commissions. Getting even 3-4 solid affiliates early can accelerate growth faster than paid ads.

What kind of deal did you get with the provider? White-label reseller or do they have direct telecom agreements?

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Luckily, I got a good deal with a company I used to work with and will use their APIs. They already have agreements with a big provider, so I didn’t have to pay the prepay required for a direct deal, which wouldn’t have made sense for a startup without significant capital. I’ll launch a referral program from day one, like you suggested. Really appreciate your advice!

I’m also thinking of creating a partnership program for people who want to resell through my platform. There will be a white-label option for non-technical partners and an API option for technical partners.

FrancisCopper said:

I wish you all the success!

Why eSim? Is it cheaper? How could you be more competitive than an actual big eSim provider?

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1. Why eSIM?
I think it’s worth it because it’s more convenient than physical SIM cards. When you travel abroad, roaming can be expensive, and buying a local SIM at your destination can also be costly. With an eSIM, you can have a direct internet connection wherever you go, without swapping SIMs or waiting to buy one on arrival.
2. Is it cheaper?
Yes, eSIMs are cheaper than physical SIM cards, particularly for roaming abroad.
3. How can you be more competitive than big eSIM providers?
I can offer prices 20–30% lower than current providers because I got a good deal with a company I used to work with and can use their APIs without paying the high prepay costs that big providers require.

it is very unique thing and very amazing for me it is not possible for everyone.

what is your seo strategy?

Are there already other players in same business ?

DigitalMike said:

3. How can you be more competitive than big eSIM providers?
I can offer prices 20–30% lower than current providers because I got a good deal with a company I used to work with and can use their APIs without paying the high prepay costs that big providers require.

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This is a key that others may not necessarily be able to get

Will you be targeting those who wants the esim for traveling around with or those need for social media accounts creation

Esims has really popped off lately. GL

I've been wanting to enter the e-commerce sector for about a year now. Can you recommend any e-commerce suppliers?

Interesting niche. eSIM is definitely growing fast, especially with travelers, international students, remote workers, and people wanting instant activation without physical SIM logistics.

One thing I’d suggest early is focusing heavily on distribution and affiliates, not only paid ads. A lot of people underestimate how powerful referral networks can be in telecom/eSIM.

I’m already involved in the telecom/eSIM side myself and one thing that has worked very well is offering high commissions to partners and marketers. Some providers in this space are giving up to 30% commissions on referrals/reseller sales, which makes it much easier to attract travel agents, influencers, community owners, and digital marketers who already have the audience.

The technical side is important, but customer acquisition and retention will probably decide whether you hit the $20K target quickly or spend months stuck testing ads.

Your software engineering background is a huge advantage though. Building your own stack/API integrations gives you much more flexibility than relying on white-label panels only.

Will follow the journey. Curious to see which marketing channels end up working best for you.

Best of luck with your new business. If i may ask, how did you get the provider for the Esim?

that's great, so what's the update on your journey.

This is a interesting journey, good luck! Following this closely haha

How's it going? any update?