TUTORIAL 01 · GROWTH / PLG · Build time: one weekend · Running cost: $0 on free tiers · Level: you can follow a React tutorial
What you'll build
A small, free Chrome extension that fixes one daily annoyance for your target user: copying a LinkedIn profile into your CRM, summarising a page, finding an email. People sign in with Google to use it. Every sign-in becomes a lead in your CRM, and when someone uses it heavily, the extension shows them your paid product at the exact moment they need more.
The extension is not the product. It is the distribution channel.
Why it works
It lives where the work happens. Your users spend most of their day in the browser. A tool in the toolbar gets used daily, so your brand gets seen daily.
Sign-in feels natural. Users expect an account when a tool saves history or syncs settings, so the email capture doesn't feel like a toll.
The upsell is contextual. A prompt that appears when someone hits a limit converts far better than a cold email, because it arrives at the moment of need.
The Chrome Web Store is a search engine. A well-named extension picks up installs with no ad spend.
The stack
Job | Tool | Why this one |
|---|---|---|
Extension framework | Plasmo | React + TypeScript, hot reload, builds the MV3 manifest for you |
Sign-in and user table | Supabase Auth | Google sign-in and a Postgres users table on the free tier |
Usage analytics | PostHog | Event tracking with a generous free tier |
CRM sync | Supabase Edge Function → Pipedrive | Keeps your CRM key off users' machines |
Upsell | A React modal | Shown when a free limit is reached |
Pick your micro-problem first
Write one sentence: "Every day, [your user] wastes time doing [small repetitive thing] in [website]." If your paid product solves the bigger version of that problem, you have your extension. If it doesn't, pick another annoyance. The extension only sells your product when the two are clearly related.
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