Building for himself and growing his portfolio to $10k+/mo
While Sergiu Chiriac was launching product after product, he built a tool for himself that helped him to submit new products to directories. Then, he turned that into a customer-facing product. Now, AI Directories brings in the lion's share of his portfolio's $10k/mo revenue.
Here's Sergiu on how he's doing it. 👇
Building for himself
Hi, I'm Sergiu, a software engineer with over ten years of experience building web applications and SaaS products. In 2023, I started my indie hacking journey, turning side projects into real businesses. Since then, I've launched multiple AI startups, learning not only how to build products but also the difficulty of marketing them. That shift from developer to entrepreneur taught me that distribution is often harder than development.
A recurring challenge with every launch was product discovery. Each time I released a new tool, I manually submitted it to dozens of startup and AI directories to gain visibility, backlinks, and early users. After repeating this process for several products, I built an internal tool to save myself time. That became AI Directories.
Soon, other founders asked for the same help, and it evolved into a service that has now helped 900+ founders launch and promote their startups through 100+ curated directories.
Today, besides AI Directories, I'm also building other products:
TransClipper: An AI-powered tool that extracts and analyzes transcripts from short-form videos
BrandReply: This will help brands track and improve their visibility across AI assistants
And a few stealth projects.
My revenue varies monthly because most of my products are one-time purchases rather than subscriptions. Across all my projects, I typically generate over $10k/mo. Last month, I hit a personal record of $15.7k. AI Directories was $9.5k of that.
Starting slow
I started indie hacking in 2023 because I realized I wanted to build products for myself, not for other companies.
I didn't quit my job overnight. I started launching AI tools on nights and weekends, learning product development, marketing, sales, SEO, and customer support. My goal wasn't to build a single company — it was to create a portfolio of profitable internet businesses.
So, I built everything gradually, reinvesting profits from one project into the next. That approach allowed me to experiment, fail, learn quickly, and eventually grow a portfolio.
Building a feedback loop
The first version of AI Directories didn't require a huge budget, but it did require a lot of time. As a software engineer, I built everything myself — from the website and dashboard to the submission tracking system. The biggest investment wasn't coding; it was researching and manually validating directories. I spent countless hours finding startup and AI directories, checking their activity, measuring their SEO value, understanding their submission requirements, and organizing them into a curated database.
I funded the project entirely with revenue from my previous side projects, so no outside investment was needed. I kept expenses low by using familiar tools and leveraging AI to speed up content creation and repetitive tasks. Instead of trying to build a perfect product, I focused on solving one problem well: helping founders get their products listed in high-quality directories without wasting hours doing it manually.
I became my own first customer, which was a key advantage. Every time I launched a new product, I used AI Directories to submit it, which helped me continuously improve the service based on real experience. That feedback loop was invaluable because I didn't guess what founders needed — I solved the same problems I faced myself. As more founders started using the service, their feedback helped shape the product into what it is today.
The challenges of indie hacking
My biggest challenge has been staying focused. As an indie hacker, new trends and ideas easily distract me. Looking back, I should have spent more time improving products already making money instead of constantly starting new ones.
I've also had a few projects with cofounders that didn't work out. Those experiences taught me that I work best on my own. I prefer building the product, doing the marketing, and being responsible for the results instead of relying on someone else.
Burnout was another challenge. In the past, I often worked more than 14 hours a day, seven days a week. Now, I put my health first. I keep weekends for rest and sometimes take a few hours off during the week to recharge.
It's important to remember that long-term consistency is more important than working nonstop.
The tech stack
I build my products with Next.js, MongoDB, Prisma, and Tailwind CSS. I use Prisma to simplify database management and OpenAI, Gemini, and Anthropic APIs to power AI features and speed up development.
I originally hosted most projects on Vercel, but later moved some of them to Coolify to reduce costs. I still use Vercel when it makes sense for smaller projects or quick deployments.
For payments, I use Stripe because it is fast and easy to set up. I use Resend for emails because it is developer-friendly and simple to integrate. Cloudflare handles DNS, image storage, caching, and security.
The main challenge is keeping costs under control while managing several products, so I regularly adjust my stack to balance speed, simplicity, and expenses. AI has also become an essential part of my workflow — not only for product features but also for coding, debugging, writing content, and brainstorming ideas, allowing me to build much faster as a solo founder.
