The exact stack I used to take SaaSOffers from 0 to $35K solo

This is refreshingly honest. Most people expect some crazy, over-engineered stack behind anything doing revenue, but this is exactly how a lot of solid solo products are actually built.

What stood out to me is how you delayed paying for tools until revenue justified it. That’s the part most founders ignore—they treat tools like progress, when they’re really just expenses until proven otherwise.

Also +1 on your point about Reddit. People underestimate how powerful it is when the positioning is right. It’s not just traffic, it’s qualified intent traffic if you hit the right threads.

From my side (I run in the inbox / cold outreach space), I see a very similar pattern. The founders who win aren’t the ones with the most tools—they’re the ones with the cleanest, simplest pipelines. For example, instead of stacking 5 tools, you can run a lean outreach system + smart segmentation and get better results.

That’s actually something I’ve been focusing on with inatboxapp —keeping inbox workflows minimal but high-converting, especially for founders doing outbound themselves without a team.

Curious about one thing though:
Did you start with SEO in mind from day one, or did Reddit traction push you to double down on it later?

The interesting thing about solo founder tech stacks is that the ops stack matters just as much as the product stack - and nobody ever talks about it.

Going from 0 to 5K solo means you're the sales team, support team, finance team, and product team simultaneously. The tool that lets you see all of those in one place (without context switching into 4 different dashboards) is the one that doesn't exist yet for most solopreneurs.

I've been building a Solopreneur OS in Notion as a complement to the typical tech stack posts: CRM for leads and clients, Revenue Dashboard for income tracking, Projects for delivery, Client Portal for collaboration, Decisions Log, and Weekly Review - all linked. The idea is that your ops stack should tell you the same things your product stack tells you: what's working, what's at risk, what needs to happen next.

Curious what's in your ops stack vs. product stack. Most 5K solo stories list the SaaS tools but skip the operational layer - how are you tracking clients, pipeline, and revenue all in one place?

I'm also using vercel's free tier. You're absolutely right - it goes a LONG way. Ahref is fantastic (and also very useful at the free level).

Solid post. The "set up free tiers before you write a line of code" line is underrated advice.

Quick question, is SaaSOffers your only project right now, or do you have a few other ideas spinning in parallel on free plans? I'm asking because once I had 3+ side-projects in the ideation phase, keeping track of which Vercel/Supabase/Stripe account was tied to which idea (and which one was quietly about to hit a free-tier quota or a forgotten trial expiration) became a mess that even Notion couldn't really solve for me.

That's actually why I ended up building StackMemo a dashboard that centralizes every project + every service across them, tracks monthly cost / status (idea / active / paused / abandoned) / renewal dates, and pulls live KPIs (stars, MRR, signups, visitors) straight from GitHub / Stripe / Plausible into one view. Free tier covers exactly the "I have 4 ideas on free plans" phase.

Genuinely curious, is that a pain you've felt while running SaaSOffers alongside other experiments, or has Notion + discipline been enough for you so far?

This is a masterclass in pragmatism! As a solo founder building Triply and Laura at 50 on a Chromebook, I love your breakdown.

However, I’ve had to take a slightly different approach regarding the 'free' tiers. Since I’m learning to code as I go and working a physical full-time job, my time is my most expensive resource. I simply don't have the hours to debug 'free tier' limitations or deal with servers that 'go to sleep' and slow down the experience for my 81 users.

I decided to pay for Render and Vercel specifically to ensure the system stays awake and responsive. Along with Claude as my primary coding partner, these are the only 'employees' I pay for right now. For me, the cost is worth the speed and the sanity!

Quick question: Since you used Reddit for growth—did you focus more on deep storytelling in niche subreddits or just sharing the value of the perks? I’m trying to find that balance for my launch!

Curious about the Anthropic API line - is the AEO audit feature a core part of the product or more of a bolt-on? Because that's the one cost that doesn't stay flat as you scale and I'm wondering how you're mamaging the pre-call cost at 2000+users.

Love how lean this stack is. I'm running a similar solo operation with TrendyRevenue (AI validation for founders) – and I made the exact opposite mistake at first: picked too many paid tools before revenue. Burned cash, learned nothing.

Your point about 'free tiers until paying customers' is gold. I'm on Supabase free tier, Vercel free tier, and built my own MVP validation flow instead of paying for analytics. The only thing I spent on was API credits for the AI analysis – and even that's pay-as-you-go.

Reddit driving most of your early traffic – any specific subreddits or post formats that overperformed? I'm trying to crack Reddit for my own launch and could use the signal. Notion as the business brain – same here. If Notion goes down, I'm paralysed for a day.
Thanks for sharing the real numbers. $35K solo is motivating

This is exactly the kind of transparency that makes IH useful. What's the one thing you'd do differently if you started over?

