Pre launch / Launch (2019)
Reddit community posts
Posted honestly on Reddit (and Slack/Twitter) saying 'I built this, what do you think?' — not spamming, just asking for feedback. Used responses to identify which features people valued enough to pay for.
→ First users and product validation; identified custom domains as a paid feature
Early monetization (6 7 months post launch)
Product Hunt launch
Launched on Product Hunt roughly 6-7 months after the initial release. Iterated on pricing downward (from ~$18) until the first customer converted at ~$12.
→ First paying customers; first Stripe SaaS revenue
First 6 months post monetization
Youtube tutorials
Created faceless tutorial videos targeting how-to queries (e.g., 'how to upload a PDF online', 'how to upload a React app'). Focused on high-quality production vs. the low-quality competition. Videos were evergreen and took up to a year to rank organically.
→ Some videos hit 100,000 views; YouTube became an early organic traffic driver and trust-builder
Growth phase (side project era, ~2019–2021)
Seo content and landing pages
Used Ahrefs/Semrush to find low-difficulty, high-volume keywords around specific use cases (e.g., 'upload HTML file', 'share PDF as link', 'restaurant menu QR code'). Built a combination of bottom-of-funnel landing pages and top-of-funnel blog posts for each use case. Focused on technical SEO (page speed, Core Web Vitals, Google Lighthouse compliance) alongside content.
→ 70,000+ users/month on autopilot; eventually 100,000+ monthly organic visitors
Scaling (quit job at ~$8K MRR, ~2.5 years in)
User driven product development
Observed that many users were uploading PDFs converted to HTML. Built native PDF upload support in a weekend. New use case unlocked a new customer segment and SEO content angle (PDF hosting), which took off 3-4 months later.
→ PDF hosting became one of the top use cases; unlocked a new audience segment
Mid growth (post $8K MRR)
Design overhaul conversion
Hired a professional designer and did a major landing page/product redesign to move away from the 'indie project' look and build trust with non-technical users.
→ Increased conversion confidence; positioned product more credibly against established tools
Scaling SEO (team build out)
Seo team scaled
Hired dedicated SEO roles: a link-builder, a keyword research/SEO analyst, and a content writer. Made SEO a structured team function rather than a solo founder activity, cementing it as the core acquisition foundation.
→ Sustained 100,000+ monthly organic visitors; SEO remained top traffic source even amid ChatGPT disruption
Vibe coding / AI trend (2024–present)
Ai tool ecosystem positioning
Noticed a surge of non-technical users generating HTML via Claude/GPT who needed the simplest way to host it. Repositioned Tiny as part of the 'DIY stack' for vibe coders. A customer found Tiny through Claude directly. Leaned into this new audience via SEO content and product messaging without building new core features.
→ Accelerated growth; monthly growth rate jumped from 3-4% to 20-30%; reached $1M ARR
MRR $83k