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Digital Nomad Couple Builds $12k/mo AI chatbot generator
Matt Anderson
September 12, 2024
Digital Nomad Couple Builds $12k/mo AI chatbot generator
Name | Business | $$$/Month |
|---|---|---|
Gemma Vincent | $12k |
Table of Contents
🛠️ Breaking the Mold: How Gemma Vincent Built an AI Business While Touring England by Van
After experiencing sexism at work, Gemma Vincent, 36, decided she’d had enough of the corporate world. She left her 9-to-5 to create a welcoming design agency. But that wasn’t the end of her entrepreneurial journey. Together with her husband, Zef, she developed an AI bot generator that now brings in nearly $12k in MRR — all while raising a baby and touring southern England by van.
Here’s Gemma’s inspiring journey👇
🌟 From University to Love and Code
Gemma’s passion for coding began at university while studying Interactive Media Production at Bournemouth, on the south coast of England. It was there she met Zef, now her husband and business partner.
After working together at The Unit in Brighton, the two traveled through Asia, which marked the beginning of their romantic relationship. While they initially decided not to work together, the irony is that today they run two businesses as a team.
✊ Turning Pain into Power: Fighting Sexism in the Workplace
Gemma founded her design agency, Pixelhop, after facing sexism from a developer she worked with. This experience led to a tough period of anxiety and depression, during which she struggled to leave her home.
Her goal with Pixelhop was simple: to create a remote agency where everyone felt happy and safe. As Gemma says, “You don’t need an office to do amazing work.” Her husband, Zef, encouraged her to take the plunge after too many nights of her coming home in tears.
Gemma launched Pixelhop on Valentine’s Day 2019, and within a year, Zef had joined her full-time. Their business flourished primarily through word-of-mouth marketing, proving that quality work speaks volumes.
⚡ Bootstrapping an AI Business: From Weekend Project to $12k MRR
Gemma and Zef had always dreamed of creating their own products but often found themselves distracted by client work or outpaced by competitors. However, they were more focused with their AI bot generator, Chat Thing, as it felt like a race against time due to the fast-growing AI landscape.
What started as a weekend project quickly turned into a full-fledged business. “We hacked it together to start with,” Gemma says, explaining that they initially focused more on launching than on user experience or design. They collected over 2,000 emails on their waitlist within a week of launching their landing page.
This lean approach paid off, and once they had a proof of concept, they revisited the user experience, which has been crucial to their growth. Their revenue skyrocketed to nearly $12k MRR, though it has since stabilized at around $8k.
🚀 Tech Stack & Scaling Chat Thing
When they first launched Chat Thing, it only allowed users to create bots from Notion pages, but they quickly expanded to other data sources like websites, YouTube, and more. Today, Chat Thing supports everything from customer support bots to workflow automation tools.
Their tech stack includes Nuxt.js for the frontend and a mix of APIs for scaling. One of the most complex aspects is their job/queuing system, which processes thousands of tasks daily, pulling in data from various sources for bot consumption.
If you're looking to build an app or bot, check out their approach to AI integrations and scalability.
When Chat Thing first launched, OpenAI was leading the way with its powerful models. But the AI landscape is ever-changing, and now there are plenty of excellent alternatives. Gemma and Zef have added support for all major providers, reducing platform risk and giving customers more choice.
A major breakthrough came with the introduction of function calling, enabling bots to perform actions like browsing the web and interacting with APIs. This upgrade transformed Chat Thing from a simple Q&A tool into an advanced AI co-pilot.
Recently, they launched a Software Development Kit (SDK) that allows developers to build their own "Power-ups," making it easier to integrate AI functionalities into apps.
💡 Learning to Sell: The Importance of Storytelling
Gemma and Zef admit that marketing isn’t their strong suit, but they’ve learned the hard way that selling a story is far more effective than simply listing features. Chat Thing is a powerful and versatile tool, but that can make it harder to communicate its value.
The couple has watched competitors surpass them in MRR despite having fewer features. Now, they’re actively working on their storytelling and plan to bring on a marketing expert to help. If you’re struggling to market your product, focus on how it solves problems rather than its technical features.
🎤 Celebrity Clients: Seth Godin and Chat Thing
One of the most exciting moments for Gemma and Zef was receiving an email from Seth Godin while they were cooking dinner with their newborn baby. Initially, they thought it was a hoax, but it turned out to be the real deal!
Seth asked them to create a bot based on years of his blog content, which was an incredible proof of concept for Chat Thing. If Seth Godin trusts their AI bot generator, you know it's something special!
🏁 The Power of Starting Lean: Advice from Gemma
Gemma’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is simple: just start. Don’t wait until your product is perfect — focus on validating your idea and getting it into people’s hands.
When building a brand, it doesn’t have to be overly formal. In fact, Gemma and Zef’s fun and relatable branding for Pixelhop has helped them stand out and build lasting relationships with clients.
If you’re thinking about starting your own business, take a leaf out of Gemma’s book and prioritize action over perfection.
🌊 Balancing Work, Life, and Family on the Road
Working in tech can feel like a never-ending race to keep up with the latest trends, especially with AI evolving so quickly. But for Gemma and Zef, the beauty of indie hacking is the freedom it provides.
While scaling their businesses, the couple traveled around the south of England in a camper van, exploring the Cornish coast. They’ve since settled down in Cornwall with their newborn baby, enjoying the perfect balance of work and family life.
💬 Final Thoughts
Gemma Vincent’s story is one of resilience, creativity, and a love for both tech and adventure. She and Zef have managed to build not one but two successful businesses, all while raising a family and living life on their own terms.
Their journey highlights the importance of pivoting, learning from mistakes, and staying adaptable in the fast-paced world of AI.
Are you ready to take a leap like Gemma? Whether it’s coding, AI, or a creative side project, her story proves that with the right mindset, anything is possible.
Are you a B2B founder or seller looking to generate more leads through LinkedIn? See how friendli can help automate lead generation using your LinkedIn network!
Cheers,
Matt