[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-article-lessons-from-a-bamboo-tree-staying-motivated-on-my-side-project":3},{"meta":4,"html":36,"authorName":37,"authorFacebookUrl":38,"authorProfileImage":39,"authorWebsite":40,"authorJobTitle":41,"authorTwitterUrl":42,"wordCount":43,"recommended":44},{"id":5,"slug":6,"type":7,"title":8,"excerpt":9,"metaTitle":10,"metaDescription":10,"canonicalUrl":10,"featureImage":11,"publishedAt":17,"createdAt":18,"updatedAt":19,"featured":20,"readingTime":21,"tags":22,"author":35,"recommendedSlugs":10},"66ed6878e07b961e2f231a8f","lessons-from-a-bamboo-tree-staying-motivated-on-my-side-project","post","Five Years to 100K Users: The Bamboo Tree Story for Side Project Growth","Discover how a bamboo tree can inspire solopreneurs to stay motivated on side projects. Learn the value of delayed gratification on the journey to success.",null,{"url":12,"alt":13,"caption":14,"width":15,"height":16},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F2024\u002F09\u002F0_JjFAqJ78cyJMViqZ.webp","Tall Bamboo Tree","\u003Cspan style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Photo by \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Funsplash.com\u002F@revoyne?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral\" rel=\"photo-creator noopener\">\u003Cspan style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Steffen Triekels\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"> on \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Funsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral\" rel=\"photo-source noopener\">\u003Cspan style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Unsplash\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>",1440,960,"2024-09-22T20:17:54.000+00:00","2024-09-20T12:20:08.000+00:00","2024-09-24T07:00:43.000+00:00",false,7,[23,26,29,32],{"name":24,"slug":25},"My Journey","my-journey",{"name":27,"slug":28},"Story","story",{"name":30,"slug":31},"Side Projects","side-projects",{"name":33,"slug":34},"Side Hustle","side-hustle","marius-bongarts","\u003Ch3 id=\"from-seed-to-success-the-bamboo-tree-lesson-for-solopreneurs\">\n  \u003Cem>From Seed to Success: The Bamboo Tree Lesson for Solopreneurs\u003C\u002Fem>\n\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>\n  Have you ever heard of the tale of the Chinese bamboo tree? In my eyes, it is one of the best metaphors for patience,\n  perseverance, and long-term growth I have heard.\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"kg-blockquote-alt\">\n  The most powerful outcomes are delayed. —\n  \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedium.com\u002Fu\u002F528e9a6004d8\">James Clear\u003C\u002Fa>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>\n  The story of the bamboo tree has inspired me a lot during my five years of working on my side project, so I decided to\n  share it with you.\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3 id=\"the-tale-of-the-chinese-bamboo-tree\">The Tale of the Chinese Bamboo Tree\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>The legend says that once, a Chinese farmer planted a bamboo seed and watered it every day without fail. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\n  For the\n  \u003Cstrong>first year\u003C\u002Fstrong>\n  , nothing happened. His neighbors saw him go to the same patch of dirt day after day and began to whisper behind his\n  back. \n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cfigure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\">\n  \u003Cimg\n    src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn-images-1.medium.com\u002Fmax\u002F1440\u002F1*odkaeX8-X1GMWsb0fhLikg.png\"\n    class=\"kg-image\"\n    alt=\"Generated by Dall-E: Showing man watering plant\"\n    loading=\"lazy\"\n    width=\"300\"\n    height=\"300\"\n  \u002F>\n  \u003Cfigcaption>\u003Cspan style=\"white-space: pre-wrap\">Generated by Dall-E\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\n\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003Cp>\n  By the\n  \u003Cstrong>second year\u003C\u002Fstrong>\n  , there was still no sign of growth. The whispers turned to laughter.\n  \u003Cem>“Why waste your time?”\u003C\u002Fem>\n  they’d say, shaking their heads. \n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the farmer didn’t stop. He kept watering that spot of earth, believing in the potential beneath the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\n  By the\n  \u003Cstrong>third and fourth years\u003C\u002Fstrong>\n  , the mockery only got louder. Yet, the farmer kept going, putting all his energy into what everyone else thought was\n  a hopeless effort.