How Jonathan bootstrapped an AI product without knowing how to code

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Meet Jonathan Kraayenbrink.

Jonathan is originally from Argentina, but has been living in Warsaw, Poland for the past 16 years.

For over a decade, he ran Un Mate - an export and e-commerce business selling yerba mate. The business was solid, but as it grew, so did the complexity. Logistics, inventory, delays, it all scaled with the revenue.

At some point, Jonathan came to an important realization: this wasn’t scalable, and he couldn’t see himself doing it long-term.

Eventually those thoughts made him build AISelfi. Fully bootstrapped and currently Jonathan’s full-time focus.

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The story told by Jonathan Kraayenbrink

A full reset

Even without a tech background, I’d always liked building things - connecting plugins, setting up stores, making things work online. Deep down, I knew I wanted to create a digital product.

So I made a bold move. I sold my shares in Un Mate, enrolled in a Master’s program in Data and AI, and started from zero.

I thought the degree would open doors into the tech world.

It didn’t.

After six months of applying to jobs and hearing nothing but “no,” I decided to stop waiting.

The idea

I found myself in need of professional photos - for LinkedIn, for presentations, even for graduation.

But I don’t like taking photos of myself and I didn’t want to do a photo session.

At the same time, I was experimenting with AI image generation.

That’s when it clicked:

What if I could build a tool to turn regular photos into professional ones?

That’s how AISelfi was born - an AI photo studio built for people like me.

I had no idea how to build it

I wasn’t a developer.

So I opened ChatGPT, started copy-pasting code, and duct-taped together my first MVP (Minimum Viable Product).

It took a month of trial and error. Every change risked breaking everything. But eventually, I got it working.

I shared it with friends, collected feedback, and made some fixes.

I launched late October 2024.

While I’ve worked in teams in the past, I’ve learned that I prefer working independently. I’ve built everything myself and handle all aspects of the business as well.

Marketing

I started out by posting about my launch on LinkedIn.

I only had a small following, so I DM’d everyone I knew, asking them to check it out.

The results were pretty good.

In the first 3 days:

• 5,000 impressions

• 550 visitors

• 4 paying users ($130 revenue)

The exciting part? Two of those customers were total strangers.

Seeing the first Stripe notification from someone I didn’t know was awesome.

The crash

After that first spike, traffic slowed. Almost no sales.

But then something interesting happened.

Some users asked to try it for free. I said yes and in return, I asked for testimonials if they liked it.

Three people shared their results publicly. Each of their posts took off.

Suddenly, traffic grew and I was getting tons of orders.

That’s when I realized something simple but powerful: People trust people.

First 30 days

By the end of month one, AISelfi had:

• 5,500 visitors

• 98 orders

• $2,241 in revenue

SEO
The site is still new, so SEO is in its early stages. I’ve created a few pages targeting long-tail keywords. These haven’t brought in meaningful traffic yet though.

Building free mini tools
One of the most visited pages on my website is a free photo analyzer tool, which currently brings in about 100–200 monthly clicks.

Affiliate program
I’ve also partnered with creators and influencers through a 30% commission affiliate program.

Each partner gets a unique link or coupon code. If someone clicks their link and later places an order, the system automatically tracks the referral and assigns a 30% payout to the affiliate. It’s simple, transparent, and performance-based.

Miscellaneous
Furthermore I offer free trials in exchange for testimonials. I’m also collaborating with LinkedIn creators to get the word out there.

Next step is to explore paid marketing to see how far I can take it.

The business model

AISelfi runs on a simple, one-time payment model (I’ve found subscriptions harder to sell for this type of product). Currently, there are three pricing tiers:

• $29: 40 AI-generated images

• $39: 100 images

• $99 (Business Plan): 500 images for up to 5 people

What I’ve learned

You don’t need to raise money or know how to code to start building.

You just need a real problem, a willingness to learn in public, and a few people who believe in what you’re doing.

AISelfi screenshots

You’ll find Jonathan Kraayenbrink on LinkedIn and X.

Please also check out his side project Que IA Es.

See you next time,
Thanks,
Jakob Jelling

I’m on X. Come out and play.