Expand with your customers
AI Directories started as a simple service where founders paid a one-time fee for me to manually submit their products to more than 100 curated startup and AI directories. I started charging from day one because I knew the process saved founders hours of work, helping them gain visibility, backlinks, and early users.
As the business grew, I realized founders needed more than launch submissions. Today, AI Directories has become a broader distribution platform. Founders can submit their products directly to our own directory for $49. This includes a DR70 dofollow backlink, exposure to our community, and inclusion in our newsletter. We also offer services like guest posts, sponsored placements, and other promotional opportunities to help founders reach a larger audience.
Revenue grew by expanding services rather than changing the original business model. Instead of relying on a single offering, AI Directories now has multiple revenue streams that complement each other, serving the same audience of startup founders.
That's why my advice is to start by solving one problem really well. Once people trust your product, listen to their other needs. Expanding with the same customer is often much easier than constantly looking for new markets.
Distribution from the get-go
As far as growth, my biggest advantage is being my own customer. When I launch a new product, I use AI Directories for distribution and early traction. Consistently launching on startup and AI directories helps me get initial users, backlinks, and search engine visibility. I dogfood my own products to validate both the product and the service simultaneously.
Beyond directories, I share my journey on X and Reddit. I post product updates, lessons learned, milestones, and engage with founders in communities where my target audience already spends time. I also conduct targeted cold email outreach to introduce AI Directories to startups that could benefit from it.
Long-term, SEO has been my biggest growth channel. I invest heavily in creating useful content, building high-quality backlinks, and optimizing my sites for organic search. More recently, I've focused on GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) to improve visibility in AI-powered search engines and assistants. I believe AI search will become an increasingly important acquisition channel. This is why I'm building BrandReply — a platform that helps businesses monitor and improve how AI assistants and LLMs mention them. Organic traffic, whether from traditional search or AI-powered search, has become the most sustainable source of customers across my portfolio.
My growth advice is to build your marketing engine as early as you build your product. Distribution isn't something to think about after launch — it should be part of the product from day one.
Five pieces of advice for indie hackers
My most important advice: don't start by building — start with research. Before writing a single line of code, study your competitors. Look at their traffic, how they make money, what customers like and dislike, and assess if you can realistically build something better or different. Competition is a good sign because it proves a market exists.
After your research, validate the idea. Talk about it on X, Reddit, or other communities where your target users hang out. Observe their reactions. If nobody cares about the problem, it's better to discover this before spending weeks building.
I also recommend building something you would use yourself. Solving your own problem makes it easier to understand your customers, identify essential features, and stay motivated when difficulties arise. Most of my successful products started because I needed them first.
Keep your first version as small as possible. Build one feature that solves one problem well, launch it, and improve it based on real feedback. Don't fall in love with a product that isn't making money. Test new ideas, learn from the results, and don't be afraid to move on if something isn't working.
Finally, use AI as your cofounder. It can assist with coding, design, content, marketing, customer support, and brainstorming. It enables a solo founder to build much faster than ever before. Show up every day, stay consistent, and remember that building a successful business is a marathon, not a sprint.
What's next?
My goal is to build a portfolio of useful startups that solve real problems and grow my revenue year after year. Rather than relying on a single business, I enjoy building multiple products that complement each other and create long-term value.
I also want to help other founders succeed. Whether through AI Directories, sharing my journey publicly, or creating tools that make entrepreneurship easier, I enjoy seeing others launch and grow their businesses.
If I can build products I enjoy, help other entrepreneurs, and create the freedom to spend more time with my family while doing meaningful work, I'll consider that a success.
If you'd like to follow along, I'm very active on X, where I regularly share what I'm building, lessons I've learned, revenue updates, and insights from my journey as an indie hacker. You can follow me there.
Leave a Comment
Really inspiring story! I especially like the fact that AI Directories started as a tool you built to solve your own problem. That’s often one of the strongest ways to find a real business opportunity.
The advice about distribution really stands out too. So many founders focus almost entirely on building the product and only start thinking about marketing after launch. Building the distribution engine from day one makes a lot of sense.
Also, growing by offering more services to the same audience instead of constantly chasing completely new markets is a great lesson. Congrats on the impressive growth and $15.7k record month! 🚀
i really respect for this , focusing is everything to build your business to the way top!