\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cfigure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\">\n  \u003Cimg\n    src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn-images-1.medium.com\u002Fmax\u002F1440\u002F1*Qu6kHTMNrDfllMXe6IduOQ.png\"\n    class=\"kg-image\"\n    alt=\"Generated by Dall-E: Showing man watering plant\"\n    loading=\"lazy\"\n    width=\"300\"\n    height=\"300\"\n  \u002F>\n  \u003Cfigcaption>\u003Cspan style=\"white-space: pre-wrap\">Generated by Dall-E\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\n\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003Cp>\n  And then, after\n  \u003Cstrong>five years\u003C\u002Fstrong>\n  , something incredible happened. In only six weeks, the bamboo shot up nearly 24 meters (80 feet) into the air. \n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The once-laughing neighbors were stunned. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cfigure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\">\n  \u003Cimg\n    src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn-images-1.medium.com\u002Fmax\u002F1440\u002F1*N24HH0ZDkfwaYIkzAWah_w.png\"\n    class=\"kg-image\"\n    alt=\"\"\n    loading=\"lazy\"\n    width=\"300\"\n    height=\"300\"\n  \u002F>\n  \u003Cfigcaption>\u003Cspan style=\"white-space: pre-wrap\">Generated by Dall-E\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\n\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003Ch4 id=\"how-is-this-possible-how-could-this-tree-grow-24-meters-tall-in-six-weeks\">\n  \u003Cstrong>How is this possible? How could this tree grow 24 meters tall in six weeks?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\n\u003C\u002Fh4>\n\u003Cp>The point is, shouldn’t the questions rather be:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"kg-blockquote-alt\">\n  Did that bamboo tree grow 24 meters tall in six weeks, or did it grow 24 meters tall in five years and six weeks?\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>\n  What the neighbors didn’t realize was that during those five years of seemingly no growth, the bamboo tree was\n  developing a massive root system underground.\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cfigure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\">\n  \u003Cimg\n    src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn-images-1.medium.com\u002Fmax\u002F1440\u002F1*nDsPgAmf33u38u0iYlnjvw.png\"\n    class=\"kg-image\"\n    alt=\"Generated by Dall-E: Showing bamboo tree’s large roots\"\n    loading=\"lazy\"\n    width=\"400\"\n    height=\"400\"\n  \u002F>\n  \u003Cfigcaption>\u003Cspan style=\"white-space: pre-wrap\">Generated by Dall-E\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\n\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003Cp>\n  Thanks to the strong root system that developed underground over the past 5 years, the tree was ready for the rapid\n  growth ahead.\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3 id=\"what-we-can-learn-from-the-bamboo-tree\">What We Can Learn From the Bamboo Tree\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>The bamboo tree teaches us a vital lesson about success: it doesn’t happen overnight. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch4 id=\"delayed-gratification\">Delayed Gratification\u003C\u002Fh4>\n\u003Cp>We live in a world with a delayed-return environment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\n  Many of the choices we make today won’t pay off right away. For example, if you do a great job, you’ll get paid in a\n  few weeks and maybe even promoted next year. If you exercise today, you might start seeing results next year.\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n  The ability to delay gratification is a great predictor of success because it teaches discipline, patience, and\n  long-term thinking.” \n  \u003Cbr \u002F>\n  \u003Cbr \u002F>\n  — \n  \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedium.com\u002Fu\u002F528e9a6004d8\">James Clear\u003C\u002Fa>\n  in Atomic Habits\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>\n  On the other hand, eating a chocolate bar or scrolling through social media gives you\n  \u003Cstrong>“instant gratification,”\u003C\u002Fstrong>\n  but it pulls you away from your long-term goals.