You are on right track, I'm also building something and didn't have revenue yet just released but the point it we get enough emails from resend, and as long as we get sales it is the only thing that matters.

Hey everyone,

I’ve spent the last few months building custom AI applications, and I’ve noticed a major pattern: most businesses are struggling because they try to use generic ChatGPT wrappers for complex data tasks.

I recently finished a project where I integrated a custom Python/LangChain engine with a client’s existing stack (Zapier + Slack) to handle their lead qualifying. Instead of a human spending 10 hours a week sorting CSVs, the AI now handles the logic, cost analysis, and data mapping automatically.

The Tech Stack I used:

Language: Python

Models: GPT-4o / Claude 3.5 (depending on the logic complexity)

Automation: Custom Webhooks & API Gateways

UI: Streamlit for a custom client dashboard

I’m looking to connect with other devs working in the automation space, or business owners who are hitting a "wall" with basic tools.

If you’re curious about the architecture or need a hand scaling your own AI workflows, I just put together a structured service to help businesses bridge this gap:

Check out my AI Automation Workflows & Projects here

Would love to hear what stacks you guys are using for production-grade AI right now!

Running nearly the same stack for my marketplace — Next.js + Vercel + Supabase — and the "one service handles three jobs" point about Supabase is spot on. The free tier handles auth, database, AND storage, which removes entire categories of early-stage decisions.

The Reddit-as-distribution angle is underrated. Most founders skip it or treat it as a one-off; the fact that 859K views came from there shows consistency wins over channels. Thanks for sharing the actual numbers — most stack posts keep it abstract.

that is very insightful. i am starting as a founder looking to launch AI productivity improvement tools and will take some learning from you. Thanks

sound like good

Love seeing the stack details. Running Go + PocketBase + SQLite per tenant on Hetzner myself, whole thing costs ~€50/mo. No k8s, just docker compose and SSH. Curious how your infra costs scaled as you grew — did you hit any surprise jumps?

Ilyas, 35Ksolowith35Ksolowith40/month costs is inspiring.
I just launched my own product (TrendyRevenue – AI idea validation) and your stack post made me realize I'm overcomplicating things. I was looking at paid CRMs and email tools. Now I'm sticking with free tiers until I have paying customers. One question: Your Reddit drove 859K views – any specific subreddit or post format that worked unusually well? Asking as someone trying to crack Reddit for my launch.

Solid stack. Followed

This is gold. As another solo founder building in public (TrendyRevenue – AI idea validation), the 'pick tools too early and pick the wrong tools' line hit hard.

I made the mistake of paying for a CRM before I had my first paying customer. Lesson learned. Your stack is refreshingly lean. One thing I'm curious about: You mentioned Reddit drove most early traffic (859K views – insane). Did you have a specific strategy there, or was it mostly 'Show HN' style posts and genuine comments? I'm currently trying to crack Reddit for my own product and would love to learn what worked for you.

Really useful breakdown, thanks for sharing. I'm doing the same thing right now — keeping costs near zero until the math makes sense. No paying customers yet, but this is exactly the kind of validation that keeps you going.

The Supabase point hit hard! I am running the same setup right now: data base + auth + storage in one place!

Just finished building my first micro-SaaS and about to launch... My stack ended very similar - Next.js, Vercel, Supabase, Stripe, Resend, Sentry, PostHog , all on free tiers.

This post is must to know for your first product!!

Bookmarking the Ahrefs tip specifically.

This is incredibly inspiring and practical. As a Backend Developer focusing on Clean Code and efficiency, I love your 'real lesson' about not paying for tools until you have paying customers. It’s easy to get caught up in the perfect tech stack and forget that the goal is to solve a problem. Thanks for the detailed breakdown of your costs and the free tier tips!.

Really appreciate the transparency on costs. The "don't pay until you have paying customers" principle is something I wish I'd internalized earlier, I burned way too much time evaluating premium tools before I even had users.

Curious about one thing: you mentioned Reddit drove most of the early traffic (859K views is insane for a solo project). Was that organic posts in specific subreddits, or did you have a repeatable strategy? That's the part most stack breakdowns skip the distribution side.

great info. super honest. I'm stealing some of this!

That's really interesting what you're describing. I think I'll have to follow the same path, since I'm developing and implementing an app/website and I'm not quite sure what to do or where to start... Any other good advice?

Now this is a great idea! i just signed up

I had forgotten about ahrefs. Just fired it up! Thanks!

This is really inspiring — exactly the kind of honest breakdown I needed to read right now.

