In 2013, I set a challenge for myself: build a $5K/mo SaaS in 6 months with just $5,000. I got the idea after reading people's complaints about Mailchimp online, and decided to build a product that addressed those pain points for creators.

The $5K Challenge

I documented the entire journey publicly, sharing revenue numbers and lessons learned. The constraint of $5,000 forced me to be creative and focus on what really mattered - getting paying customers.

Finding Product-Market Fit

Rather than trying to compete with Mailchimp on all fronts, I focused specifically on professional bloggers and creators. I'd personally reach out to bloggers, learn their pain points, and build features specifically for them.

Growth Through Direct Sales

In the early days, I would do direct outreach to potential customers. I'd find successful bloggers using competitor products and personally email them, offering to help them migrate. This hands-on approach helped me understand customer needs deeply.

The Affiliate Program

One of our biggest growth levers was building a lucrative affiliate program. We pay 30% recurring commission, which incentivizes creators to recommend ConvertKit to their audiences.

• $25M+ annual revenue
• 82 team members
• Bootstrapped (no VC funding)
• Started as a solopreneur