New series alert!

We’re genuinely obsessed with founders who turn their biggest frustrations into actual businesses. Like, the ones who get so annoyed by something that they're like "fine, I'll just build it myself" and then... actually do it.

So we’re starting a new series where I sit down with these founders and get all the inside tea on their journey. Every month, we'll dive into how they spotted the gap everyone else missed, how they're building their business & brand in public, what content strategies are actually working for them, and what they're learning as they go.

The thing is, most founder stories gloss over the tactical stuff. The content strategies that actually moved the needle. The specific moment they figured out their positioning. The conversations that changed everything.

In each feature, we'll dive deep into:

For our fifth feature, we're spotlighting Marie, the co-founder of Tally - the simplest way to create online forms. Marie started to build Tally in 2020 and they bootstrapped the company to $4M ARR in 5 years with a tiny but mighty team. She’s the queen of building in public (we obsess about the super transparent Tally blog written by Marie, check it out here), so expect a lot of golden advice on how to build your brand alongside your product. 

^{This newsletter is kindly sponsored by Tally. Our mission is to help you create great brands and great content and knowing your audience deeply is the most important thing. we partnered with their team to create something you need in your toolkit - Audience Research Form. Use this to gather insights from your audience to help you create content that deeply resonates and become their favorite person or brand to follow. Click here to access the form.}

Let’s dive in. Marie’s story is so inspirational and I can’t wait for you to dive in!

Marie Martens, co-founder of Tally, the form builder that's proving you don't need VC money to win in a crowded market. After their travel startup collapsed in week one of COVID, Marie and her co-founder and partner, Filip, pivoted to forms. And built a completely bootstrapped alternative to Typeform that now serves over 1 million users.

Marie’s LinkedIn: Connect with Marie here

Try Tally: Tally.so

Tally’s LinkedIn: Follow Tally here

What she's building: A form builder that's a joy to use, no paywall after 10 submissions, fully customizable, and built for people who were tired of choosing between Google Forms' limitations and Typeform's price tag.

Why it matters: In a space dominated by VC-backed competitors, Tally proves that transparency, founder-led growth, and solving a real frustration can build a sustainable business without investor money.

Marie and Filip (her co-founder and partner) didn't dream of billion-dollar exits. They dreamed of building a business that could pay the bills while they traveled the world.

In 2020, they had the perfect setup. Marie's a marketer, Filip is a full-stack engineer. Together, they had everything needed to take an idea from zero to one. They rented out their Brussels flat, said goodbye to friends and family, and moved to Asia to build Hotspot - a marketplace connecting hotels with travel influencers.

They rented out their Brussels flat, said goodbye to friends and family, and moved to Asia to build Hotspot - a marketplace connecting hotels with travel influencers.

Then COVID hit.

"After one week, we flew back to Belgium and went straight into lockdown. Our customers disappeared overnight."

They'd given themselves one year to build a business and make money online. A few months into lockdown, they knew they had to pivot fast.

Late one night, forms came up in conversation. There was Google Forms - free but ugly and limited. Then there was Typeform - beautiful but expensive, with a paywall that kicked in after just 10 responses.

At the time, they were using Notion constantly and loved how it made something as simple as note-taking feel fun.

"We thought: what if we do the same for forms? What if we build a form builder people actually enjoy using, without the heavy price tag?"

That question became Tally.

Marie didn't set out to become a "founder influencer". She just did what felt natural in the indie hacking world.

"It started in the indie hacking space, where it's normal to share learnings and revenue openly. That's where we launched because that's the world we came from."

When you're bootstrapped in a competitive space filled with VC-backed startups, you have one superpower they don't: complete transparency.

"We can share our full revenue, our roadmap, our changelog, everything. We don't have a board or investors telling us what we can't say. That transparency makes our story more personal and builds trust."

Over time, Marie realized something critical. People prefer to follow people, not brands.

Her personal audience grew because she was sharing the real journey. The pivots, the struggles, the wins. What people now call "founder-led marketing" or "thought leadership" was just Marie's default way of showing up.

The result? Tally now serves over 1 million users. All from organic growth with zero dollars spent on ads.

Marie doesn't sugarcoat what it actually takes.

"Founder life isn't glamorous. Yes, you get the title and the LinkedIn bio, but in reality, you do all the unglamorous tasks that keep the business running. You fix bugs at 2 in the morning, you answer support tickets no one else can handle, and you need the grit to keep going day after day."

Marie shares a sentiment that a lot of founders can relate to.  "You start a company because you want freedom, but you often end up being a slave to your own business. In my opinion, it's very hard to build a successful business between 9 to 5."

The real differentiator isn't intelligence. It's perseverance.

"Success doesn't come overnight. I really believe the founders who win are the ones with the most perseverance and grit, not necessarily the smartest ones."

And when it comes to balancing it all? Marie keeps it brutally honest:

"Combining a startup with kids is hard. I have two. You need help or a partner who takes on a big share. I often feel like a bad founder, or a bad mom, or a bad partner, or a bad friend. You simply cannot do it all at once, at least not in a sustainable way. And that is okay. It's constant giving and taking."

"We need more examples. Building in public really matters because the more female founders share their story, the more normal it becomes for the next generation. I have a four-year-old daughter, and I love that she grows up in a home where female bosses are normal. I hope she will choose her path with confidence."

On saying yes to discomfort:

Marie's an introvert who never wanted the spotlight. Now she speaks in front of thousands.

"I still get stressed, but I say yes anyway because I want to set the example. Many women lack confidence because we're too strict on ourselves. I try to say yes to things that make you uncomfortable. It truly is the only way to grow."

Talk to users (but really listen), ship early, launch often

The fundamentals never change. Get feedback early, launch imperfectly, iterate constantly.

Be authentic (but really)
"You can instantly see when content is ghostwritten, overly polished, or purely optimized for clicks. Be honest. Share the small things. Don't be afraid to be yourself. You don't need to paint a prettier picture. People want to see the real journey, the struggles, the behind-the-scenes moments."

Grit beats genius

"Success doesn't come overnight. I really believe the founders who win are the ones with the most perseverance and grit, not necessarily the smartest ones."

As you scale, team becomes everything

"In the beginning, everything was about building the best product. But as you grow, you realize the companies that win are the ones with the strongest teams. And that’s a whole different challenge. It’s hard to find the right people, and I’ve learned to choose based on gut feeling."

As always, thanks for being here! And let me know - what founder would you like to see featured next?

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