Building a Profitable Note-Taking App Without Investors
A conversation about independence, product focus, and sustainable growth
This week’s spotlight:
→ A self-funded note-taking app that helps people think better
What you’ll learn:
→ How staying independent and focusing on individuals drives growth
Who should read:
→ Founders, indie makers, or anyone building a SaaS or productivity tool
Can you tell us a bit about your role and what you’re currently working on?
I'm the Head of Growth at Reflect, a minimalist note-taking app that helps you think better. You can think of it like Apple Notes but with powerful features built in, like the ability to chat with your notes using AI. I also run a content marketing agency called Startup Cookie that uses AI tools and workflows instead of people.
How did the product get started, and what core problem was it designed to solve?
Reflect was mostly built by Alex MacCaw, who also founded Clearbit. Now we have 3 engineers and myself on the team. Alex saw a huge problem with note taking apps. They start off an excellent product and then take on outside investor funding. Because investors require a massive return, they pressure the note taking app into scaling efforts that hurt the product. Collaboration is a great example of this. Once you focus a productivity tool on teams, it becomes substantially worse for the individual. Reflex primary goal is to help you think better. We believe thing profitable and self-funded allows us to make the best possible note taking tool that aligns with this.
Why was staying independent such an important decision from the beginning?
The first reflect customers came from Alex's Twitter account. At the time he probably had about 30,000 followers. He shared to process mission and vision behind the product along with the first version that people could sign up and pay for. This is what got Reflect its initial under customers and not much additional promotion was needed in the early days.
What does growth look like today, and how do people usually discover the product?
Our biggest marketing channel has always been word of mouth. Just people telling their friends and family about us organically. Our new feature and product launches also feed into this. We also get a handful of customers through various content efforts.
How is the product monetized today?
Our business model is quite simple. We just have one annual plan that's $120 a year. Our philosophy is to give people enough time to try all the product as they need to before they decide if they want to purchase. But once we do ask them, we ask for a commitment. People oftentimes get caught tire kicking productivity tools and they spend more time and effort switching tools than they do actually taking notes.
Can you share some actual numbers about revenue?
We don't share exact revenue numbers, but we are now profitable!
How can we know more about you?
reflect.app