AI Summary
5 min readJulian built a form builder for Notion users called NodeForms. He coded the first version in six days. The product now has close to 100,000 registered users and generates roughly $37,000 in monthly recurring revenue. He did this while keeping his full-time software engineering job, working on the project during a three-hour daily commute. The conversation covers how he found the idea, validated it, marketed it, and built a sustainable solo business.
Building on a Platform, Not From Scratch
Julian deliberately built NodeForms on top of an existing platform—Notion. He had been a Notion user for years and jumped on the opportunity when Notion released its API. His reasoning was straightforward: building around a platform is easier than building a standalone SaaS because you don't have to create a community from nothing. You can "cannibalize" part of the existing user base and solve a specific sub-issue. Notion already had a huge, engaged community on Reddit and Facebook groups, which gave him a ready-made audience to market to. He acknowledges this approach has its own risks—dependency on the platform—but for a solo founder starting out, it dramatically reduces the hardest part of a new business: finding your first users.
Validating Ideas and Shipping Fast
Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.
Read Full Summary →Free • No credit card required
Never miss an episode of Starter Story
Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **Episode Teaser** - Julian built a Notion form builder in six days that now generates $37K/month in revenue.
- 2 (01:11) **Founder & Product Introduction** - Julian, 28, founder of NodeForms, a form builder for Notion users with ~100k registered users and $37K MRR.
- 3 (01:35) **Finding the Idea: Platform Play** - Julian built NodeForms after Notion released its API, copying a feature from Airtable.
- 4 (02:57) **Methods for Finding Winning Ideas** - Solve your own problem, talk to people in different careers, and stay active on Twitter to spot opportunities.
- 5 (04:07) **Validation Process: Build & Share** - Build an MVP quickly, share it widely, and get instant feedback.
- 6 (07:03) **Building MVPs Fast: Tech Stack & Mindset** - Focus on the product, not the technology; use a familiar stack (PHP/Laravel) to reuse code.
- 7 (07:45) **Marketing & User Acquisition** - Spammed Notion communities on Reddit and Facebook groups; Product Hunt launch was overrated for sales.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
How I Built It: $37K/Month Notion App
This is how Julien Nahum left his 9-5 and built a Notion micro-saas to over $37,000/month.
📚 The Academy → https://www.starterstory.com/academy?utm_campaign=julien&utm_source=youtube
Follow Julien's Journey 🐦 Twitter - https://x.com/JhumanJ 💻 Website - https://jhumanj.com/
🔔 My Second Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@thepatwalls 📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/starter_story/ 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/thepatwalls
Sharing ideas that make money!
Disclaimer: This podcast is published by a viewer using content from Starter Story's YouTube channel with the goal of making his valuable insights more accessible to those who prefer audio formats, helping more people discover and learn from the insights shared in his videos. It is not an official production of Starter Story. For any requests from Starter Story, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
---------------------------
----- Keywords: startup founder, app monetization, app development
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from this podcast
Starter Story →