Huge respect for sharing the hard truths about solo founder life, Sergiu! Moving away from 14-hour workdays to prioritize rest while staying laser-focused on distribution is a lesson every indie hacker needs to hear.
The advice to 'use AI as your cofounder' for coding, debugging, and content allows small teams to compete at an enterprise pace. Congrats on the success with AI Directories and rooting for your portfolio growth!"
The ideal is grand, but reality is harsh! I wish you success!
I like this approach because the initial product is solving a problem you already understand, which removes a lot of the guessing involved in customer discovery.
The portfolio model is interesting too. Once you have a repeatable process for identifying small problems, shipping solutions, and measuring demand, the portfolio itself becomes an advantage.
Curious which part of that process has become the most repeatable for you.
Sergiu Chiriac is that a romanian name?
This hit close. Especially the focus part.
I keep a decision log for every project I start. Three weeks ago I opened a new one and wrote, right there in the risk section, "this is the sixth open front." I wrote the diagnosis and started it anyway.
But reading your post I think I've had my own problem wrong. I assumed I was bad at finishing. I'm not. The things I build do get finished — site, payments, legal, the whole thing. They just stop right at the edge of being seen by anyone. One is live and ready and has been for two months, and I still haven't sent the email that would put it in front of actual people.
So it isn't building and it isn't finishing. It's exposure. Building is private and safe. Launching means somebody gets to judge it, and starting something new is a very respectable way to avoid that.
Congrats on finding your way around yours.
Anyone else have this one? I'd like to know whether it goes away with reps, or whether you just learn to press send anyway.
being your own first customer is such a strong loop
you find the rough edges way faster when you use the product yourself
Hi, I'm lost in the code, but your story reads like a good book. Starting small, learning, growing it's a classic. May the pages ahead be filled with success and peace.
This post as someone who is not an engineer at ALL I took a ton of notes. I'm very interested in learning more about AI and what it can do for us as humans. However it is incredibly easy to get lost in the sauce. I really enjoyed this read.
Congratulations! Vigilance is everything. I just published DRAMA SQUARE via Indie Hackers myself. Best,
I was really impressed by the idea of becoming your first customer. I particularly liked the point that developing a product starting from personal problems creates a powerful feedback loop. Also, generating $15,700 in monthly revenue with a portfolio built gradually is an excellent example of not having to stake everything on a single product from the start.
That developer-to-founder transition is relatable. Building the product can feel easier than getting people to discover it. Turning a repeated manual problem into your own product is a smart example of solving a pain you already understand firsthand.
The dogfooding loop is the real unlock here, not the directories. I ran an MSP for two decades and every service we ever scaled started as something we built to fix our own operations first, so by the time we sold it the pitch was already proven in-house. Curious whether AI Directories or BrandReply ends up being the bigger asset in a year, since GEO visibility feels like the more durable moat as AI search eats into SEO.
Really enjoyed this story—especially how a tool built to solve your own repetitive problem turned into the biggest revenue driver in the portfolio. 👏 The “build for yourself, then expand based on customer needs” approach is a great example of practical validation.
With AI Directories already generating the majority of your portfolio revenue, how do you decide when to keep improving a proven product versus moving on to the next idea?
I agree with staying focused section because you are literally describing the problem my product solves.
I built BizBoard Pro. It is a dashboard for solopreneurs managing too many business ideas at once. The whole product exists because I lived exactly what you wrote. I was constantly starting new things, and never improving what was already working. I was scattered across too many ideas at the same time. I built it for myself first, which is the same thing you did with AI Directories. The frustration was huge of not having a way to capture my thoughts and ideas. Now I have a clear focus, and I know which project to actually work on this week while I know what other ideas await me. To eliminate this pain and create clarity is reason BizBoard Pro was built. So reading you name it as your biggest personal challenge confirmed I am not solving a made-up problem. Real people feel this. Successful ones still feel it.
The difference is you turned that internal tool into $9.5k a month. I am at the free trial stage. A handful of real strangers have signed up and I am personally emailing them to get some feedback on how they find the product. No sales pitch. Just honest curiosity. Because right now feedback is worth a lot.
