Founder stories
A better UI for ChatGPT with plugins, prompt library, and chat organization.
How Tony acquired customers
Tools used to build TypingMind
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 the ChatGPT interface.
On March 2nd, I registered the domain name typingmind.com (suggested by ChatGPT itself). On Monday, March 6th 2023, I released the first version to the public and announced it on Twitter.
The app immediately received a lot of traction. I added a paid plan at $9, then slowly increased the price as I added more features. Within the first day, I made $1K of revenue, then $2K the next day, then $4K the next day. In 7 days, I made a total of $22K of license revenue.
It took me 20 months to reach $1M total revenue. Since its launch in March 2023, TypingMind has achieved an annual revenue of $1 million. Recently, we were able to close some big contracts, including one 3,000-seat deal and several 1,000-seat deals.
Move fast when a new platform/API launches - timing is everything
Solve your own problems first
Twitter following can convert directly to customers
Start with one-time payments, add subscriptions later for enterprise
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Tony achieved 3 milestones on the path to $10K MRR
$1,000
$22,000
The journey, decisions, and context behind this milestone
See the complete breakdown: launch strategy, validation methods, startup costs, expert analysis, replication playbook, and more actionable insights.
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