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Founder Interview

How Notion Tweet Reached 5 Paying Customers Averaging $7 a Month in Its First Weeks (Interview with Founder Minh-Phuc Tran)

Interview Date
May 12, 2021
Interviewee
Minh-Phuc TranFounder
Watch
Watch the full interview

Company Metrics at Interview Time

Paying Customers (2021)

5

MRR (2021)

$30

Average Revenue Per User (2021)

$7 per month

Waitlist (2021)

About 400 people

Historical Snapshot

These numbers were reported by Minh-Phuc Tran during the interview recorded in May 2021 and are a historical snapshot, not current figures. See Notion Tweet’s current numbers.

Key Takeaways

  • 01Notion Tweet had 5 paying customers generating approximately $30 MRR at the time of the interview
  • 02Average revenue per user was $7 per month on a monthly subscription
  • 03The product launched as an MVP roughly two to three weeks before the interview
  • 04A waitlist of about 400 people had not yet been emailed at the time of the interview
  • 05Minh-Phuc Tran owned 100% of the company and was fully bootstrapped
  • 06The product was built on top of an unofficial Notion API, which limited public sign-ups
  • 07Tran was running Notion Tweet as a side project while employed full time as a senior software engineer
  • 08He set a personal milestone of $5,000 MRR before he would consider leaving his full-time job
  • 09Tran was beginning to pursue B2B customers who showed more willingness to pay
  • 10The product was discovered largely through an Indie Hackers Twitter share, not a large personal audience

Company Metrics at Time of Interview

MetricValueSource
Paying Customers (2021)5Founder interview, May 2021
MRR (2021)$30Founder interview, May 2021
Average Revenue Per User (2021)$7 per monthFounder interview, May 2021
Waitlist Size (2021)About 400 peopleFounder interview, May 2021
Founder's Twitter Followers (2021)About 1,000Founder interview, May 2021

Growth Breakdown

Revenue

At the time of the interview, Notion Tweet was generating approximately $30 MRR from 5 paying customers at an average of $7 per month. It was a very early stage for the product, two to three weeks after its MVP launch.

Customers

Tran acquired his first paying customers immediately after releasing the MVP, roughly two to three weeks before the interview. He deliberately pursued paid users from the start rather than offering a free tier, even at the MVP stage.

Team and Ownership

Tran was the sole owner with 100% equity and was running Notion Tweet as a side project alongside his full-time job as a senior software engineer. He said he did not think he would raise any money in the next year or two.

Pipeline and Waitlist

A waitlist of about 400 people had built up, and he had not emailed any of them yet. Tran was holding off on opening sign-ups until the official Notion API was released, to avoid instability from heavy use of the unofficial API.

Growth Strategy

Early Interest Through Twitter

Tran made a landing page and a Twitter handle for Notion Tweet, and by the time he first got the product running, a couple of people were already interested. He did not have a big personal audience, only about 1,000 Twitter followers of his own. What spread the word was an Indie Hackers Twitter account that shared the product, after which people started messaging him on Twitter.

Paid-Only from Day One

Tran made a deliberate decision to accept only paying customers from the moment the MVP was released, avoiding a free tier. This approach validated willingness to pay immediately and resulted in 5 paying customers within the first few weeks.

Holding the Waitlist Back

Tran had a waitlist of about 400 people and had not emailed any of them yet. He was holding off on public sign-ups until Notion Tweet worked on Notion's official API, because at the time it ran on an unofficial one.

Shifting Toward B2B

After initially positioning Notion Tweet as a tool for individual creators, Tran noticed inbound interest from B2B customers who were more willing to pay. He was beginning to explore that segment as a path toward higher revenue per customer.

Feedback-Driven Product Iteration

Tran prioritized improving the product based on feedback from existing paid customers before expanding the user base. He wanted paying users to rely on the product daily before opening it to the broader waitlist.

