Hi Leon – congrats on reaching $7k MRR! Looks like a great tool to practice SQL – I'm curious how did you come up with the idea?
Leon
I have been working in the data science and machine learning space for over 10 years.
In the last few years, I built an applied machine learning & data science team at Apple from scratch.
As a senior manager, I interviewed and hired many people, including young professionals, interns, and college graduates.
And I've noticed that there is a very strong correlation between hands-on data processing skills (e.g., using SQL to extract data) and new hires' productivity and work performance.
SQL is pretty much a must-know language for any data analytics professional, so during Covid, I launched a SQL video course.
My goal was to teach people from basic SQL syntax to advanced window functions in a business context and help college graduates master SQL, ace their job interviews, and excel at their new jobs.
Soon after I launched the SQL course, I realized I needed a place for students to practice SQL assignments and coding problems, and I couldn't find an interactive SQL playground service online, so I created my own SQL playground and hosted it on http://sqlpad.io.
MicroFounder
So the tool started out from your video course – it was probably a good way to test the product in real life on your students. But how did you find your first paying customers outside of that?
Leon
A lot of hustling, trial and error, but I got my first 100 customers (mostly free tiers) by visiting forums such as Reddit or Quora, answering SQL-related questions, and organically mentioning http://sqlpad.io if I see there is a fit.
So after over two months of marketing and improving the product, I finally got my first paid customer.
When I received the automated email receipt, it was beyond exhilarating.
