When Jonas Schmidt first quit university, he wasn’t planning to build a software business. He was burnt out, unmotivated, and convinced that the academic path just wasn’t for him. But that low point ended up being the starting line for what would become Studyquick, an AI-powered study tool that earned over $40,000 in its first full year.
After dropping out of university, Jonas took a job in Dubai as Head of Product at an educational tech company. It wasn’t long before he started thinking critically about the product he was working on, suggesting changes, new features, and improvements. But the company wasn’t interested. In fact, he was formally warned to stop pushing ideas that weren’t part of his role.
That moment was pivotal. Realising he had more ambition and ideas than his employer would entertain, he left the role and returned to Germany. Frustrated but motivated, Jonas decided he would bring his own vision to life.
That’s why I went to my boss and told him about features I wanted to implement and suggestions for repositioning etc. He did not like my approach and even sent me a warning letter at a certain point to make sure to keep me in line.
Jonas Schmidt
Studyquick was born out of Jonas’s personal experience as a struggling student who had eventually turned things around. He knew how inefficient and stressful traditional studying could be, and he believed he could create a better system. He envisioned a tool that would enable students to go from average to excellent in a fraction of the time. Studyquick promised to help students achieve high marks with just five hours of focused study, compared to the 30+ hours typically needed for satisfactory results.
Backed by his own story and a growing interest in science-based learning strategies, Jonas took his savings and paid a Bulgarian software agency to build a basic proof of concept.
From Newsletter to First Sales
Jonas had re-enrolled in university, and through that connection, he was able to share the prototype in a campus-wide newsletter. He expected a bit of feedback. Instead, he got over 300 users.
The response was encouraging, but Jonas still wasn’t sure if people would pay for it. So he stopped asking and added a paywall. Using pricing knowledge he’d picked up from his previous work and studies, he created three packages. That same day, a student bought the most expensive one.
In total, it took four months to earn his first euro. But it was proof that the idea had legs.
Growing the User Base
Studyquick’s growth came primarily from two sources, namely search engines and social media.
SEO became a steady and dependable channel, even without running campaigns, the site would get 10 to 20 new signups a day just from organic search. Jonas and his team focused on technical optimisation fast loading pages, lean images, and targeted keywords that helped them rank for AI-generated handouts, exams, and answers.
Social media came next with platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, Jonas pushed short-form content, study tips, and resources. He leaned into new platform features like Instagram’s “Trial Reel” to stay ahead of the curve.
To convert signups into paying users, he tested an email drip campaign. Initially just three emails long, he expanded it to cover 30 days after noticing that users tended to upgrade after about a month. The change halved that conversion window, increasing cash flow and giving the business a faster growth trajectory.
Revenue Growth and Milestones
By the end of its first year (2024), Studyquick had generated over €40,000 in revenue. Much of this came from recurring subscriptions, with a smaller portion from one-time purchases of the larger packages. The introduction of a tiered pricing model helped maximise value across different user segments, from casual learners to high-performing students preparing for major exams.
Monthly revenue steadily increased as organic traffic grew, starting from near-zero and reaching over €2,000/month by the close of the first year. Importantly, this growth was achieved with a lean operation, minimal ad spend, and no full-time employees while rofit margins remained healthy throughout.
The success also opened up opportunities for Jonas to explore new product features and roadmap items, Studyquick 2.0 and 3.0 followed within months, each iteration driven by real user feedback and usage data.
Personal Reflections in Public Spaces
Art may be displayed for the public, but the experience remains deeply personal. Each person brings their own perspective to a painting. One may find sorrow, while another sees hope. The museum becomes a space for introspection, where everyone writes their own narrative through what they feel.
That’s the quiet beauty of the Louvre—it creates collective memory from personal reflections. No two visitors see the same museum, even if they walk the same path.
Lessons from the First Year
Jonas believes that one of the biggest traps for first-time founders is falling into a management mindset before you have anything to manage. He’s quick to differentiate between two roles:
- Entrepreneurship is about making the most of what you have right now.
- Management is about achieving a known goal with extra resources.
Studyquick wasn’t built by waiting for investment or finding the perfect co-founder. It was built by moving forward with what Jonas had: a laptop, an idea, and a bit of cash.
He also learned not to over-index on what people say they will do. Many users told him they would pay. But only when the paywall went up did he find out who really would.
If I had waited for an investor, co-founder or grant a year ago, I would 100% NOT be working on Studyquick 3.0 today. I would not have been able to attract 2000 users and would probably still be working on the first iteration of the landing page
Jonas Schmidt
Apps
Studyquick runs on a stack that includes:
- Webflow for the front end
- Laravel for the backend
- OpenAI for AI-generated learning content
- Klaviyo for email campaigns
- Google Analytics, Tag Manager, and Mixpanel for tracking
- Zapier for automations
- Stripe for payments
And while Jonas doesn’t have a technical background, he managed to launch and grow a software business by outsourcing smartly and focusing on execution over perfection.
Jonas leaves fellow founders with a bit of practical wisdom, if you want to support someone building something, don’t just buy them a bottle of wine. Buy their product at full price and leave a review, it is alot more meaningful than a gift, and helps them keep going.
Studyquick is still early in its journey, but it’s profitable, growing, and grounded in a real story of personal transformation. For Jonas, it all started not with a grand plan, but with frustration, curiosity, and a refusal to wait for permission.
For the rest of my life I will remember the following: “There is NO EXCUSE for NO EXECUTION.”
Jonas Schmidt
