He Built a Script to Promote His Side Project. Then Accidentally Created a Startup That Fortune 500s Now Use.

Some folks wait for permission.
These people? They jailbreak reality.

They spot a problem, grab whatever tools are lying around, and start building like they’ve got a deadline from the universe.

That’s what It Exists is about. Every weekend, we drop you into the story of someone who went from “I wish this existed” to “oh, it’s live… and people are using it.” No theory. No think-pieces. Just unfiltered execution.

Some ideas were born inside NTE Pro’s 5,000-idea vault. Others got their first boost from NTE Zero to One. Most started with nothing but a stubborn brain and a Wi-Fi signal.

These aren’t hypotheticals. They’re proof that scrappy beats perfect, and that the fastest way to test a dream is to ship it.

Your turn.

Let’s go.

He just wanted traffic.

That’s it. No unicorn dreams. No “disrupt” deck. Just more eyeballs on his other project,  a curated directory of online communities called The Hive Index.

Reddit seemed like the perfect place.
Smart people. Niche questions. Endless discussions.
But there was one problem…

“Reddit’s native search is terrible.”

So he hacked together a script. No login. No UI. No payment. Not even a database. Just a duct-taped tool that helped him surface the exact threads he needed so he could chime in and drop his link (tactfully). It worked.

Then something weird happened.

He quietly shared it with a few indie hackers.

And 100,000 users later… that little script is now GummySearch, a full-fledged Reddit intelligence platform used by everyone from bootstrappers to Fortune 500s.

It started as a growth hack.
Now it powers other people’s startups.

One founder used it to validate their entire startup thesis.

Another spun up 100+ content ideas.

A third tracked competitors and built a GTM plan from scratch.

“I built it to promote my product. But other people were using it to create theirs.”

That’s when it hit him:
Reddit wasn’t just a distribution channel. It was a founder’s crystal ball.

So he gave the tool a name: GummySearch.

He traded a Lifetime Deal to a cartoonist in exchange for the gummy bear logo.

And went all in.

Lesson 1: The Best Products Don’t Start as Products

The founder had been in startups for 12 years. He knew how things worked. Or so he thought.

But GummySearch didn’t begin with a roadmap. Or a launch plan. Or even a business model.

It began as a workaround.

He was trying to promote something else and built a tool for himself that accidentally scratched a much bigger itch.

But when the indie hacker crowd started sharing it, the signal was undeniable.
Soon agencies were using it.
Then VCs.
Now even Fortune 500s and yes, they’re still on the $59/mo plan.

“I lose a little sleep knowing a global corporation is using my tool for the cost of two DoorDash orders.”

Lesson 2: Listen When the Use Cases Shift

GummySearch started as a keyword tracker.

At first, he thought indie hackers would use it to promote their stuff.

And they did.

But then came the surprises:

“People were using it to validate startup ideas, track competitors, research communities, test landing pages… even monitor their own brand mentions.”

That’s when it clicked.

This wasn’t just a growth tool.
It was a founder’s Swiss Army knife.

Instead of pushing his old use case, he leaned into the new ones.
Because product-market fit doesn’t always come from your idea.
Sometimes it shows up in your users’ behavior.

Instead of forcing his original vision, he followed the pull.
He rewrote the copy. Rebuilt onboarding. Tuned features to match how people actually used it.

“You don’t always find product-market fit. Sometimes it finds you.”

Lesson 3: Lifetime Deals Aren’t Dead. Just Be Smart About It.

Someone asked for a Lifetime Deal.

He said sure. Then casually emailed the list. And boom:

$50,000 in 2 months.

“It took off in LTD communities because existing users were saying good things. That’s the key.”

He kept it private, no marketplaces.

Back then, server costs were low. No AI bills yet.

But even now, years later?

Those LTD customers are still showing up.
They use the new AI features. Refer others. Give feedback.
They’re mini-VCs without the equity.

“They gave me runway when I needed it. That word-of-mouth never stopped.”

Just don’t mistake LTDs for a business model.

Use them as a launchpad. Then switch to recurring.

Lesson 4: Validate After Launch Too

“Validation doesn’t stop after you launch. It happens every time you build something new.”

Every new customer type, every new feature, every use case was pressure-tested: emails, DMs, interviews, Reddit replies.

Even now, he A/B tests pricing, quietly tweaks positioning, and follows the trails of feedback.

Validation isn’t a checkbox.
It’s a muscle.

And in GummySearch’s case, it’s the reason the product stayed relevant as the user base went from indie devs to enterprise teams.

Lesson 5: Reddit Is a Goldmine — If You Don’t Treat It Like LinkedIn

GummySearch found its first customers on Reddit… using GummySearch.

Meta, we know.

“I’d track keywords, jump into conversations where people were struggling with research or validation, and actually try to help.”

But here’s the twist: he never dropped links recklessly. No spam. No self-promo.

People weren’t saying “I need a Reddit research tool.” But they were complaining about Reddit search, asking for idea validation tips, or referencing tools that didn’t exist. He didn’t wait for a direct ask, he read between the threads.

If you treat Reddit like an engagement channel instead of a billboard, the rewards are real.

“Reddit’s allergic to self-promo. But it rewards honesty.”

Today, thousands use Gummy to find their own corners of Reddit gold for validation, growth, research, or curiosity.

Bonus Lesson: Build Growth That Works While You’re Sleeping

In the early days, Twitter gave him a jumpstart.

But social only scales so far.

“Eventually, you need to build distribution channels and growth loops that work on days you’re not working.”

That’s where Reddit listening, SEO, and shareable reports come in.

It’s the kind of quiet compound growth that builds while you rest.

Bonus Bonus: Once You Build One SaaS… You See Them Everywhere

“The curse of the SaaS founder is that once you build one, you see three more in your head. It’s like a hydra.”

He’s not launching them. Yet.

But they’re sitting there. In a Notion doc. Whispering.

What You Can Learn From GummySearch

🔍 Start with duct tape.
The best ideas often come from solving your own annoying problem.

🧠 Let use cases evolve.
You might build one tool and discover five businesses inside it.

💸 LTDs aren’t evil.
They can be the spark,  just don’t make them your forever model.

🔁 Validation never stops.
Check your assumptions after launch just as much as before.

🧵 Reddit is a gift.
Use it for what it’s best at: raw, unfiltered, specific human insight.

Try GummySearch 

👉 GummySearch.com — the best Reddit research tool on the internet

👉 Check out the Indie Hackers post that started it all

👉 Read his blog post on idea validation — it’s how he still sanity-checks every new feature and direction.

👉 Follow the journey on Twitter/X (search “GummySearch”)

If you’ve ever wondered what Reddit really thinks about your idea…
If you’re trying to find your first customers in the wild…
If you want to stop guessing and start listening…
Then this isn’t just a tool.
It’s your edge.

This is what It Exists is all about.
Frustrated that finding customers on Reddit was chaos, he built the exact tool he wished existed.
Now it’s the go-to way to validate ideas, discover niches, and uncover what people actually care about straight from the source.

No overthinking. No gatekeepers. Just solving a problem and hitting “publish.”

Need ideas? NTE Pro has close to 5k sparks ready to catch fire.
Need help building? NTE Zero to One gets your MVP off the ground.

Let’s build it.
Let’s ship it.
Let’s make it exist.