Most people think you need to be "Notion Certified," have Marketplace approval, or have a Stripe business account to make money from templates. That’s completely false.
I used to think the same thing. I thought there was a giant gatekeeper standing between me and my first dollar online.
But recently, I found a different path. A faster path.
In this article, I’m going to show you the exact, real-world workflow I used to:
- Build a full Notion system using Notion AI.
- Turn it into a sellable product.
- Sell it using Gumroad (without a website).
- List it on the Notion Marketplace (using a bridge method).
- And upgrade to direct Stripe payments later.
This is the fastest path from Idea → System → Product → First Sale.
Let’s dive in.
The First System I Built (Live Proof)
Before I tried to sell anything, I built something free. I needed to understand what users actually do inside Notion, not just what I thought they did.
I built the Ultimate Daily Journal. You can see the live preview right here:
👉 Ultimate Daily Journal — Live Notion Preview
This free experiment taught me everything.
It taught me that users hate clutter. It taught me what feels "premium" and what feels confusing. That feedback became the foundation for my paid product later.
Step 1: Start With a Simple, Sellable Problem
Most beginners (including my past self) fail because they try to build an "All-In-One Mega Life OS."
That usually results in:
- Too much complexity.
- Poor usability.
- Zero sales.
Instead, I focused on one simple execution problem: "Tasks are everywhere, and I have no daily focus."
So my idea became simple:
“One clean workspace to manage daily tasks, sprints, bugs, and priorities.”
That evolved into Work OS – The Daily Execution System.
Step 2: Generate the Core Structure With Notion AI
This is where the speed comes from. I didn't manually build every database from scratch. I let AI do the heavy lifting.
I opened a new Notion page, typed /Ask AI, and used prompts like:
- "Create a daily task tracker for a startup"
- "Build a sprint planning dashboard"
- "Create a bug tracking system with status and priority"
Notion AI instantly created the databases, properties, and views.
But here’s the truth: Notion AI gives you the skeleton. YOU have to add the soul.
I manually cleaned up the useless properties, renamed things to be human-readable, and designed a dashboard that looked beautiful. The AI built the house; I did the interior design.
Step 3: Turn It Into a Real Product
To sell, your template must feel like a system, not just a random page.
My final structure included:
✅ Main Execution Dashboard
✅ Daily Task Manager
✅ Sprint / Project Board
✅ Bug & Issue Tracker
✅ Status Workflow (To Do → In Progress → Done)
This is where 90% of beginners quit. They stop when the page looks "okay." But the value is built in the final 10% of polish—making the navigation smooth and the focus views (like "Today's Tasks") actually work.
Step 4: The Magic Link (Template Duplication)
Once your system is ready, you need to turn it into a product.
- Click Share in the top right.
- Turn on Share to web.
- Crucial Step: Enable Allow duplicate as template.
- Copy that link.
That single link is your product, your delivery system, and your customer handoff all in one.
Step 5: Sell Without Approval Using Gumroad
Here’s the move most people don’t know. You do NOT need Stripe verification or Notion Marketplace approval to start selling.
I went to Gumroad, created a new product, and selected "Digital Product."
- Name: Work OS
- Price: $5 (I’ll explain why later)
- Content: I uploaded a simple PDF that said "Welcome!" and contained the Notion Template Link from Step 4.
Gumroad handles the payments, the file delivery, the emails, and the taxes. I just focused on getting people to see it.
Step 6: Listing on Notion Marketplace (The Bridge Method)
At the beginning, I didn't have Stripe enabled on Notion. Most creators don't.
So here’s the exact hack I used:
- I submitted my template to the Notion Marketplace.
- I marked it as a Paid Template.
- The Trick: Instead of selecting "Direct Payment," I used the "External Link" option.
- I pasted my Gumroad product link.
So the flow became:
Notion Marketplace → Gumroad Checkout → Instant Template Delivery
This let me get Marketplace exposure and build sales proof before I ever dealt with Stripe verification.
Step 7: The Upgrade Strategy (When to Enable Stripe)
Applying for Notion Stripe payments immediately is usually a mistake. Notion typically looks for creators who already have momentum.
The most effective strategy is to wait until the product has:
- A few real sales.
- Proof of market demand.
- A small portfolio of active templates.
The Workflow:
Gumroad serves as the "Launch Engine" to gather initial sales data. Once that history is built, applying for Notion Stripe becomes a much stronger proposition because there is proof of success.
Validate on Gumroad first. Upgrade to native Notion payments second.
Step 8: Visuals & Branding (AI is Your Friend)
A product without visuals looks cheap—even if the system is powerful.
I didn't hire a designer. I used Midjourney and Canva.
* Midjourney: Created a cool, abstract tech background.
* Canva: Overlaid the text and screenshots of my dashboard.
If you can type a prompt, you can make professional assets.
Step 9: Pricing Strategy (Why $5?)
People don’t pay for templates. They pay for saved time and reduced stress.
I priced my first template at $5.
- $3–$9 is the best beginner range.
- It’s the price of a coffee. It requires zero "thinking time" for the buyer.
10 sales = $50.
100 sales = $500.
Start low, validate fast, and raise prices later.
Step 10: The Real Mindset (Reiteration & Rejection)
I want to be human with you for a second.
My first template wasn't perfect.
My first submission to the Marketplace got rejected.
There were days with zero sales.
That is normal. That isn't failure—that's just data.
Your first version is just Version 1.0. You improve it after you get feedback. Discipline beats motivation. Motivation fades after the first week; discipline is what makes you ship Version 2.0.
Final Reality Check
You don’t need a team. You don’t need a website. You don’t need to be an expert coder.
You only need:
- One useful system.
- One payment tool (Gumroad).
- One traffic source (Medium/Blog).
- And the discipline to repeat the process.
I used this exact workflow to build a daily journal, a work execution system, and multiple internal tools.
If I can do it solo—so can you.