How to build a company that realizes $11 million in annualized revenue with no full-time employees
Gumroad is an online platform that "makes it easy" for creators to get paid for what they do. Savil Lavingia created the company in 2011.
"In 2015, we reached a peak of 23 full-time employees. In 2016, after failing to raise more money, I ended up back where I began: a one-person company.
"Today, when I’m asked how many people work at Gumroad, I respond with “ten or so.” That’s how I convert the number of people we have into what others expect. But the truth is more complicated:
"If we include everyone who works on Gumroad, it’s 25.
"If we include full-time employees, it’s none. Not even me.
"We have no meetings, and no deadlines either."
After the layoffs in 2015, even though the team shrunk, Gumroad itself continued to grow.
"And it’s working: our creators earn over $175 million a year, and we generate $11 million in annualized revenue, growing 85% year-over-year."
Article: No Meetings, No Deadlines, No Full-Time Employees