Interview with the Founder of ResumeMaker
About
ResumeMaker is a resume maker that offers a variety of features, including an AI writing assistant, AI bullet point generator, and AI resume import. It also offers a free PDF download and is optimized for ATS.
In this interview, we speak with one of the founders, Fernando Pessagno.
How did you come up with the idea for the business?
It started when my sister asked for help with her resume.
I searched online for quick solutions and was shocked at how unnecessarily complicated most resume builders were.
Some were bloated with useless features, others locked the basic functionality behind paywalls, and most forced you to sign up before you could even see what you were getting.
So, I thought, “Why not create a tool that’s actually simple and straightforward, one that anyone can use?”
How did you build the product?
At the time, I was feeling burnt out from years of soulless client work at my digital design studio, and I needed a way to reconnect with the playful side of being a designer.
ResumeMaker.Online was never meant to be anything other than a fun side project.
I also wanted to improve my coding skills, but I wasn’t in a position to build something complex.
Those constraints actually became a blessing in disguise, helping me realize that a simple, streamlined solution can often be more effective than a heavy, full-featured product.
Instead of offering endless features that could lead to decision paralysis, I removed anything that wasn’t essential.
The idea was to create an intuitive tool that even someone with no design skills could use easily.
Over time, I’ve iterated based on user feedback, keeping it simple but adding features like an AI Writing Assistant to help with resume content.
How big was your team when you started?
It was just me. Being a one-person team came with its challenges, but it also let me stay laser-focused on creating a simple product without overcomplicating things.
That simplicity turned out to be one of the product’s biggest strengths.
How did you launch the business?
I launched it on Product Hunt, not expecting much. Honestly, it was just a fun side project at the time. But to my surprise, it became the #1 product of the day and the week!
That exposure gave me a huge SEO head start, and I realized there was potential to monetize it, which wasn’t even on my radar initially.
How have you grown the business since its launch? Most of the growth has been organic, which has been awesome because I haven’t had much time to dedicate to marketing.
SEO has been a huge factor — around 65% of traffic comes from search engines.
The Product Hunt launch generated tons of backlinks, and over time, word of mouth and small tweaks, like a watermark on the resume, helped grow traffic further.
I’ve also localized the product in several languages, which has expanded its reach.
One of the best things I’ve done, though, is building free tools. Instead of spending hours on marketing (which I’m not a fan of), I focused on creating tools that bring people to the site organically.
Some of the tools I’ve built include a Resume Cover Letter Generator, Resume Checker & Grader, Resume Summary Generator, and even a Job Interview Practice Tool.
The key is making sure the tools are useful for your audience and that they complement your main product.
It’s been a huge win for me — letting the tools do the heavy lifting. So yeah, the “build it, and they’ll come” idea has actually worked out for me!
What are the main marketing channels that work out for you?
SEO has been the biggest driver, hands down. After the initial boost from Product Hunt, I focused on content and building backlinks.
Social media and word-of-mouth have helped too, but one of the best things I did was pitching my personal story to the press.
I ended up getting an interview with Clarín, one of the biggest news outlets in South America.
Instead of just talking about the product, I shared my journey. I think finding interesting aspects of my story made it easier to get published compared to just promoting a product. That led to a LOT of backlinks, which really boosted traffic.
Which tools do you use most often to help grow your business?
One of the tools I rely on is Outseta. It’s been super helpful for managing the business side of things, like subscriptions, CRM, and email marketing, all in one place. It makes handling the back end much easier, so I can focus on improving the product.
What is the business model?
The business runs on a freemium model. You can download a low-res version for free, but if you want more resolution and unlimited AI , no watermark, saving and editing later, and ATS optimization, there’s a subscription.
It’s a pretty straightforward way to let people try it out, and if they need more, they can upgrade.
What do your finances look like?
Right now, the business is bringing in about $3,500 MRR since I switched to the subscription model in January 2024.
Before that, it was a one-time payment thing, which made it harder to keep things consistent month to month.
The margins are over 95%, and it’s more than enough to cover all my living expenses.
That’s allowed me to leave client work and the 9-to-5 life behind, and I’m now fully focused on ResumeMaker.Online and my other SaaS, aiCarousels.com. So yeah, life’s feeling pretty good right now!
