Here is the story of how Julien bootstrapped NotionForms to $10k MRR

The Bootstrapper Begins

• Julien Nahum had always been an entrepreneur at heart. Through university, he built several small projects in his spare time to test his skills.
• But when a job change led him to move back to Paris, he discovered the world of solo "bootstrapping".
• Watching founders openly share their journeys, despite ups and downs, was hugely inspiring. But what project would he work on?

The Lightbulb Moment

• Around this time, the popular productivity tool Notion released their long-awaited API.
• As a power user of Notion, Julien instantly knew he wanted to build something with the new capabilities.
• Then he recalled a formative internship where Airtable was used to automatically generate forms from databases. The idea hit - people could build Notion-powered forms just as easily.

Building the Minimum Viable

• Motivated, Julien got coding. Within just 4 days he had a bare-bones MVP allowing users to connect Notion, design simple forms, and view submissions.
• While rough, it achieved his goal of validating the idea worked before investing more time.

Working on a new small project using https://t.co/Bqj1eSJ5hG. Thanks @DianaWebdev 🙌 #notion pic.twitter.com/D1liKO912f

— Julien Nahum (@JhumanJ) May 19, 2021

Spreading the Word

• Julien began sharing screenshots of his in-progress tool on Twitter, though with few followers it was "tweeting to the void".
• He posted in relevant Reddit communities and on Product Hunt, but Facebook Groups proved most effective, driving over 20 users that first week.
• After just 6 days, 100 people had tried the fledgling product.

Adding Value Through Features

• As feature requests rolled in, Julien added new capabilities like conditional logic.
• He prioritized the most asked for elements and those benefiting the most people, observing how engagement grew as he increased value.
• Coding updates into the late hours, the project began consuming him.

Monetizing the Project

• After a month of stability, Julien launched a $15/month paid plan offering file uploads and more powerful logic.
• To his delight, an early super-user subscribed, proving people saw value beyond free use.
• Soon 25% of active forms had paid capabilities, boosting organic growth through virality.

Scaling Customer Support

• Julien invested heavily in 24/7 live chat, a robust help center and feedback channels.
• This aimed to reduce his direct support load while spreading positive word-of-mouth.
• Occasional in-person meetings with top users also provided valuable qualitative insight to further improve the experience.

Growth Self-Sustains

• Usage and growth accelerated as forms users shared, each becoming a new page and backlink.
• Six months in, a successful second launch on Product Hunt drove the #1 spot. With momentum building, Julien committed fully to his bootstrapped dream role.

Staying True to the Vision

• Along the way, copycats emerged and acquisition offers arrived. But Julien focused inward, continuously learning from data to add strategic features.
• A Team plan brought collaborative forms and new clients. Steadily, the project consumed more of his attention.

Hitting Milestones

• After a year of solo development, NotionForms proudly achieved $10,000 MRR.
• The project was a success that allowed Julien complete creative and location freedom. To sustain progress, his first employee came onboard to multiply output.

What's Next?

• Now with a growing team, Julien’s goal is $20k MRR while broadening his skillset.
• Lessons underscore how virality, community and continuously learning from customers drove outcomes over flashier exits.
• Bootstrapping is no easy path but clearly can work through relentless focus on product-market fit above all else.

4 months ago I received a $65k acquisition offer for @NotionForms. At the time the MRR was at $2.2k, so it was roughly a 2.5x ARR offer.

I walked away from it, because I love the project and I knew I could to push it even further. And today, it reached $65k ARR! 🚂 pic.twitter.com/SUcjmGaDn2

— Julien Nahum (@JhumanJ) March 8, 2022