160 hoursto build the first MVP · 2018
A website builder without an editor
The first version only exported HTML. A visual editor and hosting came later; 42 hours went into the generator itself. Source ↗
The bets that built the business
31 sales5–20 November 2019
The launch that actually converted
8,228 visitors → 329 signups → 31 sales. MRR climbed from $864 to $1,355. Source ↗
0 sales124 clicks · newsletter ad · 2023
$750 spent. Not one sale.
His Indie Hackers placement cost about $6.05 per click. He blamed his copy and advertising a product people only need occasionally. Source ↗
50% cashthe other half: Mars shares · 2022
He prepared the numbers. The buyer pitched him.
On their acquisition call, John Rush pitched Mars instead of reviewing Isora’s financial deck. After four years of running Unicorn, Isora wanted help with the daily grind. Source ↗
6 toolsone weekend · July 2024
Six launches in a single weekend
File hosting, background removal, an AWS calculator and three AI directories. The calculator started with a practical annoyance: estimating this wiki’s hosting bill. Source ↗
The details you remember
Honda Civicfifth generation · his post-sale answer
The old car stayed
An $800k deal, but no new sports car: he kept the Civic he said was older than him. Source ↗
No games? Open Paint.
His first PC had Windows XP but no games. He started drawing in Paint; web development came later, through a WordPress shop. Source ↗
≈$20kattributed revenue over several years
The tiny tool that kept paying
One free tool brought Unicorn customers while costing about $5 a month to host, he says in the Solos interview. Source ↗
71 refundsout of 210 AppSumo codes
Lifetime deals, lifetime headaches
The dashboard estimated a $15,354 payout. He still liked lifetime deals for funding development; the marketplace experience was the problem. Source ↗