How Natalie Barbu Turned a Viral Video Into a $2M SaaS Brand After Almost Shutting Down

“We had $25,000 left in the bank. We were going to shut down the company.”

For most founders, that’s the end of the story.

For Natalie Barbu, it was the beginning of the comeback.

The creator-turned-tech-founder built Rela, a social media management platform for teams, into a multi-million-dollar startup—but not before spending two years chasing the wrong market, pitching 200+ investors, and nearly folding her company just months before hitting product-market fit.

In a raw and revealing interview on What’s Your Dream?, Natalie opened up about the painful pivots, creative strategy, and unexpected moments that turned her dream around.

Here’s what every wantrepreneur can learn from her journey.

1. Don’t Try to Be Notion. Be Necessary.

When Rela first launched, Natalie made a classic mistake.

They tried to be for everyone.

“We modeled ourselves after Notion,” she explained. “And Notion’s audience is everyone. So we thought, anyone who uses social media could use us — creators, podcasters, managers. And that was such a mistake.”

Without a clear customer, their product became a Frankenstein. “Influencers would ask, ‘What’s this feature for?’ And we’d say, ‘Oh, don’t worry, that’s for social media managers.’ It confused everyone.”

It wasn’t until Rela narrowed in on one customer — social media managers — that things started to click. Not only were they the group most willing to pay, but they also had the clearest pain point that Rela could solve.

Lesson: Start small. Start focused. Then expand.

2. When in Doubt, Let Your Customer Decide

One of the most repeated themes in Natalie’s story is simple but profound:

“The number one thing we do is listen to our users.”

Unlike many founders who get caught up in “what they think people want,” Natalie made customer feedback the core of her growth loop. From running support herself to integrating user-requested features in real-time, she made listening a differentiator.

The payoff? “Our customers say, ‘You actually listen to us.’ That’s why they stay loyal.”

And it’s not just about customer happiness — it’s product validation in disguise.

“If someone’s not willing to pay,” she said, “you don’t have a business. You have a hobby.”

3. Build in Public. Your Audience Is Your Launchpad.

Natalie didn’t start out as a SaaS founder — she was a YouTuber and influencer. But her creator background became her unfair advantage.

She built Rela publicly. She shared the struggles. The pivots. The layoffs. The identity crisis.

And then — when they were down to their final $25K in the bank — she posted a skit on TikTok that changed everything.

It was simple: a day-in-the-life style video mocking the inefficiencies between clients and social media managers. It was funny, low-fi, and honest.

It got 60,000 views in one day. And that was enough.

“That one video 7X’d our revenue. It didn’t even feel viral, but it reached the right people.”

Within months, Rela was profitable, scaling, and firmly in “2.0” territory.

4. Viral ≠ Millions. But Relevance Can.

Natalie’s viral video wasn’t a million-view explosion. It was targeted resonance.

“We say it went viral, but it got 60K views. Not 2 million. But that was enough to change everything.”

What mattered was that the right audience — overwhelmed social media managers — saw themselves in the skit. It was relatable, it sparked comments, and it led people to search for the product.

Takeaway: Don’t chase vanity metrics. Chase connection.

5. Fundraising Is a Game of Endurance, Not Ego

Before Rela became profitable, Natalie pitched over 200 investors. Only five said yes.

It took seven months to get her first check. The others followed quickly after that.

The hardest part? Staying in the game when nothing seems to be working.

“I had a motto: It’s not if, it’s when. That’s what kept me going.”

And when asked what made her pitch successful, Natalie was clear: the story.

“Most founders use a generic deck and try to plug in their company. We did the opposite — we started with the story and built the deck around it. We made it emotional.”

6. Sometimes, You Need to Burn It Down and Start Again

At one point, Rela wasn’t working.

They had raised money, hired a team, built a product… and still, it wasn’t sticking. Influencers loved the idea — but they didn’t convert. There was love but no payment.

So Natalie made a bold call: they shut down the app and rebuilt from scratch.

“We scratched the first product. We were starting from zero. Rela 2.0 was a complete rebuild — new user, new features, new pricing.”

It took just two months to build. And it worked.

7. The Video That Saved the Company Was Posted After They Gave Up

In October 2024, they were ready to shut down.

“We told our investors we were closing in January,” she recalled. “Everyone was applying for new jobs. It was the darkest week of my life.”

Then, three days later, the TikTok skit went live.

New subscriptions rolled in.

Demo bookings surged.

Revenue jumped from $3.5K to $21K in one month. By February, they were profitable.

“We thought it was over. That one video saved the company.”

The Bottom Line: Persistence Looks Like Showing Up Anyway

Natalie Barbu’s story is more than a comeback — it’s a masterclass in creative entrepreneurship.

It’s about using what you’ve got — a phone, an idea, a tiny audience — and testing relentlessly.

It’s about being humble enough to pivot, but stubborn enough not to quit.

“Persistence isn’t staying in the game when you believe you’re going to win,” she said. “It’s staying when you think you’re going to lose… and doing it anyway.”

In a world obsessed with perfection, this is your permission to post before you’re ready, test before you’re certain, and build your company with your community — not in secret.

Because as Natalie shows, the anatomy of a dream isn’t glossy. It’s gritty. And it’s built one imperfect post at a time.

🧠 Wantrepreneur Takeaways

• Narrow your audience early. Confusion kills conversion.
• Listen like a co-founder. Your users will tell you what to build.
• Don’t overthink content. Just post, learn, and iterate.
• Success ≠ virality. Reach the right people, not just the most.
• Raise with story, not slides. Investors bet on clarity and conviction.