3000. That's the number of days I've been building with Fabien.
We started in 2017 with an automation bot for Instagram.
It exploded — $60,000 MRR at the peak.
But then Instagram changed its rules. Overnight, we had to shut it down.
In 2019, we built the TikTok version.
It grew fast, hitting $15,000 MRR.
Same story: platform restrictions forced us to stop, even though the demand was insane.
From 2019 to 2020, we shipped like crazy — but without any methodology.
We were just building and praying something would work.
It didn't.
What changed?
In 2020, we launched Tokfluence, but this time we applied “The Mom Test.”
We validated before building, talked to users first, and made sure the problem was real.
Since then, we've achieved a >50% success rate on what we launched.
In 2021, we built PaletteHQ.
YC accepted us, we raised $6M, hired 15 people, and learned how brutal running a venture-backed company really is.
We went through highs and lows. It was tough. But it shaped us.
In 2023, we started BuddiesHR.
What began as a single Slack app turned into a full suite of 7.
Today, thousands of teams use it every day!!!
We're bootstrapped, profitable, and growing fast: $38,000 MRR and counting.
3000 days in, here's what I've learned:
↳ Even when something works, external forces can kill it — so control your own destiny. (avoid platform risk)
↳ Methodology beats luck. Since we started validating, our odds of success skyrocketed.
↳ The right co-founder is everything. Without trust, you don't survive.
It hasn't been easy. There were failures, pivots, and nights where quitting felt easier.
But 3000 days later, I'm still excited to wake up and build with Fab.
And the best part? We're just getting started.
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👋 Hey, I'm J.Y!
I'm the co-founder of BuddiesHR, the #1 suite of Slack apps.
Using Slack? Give it a try, it's a no-brainer.
I post 2x a week (sometimes more) about my journey and share what I've learned along the way.
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