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May 20, 2021 · 15m · top-founders

Developer side project gets first 80 customers, $6k in ARR, how'd he do it?

Spencer Jones · 8m spoken Nathan Latka · 4m spoken Frank Bien · 4s spoken Eric Yuan · 4s spoken Vivek Bhaskaran · 2s spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

In this interview, podcast host Nathan Latka speaks with solo software founder Spencer Jones about how he bootstrapped Chime Social, a Twitter analytics tool, to 80 paying customers and $6,000 in ARR while working a full-time engineering job. Jones details his journey from failed product attempts to finding traction, executing grassroots Twitter marketing, pricing his SaaS product, and balancing family life with a solo side business.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 36.3% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 4.0 Guest teaching 2.5 Guest disagreement 1.5 Nathan pushing back 2.3
05100:0010:000:00–3:53 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Episode Preview: A Solo Bootstrapper's Growth Nathan introduces the interview and sets the context with promo clips. Spencer details his journey of shuttering three zero-revenue products and setting a fast-iteration strategy for Chime Social.3:53–7:28 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Securing the First Customer and Initial Metrics Nathan drills into customer counts and pricing mechanics, initially overestimating the monthly revenue. Spencer transparently corrects the figure to just under $500 MRR and explains his organic Twitter funnel.7:29–10:10 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Evaluating SaaS Pricing and Value Perception Nathan applies lessons from ConvertKit and aggressively pitches a 5x price increase to $47 per month, arguing bootstrappers routinely devalue themselves. Spencer resists the prompt, arguing the value proposition is not yet mature enough.10:11–12:16 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Product Feedback and Feature Prioritization Dynamics Nathan questions why being the primary user is dangerous, leading Spencer to cite bootstrap thought leader Arvid Kahl. Spencer explains how building strictly for oneself risks creating niche solutions no one else will pay for.12:16–14:19 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Balancing Full-Time Engineering with Side Project Growth Nathan probes how Spencer sustains personal expenses on $500 monthly revenue. Spencer explains that he is employed full-time as an engineer at Morning Consult and requires $15k MRR before going full-time on his side project.14:19–15:15 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions Nathan runs through the standard rapid-fire Famous Five format covering reading materials, role models, hosting stack Render, and personal demographics.0:00–3:53 · Guest teaching 2/10 Episode Preview: A Solo Bootstrapper's Growth Nathan introduces the interview and sets the context with promo clips. Spencer details his journey of shuttering three zero-revenue products and setting a fast-iteration strategy for Chime Social.3:53–7:28 · Guest teaching 2/10 Securing the First Customer and Initial Metrics Nathan drills into customer counts and pricing mechanics, initially overestimating the monthly revenue. Spencer transparently corrects the figure to just under $500 MRR and explains his organic Twitter funnel.7:29–10:10 · Guest teaching 3/10 Evaluating SaaS Pricing and Value Perception Nathan applies lessons from ConvertKit and aggressively pitches a 5x price increase to $47 per month, arguing bootstrappers routinely devalue themselves. Spencer resists the prompt, arguing the value proposition is not yet mature enough.10:11–12:16 · Guest teaching 5/10 Product Feedback and Feature Prioritization Dynamics Nathan questions why being the primary user is dangerous, leading Spencer to cite bootstrap thought leader Arvid Kahl. Spencer explains how building strictly for oneself risks creating niche solutions no one else will pay for.12:16–14:19 · Guest teaching 2/10 Balancing Full-Time Engineering with Side Project Growth Nathan probes how Spencer