In 2014, two ambitious freelancers from Romania — with no funding, no audience, and barely any time — launched what started as a tiny side-project. Within two years, it became a $17,000/month revenue-generating business.
They had:
- $0 to invest (they worked from Starbucks for the free Wi-Fi and electricity),
- No followers (literally 0 social media presence),
- No email list,
- No extra time (they were freelancing full-time just to pay rent and bills).
But what they did have was insight, creativity, and consistency.
And what they built was Creative Tim, a business that sells high-quality UI Kits and templates for developers and designers.
Here’s the exact framework they used — broken down by the before and after of achieving Product/Market Fit.
🔧 Before Product/Market Fit: Testing Ideas While Working Full-Time
- Identified a recurring pain point:
While building websites for freelance clients, they realized they were creating the same UI components repeatedly. - Created a free UI Kit:
Instead of repeating the work, they turned these elements into a reusable design kit — and gave it away for free. - Launched on Designer News & Product Hunt:
This move brought in 2,000–3,000 users per week, all organically. No ad spend. No influencers. - Tested a premium upgrade:
They created a paid premium version of the UI Kit with more components, customization options, and templates.
Result? $200/week in revenue — not much, but proof people would pay.
🚀 After Product/Market Fit: Scaling Up with Smart, Repeatable Tactics
Once they validated demand, they went all-in on scale — without adding overhead or chasing venture funding.
- Built more free UI Kits and promoted them through:
- Hackathons
- Affiliate partnerships
- SEO content
- Niche newsletters
- Reddit communities
- Product Hunt
- Designer News
- Hacker News
- GitHub repositories
- Hackathons
- Set up an automated email sequence:
Every free download triggered an email flow that introduced the paid version of the kit. It was soft-sell, high-value, and perfectly timed. - Reinvested in content & product quality:
Instead of flashy marketing, they focused on improving the product and letting users do the promotion.
💰 The Result After 2 Years?
From freelancing to financial freedom:
- $17,000/month in net profit
- 100% bootstrapped
- Fully remote
- Profitable from day one
- Serving a global user base of designers and developers
🙌 A Final Note
Huge thanks to Alexandru Paduraru, one of the co-founders and a member of our community, for sharing this story so transparently. It’s a reminder that you don’t need funding, fame, or followers to build something successful — just clarity, consistency, and the willingness to execute.