\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\n  Staying focused on long-term goals can be challenging in a world where instant gratification is just a TikTok scroll\n  away.\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n  At some point, success in nearly every field requires you to ignore an immediate reward in favor of a\n  delayed reward.\n  \u003Cbr \u002F>\n  \u003Cbr \u002F>\n  — James Clear\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>\n  A good rule of thumb is to avoid things with\n  \u003Cstrong>“instant gratification”\u003C\u002Fstrong>\n  where the immediate outcome feels good (like smoking 🚬), but the long-term outcome feels bad (like lung cancer\n  🏥). \n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\n  Instead, focus on things where the immediate outcome feels hard (e.g., eating broccoli 🥦), but the long-term outcome\n  feels good (e.g., being fit & healthy 💪).\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"kg-blockquote-alt\">\n  Most people will spend all day chasing quick hits of satisfaction. The road less traveled is the road of delayed\n  gratification. If you’re willing to wait for the rewards, you’ll face less competition and often get a\n  bigger payoff.  —\n  \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedium.com\u002Fu\u002F528e9a6004d8\">James Clear\u003C\u002Fa>\n  in Atomic Habits\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>\n  Then, if you stay focused for years, you could experience exponential growth — just like a bamboo tree that grows 24\n  meters in just six weeks. \n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\n  You’ll realize that your success didn’t just come from those final six weeks, but from all the hard work you invested\n  over the years.\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n  “When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times\n  without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was\n  not that last blow that did it, but all that had gone before.”\n  \u003Cbr \u002F>\n  — Jacob A. Riis\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Ch4 id=\"overnight-success-entrepreneurs\">Overnight Success Entrepreneurs\u003C\u002Fh4>\n\u003Cp>How often do we see super successful people and think: How did this person make millions overnight?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What we often don’t see is the work that was done before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\n  Take\n  \u003Cstrong>Steve Jobs\u003C\u002Fstrong>\n  , for example. He built Apple into a tech powerhouse, but it took many years of innovation, setbacks, and hard work.\n  He was even fired from Apple, only to return and lead its transformation into a tech giant.\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\n  Another famous example is\n  \u003Cstrong>J.K. Rowling\u003C\u002Fstrong>\n  . Before becoming the world’s first billionaire author, she spent years living in poverty, writing Harry Potter in\n  cafés, and facing rejection from publishers before her work became a global phenomenon.\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\n  Many successful entrepreneurs face early struggles that often go unnoticed, as people tend to focus only on their\n  “sudden success.” \n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\n  While I’m not anywhere close to being the next Steve Jobs, I feel like the work I’ve put in over the past five years\n  is finally paying off. \n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, I want to share with you my personal bamboo story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3 id=\"my-personal-bamboo-sideproject-story\">My Personal Bamboo Sideproject Story\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>\n  Both the bamboo tree and my journey with\n  \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-highlights.com\u002F\" rel=\"noopener\">Web Highlights\u003C\u002Fa>\n  are stories about patience.\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch4 id=\"first-year\">First Year\u003C\u002Fh4>\n\u003Cp>\n  I remember when I first published my\n  \u003Ca\n    href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fchrome.google.com\u002Fwebstore\u002Fdetail\u002Fweb-highlights-%20-bookmark\u002Fhldjnlbobkdkghfidgoecgmklcemanhm\"\n    rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow noopener noopener\"\n  >\n    PDF & Web Highlighter\n  \u003C\u002Fa>\n  Chrome Extension in the Chrome Web Store in 2019.