Best Quotes

“Five paying customers for now. So it's at, like, $30, 30 dollar MRR now.”
“Yeah. Like, average of $7 a month.”
“It's like two weeks ago. Three weeks ago when I first released my MVP and then that's when there's like, I make a landing page and also a Twitter handle for Notion Tweet. And then a lot of people just find it interesting.”
“I try to get only paid user even at MVP stage. And that's why I get my first paying customer after MVP, like right after I release the MVP.”
“It's on Twitter. Like, even before that, I didn't really have a big audience. Right now, I only have, like, one k followers. But thanks to the fact that that indie hacker Twitter handle interested in the product, and then he shared the product, and then a lot of people know about it, and then they just DM me on Twitter.”
“If it's managed to get 5 k MRR, I will I will quit my job.”
“Right now, I still focus on building, improving the product based on the feedback of current paid customers, but I have a wait list of five, four hundred people that I didn't even send any email to them yet.”
“The Notion API is not official yet. So I'm using an unofficial Notion API.”
“I'll keep it bootstrapped for now. Probably, yeah, let's see how it goes, but I don't think I will raise any money in one year or two.”

What Happened Next

This interview captured Notion Tweet at the very start of its journey, just two to three weeks after its MVP launched, when it had 5 paying customers and about $30 in MRR. The figures here reflect what Minh-Phuc Tran reported in May 2021 and are a point-in-time snapshot of an early-stage bootstrapped product. For the latest information on this company, visit the Notion Tweet profile on GetLatka.

View Notion Tweet’s current profile and metrics

Full Transcript

Chapters

Introduction and Background

Nathan Latka

00:00Hello, everyone. My guest today is Minh-Phuc Tran. He's building a very interesting company, notiontweet.app. He's a senior software engineer, previously a fellow at Entrepreneur First, a global startup incubator, and loves bootstrapping SaaS products for creators and makers in public. Minh, are you ready take us to the top?

Minh-Phuc Tran

00:18>> Yeah. So hello, everyone. So I'm currently a software engineer and trying to bootstrap my first ever business first ever SaaS business called notiontweet and focusing on helping maker and creators being more productive, making more money.

Nathan Latka

00:33How's it going? Do do you have customers yet or still you're still pre customers?

First Customers and MRR

Minh-Phuc Tran

00:37>> I I have customer now, like Okay. Five paying customers for now. So it's at, like, $30, 30 dollar MRR now. So

Nathan Latka

00:46That's great. So five customers, what they're paying on average $5 to $10 a month, something like that?

Minh-Phuc Tran

00:53>> Yeah. Like, average of $7 a month.

Nathan Latka

00:56Okay. And when when did you get your first customer? How many months ago was it?

How the First Customers Were Acquired

Minh-Phuc Tran

01:03>> It's like two weeks ago. Three weeks ago when I first released my MVP and then that's when there's like, I make a landing page and also a Twitter handle for Notion Tweet. And then a lot of people just find it interesting and then it just reached out to me even before I viewed the product. So when I just first managed to get the product running, there are already a couple of people interested in. And I try

01:31>> to go, I try to get only paid user even at MVP stage. And that's why I get my first paying customer after MVP, like right after I release the MVP.

Nathan Latka

01:44And, Minh-Phuc, you already you built an audience for this, right? So when you say people are interested, on what platform? What where were they watching it? Was this Twitter exclusively where your your followers were signing up for the public?

Audience and Twitter Discovery

Minh-Phuc Tran

01:58>> It's on Twitter. Like, even before that, I didn't really have a big audience. Right now, I only have, like, one k followers. But thanks to the fact that that indie hacker Twitter handle interested in the product, and then he shared the product, and then a lot of people know about it, and then they just DM me on Twitter.

Nathan Latka

02:18Well, we're big fans of Courtland and his team and indie hackers. They're great supporters of Bootstrap and Ask Founders, which we love. So this is great. Now give us more of your backstory. Are you doing this full time or is this a side project?

