Mel

Ever since working with the Remedy Labs team, I've been fascinated by the concept of an SMS-based #UI.

That's why the initial MVP of Mel came shortly after Remedy shut down.

As I work on growth for the current version of Mel (unsubscribe from postal mail) I can't help but imagine where else this could go.

So I've launched a premium subscription tier called Research Assistant. This version of Mel can help folks remove all clutter from their homes—not just junk mail. Users receive tailored, locally-based advice on how to part ways with unwanted items.

What would you ask Mel to help you get rid of?

It's been a few years since I've focused 100% on a single project, and I'm excited to get back to it with Mel. In fact, I'll be moving back to San Francisco where I can fully immerse myself in the tech, entrepreneurship, and climate communities as I build out the project.

Celebrating the launch of Mel's new backend with a redesigned homepage 🎉

The user experience hasn't changed. Just text Mel a photo of junk mail to be removed from the sender's mailing list.

Graduating from an MVP stack that was Google Voice and Notion, Mel is now able to handle more requests and process them faster.

That means I can handle more users – so please give it a try or share the new website with your friends and family who receive too much mail.

Back in 2017 I started working on Mel, a service that allows you to unsubscribe from postal mail. However, I wasn't confident that I could monetize the service, so I stayed focused on freelance work.

Over this past holiday—bundled up in a cabin in North Carolina during the polar vortex or whatever that was—I worked on bundling Mel's features into a $25/year membership. Three weeks later, and I have my first paying customer! It's motivating to have ARR > 0 😁

Having validated that a stranger on the Internet is willing to pay for my service, I'm excited to continue experimenting with marketing strategies 💪