\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\n  After half a year, I had\n  \u003Cstrong>eight\u003C\u002Fstrong>\n  users: myself, my brother, my mum, and five friends. And it took almost a full year until I reached a\n  \u003Cstrong>humble 100 users. \u003C\u002Fstrong>\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\n  I hadn’t made a single cent from the application at that point. Still, I continued because I enjoyed the work and\n  believed in the idea.\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch4 id=\"years-1%E2%80%934\">Years 1–4\u003C\u002Fh4>\n\u003Cp>In the following years, I continued improving my online highlighter. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\n  Growth was still very slow, but I worked consistently on my extension. I probably spent thousands of hours building\n  this tool and working weekends to get the application to a state where I was actually happy with it (I will never be\n  there 😅)\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\n  Even though I am making good money with the extension today, my hourly rate would still be far below minimum wage.\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\n  Luckily, after the third year, my hard work was finally beginning to pay off. At the end of the fourth year, I had\n  almost 20,000 users, and that was only the start. \n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The application finally took off in the next year 🚀\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch4 id=\"year-5\">Year 5\u003C\u002Fh4>\n\u003Cp>\n  In the fifth year, I finally felt that my hard work was paying off. After spending four years getting the extension to\n  about 20,000 users, it jumped to over 100,000 active users in the fifth year. \n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\n  It might not have grown in just six weeks like the bamboo tree, but I couldn’t help but show the similarities in a\n  graph! 😄\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cfigure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\">\n  \u003Cimg\n    src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn-images-1.medium.com\u002Fmax\u002F1440\u002F1*Angh5AT1XC1rtBBN4vPUZQ.png\"\n    class=\"kg-image\"\n    alt=\"Comparison of Bamboo Tree Growth and Web Highlights Growth\"\n    loading=\"lazy\"\n    width=\"800\"\n    height=\"477\"\n  \u002F>\n  \u003Cfigcaption>\u003Cspan style=\"white-space: pre-wrap\">Web Highlights Growth vs. Bamboo Tree Growth\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\n\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003Cp>Just like the growth of the bamboo tree, we can ask: \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n  Did Web Highlights gain 100,000 users in one year, or did it reach over 100K users in five years? \n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>\n  Of course, it’s the latter. All the hard work — like building an awesome product, creating great content for SEO, and\n  sharing on social media — finally paid off.\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n  Your work was not wasted; it is just being stored. — \n  \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedium.com\u002Fu\u002F528e9a6004d8\">James Clear\u003C\u002Fa>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>\n  Setting up the blog on my website and regularly publishing articles there and on my Medium blog is finally paying off,\n  providing a solid foundation for my extension’s organic traffic today. It all just takes time!\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3 id=\"final-thoughts\">Final Thoughts\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>\n  Exponential growth can be misleading. Many successes look like they happened overnight, like a bamboo tree growing 26\n  meters in six weeks.\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\n  What we often overlook is the hard work behind that success, leading us to expect immediate results from our efforts.