Full-Time Job vs. Side Project

Minh-Phuc Tran

02:31>> It's a side project. I'm having a a full time job as a senior software engineer. Before that, I actually quit my job to try to launch a VC back to both start up, but then I didn't really enjoy wasting funding at the early stage. So I decided to bootstrap on the side now.

Nathan Latka

02:51And what was that old company?

Minh-Phuc Tran

02:56>> Sorry?

Nathan Latka

02:56What was the old company that you quit your job for and tried to launch on the side?

Minh-Phuc Tran

03:02>> Yeah. So I joined a startup incubator and tried to launch a couple of small ideas related to remote work, like basically a tool to enable people

03:15>> get more remote gigs as well as hire better freelancers Mhmm. At the incubator. So I got a couple of small customer, but then I just didn't really find myself enjoying that. You're kind of a marketplace.

Bootstrapped Ownership and Quit Threshold

Nathan Latka

03:29So do you know with notiontweet.app, you're a 100 you own a 100% in your bootstrap. Correct?

Minh-Phuc Tran

03:36>> Yeah. I I own a 100%.

Nathan Latka

03:38Okay. And what would have to happen at Notion Tweet for you to quit your full time job?

Minh-Phuc Tran

03:46>> I think it's good. If it's managed to get 5 k MRR, I will I will quit my job.

Nathan Latka

03:51And what's your plan to get to 5 k MRR?

B2B Customer Interest

Minh-Phuc Tran

03:56>> Right now, I'm going after B2B customers. At first, I thought it's gonna be a fun project, but then currently, there are quite a few b2b customer who are reaching out and they are much more willing in terms of what they might pay for the product. So I also have a friend who's very interested in working with Beyond App, so hopefully we'll try to see how it goes with that B2B segment.

Nathan Latka

04:27Now we haven't talked a bunch about the product. Why don't you tell us what a Notion Tweet app does?

What Notion Tweet Does

Minh-Phuc Tran

04:34>> Yeah. Sure. So the idea is basically a Twitter all in one tool where you can schedule, manage, and plan your tweets and also see the analytics. And there's a lot of tools out there for social media creators. And I'm just a notion fan by myself and I need a way to differentiate the product to others. And at first I try to look for different tools to grow my Twitter, but then there are too many options and

05:07>> all of that I need to use another tool on a daily basis, which is a problem for me. So, okay, I decided, okay, that is a problem for me. And I use Notion to plan most of my content. So I build the product, basically just a tool that plugs into your Notion, which is where you plan your ideas and allow you to schedule, plan your Tweet, and also see full analytics inside your Notion.

Nathan Latka

05:34What's the value though? Is it scheduling analytics? I mean, when I look at your landing page, the value I see is I can do things like do a bullet list or a checkbox or nested bullet points and write those in Notion, it will automatically translate towards to Twitter when I schedule that tweet.

Minh-Phuc Tran

05:51>> Yeah. So the value is both. The the landing the landing page is is very outdated now. Like, I have no time to update that. But the product now allow you to schedule and also see analytics and those two integrated to each other. So it's allow you to customize your own notes and workspace with different properties and topic and all of that, and then allow you to filter based on the analytics later. So moving forward, where do

06:19>> you

Waitlist and Growth Plans

Nathan Latka

06:20what like, what experiments you're gonna run to get you know, go from five customers to 50 customers?

Minh-Phuc Tran

06:28>> Honestly, I do not have an exact answer for that.

06:34>> So right now, I still focus on building, improving the product based on the feedback of current paid customers, but I have a wait list of five, four hundred people that I didn't even send any email to them yet.

Nathan Latka

06:50Why not?

Minh-Phuc Tran

06:51>> So hopefully, yeah. Because I want to really get the products, like, on the current paid customer, really, really have been using that, like, on a daily daily basis, and then I will send it out.

Nathan Latka

07:06Mhmm. Also,

Unofficial Notion API Constraint

Minh-Phuc Tran

07:07>> Notion API is not officially released, so if I allow public sign up, there may be some reason.

