Nathan Barry, ConvertKit founder shares his success story

ConvertKit founder Nathan Barry published a Twitter thread where he indicated that his company Convertkit is about to cross $100m in total revenue. In the thread, Nathan shares the failures and successes he has had in business.

Nathan Barry’s success story

1. The first business Nathan started was Shoestring (a web hosting company). Nathan says he did not get any customer nor generate any revenue but learnt a lot about WordPress.
2. Shop208 (a social network for businesses in Boise area). The platform was built on WordPress and BuddyPress. Only 200 users joined the platform. The platform did not generate any revenue.
3. OneMotion (A web app for sign language interpreting agencies). Generated only $300 in revenue from one client only.
4. Legend Themes (a WordPress Themes platform). He sold two themes for $70 and abandoned the business over worries that the market was oversaturated. He however notes that it was a ridiculous idea to conclude that themes market was oversaturated in 2009.
5. OneVoice (iOS app built for kids with non-verbal autism).  The business generated $50,000+ in revenue for a period of over 4 years.
6. Fluent (iOS flashcards app). It generated $75 in revenue.
7. Commit (habit tracking app). It generated $20,000+ in revenue.
8. iOS Design Weekly (email newsletter ). It generated $0 in revenue.
9. The App Design Handbook (iOS app design resource book). It generated $20,000+ in revenue.
10. Designing Web Applications (design web applications book). It generated $200,000+ in revenue.

The 11th and his most successful investment was ConvertKit (an email marketing platform used by thousands of creatives. The business has so far generated $84 million in revenue.

Nathan concludes the thread by saying that it is okay if your first product fails. “Earning a living online is a combination of a thousand little skills that take time to learn.  The only thing you can control is to create every day for a long time. Stay consistent, keep learning, and you’ll eventually win“.

Here is the original Twitter thread.