Launch Timeline — Accessible PDF Converter
Start date: February 10, 2026 (Monday) First sales target: March 15, 2026 Revenue target: $5,000 in April 2026
Week 1: Feb 10–14 — Product Polish + Sales Prep
Engineering (you or dev)
- Mon–Tue: Implement the improved AI image description prompt (see AI-PROMPTS.md #1). Deploy and test on 5 real university PDFs.
- Tue–Wed: Implement the CSS-only UX improvement prompt (see AI-PROMPTS.md #2 lightweight variant). Add it as a post-processing step after WCAG validation. Test on 10 documents, compare before/after.
- Wed–Thu: Implement the accessibility audit prompt (AI-PROMPTS.md #3) as an optional final pass. Wire it into the pipeline after rule-based validation.
- Thu: Add Stripe subscription billing. Create three products: Starter ($149/mo), Professional ($499/mo), Enterprise (custom). Add a billing page to the dashboard. Add usage tracking (conversions per month) to KV store.
- Fri: Add a “credits remaining” indicator to the dashboard. Enforce conversion limits per tier. Free tier: 10/month. Deploy everything to production.
Marketing (you)
- Mon: Buy a proper domain (e.g., accessiblepdf.com, pdfaccessible.com, or similar). Set up DNS.
- Tue: Record a 60-second Loom demo video: upload PDF → convert → preview accessible HTML. Keep it simple — show the before (inaccessible PDF) and after (accessible HTML with screen reader demo).
- Wed: Write 3 cold email templates (see Marketing Plan, Channel 1). Load them into an email sequencing tool (Instantly.ai is $30/month and good enough).
- Thu–Fri: Build initial prospect list: 100 universities. Find the Disability Services Director or ADA Coordinator for each. Use LinkedIn + university websites. Add to email tool.
Week 2: Feb 17–21 — Launch Outreach + Landing Page
Engineering
- Mon–Tue: Build a landing page (can be a Next.js page on the existing site). Sections: Hero (headline + CTA + demo video), How It Works (3 steps), Before/After comparison, Pricing table, FAQ, CTA.
- Wed: Add “founding customer” coupon codes in Stripe (50% off first 3 months). Create 20 unique codes to track which channel converts.
- Thu: Add annual billing option to Stripe. Test the full purchase flow end-to-end.
- Fri: Fix any remaining UX issues from the AI cleanup. Polish the dashboard — it needs to look professional for demo calls.
Marketing
- Mon: Launch cold email Sequence 1 to the first 50 prospects. Subject line A/B test two variants.
- Tue: Set up LinkedIn profile as a “PDF accessibility” authority. Write and post first LinkedIn article: “Why Converting PDFs to HTML is Faster Than Remediating Them.”
- Wed: Join AHEAD community forums. Introduce yourself genuinely. Do NOT pitch yet — answer questions, be helpful.
- Thu: Join the WebAIM mailing list and A11y Slack. Same approach — participate, don’t pitch.
- Fri: Send cold email Sequence 1 to the next 50 prospects (100 total now).
Week 3: Feb 24–28 — First Demos + Content
Engineering
- Mon–Tue: Implement hosted HTML feature (see user question about hosting — serve converted HTML from a public URL so end users can access it directly). This is a key differentiator.
- Wed: Add a WCAG compliance badge/report that can be downloaded as a PDF — universities need this for audit trails.
- Thu–Fri: Bug fixes and polish based on any demo feedback received.
Marketing
- Mon: Publish blog post #1: “The True Cost of PDF Accessibility Remediation at Scale” — include real numbers (30–90 min per doc, $25–$75 per doc manual cost, vs. 2 min automated).
- Tue: Follow up on cold email replies. Book demo calls for this week and next.
- Wed–Fri: Conduct first demo calls. Target: 5 demos this week. Use Zoom, share screen, convert one of THEIR documents live on the call.
- Fri: LinkedIn post #2: Share a before/after of a real conversion (anonymized). Tag accessibility professionals.
Week 4: Mar 2–6 — Push for First Sales
Engineering
- Mon–Tue: Implement any feature requests heard during demos (expect common ones: “Can it handle scanned PDFs?” — yes. “Can we get an API?” — add to roadmap. “Does it handle tables?” — improve table handling if needed).
- Wed–Fri: Continue polish. Ensure the product is stable for paying customers. Monitor error rates and conversion quality.
Marketing
- Mon: Send cold email Sequence 2 to the next 100 prospects (200 total).
