How I Built A $25K/Month Tool In A Crowded Market
Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?
Hello! My name is Charlie Clark, and I’m the solo founder of Liinks. My background is in design and software engineering.
Liinks is a simple yet powerful link-in-bio tool. A link-in-bio tool is essentially a mobile-first mini website builder that acts as your landing page for all your social channels, media, and other content. It’s the primary link you'd use for your Instagram, TikTok, or other social media bios.
The link-in-bio space is highly competitive, with dozens of similar tools out there. So what has allowed Liinks to grow to 5,300+ paying customers, bringing in $25K+ per month? It's the simple and user-friendly UI, deep customization options, powerful features for advanced users, and an affordable price point.
How did you come up with your business idea?
In 2019, I quit my full-time job to build a print-on-demand marketplace for artists. After launching, I was doing outreach to artists and noticed that many of them were using link-in-bio tools on Instagram. As I explored the existing tools, I realized there was an opportunity to build something better.
The appeal of a link-in-bio tool was that it had a large addressable market—almost everyone needs one to promote themselves or their business. Plus, the core functionality was simple: it’s essentially a stack of buttons linking out to various URLs. I had ideas to make it more powerful, better designed, and more affordable than the competition.
My background in software engineering and design, as well as my experience with launching side projects, helped me develop the skills needed to build and launch Liinks from scratch.
Another thing to remember is that luck plays a much bigger role in success than most people admit. Being in the right place at the right time can make a huge difference, so stay flexible, but also know when it’s time to focus on scaling.
Give us a step-by-step process for how you built the first version of your product.
When I started working on Liinks, I had just spent six months building and launching another web app, VSUAL, and I was able to re-use a lot of what I learned from that. In fact, much of the infrastructure, code, and UX in the first iteration of Liinks came from VSUAL. With that head start, I was able to build an MVP that allowed users to create an account and build a simple page within roughly two weeks.
I used a relatively simple tech stack: React, NodeJS, and MongoDB. Everything was self-hosted on a VPS with DigitalOcean, and I used AWS S3 for asset storage, which cost about $50/month. I registered the LLC using Stripe Atlas, which cost $500. All costs were low enough that I could fund everything through savings, which I planned to recoup by introducing a paid plan once I found product-market fit.
Below are screenshots of the first Liinks UI:
How did you “launch” the business?
To start building an audience, I reached out to potential users, targeting folks using competing tools. I would recreate their pages in Liinks with better styling and ask if they were interested in switching over. I also targeted those who weren’t using any tool, created a custom Liinks page for them, and convinced them to try it.
After gaining some initial users, I launched on ProductHunt. With about 300 upvotes and a #8 rank on the homepage, the launch was relatively successful. Though some users complained about “yet another link-in-bio tool,” most were supportive. This launch gave me a lot of new users and valuable feedback for future features.
My advice for entrepreneurs just getting started would be to focus on shipping early and iterating based on real user feedback. When I launched Liinks, I had the mindset of “done is better than perfect.”
How did you land your first customers?
The first version of Liinks was free since it was so simple that I didn’t feel I could charge for it. Once I had bundled enough features, I introduced a Premium plan at $3/month.
I made my first “internet dollar” from Liinks roughly two months after launching. That was a huge moment for me—it validated the business and encouraged me to double down on building and marketing.
The biggest lesson I learned from launching Liinks was how crucial it is to get something in front of users early. That early feedback shaped the product in ways I hadn’t anticipated.
How have you grown your business?
I’ve used a variety of tactics to grow Liinks. Early on, I relied heavily on cold outreach to potential users, including manually creating pages for them to show the tool's potential. Later, I experimented with ads, particularly Instagram and Google ads. Instagram ads were initially very effective, but post-iOS14, they became less cost-effective, so I switched to Google ads.
A significant growth driver has been the introduction of the Pro plan, which provides advanced features like custom domains, analytics, and the ability to manage multiple profiles. This plan, priced at $10/month, has helped attract users who need more from their link-in-bio tool, such as small businesses, agencies, and influencers managing multiple brands or accounts. Offering both a Premium plan ($4/month) and a Pro plan has allowed Liinks to cater to different user needs while maintaining a lean, affordable pricing model.
Another pivotal moment came when I decided to eliminate the free tier. Removing it not only reduced the number of malicious users but also increased the number of paying users. Though this move decreased the total number of active users, it significantly boosted the quality of the user base and improved profitability.
Overall, organic growth has been strong, too. Liinks pages often include a "Made with Liinks" badge, which has helped drive organic traffic from social media profiles.
Give us a breakdown of your revenue & financials.
Currently, Liinks is generating around $25K/month in revenue, with about 5,300 paying customers. Roughly 4,800 are on the Premium plan ($4/month), and 500 are on the Pro plan ($10+/month).
Liinks has grown 11% over the last 12 months and is profitable, with margins ranging between 80-90%, depending on monthly ad spend. We did roughly 250K in revenue over the last 12 months.
What does the future look like?
Growth over the past month has slowed compared to previous years, partly due to cutting back on advertising and the fact that I had a baby in October 2023, which reduced the time I could spend on the business.
However, I’m optimistic about the future. Last month, I quit my full-time job to focus solely on Liinks. I plan to focus heavily on marketing, activation, and shipping new features, with a goal to reach $30K MRR by September 2025.
In 5 years, I’d love to have reached $1M in ARR ($83K MRR). I believe that I can achieve this by continuing to grow the core Liinks offering while also introducing other related offerings to help folks promote their brand and business online.
Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned through building Liinks is the power of taking small, calculated risks. Instead of diving into huge, risky ventures, I’ve focused on incremental growth, allowing me to stay in control of the business while avoiding burnout. For example, I didn’t chase VC funding when the opportunity arose. I realized early on that I wanted full control and didn’t want to sacrifice important things like personal time or hobbies.
Another key takeaway was learning when to make difficult decisions for the long-term health of the business. When I started seeing malicious activity through the freemium model—like phishing attempts and spam—I knew I had to remove the free tier, even if it meant losing potential users. This decision paid off in the end by reducing overhead and attracting higher-quality customers.
Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?
My advice for entrepreneurs just getting started would be to focus on shipping early and iterating based on real user feedback. When I launched Liinks, I had the mindset of “done is better than perfect,” which allowed me to quickly adapt based on what users actually needed. The product you start with may look very different a year later, but you’ll be ahead if you get it into users' hands as soon as possible.
Another thing to remember is that luck plays a much bigger role in success than most people admit. Being in the right place at the right time can make a huge difference, so stay flexible, but also know when it’s time to focus on scaling.
Lastly, don’t burn out trying to chase every opportunity. It’s better to take small, manageable steps and keep momentum, rather than go all-in at once and risk losing everything.
Where can we go to learn more?
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