Nathan Latka

07:16Sorry, say that again. So you're open sourcing it and you're worried about data and privacy concerns if you get real sign ups?

Minh-Phuc Tran

07:21>> No, no. The Notion API is not official yet. So I'm using an unofficial Notion API.

Nathan Latka

07:30I see.

Minh-Phuc Tran

07:31>> And that's why I need to, yeah, get it work with the Notion API, official API first. Otherwise, like when there 100 people sign up, there might be a problem.

Nathan Latka

07:42I see what you're saying because you're gonna start pinging their unofficial API more aggressively. And they're gonna, who's this guy? Who's this guy doing this?

Minh-Phuc Tran

07:50>> Yeah. But that's also fun because even when I'm building on top of unofficial API, they're still paying customers. I love that.

Nathan Latka

07:58No. We love that. Very cool. Now is your plan to keep this bootstrapped or will you go raise more capital to build a team and run more experiments?

Bootstrapped vs. Raising Capital

Minh-Phuc Tran

08:08>> I'll keep it bootstrapped for now. Probably, yeah, let's see how it goes, but I don't think I will raise any money in one year or two.

Famous Five: Books, Founders, Tools

Nathan Latka

08:18Yeah. Awesome. Minh-Phuc, on that note, let's wrap up here with Famous Five. Number one, what's your favorite business book?

Minh-Phuc Tran

08:26>> Not exactly business, but The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck.

Nathan Latka

08:30Number two, is there a CEO you're following or studying?

Minh-Phuc Tran

08:35>> Sorry? Is there

Nathan Latka

08:36a founder that you're following or studying?

Minh-Phuc Tran

08:41>> There's a lot on Twitter. Like, I didn't it I I'm yeah. I did not I do not idolize any specific founder, but there are a lot of bootstrapper on Twitter.

Nathan Latka

08:52Who's your favorite bootstrapper on Twitter?

Minh-Phuc Tran

08:55>> Connect, the founder of Slip.

Nathan Latka

08:58Spell it.

09:02Spell the company.

Minh-Phuc Tran

09:04>> Slip, s l I p.

09:07>> Slip. Got it.

Nathan Latka

09:08Number three, what's your favorite or number four, what's your favorite online tool for building your business?

Minh-Phuc Tran

09:15>> Twitter.

Nathan Latka

09:16Number four, how many hours of sleep do you get every night?

Minh-Phuc Tran

09:22>> Seven hours.

Nathan Latka

09:23And what's your situation? Married, single, kids?

Minh-Phuc Tran

09:28>> Single.

Nathan Latka

09:29Okay. And how old are you?

Minh-Phuc Tran

09:32>> 23.

Nathan Latka

09:3423. Okay, Minh. Last question. What do you wish you knew three years ago when you were 20?

Minh-Phuc Tran

09:43>> I wish I started building an audience back then. I just yeah.

Nathan Latka

09:49Guys, building all the audience earlier. He sure is now notiontweet.

Minh-Phuc Tran

09:52>> App, enables you to write tweets, schedule them and get analytics from Notion and then publish them directly into Twitter all within Notion's API or inside of inside of notiontweet.app. He's got five customers paying $7 a month with $35 in revenue, his first 35. I hope to have you back on soon and you're gonna be telling me you're doing 35,000,000 a year in revenue. Thanks

Nathan Latka

10:12for taking us to the top.

Minh-Phuc Tran

10:13>> Thank you, Nathan. Take care.

Nathan Latka

10:17One more thing before you go. We have a brand new show every Thursday at 1PM central. It's called Shark Tank for SaaS. We call it deal or bust. One founder comes on, three hungry buyers, they try and do a deal live and the founder shares back end dashboards, their expenses, their revenue, ARPU, CAC, LTV, you name it, they share it. And the buyers try and make a deal live. It is fun to watch every Thursday, 1PM

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