Founder stories
$1K MRRen 1 month
Acquired
Pre-acquisition revenue: $400K ARR
Acquired by Zapier March 2021 for undisclosed amount. Pre-acquisition ARR ~$400K. Ben Tossell continued running Makerpad within Zapier.
From Product Hunt employee to building and selling Makerpad
Fondateur
Ben Tossell
Fondateur Solo•Non-technique•USA
Engagement
Temps pleinExpérience
ExpérimentéProduit
Learn to build software without code. Tutorials and community for no-code builders.
Type
Produit d'InformationSecteur
Outils DéveloppeurModèle
Paiement uniqueStratégie marketing
Comment Ben a acquis ses clients
Canal de croissance
Twitter / X
Également utilisé
CommunautésProduct Hunt
Tech Stack
Outils utilisés pour construire Makerpad
WebflowMemberstackAirtableZapier
L'histoire complète
After leaving Product Hunt, I wanted to teach people how to build without code - the skills I had learned myself.
The Launch
I launched Makerpad in January 2019 with a simple membership model. $99/year for access to tutorials on building with no-code tools like Zapier, Airtable, and Webflow.
Quick Traction
Within 30 days, I hit $1K MRR. The no-code movement was growing, and I was one of the first to create structured education around it. Building in public on Twitter helped drive early signups.
The Exit
In 2020, Zapier acquired Makerpad. The whole journey from launch to exit was less than 2 years.
- Launch to $1K MRR: 30 days
- Launch to acquisition: ~18 months
- Exit to Zapier: 2020
Points clés à retenir
1
Being early to a trend can accelerate everything
2
Non-technical founders can build successful education businesses
3
Building in public creates accountability and customers
4
Community + content is a powerful combination
Publié à l'origine surIndie Hackers
Inspiré par le parcours de Ben ? Générez une idée de business dans le secteur Outils Développeur grâce à l'AI et aux données de vrais fondateurs.
Le parcours de Ben vers $1K MRRPremium
Le chemin, les décisions et le contexte derrière cette étape clé
Débloquez le parcours complet de Ben
Découvrez l'analyse complète : stratégie de lancement, méthodes de validation, coûts de démarrage, expert analysis, replication playbook, et bien d'autres insights actionnables.
Passer à PremiumAccès instantané à tous les parcours de fondateurs
Frequently asked questions
Who acquired Makerpad?
Makerpad was acquired by Zapier for an undisclosed price on March 2021. Pre-acquisition revenue was $400K ARR. Acquired by Zapier March 2021 for undisclosed amount. Pre-acquisition ARR ~$400K. Ben Tossell continued running Makerpad within Zapier.
How long did it take Makerpad to reach $1k mrr?
Ben Tossell took 1 month to reach $1k mrr with Makerpad.
Was Ben Tossell a solo founder?
Yes. Ben Tossell built Makerpad as a solo founder.
What marketing channel did Makerpad use to grow?
Makerpad grew primarily through Twitter / X.
What industry is Makerpad in?
Makerpad operates in Outils Développeur.
D'autres histoires qui pourraient vous plaire
Des fondateurs avec des parcours ou des stratégies similaires
Pieter Levels
How I turned a spreadsheet into a $2M+/year business as a solo founder
In 2013, I sold all my possessions, packed a backpack and a laptop, and flew to Thailand to begin my digital nomad life. I was once a lost musician ea...
$10K MRR dans 1 year·Solo
SaaSVoyage🌍 Remote
Tony Dinh
How I made $22K in 7 days with a ChatGPT UI tool
On March 1st 2023, OpenAI announced the ChatGPT API. Right on that day, I came up with the idea to create a new UI to solve my own pain points with th...
$10K MRR dans 7 days·Solo
SaaSAI / ML🇻🇳 VN
ML
Marc Lou
From Paris waiter to $250K in 5 months selling a code boilerplate
My journey took me from being a Paris waiter to an $80,000/month solopreneur over seven years of persistence. After 17 failed projects, I found succes...
$100K ARR dans 5 months·Solo
Produit d'InformationOutils Développeur🇫🇷 FR
Vous avez apprécié cette histoire ?
Recevez chaque semaine dans votre boîte mail des parcours de fondateurs comme celui-ci.