I'm building KickNoir, a SaaS/ecommerce hybrid for sneaker culture. Still pre-revenue and trying to figure out the same distribution puzzle you cracked.

A few questions: For something at the intersection of SaaS and ecommerce, would you still push Reddit first? And when it comes to listing on platforms like Product Hunt or getting into directories early — did you find that worth it before you had traction, or does it only pay off once you have some social proof?

Also — do you have KickNoir-relevant deals on SaaSOffers? Would love to cut costs on the stack while I'm still pre-revenue.

Great article. Will be applying it for sure.

Fantastic article, thank you for sharing you thoughts. How did you distribute it? This is where I am struggling. Built benchmark product but feels like it's impossible to showcase it to people.

How many subreddits did you post in? If more than one, did you post them all at once? I'm considering doing the same thing but don't want to be marked as spam, even though my reddit account is old with 40k+ karma

Congrats. What was your Reddit/SEO Strategies?

This is one of the most honest stack breakdowns I've seen on here. No fluff, no affiliate links, just what actually worked.

The Reddit traffic point is the one I keep coming back to. 859K views is not luck.. that's either exceptional timing, exceptional framing, or both. Most founders treat Reddit like a billboard and get banned. You clearly did something different.

A few things I'd genuinely love to understand better:

What did your first Reddit post look like that made it work? Was it purely value or did you tease the product at all?

And on the $79/year price point.. how did you land on that number? Did you test lower, or did you start there and it just converted?

Building something in the accountability and behavior change space myself. The distribution question is the one keeping me up at night right now. Your Reddit experience feels like the most transferable lesson in this whole post.

Filippo, building xoobz

the Anthropic API call-out is the biggest piece here.

AEO is where SEO was ten years ago. most founders are still optimizing for google while their buyers are already asking claude and perplexity instead. you built tooling for where attention is going, not where it's been.

the reddit angle is worth a standalone post too. 859k views before a single paid ad isn't luck. that's a sequencing decision most founders never make. they polish the stack before they know if anyone wants what they're building.

what is the AEO audit actually checking for? curious how you thought about the signal set.

The 'don't pay for anything until you have paying customers' line at the end contradicts most startup advice and is also the most honest thing in the post. Most tool stack posts are written retrospectively to justify decisions that felt risky at the time. This one reads like someone who actually ran the math first. The Ahrefs Webmaster Tools being free forever is criminally undermentioned I've seen founders spend hundreds on SEO tools that do less. The Notion as actual business operating system rather than just notes is the detail that separates people who use Notion from people who work inside it. Curious whether the Reddit 859K views came from one post that caught fire or consistent presence over time because those are completely different distribution strategies that look identical in the final number.

Thanks for the great breakdown.
How did you get in front of customers? Simply SEO? Or other social engagement?

SaaSOffers is solving a real pain point for founders by helping them reduce software costs through curated credits, discounts, and startup perks, which is especially valuable in the early growth stage when cash flow matters most.

The Reddit part got me. I haven't been able to make any progress at all with Reddit. Maybe I'd try again.

859K Reddit views solo is wild. the 'just tools and weekends' framing resonates - i've been building my PM dashboard the same way. was Reddit discovery mostly organic or did you seed specific subreddits?

The Reddit angle is what got me. 859K views is wild. What was the split between organic (people finding your posts) and active posting from you? And which subs actually converted vs just gave volume?

I just posted my first r/sideprojects thing yesterday. 24 signups, 0 paying, so way behind your trajectory but trying to learn what to expect. 6 comments and score of 2 in 24h. Was your early Reddit traction this slow or did it always feel like something was happening?

From your experience what was the best way to get first customers ?

In your experience, is it better to build a very polished UI first to gain trust, or should I just ship a 'bare-bones' functional tool and see if people actually use it before making it look pretty?"

This feels honest. Not dressed up.

The boring stack is the takeaway. Nothing fancy, just stuff that lets you keep moving.

Also that line about not paying until customers show up. Most people do the opposite and get stuck setting things up forever.

Curious though. From all that Reddit traffic, what actually made people sign up?

Feels like there’s something subtle there that most people would miss

HI, i'm Connell, a Bug Bounty Hunter. I run PentraSec, a Web Application Security boutique, similar to platforms like HackerOne and Bugcroud but more personalised, meaning more focus on in-scope applications to test.

I'd be happy to partner with you to test your applications before attackers do; leaving you to focus on the development while i cover your unintentionally open paths and footprints attackers could crawl into, and making sure you stay trusted and guaranteed by your clients.

The exact stack I used to take SaaSOffers from 0 to $35K solo

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