sustains personal expenses on $500 monthly revenue. Spencer explains that he is employed full-time as an engineer at Morning Consult and requires $15k MRR before going full-time on his side project.14:19–15:15 · Guest teaching 1/10 Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions Nathan runs through the standard rapid-fire Famous Five format covering reading materials, role models, hosting stack Render, and personal demographics.0:00–3:53 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Episode Preview: A Solo Bootstrapper's Growth Nathan introduces the interview and sets the context with promo clips. Spencer details his journey of shuttering three zero-revenue products and setting a fast-iteration strategy for Chime Social.3:53–7:28 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Securing the First Customer and Initial Metrics Nathan drills into customer counts and pricing mechanics, initially overestimating the monthly revenue. Spencer transparently corrects the figure to just under $500 MRR and explains his organic Twitter funnel.7:29–10:10 · Guest disagreement 3/10 Evaluating SaaS Pricing and Value Perception Nathan applies lessons from ConvertKit and aggressively pitches a 5x price increase to $47 per month, arguing bootstrappers routinely devalue themselves. Spencer resists the prompt, arguing the value proposition is not yet mature enough.10:11–12:16 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Product Feedback and Feature Prioritization Dynamics Nathan questions why being the primary user is dangerous, leading Spencer to cite bootstrap thought leader Arvid Kahl. Spencer explains how building strictly for oneself risks creating niche solutions no one else will pay for.12:16–14:19 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Balancing Full-Time Engineering with Side Project Growth Nathan probes how Spencer sustains personal expenses on $500 monthly revenue. Spencer explains that he is employed full-time as an engineer at Morning Consult and requires $15k MRR before going full-time on his side project.14:19–15:15 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions Nathan runs through the standard rapid-fire Famous Five format covering reading materials, role models, hosting stack Render, and personal demographics.0:00–3:53 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Episode Preview: A Solo Bootstrapper's Growth Nathan introduces the interview and sets the context with promo clips. Spencer details his journey of shuttering three zero-revenue products and setting a fast-iteration strategy for Chime Social.3:53–7:28 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Securing the First Customer and Initial Metrics Nathan drills into customer counts and pricing mechanics, initially overestimating the monthly revenue. Spencer transparently corrects the figure to just under $500 MRR and explains his organic Twitter funnel.7:29–10:10 · Nathan pushing back 5/10 Evaluating SaaS Pricing and Value Perception Nathan applies lessons from ConvertKit and aggressively pitches a 5x price increase to $47 per month, arguing bootstrappers routinely devalue themselves. Spencer resists the prompt, arguing the value proposition is not yet mature enough.10:11–12:16 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Product Feedback and Feature Prioritization Dynamics Nathan questions why being the primary user is dangerous, leading Spencer to cite bootstrap thought leader Arvid Kahl. Spencer explains how building strictly for oneself risks creating niche solutions no one else will pay for.12:16–14:19 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Balancing Full-Time Engineering with Side Project Growth Nathan probes how Spencer sustains personal expenses on $500 monthly revenue. Spencer explains that he is employed full-time as an engineer at Morning Consult and requires $15k MRR before going full-time on his side project.14:19–15:15 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions Nathan runs through the standard rapid-fire Famous Five format covering reading materials, role models, hosting stack Render, and personal demographics.

