We got our first paid user. And we're still stuck in Google's audit process.
We got our first paid subscriber. Still can't believe it.
I've been building InboxClean quietly for a few weeks — a tool that scans your Gmail and automatically unsubscribes you from spam every Monday. No launch. No Product Hunt. Just kept building and sharing it in a few places.
Then yesterday, someone signed up for Pro. $5/month. Small number. Huge feeling.
It means someone trusted us enough to pay for something I built. That hits different than any upvote or comment ever could.
But honestly? The behind-the-scenes has been messier than it looks.
Getting the OAuth verification right, fixing the payment webhook, making sure the weekly cron job actually runs for paying users — a lot of invisible work that nobody sees. And right now we're stuck in Google's CASA verification process, which is required for apps that access Gmail. The audit alone costs thousands of dollars. For a $5/month tool. It's a real wall for indie builders and we're figuring out how to get through it without burning everything on fees before we even have 10 users.
But that first payment made it real. Someone has the same problem I had — manually cleaning their inbox every week, still paying for it in time — and they trusted us to fix it.
That's the whole reason to build in public.
Next goal: 10 paying users. Building through the walls, not around them.
The first customer is proof that you're no longer building a project. You're building a business.
You can say that again! The problem is a real painpoint and other services requires you to still do the manaul work of unsubscribing even as a paid user. I'm hoping our little solution helps bridge that gap successfully.
The product solves a real pain.
InboxClean is the weak layer.
For something touching Gmail access, OAuth permissions, and automated inbox actions, trust gets decided before the feature even runs.
“InboxClean” sounds like a lightweight utility.
What you’re actually building is closer to inbox infrastructure.
That matters because once people connect email access, the name becomes part of the security decision.
Something like Xevoa.com would age much better if this grows beyond simple unsubscribe cleanup into broader inbox automation.
I have had friends who have told me they cannot signup using their real gmail account for exactly the reason you just said - "Trust". Its a classic chicken and egg problem but I believe successfully passing through the pending google verification process should help mitiage this fear. We keep building!