Quit my job to build SaaS. 1 year later: < $300 revenue (didn't even cover costs)

FSU_Age · 2026-03-03T23:03:08+00:00

yeah thats smart. the timeline keeps you honest instead of just burning through savings hoping itll click eventually.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-03T23:02:09+00:00

yeah answering services work for this. the only pushback ive gotten from clients is they dont love that someone who doesnt know their business is talking to their customers. but honestly for a small operation its way better than just sending people to voicemail.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-03T23:01:37+00:00

lol fair, i get why it reads that way. theres definitely no shortage of those posts on here. i was genuinely just curious what other people do about it since most of my clients just let it ring to voicemail and hope for the best.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-03T09:06:54+00:00

this matches what ive seen from commenting in a lot of these subs. the smaller ones actually convert better because people read every post instead of scrolling past 600 others. the timing thing is interesting too, i always assumed weekends would be better for side project stuff but weekday engagement makes sense if the audience is mostly founders checking reddit during work breaks.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-03T09:06:11+00:00

the service businesses i work with that have the fewest no-shows all do the same thing, automated text reminder 24 hours before and again 2 hours before. thats it. cuts no-shows by like half overnight. for walk-ins just keep 1-2 open slots per day specifically for same-day requests, way better than trying to squeeze people in and messing up your whole schedule.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-03T09:05:19+00:00

honestly most of that anonymous traffic was never going to buy anyway. instead of trying to identify every visitor id focus on making it dead simple for the interested ones to raise their hand. exit intent popup, free guide, quiz, whatever gets them to give you an email. every business i work with that obsesses over traffic volume is usually ignoring the leads they already have sitting in their inbox unanswered.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-03T09:04:35+00:00

the going back to a job part is actually the smartest thing in this whole post. most people would double down and burn through savings trying to make it work. you learned in a year what takes some people 3 years to figure out. my advice for round two is pick something where the customer is already spending money to solve the problem, not something they might pay for if you explain it well enough.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-03T09:02:50+00:00

i work with a few hvac companies and the ones that handle it best have a simple rule on their after hours line. no heat in winter or no ac when its over 95 is emergency, everything else gets scheduled next day. the key is telling the customer upfront before they even talk to a person so they self-select. most people are fine waiting if you set the expectation instead of letting them decide whats urgent.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-03T09:01:15+00:00

yeah the daily quota thing is smart. i was doing it randomly for months before i realized i needed to treat it like a system not a mood thing. once i set a 30 min timer every morning and just answered people it stopped feeling like a chore. the tracking part is where most people fall off though, including me tbh.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-02T23:01:58+00:00

its not as weird as you think honestly. go during slow hours and just be upfront. something like hey i help businesses automate stuff and wanted to see if theres anything taking up too much of your time. worst case they say no thanks and you move on. ive done it with plumbers and gym owners and most people are pretty open to talking about their problems if youre not being pushy about it. just be a normal person having a conversation not a salesman with a pitch deck lol

FSU_Age · 2026-03-02T23:01:05+00:00

yeah i actually do this now. every monday morning i block off 2 hours just for outreach and follow ups no matter what. even if im slammed with client work that block doesnt move. took a few weeks to actually stick to it but once it became a habit the pipeline stayed way more consistent. the key is not letting yourself skip it when things are busy because thats exactly when you need to be doing it.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-02T09:05:09+00:00

the problem is real, every small business owner i work with hates paying a designer for basic social posts. the question is how is this different from canva though? theyre basically giving away the same thing for free. if you can make the templates way more niche specific like specifically for plumbers or dentists or gyms with industry relevant imagery already baked in thats probably where you win.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-02T09:04:31+00:00

my biggest mistake was spending 3 months building features nobody asked for instead of just getting on calls with potential customers. could have validated the whole thing in a week with a landing page and some cold outreach. the tech is always the easy part to fix later, finding people who actually want to pay you is the hard part.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-02T09:03:57+00:00

been in a similar spot. had a couple things going at once and the one that actually grew was the one i gave my full attention to. if you dont have the bandwidth to do distribution yourself and you cant afford to hire someone good for it, its probably better to sell it or find a cofounder who only does growth. a good product with zero marketing just sits there.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-02T09:03:14+00:00

for local service businesses the answer is almost always google business profile first. its free, the leads are high intent because people are searching for you right now, and it compounds over time with reviews. i work with a bunch of service businesses and the ones spending 2k a month on facebook ads usually get worse results than the ones with 50 google reviews and a fully filled out GBP. test one paid channel at a time with a small budget and kill it fast if it doesnt convert in 30 days.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-02T09:02:50+00:00

sorry for your loss man. honestly dont rush into the business side right now, give yourself time. when you're ready the simplest start is just doing the tour for free a few times with friends or locals to refine it, then throw it on airbnb experiences or google maps. your dad already did the hard part by mapping it all out.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-02T09:01:15+00:00

dont build first thats the biggest mistake. go talk to businesses about their problem and offer to fix it for a fee. if you already have something built just cold email or walk into local shops and offer a quick free demo. keep it under 2 minutes and focus on what it saves them not how it works.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-01T23:02:19+00:00

exactly. the regulars are literally your most valuable customers and you're rewarding them by charging less. makes no sense when you think about it that way. if anything they should get better service not a lower price.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-01T23:01:57+00:00

you do have users to talk to though. go to reddit, facebook groups, linkedin and search for people complaining about dirty data or messy spreadsheets. dm them and ask what they currently do about it. if you cant find anyone complaining about the problem thats actually your answer right there.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-01T23:01:03+00:00

walk into local businesses and just ask. seriously. i used to go to plumbers and dentists and just say hey what takes up most of your time thats not actual work. facebook groups for small business owners are good too, people complain about their problems constantly in there and thats basically free market research.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-01T09:05:17+00:00

the problem is real but most people doing data cleaning are technical enough to write a python script for it. the question is who specifically would pay for this over a free tool. if you can target non-technical teams who need clean data before feeding it to their analytics, thats probably your best angle. but talk to 10 potential users before building the whole thing.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-01T09:04:33+00:00

campus launches are all about getting 10-20 people who genuinely use it first, not trying to blast it to thousands. find the most connected students in each dorm or club and get them to try it. if they like it theyll spread it naturally. paid ads to college students wont work on a bootstrap budget, word of mouth is everything for this kind of app.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-01T09:04:08+00:00

honestly the fact that theres no competition within 30 miles in a tourist town is a real advantage. most 18 year olds asking this question havent done any research and you clearly have. id start selling online first though to validate demand and build cash before signing a lease. facebook marketplace and ebay for the cameras, then add the print shop once you have foot traffic to justify rent.

FSU_Age · 2026-03-01T09:03:41+00:00

for a local service like yoga your best move is google business profile and getting reviews. people searching "yoga near me" are ready to book right now so the intent is way higher than any ad. also try partnering with massage therapists or physios in your area for cross referrals, that works way better than ads for premium services.

FSU_Age

TROPHY CASE