speaking balance: gold is Nathan, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Nathan 53.9% · guest 46.1%0:00 · Nathan 53.9% · guest 46.1%3:00 · Nathan 30% · guest 70%3:00 · Nathan 30% · guest 70%6:00 · Nathan 23.1% · guest 76.9%6:00 · Nathan 23.1% · guest 76.9%9:00 · Nathan 31.9% · guest 68.1%9:00 · Nathan 31.9% · guest 68.1%12:00 · Nathan 32% · guest 68%12:00 · Nathan 32% · guest 68%15:00 · Nathan 85.2% · guest 14.8%15:00 · Nathan 85.2% · guest 14.8%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 8:32 Spencer rejects $47/month pricing proposal

Spencer clearly pushes back against Nathan's suggestion to aggressively raise prices, citing clear market sensitivity and potential conversion drop-offs.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 9:16 Nathan challenges founder underpricing tendencies

Nathan refuses to accept Spencer's conservative price framing, insisting early founders systematically devalue their work due to past failures.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 10:47 Spencer teaches the trap of the self-serving founder

Spencer educates Nathan by referencing Arvid Kahl's thesis on the danger of building features solely tailored to one's own idiosyncratic needs.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 7:29 Nathan references ConvertKit playbook on competitive pricing

Nathan demonstrates industry domain expertise by referencing Nathan Barry's micro-competition playbook as an actionable growth mechanism.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Episode Preview: A Solo Bootstrapper's Growth 3211 Nathan introduces the interview and sets the context with promo clips. Spencer details his journey of shuttering three zero-revenue products and setting a fast-iteration strategy for Chime Social.
Securing the First Customer and Initial Metrics 4212 Nathan drills into customer counts and pricing mechanics, initially overestimating the monthly revenue. Spencer transparently corrects the figure to just under $500 MRR and explains his organic Twitter funnel.
Evaluating SaaS Pricing and Value Perception 6335 Nathan applies lessons from ConvertKit and aggressively pitches a 5x price increase to $47 per month, arguing bootstrappers routinely devalue themselves. Spencer resists the prompt, arguing the value proposition is not yet mature enough.
Product Feedback and Feature Prioritization Dynamics 4523 Nathan questions why being the primary user is dangerous, leading Spencer to cite bootstrap thought leader Arvid Kahl. Spencer explains how building strictly for oneself risks creating niche solutions no one else will pay for.
Balancing Full-Time Engineering with Side Project Growth 4212 Nathan probes how Spencer sustains personal expenses on $500 monthly revenue. Spencer explains that he is employed full-time as an engineer at Morning Consult and requires $15k MRR before going full-time on his side project.
Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions 3111 Nathan runs through the standard rapid-fire Famous Five format covering reading materials, role models, hosting stack Render, and personal demographics.

Statements from this episode (10)

Assertion Not checkable as stated
Jones spent 18 months building a prior product that made zero revenue
“My last product, I spent 18 months building, like I said, zero revenue.”
Spencer Jones May 20, 2021 ▶ 1:56
Opinion
Jones: Developers are not the ideal persona for frequent tweeting
“Developers aren't necessarily the persona that you would attach to tweeting a lot.”
Spencer Jones May 20, 2021 ▶ 2:32
Disclosure
Jones confirms he is a solo founder running Chime Social
“I do everything. Yeah.”
Spencer Jones May 20, 2021 ▶ 3:50
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Jones: Chime Social has 70 to 80 paying customers
“Last I checked, it's somewhere around 70 or 80.”
Spencer Jones May 20, 2021 ▶ 3:59
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Jones: Chime Social generates just under $500 in MRR
“It's just under 500, so.”
Spencer Jones May 20, 2021 ▶ 5:49
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Jones: Twitter is Chime Social's only customer acquisition channel
“Twitter right now is my only channel, which kind of makes sense because it's a Twitter scheduling and analytics tool, so I want to find people on Twitter.”
Spencer Jones May 20, 2021 ▶ 6:31
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Latka: ConvertKit drives growth through user mini-competitions
“The way he's like driving a lot of growth right now is he's doing these mini competitions.”
Nathan Latka May 20, 2021 ▶ 7:40
Insight
Latka: Early-stage founders consistently underprice and devalue their products
“Generally speaking, with most early stage runners I talk to, they always devalue their own tool. They always think it's worth less than what the market actually thinks it is worth”
Nathan Latka May 20, 2021 ▶ 9:17
Insight
Jones: Being your product's primary user risks building solely for yourself
“The danger is that you are facing a problem and either you're the only one who faces that problem or the solution that you build. You're the only one who wants a solution like that. So you really have to balance building something for yourself with validation …”
Spencer Jones May 20, 2021 ▶ 10:48
Disclosure
Jones needs $15,000 MRR before taking his side project full-time
“I think it's going to be a while. We live in a fairly expensive area. I've got a wife and two kids. So Yeah, I mean, in the 15,000 MRR range.”
Spencer Jones May 20, 2021 ▶ 13:23
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