Our simple app made $100K in 90 days

Starter Story • • 11min • #88
Our simple app made $100K in 90 days
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Summary

  • Nikita and Yini

    • Co‑founders of Natural Write, an AI writing tool built from their bedrooms in Serbia and Poland
    • Launched the product in two weeks, grew it to $100 K revenue in 90 days
    • First podcast appearance; English is not their native language

  • Products and Offerings

    • Natural Write: Users paste AI‑generated text, click “Humanize,” and receive 100 % human‑like output that bypasses AI detectors
    • Primary users: students (schools, universities) and marketers in businesses

  • Metrics and Financials

    • Revenue: $41 K (Month 1) → $32 K (Month 2) → $27 K (Month 3) = $100 K total
    • TikTok performance: ~9 M total views, ~300 K site visits, ~250 K sign‑ups
    • Conversion rate (visit → sign‑up): ~80 %
    • Operating costs: server $35/mo, email service Resend $20/mo, VPN $5/mo (five devices), US phone numbers $5/mo each; overall very low overhead

  • Strategy and Growth

    • TikTok‑first growth engine
      1. Conduct niche research on TikTok to verify competitor presence and viral content
      2. Set up a dedicated TikTok account (VPN, local phone number, new Apple ID)
      3. Warm‑up: spend 30–50 min daily for 3–5 days engaging with niche content (comment, follow, like)
      4. Replicate viral videos one‑to‑one, adding captions in the TikTok editor
      5. Post one video per day at optimal times (usually second half of the day)
      6. Once videos go viral, experiment with original formats
      7. Scale by creating additional accounts and hiring creators
    • Initial attempts with paid influencers failed (low conversions) → pivot to self‑produced daily videos, which generated the first sale from the very first post
    • Example viral formats:
      • Comedy sketch (Jim Carrey style) showing a 5‑minute essay submission problem → 4 M views
      • “Generated text → Humanized text” demo → original 150 K views, their copy 1.5 M views

  • Tech Stack and Infrastructure

    • Frontend: Next.js
    • Database: PostgreSQL
    • Deployment: Coolify, Next‑AL
    • Email: Resend
    • Supporting tools: VPN for location‑specific accounts, US phone numbers for account verification
    • Team: Nikita, Yini, and Alexander (handles all technical work)

  • Lessons and Advice

    • Start TikTok marketing yourself; learn what works before delegating or hiring
    • Don’t over‑engineer your own format—replicate proven viral content first, then iterate
    • Keep the tech stack simple and costs minimal to maintain agility during rapid growth.
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