Since building Bizboard Pro, I have been doing the same as you. I create a venture card, put my idea in it, and let the idea get evaluated as I build my ventures. You mentioned that you used AI Directories for every new product you launched. You were your own first customer every single time. That closed the feedback loop and kept you honest about what actually worked. I am trying to build that same discipline now. Use the product. Feel the gaps. Fix them before assuming the problem is awareness or marketing.
Reading your journey is both encouraging and clarifying. Thank you for being this honest about what was hard, not just what worked. That honesty is rarer than the $10k month.
Thats a good advise
Because i spent on research like an hour with ai
Great case study.
Building a curated database like the one you've described can certainly be a solid foundation for a portfolio and revenue stream. I've taken a similar approach with my own projects, focusing heavily on leveraging AI to automate tedious tasks, which has helped scale my output significantly.
For example, when I was building my blogging portfolio, I focused on content optimization and SEO from the start. By using AI tools to score and suggest improvements for my posts, I was able to increase my organic traffic by over 150% within a few months. I also made a point to benchmark my performance continuously against industry standards. This helped me identify what tactics were driving traffic effectively and which ones weren't worth my time.
As for your project, the time you've spent validating the directories and ensuring their SEO value is a smart move. It might save you headaches in the long term if you're mainly targeting high-traffic, reputable sites.
Additionally, consider documenting this journey. Sharing your learnings and the successes you've had (and even failures) can engage your audience. Not only does this establish your authority, but it can also attract partnerships or collaborations down the line.
Keeping expenses low is a key strategy, but don't shy away from investing in what brings measurable ROI. For instance, I allocated a small budget to A/B test different content types and promotion strategies, which ultimately helped refine my approach and increase conversions.
Stay consistent with your output and optimization efforts, and you’re likely to see that $10k+/mo target come to fruition. Best of luck with your project!
“I like the idea of building for yourself first and letting the portfolio grow from there. The interesting part is that the best internal tools often become products once you realize other people have the same problem.”
"Scratching your own itch is still the most reliable compass in indie hacking. Turning a tedious internal chore—like directory submissions—into a $10k/mo portfolio product proves how much founders value saving time on distribution.
Out of curiosity, at what point during your manual workflow did you realize this should be a standalone product for other builders rather than just an internal script?"
Yeah very nice one
Very very insightful saas you built. it may solve a lot of time and efforts of founders, creators of saas products. specially for solo founders. all the best.
Building something you personally need removes a lot of guesswork in the beginning. You already know the pain points and what a useful solution looks like. The real challenge is discovering whether enough other people have the same problem
Dogfooding gave this business a strong starting loop, but directory submissions can become a vanity metric quickly. I would keep the product anchored to outcomes founders actually value: indexed pages, qualified referral traffic, and conversions per directory over time. A smaller list with measured results is more defensible than the largest list of submission targets.
This hits home. As developers, we often underestimate how hard distribution is compared to coding. It’s awesome to see you turn that repetitive manual submission work into a profitable business. Congratulations on hitting $15.7k in one month!
Building something because you personally need it seems to remove a lot of guessing at the beginning. The interesting part is figuring out whether your own problem is shared by enough other people.
With my experience these past days I truly see that the building is truly the easiest part of a product. Marketing is so challenging 😞
LFG.. how many hours for the build and how much time did it take?
"Distribution is often harder than development" hit hard. I've been building an AI tool for e-commerce sellers, and I keep noticing the same pattern, the technical part is actually the easier half. Getting the first real users to even try it is where I'm stuck right now.
Really interesting that AI Directories started as an internal tool you built just to save yourself time. Did you know early on that it could become a standalone product, or did that realization come later once other people started asking about it?
Happy to see more romanians in this space. I am following Sergiu on X and I've seen his progress and there is a ton of work in the back.
As someone just starting to look at marketing while developing an AI-driven outreach engine, this article is a super helpful place to start. I knew SEO was important, but seeing how it stack ranked high for you, and how you did it will save me a lot of time. Thanks for posting!
Great case study. The strongest part is that the product came from a real repeated problem, not a random idea.
He solved it for himself first, then turned that workflow into a service other founders were willing to pay for.
That is a very practical way to build.
What really stands out is that Sergiu didn’t stop at scratching his own itch. He noticed the friction in his own workflow — the grind of submitting products to directories over and over — and then turned the act of measuring that friction into his main source of revenue.
