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两年前，我们决定测试一个想法。如果我们构建一个简单、干净、完全依赖市场的小型原生Trello插件，会怎么样？它能否变成一个小型企业？它能否成为副项目的模型？这个想法迅速起飞。超过30,000次安装，数千名每日用户，今天——超过500名付费客户。听起来不错，对吧？其实并不是。好的一面是——Trello是一个公平的生态系统。即使是小开发者也能被发现。没有降级，没有对“大玩家”的隐性提升。清晰的用户界面指南，无缝的集成，没有中介，没有30%的佣金。只需连接Stripe就可以了。对于一个精致的小产品来说，这是一个完美的游乐场。但现实很快显现。我们定价很简单：每个工作区10美元。固定价格。无限用户，无限项目。听起来公平吗？结果发现，即使是10美元/月也是一个巨大的障碍。当它是免费的时，增长迅速且持续。团队每天使用我们，持续几个月，有时甚至一年，留下反馈并传播爱意。但一旦开始收费，许多人便在一夜之间消失了。即使是拥有30多个用户的公司，也宁愿选择一些笨重且没有支持的工具，而不愿支付2-3杯卡布奇诺的费用。问题是：对我们来说，支持免费用户很难保持动力——尤其是当你是自筹资金的时候。付费客户让你充满活力。免费用户则不会。如今，这个项目有500名付费客户，我们很高兴能支持他们。这个插件自给自足。它一直都是一个实验。而期望与现实之间的差距正是它的价值所在。我最大的教训是什么？尽早收费。一旦人们习惯了“免费”，这就成了基准。之后再要求付费会让人感觉像是背叛。与其在一年免费使用后再收费，不如在短暂试用后提前收费要容易得多。那么，Trello插件能否成为真正的商业模式？可以——如果你所说的商业是指一个自我维持的副项目，服务几百名满意的客户，并带来一些现金。但如果你期望它成为一个独立的SaaS公司，那就不行。这也没关系。有时候，最大的收获不是收入，而是经验教训。你是否也遇到过与免费用户的同样困境？你是如何处理的？分享你的经验——我很想对比一下。

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Two years ago we decided to test an idea.What if we built a small native Trello power-up — simple, clean, and entirely dependent on the marketplace? Could it turn into a small business? Could it be a model for side projects?It took off fast. 30,000+ installs, thousands of daily users, and today—over 500 paying customers.Sounds good, right? Not really.On the bright side — Trello is a fair ecosystem. Even small developers get discovered. No downranking, no hidden boost for “big players.” Clean UI guidelines, seamless integration, no middlemen, no 30% commission. Just connect Stripe and go. A perfect playground for a polished mini-product.But then reality set in.We priced it simply: $10 per workspace. Flat. Unlimited people, unlimited projects.Sounds fair? Turns out even $10/month was a huge barrier.When it was free, growth was fast and constant. Teams used us daily for months, sometimes a year, leaving feedback and spreading love. But the moment billing kicked in, many vanished overnight. Even companies with 30+ users preferred something clunky and unsupported over paying the cost of 2–3 cappuccinos.Here’s the thing: for us, it’s hard to stay motivated supporting free users—especially if you’re bootstrapped.Paying customers energize you. Free users don’t.Today the project have 500 paying customers, and we’re happy to support them. The power-up pays for itself. It was always an experiment. And the gap between expectations and reality is what made it valuable.My biggest lesson? Charge early.Once people get used to “free,” that becomes the baseline. Asking for money later feels like betrayal. It’s paradoxically easier to charge upfront (after a short trial) than after a year of free use.So, can a trello power-up be a real business?Yes — if by business you mean a side project that sustains itself, serves a few hundred happy customers, and brings in some cash. But not if you expect it to become a standalone SaaS company.And that’s okay. Sometimes the biggest win isn’t revenue — it’s the lessons.Have you faced the same wall with free users? How did you handle it? Share your experience—I’d love to compare notes.

30000名免费用户教会了我关于收取每月10美元的经验