\n  We need to remember that sometimes it takes years of hard work and patience to achieve great success. \n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\n  I hope my story encourages you to stay focused on your personal side project. Don’t give up — just be patient and give\n  it time. \n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\n  I’m sharing my journey on\n  \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fx.com\u002FMariusBongarts\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter\u003C\u002Fa>\n  and\n  \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Fmarius-bongarts-6b3638171\u002F\" rel=\"noopener\">LinkedIn\u003C\u002Fa>\n  . If you enjoyed this story, be sure to follow me there!\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cfigure class=\"kg-card kg-bookmark-card\">\n  \u003Ca class=\"kg-bookmark-container\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-highlights.com\u002Fabout\">\n    \u003Cdiv class=\"kg-bookmark-content\">\n      \u003Cdiv class=\"kg-bookmark-title\">About Me | Creating Web Highlights | My Story & Mission\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n      \u003Cdiv class=\"kg-bookmark-description\">\n        Hi, I’m Marius, the creator of Web Highlights. Learn how I build this tool since 2019, my mission to organize\n        digital info, and why I stand behind every feature.\n      \u003C\u002Fdiv>\n      \u003Cdiv class=\"kg-bookmark-metadata\">\n        \u003Cimg class=\"kg-bookmark-icon\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-highlights.com\u002Ffavicon.ico\" alt=\"\" \u002F>\n        \u003Cspan class=\"kg-bookmark-author\">About Me | Creating Web Highlights | My Story & Mission\u003C\u002Fspan>\n      \u003C\u002Fdiv>\n    \u003C\u002Fdiv>\n    \u003Cdiv class=\"kg-bookmark-thumbnail\">\u003Cimg src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-highlights.com\u002Fimages\u002Fabout-me.png\" alt=\"\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n  \u003C\u002Fa>\n\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003Chr \u002F>\n\u003Cp>\n  Oh, and if you’re interested in a great extension for highlighting websites and PDFs, check out\n  \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-highlights.com\u002F\" rel=\"noopener\">my extension\u003C\u002Fa>\n  ! It’s free, easy to use, and you don’t need an account to get started:\n\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cfigure class=\"kg-card kg-bookmark-card\">\n  \u003Ca class=\"kg-bookmark-container\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-highlights.com\u002F\">\n    \u003Cdiv class=\"kg-bookmark-content\">\n      \u003Cdiv class=\"kg-bookmark-title\">Web Highlights - PDF & Web Highlighter\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n      \u003Cdiv class=\"kg-bookmark-description\">\n        Best highlighter for the web. Just like you do on books, highlight on any web page or PDF, and take notes.\n        Organize with tags and find your research in the app.\n      \u003C\u002Fdiv>\n      \u003Cdiv class=\"kg-bookmark-metadata\">\n        \u003Cimg class=\"kg-bookmark-icon\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-highlights.com\u002Ffavicon.ico\" alt=\"\" \u002F>\n        \u003Cspan class=\"kg-bookmark-author\">Web Highlights - PDF & Web Highlighter\u003C\u002Fspan>\n        \u003Cspan class=\"kg-bookmark-publisher\">Marius Bongarts\u003C\u002Fspan>\n      \u003C\u002Fdiv>\n    \u003C\u002Fdiv>\n    \u003Cdiv class=\"kg-bookmark-thumbnail\">\u003Cimg src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-highlights.com\u002Fimages\u002Fwh-thumbnail.png\" alt=\"\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n  \u003C\u002Fa>\n\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n","Marius Bongarts","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.facebook.com\u002FMariusBongartsWeb","\u002Fblog\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F2022\u002F08\u002FIMG_7861_Square.jpeg","https:\u002F\u002Fmarius-bongarts.de\u002F","Founder & Software Engineer","https:\u002F\u002Ftwitter.com\u002FMariusBongarts",1519,[45,78,95],{"id":46,"slug":47,"title":48,"description":49,"url":50,"publishedAt":51,"createdAt":52,"updatedAt":53,"featured":20,"readingTime":54,"tags":55,"imageUrl":58,"imageAlt":59,"faviconUrl":60,"publishedAtString":51,"category":61,"readTimeString":77},"688719cf8b4b770aa39407fc","my-simple-strategy-for-3-268-5-star-chrome-extension-reviews","My Simple Strategy for 3,268 5‑Star Chrome Extension Reviews","Get 37x more reviews than Grammarly with this simple strategy. Learn the Win-Ask Method to boost your Chrome extension ratings and user engagement.","https:\u002F\u002Fweb-highlights.com\u002Fblog\u002Fmy-simple-strategy-for-3-268-5-star-chrome-extension-reviews\u002F","2025-07-28T06:48:26.000+00:00","2025-07-28T06:33:51.000+00:00","2025-07-28T07:04:33.000+00:00",6,[56,30,33,57],"Marketing","Chrome Extension","https:\u002F\u002Fimages.unsplash.com\u002Fphoto-1633613286991-611fe299c4be?