Colin had an existing Reddit post from 2018 — a resume advice guide he wrote that became the #1 Google result for "resume advice Reddit" and the top post on the jobs subreddit for years. When the AI resume builder launched on August 26th, Colin edited that same post to mention the new tool and invited readers to try it for free. The response was immediate: thousands of resumes were built in the first week with no paid acquisition. The product launched completely free for the first week to validate usage and generate word of mouth. Users were so impressed they organically shared it, creating a viral loop. After one week of free usage and strong retention signals, Colin turned on pricing ($99 lifetime, $29 for one week), and they hit their first $1,000 day within that first week of being paid.
Sheets Resume
AI-powered resume builder and reviewer for job seekers
7 moves, in order
- Pre product (2018–2024)Reddit organic
Colin wrote a comprehensive resume dos-and-don'ts guide on Reddit in 2018. The post went viral, became the top post on the jobs subreddit for years, and ranked #1 on Google for 'resume advice Reddit'. Over 6 years he answered ~20,000 follow-up questions, building deep trust and a massive captive audience.
Top Google result for 'resume advice Reddit'; ~20,000 questions answered; established dominant authority in the niche - Pre product validationDirect service manual
Colin and his recruiting partner Nate started doing manual resume reviews for a few hundred dollars each. Demand was so high they raised prices from a few hundred to $300 then $400, but eventually hit a ceiling where they couldn't scale their time and felt uncomfortable pricing out struggling job seekers.
Validated massive demand; proven willingness to pay; hit pricing ceiling that justified building an AI product - Launch week (August 26, 2024)Reddit organic
Edited the existing top-ranking Reddit resume advice post to mention the newly launched AI resume builder. Offered it completely free for the first week to drive usage and word of mouth without a hard sales push.
Thousands of resumes built in the first week; strong word-of-mouth driven by delighted free users - Week 1 monetizationDirect pricing activation
Turned on pricing after one week of free usage once usage signals were strong. Set pricing at $99 for lifetime access and $29 for one-week access. Deliberately avoided monthly subscriptions to stay ethical with job seekers.
First $1,000 day achieved within the first week of charging - Month 2 scalingReddit seo content
Published multiple new Reddit posts on related topics: how to build a resume, top 10 job hunt questions, how to interview, how to negotiate salary. Each post provided genuine value with the product linked — but not as the front-and-center CTA — to piggyback off Reddit's strong SEO without appearing promotional.
Contributed to organic traffic growth feeding into $20K MRR in month 2MRR $20k - Month 2 scalingAffiliate marketing agency
Hired an affiliate marketing agency to build out a performance-based referral channel. This was designed to scale user acquisition without requiring Colin's direct time, fitting his goal of running the business at 5–10 hours/week.
Part of the channel mix that drove month 2 to $20K MRR; specific contribution not broken out - Month 2 scalingGoogle Ads
Set up rudimentary Google Ads primarily as a 'training mechanism' for Google's algorithm rather than as a high-spend acquisition channel. Used it to signal intent and build algorithmic relevance rather than as a direct ROI channel.
Supported overall channel mix; described as 'rudimentary' so likely a minor contributor
Colin had a 6-year-old Reddit post that ranked #1 on Google for "resume advice Reddit" and had accumulated ~20,000 questions answered. This gave him a massive, warm, pre-existing audience of job seekers who already trusted him. He also had a decade-long relationship with his technical co-founder Nate, a software engineer at Eventbrite, which meant he didn't need to hire or convince a stranger to build the product.
Reddit organic traffic (via pre-existing high-ranking resume advice post)
Monthly subscriptions — Colin explicitly chose not to do them, viewing them as predatory for job seekers going through a hard financial time. No channels were described as tried-and-failed; the main caveat is that heavy self-promotion in Reddit posts was flagged as counterproductive (links should not be the front-and-center CTA or users become suspicious).