<p>My product is an AI note-taking app that turns YouTube videos, online courses, podcasts, PDFs and Google Meet calls into structured notes, and from each note generates summaries, flashcards, quizzes, diagrams (mind maps, flowcharts) and AI podcasts. It started in 2021 as a Chrome extension for taking timestamped notes next to YouTube videos (still its main acquisition channel — ~7 in 10 notes start from a YouTube video) and grew into a full web app with an AI assistant that answers questions across your library, real-time collaboration, a public API, Zapier integration and an MCP server that works with Claude, ChatGPT and other agents. Built and run by a solo founder.</p><p><b>Key highlights:</b></p><ul> <li>Annual revenue (last 12 months): $1,005 — $3,274 all-time gross revenue since launch of paid plans (Lemon Squeezy)</li> <li>Annual profit (last 12 months): ~$585 (costs ~$20–50/month)</li> <li>Churn rate: 120 subscriptions created all-time, 7 active today (high churn, typical of student/study tools)</li> <li>LTV: ~$27 per paying customer ($3,274 / ~120 subscriptions)</li> <li>CAC: ~$0 — 100% organic (Chrome Web Store + SEO), no paid ads</li> <li>Business margin: ~55–60%</li> <li>32K+ registered users in 162 countries, 136K+ notes from 65K+ YouTube videos, 15K+ hours of video processed, 13K+ flashcards</li> <li>Chrome extension: ~7,000 users, 4.0★ rating, actively maintained (v4.6.0, updated Oct 2026), available in 14 languages; also on Firefox, Edge, Brave, Opera, Arc and Vivaldi.</li> </ul> <p><b>Team</b></p><p>Solo founder: handles everything: product, development of the web app and browser extension, AI features, infrastructure, support and growth. No employees or contractors, so there are no payroll obligations transferring with the business.</p><p><b>Tech Stack</b></p><ul> <li>Frontend: Svelte + TypeScript (web app and browser extension).&nbsp;</li> <li>Backend: Node.js / Express API with Redis. AI: OpenAI API for summaries, chat with video, note generation, quizzes, flashcards and diagrams.&nbsp;</li> <li>Infra: self-hosted on a Netcup server, deployed with Coolify — keeps hosting costs very low.&nbsp;</li> <li>Payments: Lemon Squeezy (merchant of record, handles global taxes).&nbsp;</li> <li>Integrations: public API, Zapier, MCP server (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.), Google Meet notetaker.</li> </ul> <p><b>Marketing and growth</b></p><p>Growth has been 100% organic with zero ad spend: the Chrome Web Store listing (search for "YouTube notes", "YouTube summary", "flashcards") plus SEO. This brought 32K+ signups across 162 countries. The extension is localized into 14 languages, which helps it rank internationally. Untapped channels: paid ads, YouTube/TikTok content for students, affiliate program (already available in Lemon Squeezy), email marketing to the 32K user base, and partnerships with course creators and educators.</p><p><b>Revenue and profit</b></p><p>All revenue is processed through Lemon Squeezy. </p><p>Plans: Free, Starter ($4.99/mo or $49.99/yr) and Plus ($9.99/mo or $99.99/yr), plus one-time AI credit packs ($5 / $12). </p><p>• All-time revenue: $3,274 (128 orders, 120 subscriptions; subscription renewals $1,735) </p><p>• Last 12 months: $1,005 (vs. $1,782 the previous 12 months) </p><p>• Last 30 days: $143 </p><p>• Current MRR: ~$52 from 7 active subscriptions (5 monthly + 2 yearly) </p><p>• Plus plan is the bestseller: 223 sales / $2,766 revenue; Starter: 72 sales / $301 </p><p>• Costs: ~$20–50/month (server + OpenAI API + domain) → ~55–60% margin </p><p>• CAC: $0 (organic) </p><p>• LTV: ~$27.</p><p><b>Return on investment</b></p><p>With ~$585/year in profit and near-zero acquisition cost, payback depends on the asking price; at a price of 2–3x annual profit the buyer recovers the investment in 2–3 years without changing anything. The faster path is monetizing the existing 32K-user base: converting just 0.5% more of it to the $9.99 Plus plan would add ~$1,600 MRR. </p><p>Quick wins: email campaigns to free users, tighter free-tier limits, annual-plan promotions, and enabling the affiliate program.</p><p><b>Startup assets</b></p><ul> <li>Domain + website and landing pages</li> <li>Full source code: web app, browser extension, Express API, MCP server</li> <li>Chrome Web Store listing (~7,000 users, 4.0★) and Firefox add-on listing</li> <li>User database with 32K+ registered users and 136K+ notes</li> <li>Lemon Squeezy store with 7 active subscriptions and 4 products</li> <li>Zapier integration, public API docs and brand assets.</li> </ul> <p><b>Risks</b></p><ul> <li>High churn: study tools are seasonal and many subscribers leave after a few months — mitigate with annual plans, onboarding emails and features that build long-term habit (spaced-repetition flashcards, library).&nbsp;</li> <li>Dependency on YouTube &amp; Chrome Web Store: changes in YouTube transcripts or store policies could affect the core feature — mitigate by diversifying sources (PDFs, podcasts, Meet) which already exist.&nbsp;</li> <li>AI cost volatility: OpenAI usage grows with users — already controlled with an AI-credits system per plan.&nbsp;</li> <li>Competition from other AI note tools — my app differentiates with the YouTube sidebar, flashcards/diagrams and the MCP integration.&nbsp;</li> <li>Declining revenue (−44% YoY) — there has been no paid or active marketing, so a buyer focused on growth has room to reverse it.</li> </ul> <p><b>Summary</b></p><p>My app is a mature, actively maintained AI product with real traction: 32K+ users in 162 countries, a 4.0★ Chrome extension in 14 languages, $3.2K+ in lifetime revenue and 100% organic acquisition. It runs on a lean stack for ~$20–50/month, so almost every new subscription is profit. The user base is heavily under-monetized — a buyer who invests in email marketing, conversion and content can grow MRR quickly on top of a working product, a loyal user base and an established distribution channel.</p><p>✅ $1,005 TTM revenue</p><p>✅ 7 customers</p><p>✅ Business model: SaaS</p><p>✅ Built with Node.js, TailwindCSS, OpenAI</p>