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDF8fHJhdGluZ3xlbnwwfHx8fDE3NTM2ODQ0MzR8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000","Five yellow star-shaped objects placed diagonally on a pink and blue background.","https:\u002F\u002Fweb-highlights.com\u002Ffavicon.ico",[62,70],{"type":25,"title":63,"shortTitle":24,"icon":64,"description":65,"excerpt":66,"thumbnail":67},"Behind the Scenes of Web Highlights","rocket","Hey 👋 I am Marius. I started Web Highlights in 2019 as a tool just for myself and have been working on it alone since then. Learn from my mistakes and stories right from the beginning how I grew the Chrome Extension to 250K users without any marketing costs.","These posts are the honest build log of Web Highlights: what worked, what hurt, and what I’d do again. If you care about indie products, Chrome extensions, or SEO-led growth, you’ll find practical lessons alongside the personal story.",{"url":68,"alt":69},"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-highlights.com\u002Fimages\u002Fme.png","Me, Marius Bongarts, in front of sea in Portugal, Algarve",{"type":71,"title":72,"shortTitle":73,"icon":74,"description":75,"excerpt":76},"productivity","Browser Productivity & Chrome Extensions","Productivity","command","Curated extension lists, focus workflows, and tips for getting more from Chrome—always with an eye toward reading, capture, and learning.","Productivity isn’t only task managers. These articles cover the browser layer: extensions that protect focus, comparisons that save you from dead-end tools, and setup tips that keep your reading and capture stack lightweight but powerful.","6 min read",{"id":79,"slug":80,"title":81,"description":82,"url":83,"publishedAt":84,"createdAt":85,"updatedAt":84,"featured":20,"readingTime":54,"tags":86,"imageUrl":89,"imageAlt":90,"faviconUrl":60,"publishedAtString":84,"category":91,"readTimeString":77},"671f386db98706751d677b5f","how-to-show-a-link-preview-on-any-website","How To Show A Beautiful Link Preview On Any Website","Easily add link previews to any website using the open-source Previewbox library. Works with any framework, fetching Open Graph data automatically.","https:\u002F\u002Fweb-highlights.com\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-show-a-link-preview-on-any-website\u002F","2024-10-29T20:25:55.000+00:00","2024-10-28T07:08:29.000+00:00",[87,88],"Web Development","SEO","https:\u002F\u002Fweb-highlights.com\u002Fblog\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F2024\u002F10\u002F0_dkKw8Q1T3dUhNBo7.jpg","Lake with mountains in background",[92,94],{"type":25,"title":63,"shortTitle":24,"icon":64,"description":65,"excerpt":66,"thumbnail":93},{"url":68,"alt":69},{"type":71,"title":72,"shortTitle":73,"icon":74,"description":75,"excerpt":76},{"id":96,"slug":97,"title":98,"description":99,"url":100,"publishedAt":101,"createdAt":102,"updatedAt":103,"featured":104,"readingTime":105,"tags":106,"imageUrl":107,"imageAlt":108,"faviconUrl":60,"publishedAtString":101,"category":109,"readTimeString":112},"66711bbfe00bcb071a2ced9b","3-practical-growth-hacks-i-applied-to-scale-my-chrome-extension-to-100k-users-without-any-marketing-budget","How I Grew My Chrome Extension to 100K Users Without Marketing Costs","Learn how I grew my Chrome Extension to 100K users without a budget. Explore growth hacks, SEO tips, user review strategies, and product-building insights.","https:\u002F\u002Fweb-highlights.com\u002Fblog\u002F3-practical-growth-hacks-i-applied-to-scale-my-chrome-extension-to-100k-users-without-any-marketing-budget\u002F","2024-06-18T05:33:56.000+00:00","2024-06-18T05:31:43.000+00:00","2024-09-01T19:43:00.000+00:00",true,4,[87,88,33,56,24],"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.unsplash.com\u002Fphoto-1636819488524-1f019c4e1c44?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDEyfHxyb2NrZXR8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzE4NjE4NTcxfDA&ixlib=rb-4.0.3&q=80&w=2000","3 Practical Growth Hacks I Applied To Scale My Chrome Extension to 100K Users Without Any Marketing Budget",[110],{"type":25,"title":63,"shortTitle":24,"icon":64,"description":65,"excerpt":66,"thumbnail":111},{"url":68,"alt":69},"4 min read"]