Three Founding Members, $18 MRR, and the First Real Signs This Might Actually Work

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Calm & Colorful: Not Your Average MBA Diaries

Education


After more than 40 customer discovery conversations, countless pivots, and a lot of uncomfortable texts, something finally clicked.

In this episode, I'm sharing the real behind-the-scenes of launching the MVP for my parenting audio membership and what happened when I stopped trying to build the "perfect" product and started testing what people would actually pay for.

Inside this episode:

  • Why my first three paying Founding Members felt bigger than the money
  • The follow-up text that turned a "maybe later" into a customer
  • What I completely failed to track during 40+ customer interviews (and what I'd do differently)
  • Why timing—not interest—was stopping one mom from buying
  • The emotional reality of asking friends to become customers
  • Why $18/month feels like proof that this business can become something much bigger
  • Balancing entrepreneurship, motherhood, graduate school, and a child with ongoing health challenges
  • Why I'm more hopeful than ever that I'm finally finding product-market fit

This isn't a polished success story. It's a real-time diary of building a business from the ground up—one conversation, one experiment, and one brave ask at a time.

If you're building something of your own, especially while raising a family, I hope this reminds you that momentum often starts with just a handful of people saying, "Yes."