Most founders just try to make their own pain disappear. Sergiu went further: he quantified it. How many directories, how long each submission took, where the process kept breaking. That measurement became the thing competitors couldn’t easily copy. Instead of pitching a generic “product submission tool,” he could promise precision — “we’ll automate these exact 47 tedious steps” — which lands far harder.
His real advantage was that he’d already been doing this at volume, submitting his own products again and again, so he had genuine data on which steps failed most and which ate the most time. That’s why it holds up at $10k/mo. He didn’t guess at the problem — he lived it first, then measured it down to the detail.
Great case study. The point about "distribution being harder than development" really hits home. As I'm currently building my own AI product, I'm curious: when you first started submitting to those 100+ directories, did you notice a specific "type" of directory that brought the highest quality early adopters, or is it purely a numbers game for SEO?
The part worth stealing here isn't "build for yourself," it's that the chore he did to get users, submitting each launch to directories, became the thing he sells. So his marketing hours and his product hours were the same hours. Most of us pick something where growth work has zero overlap with the code, then wonder why distribution feels like a tax bolted on after launch. I'd look at whatever manual acquisition thing you already grind through weekly and ask whether other founders would pay to skip it. That's more or less how Viewfy started, from getting tired of hand-searching Reddit for threads where buyers were already asking.
so inspiring ... congratulations.
Congrats on reaching $15.7k/month impressive progress!
This is a great example of turning a real problem into a product. I especially like that it started as an internal tool instead of trying to build a business from day one. Sometimes the repetitive problems we face ourselves are the best product ideas.
Nice read man he's an inspiration
Congrates
C'est vraiment important.. j'ai bien aimé le lire.
When u resolve a issue ur dealing, its satisfying! good read!
This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. Getting the first few customers seems less about having a perfect product and more about finding the right people who actually have the problem.
Really interesting journey, especially the transition from building products as a developer to focusing on distribution and marketing. The point about becoming your own first customer is particularly valuable because it creates a direct feedback loop instead of relying on assumptions about what users need.
I also like the gradual approach of launching products while keeping expenses low and reinvesting revenue into new projects. Building a portfolio rather than depending on a single product seems like a practical strategy for indie hackers.
The growth of AI Directories from an internal tool into a service helping hundreds of founders is a great example of how solving your own repetitive problem can lead to a viable business opportunity. Thanks for sharing the numbers and the process behind it.
Really interesting and insightful, you, sir, are a masterclass at modern bootstrapping
This is amazing james i sincerely do not have anything to say but Kudos to you and i also needs to engage so i can be able to post on here :)
Building for yourself and then turning that into a portfolio of products is an interesting model. The part that stood out to me is how each product can build on what you learned from the previous one instead of starting from zero every time.
Getting to $10k MRR with several smaller products also feels like a more repeatable approach than trying to find one product that has to become huge.
wao
AI Directories sounds super useful—I'm definitely considering using it for my next project. I'm curious, how do you handle keeping the directory list updated and filtering out dead or low-quality sites over time?
Really interesting how the product started from a problem he was already dealing with himself. Being your own first customer seems like a huge advantage because the feedback loop is immediate. I also liked the point about focusing on one problem first instead of trying to build a huge product from day one. Great case study.
The insight that stands out here is that Sergiu didn't just solve a problem for himself - he identified the friction point in his own workflow (the repetitive burden of submitting to directories) and turned that friction measurement into his primary revenue source.
Most founders try to optimize away the friction they personally experience. Sergiu did that AND measured the pain points - how many directories, how much time per submission, how error-prone the process is. That measurement system became his moat. He could now offer precision: "automate exactly these 47 tedious steps," which is way more compelling than generic "product submission tool."
The leverage here is that he was already doing this work at scale (submitting his own products repeatedly) so he had real data on exactly which steps broke most often and which ones cost the most time. That's why it works at $10k/mo - he didn't guess what the problem was, he lived it first and then measured it precisely.
Love seeing this! Building for yourself while consistently growing the portfolio to $10k+/month is seriously impressive. Keep going—this is just the beginning! 🔥
Really like that you built AI Directories to solve your own submission problem.. that’s a tight feedback loop at ~$9.5k/mo. I’m working on Recoup (free read-only Stripe failed-payment audit). Since you’re on Stripe, I’d be curious whether involuntary churn is even visible for you or mostly noise at your scale.
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