I took my first salary as a founder 🥹
On Friday I took my first salary as a founder. 🥹
Paid by revenue. Not investment.
My first one ever. So proud.
Most startups die before they make $1.
We’ve been making revenue for 8 months.
Even after pivoting from @Dolphin AI.
I don’t take this lightly.
But it isn’t about money. It’s about the milestone.
The fact that something didn’t exist… and now it does.
Something people want.
Are happy to pay for.
And happy to be part of.
@Pretty Prompt keeps surprising me week after week.
And it all started here on PH 💪.
If I could talk to my 2023 self, I’d say: "Just keep pushing".
Doesn’t matter if you don’t come from a CS degree, or didn’t go to an Ivy League.
What matters is your ability to adapt, and move fast.
This is proof. And I’m super proud.
I took my wife out for dinner.
If I was motivated before…
Wait for what we’ll do next with Charlie, my co-founder!
Here’s to the next Pretty milestone.
And building things people want. 💪
Replies
minimalist phone: creating folders
Proud of you. Sometimes, when founders do this, it is obvious that if they relied too much on financial reward, they wouldn't undergo so much pain together :D This is more than just earning money :D
Pretty Prompt
@busmark_w_nika The milestone of knowing people are happy to pay for something you've built is way more exciting than the money itself 🫶
minimalist phone: creating folders
@ilaiszp esp. that feeling that you created something useful also for others :)
Huge congrats on this massive milestone! Taking a salary from revenue is the ultimate dream. As a fellow builder without a CS degree who’s just starting my journey with Gridance Studio, your story is incredibly inspiring. If you could go back to your first month, what was the one marketing move that finally broke the 'shouting into the void' phase for you?
Pretty Prompt
@linapok I don't think there's a specific marketing move, but more of a constant iteration, of sharing what we've improved, hearing to the feedback, and repeat.
Also, doing customer calls every week since the very beginning. That's the biggest learning week over week.
@ilaiszp That’s a powerful reality check. I think as builders, we often look for a 'marketing secret,' but your point about weekly customer calls is the ultimate truth. It’s the hardest part to start, but clearly the most rewarding. Thank you for the gold nugget of wisdom—I’ll be sure to bake 'customer calls' into my Gridance Studio workflow from day one!
Pretty Prompt
@linapok unscalable = scalable ✨
Congrats on that first revenue-funded salary; super proud of you. Huge milestone, especially post-pivot from Dolphin AI! A small q for you tho; what's one key adaptation from the pivot that unlocked Pretty Prompt's paying users, and how are you blending AI to hit the next revenue leap?
Pretty Prompt
@swati_paliwal not sure if there's just one adaptation that helped the pivot, but the one thing we did say to ourselves: we have to be a customer of our own product. If we use it and find it valuable, others will too.
Pretty Prompt
@alexeyglukharev No investment :) fully bootstrapped!
@ilaiszp my appreciation! You’re great! I would know the full detailed story:)