- Tue: Publish blog post #2: “PDF vs. HTML: Why HTML is the Faster Path to WCAG Compliance.”
- Wed: Follow up with all demo attendees from last week. Send pricing proposals. Use “founding customer” discount as urgency lever: “This pricing is only available for our first 20 customers.”
- Thu: LinkedIn post #3: Share a specific stat or insight about PDF accessibility at universities.
- Fri: Book more demos for next week. Target: 5 more demos.
Week 5: Mar 9–13 — Close First Deals
Engineering
- Mon–Wed: Build any must-have features blocking specific deals (expect: invoice/PO support, specific file format needs, SSO questions). For invoicing, enable Stripe Invoicing so you can send Net-30 invoices.
- Thu–Fri: Stability and monitoring. Ensure zero downtime during this critical week.
Marketing
- Mon–Tue: Heavy follow-up on all open proposals. Call prospects who went silent. Send case study (even if informal — “Here’s what we converted for [University X] during their trial”).
- Wed: Personalized outreach to the 5 warmest leads. Offer to convert a batch of their actual documents for free as a proof of concept.
- Thu: LinkedIn post #4 + begin posting in AHEAD forums with relevant insights (not pitches).
- Fri Mar 13: Push for verbal commitments. “If we can get your PO by next Wednesday, you’ll lock in founding pricing.”
TARGET: Week 6: Mar 15 — First Sales
- Mar 15 (Sunday): Target date for first paying customer(s) or signed annual contracts.
- If deals haven’t closed, shift to: “Start your free trial today, convert 10 documents, and we’ll apply founding pricing when you’re ready.”
Weeks 7–8: Mar 16–27 — Scale What’s Working
Engineering
- Implement top 3 feature requests from paying customers.
- Add usage analytics so you can show customers their ROI (“You’ve converted 47 documents this month, saving an estimated 35 hours of manual work”).
- Begin API documentation if enterprise prospects are asking for it.
Marketing
- Send cold email Sequence 3 to 200 more prospects (400 total).
- Publish blog post #3: Case study from first customer (get permission).
- Ask first customers for testimonials and LinkedIn recommendations.
- Apply to present at upcoming accessibility conferences.
- Continue LinkedIn content: 2–3 posts per week.
Weeks 9–12: Mar 30–Apr 25 — Hit $5K
Revenue Targets by Week
| Week | Target MRR | Cumulative Customers | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 9 (Mar 30) | $1,500 | 3–5 | Close remaining pipeline from Weeks 3–5 demos |
| Week 10 (Apr 7) | $2,500 | 6–8 | New outreach wave + referrals from existing customers |
| Week 11 (Apr 14) | $3,500 | 9–12 | Push annual plans hard (count as April revenue) |
| Week 12 (Apr 21) | $5,000 | 12–15 | Close enterprise deal(s) if in pipeline |
Key April Activities
- Launch batch/API access for Professional tier (differentiator for larger teams).
- Begin LMS integration research (Canvas first — largest market share in higher ed).
- Run a webinar: “Automating PDF Accessibility at Scale” — invite all prospects and free tier users. Demo the product live.
- Ask paying customers to refer colleagues at other universities. Offer one free month for successful referrals.
- Publish comparison pages: “Accessible PDF Converter vs. Equidox” and “vs. SensusAccess.”
Revenue Scenarios for $5K in April
Scenario A: Monthly subscriptions
- 5 Professional ($499) + 5 Starter ($149) = $3,240/month
- Need ~2 more Professional or 1 Enterprise to hit $5K
Scenario B: Annual plans (counted in April)
- 2 Professional annual at launch price ($2,490 each) = $4,980
- Plus 1–2 Starter monthly = over $5K
Scenario C: One Enterprise deal
- 1 Enterprise annual ($18,000) = $1,500/month allocated or $18K one-time
- This alone exceeds $5K
Most Likely Path
- Mix of Scenario A and B: 3–4 Professional plans (some annual, some monthly) + a handful of Starter plans + possibly one Enterprise conversation in progress.
Daily Habits (Ongoing from Week 2)
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 8:00–8:30 AM | Check email replies, respond within 2 hours |
| 8:30–9:00 AM | LinkedIn: engage with 5 posts, write 1 comment |
| During the day | Take demo calls as scheduled |
| End of day | Send 10 personalized cold emails or follow-ups |
| Weekly | 1 blog post or LinkedIn article |
| Weekly | Review metrics: emails sent, replies, demos, trials, conversions |