I made these 10 SaaS (and earned $237,631)

Key Concepts

• Solo developer revenue streams
• Software as a Service (SaaS) businesses
• Gamified habit tracking
• No-code website builder
• AI-powered language learning
• Stripe dispute prevention
• Stripe invoice generation
• Website popup notifications
• Web analytics and revenue data integration
• Marketing strategies: free tools, viral videos, SEO, building in public

Habit Garden: Gamified Habit Tracker

• Description: A gamified to-do list and habit tracker with iOS and Android apps.
• Pricing: $5/month or $47 lifetime deal.
• Revenue:
  • 2022: $2,000 (split between web and mobile apps)
  • Current: $40/month (web), $140/month (mobile), approximately $400 in the last 30 days.
• Idea Origin: Combining the engaging nature of games (specifically World of Warcraft) with the importance of daily habits (inspired by the book "Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker).
• Customer Acquisition:
  • Early users: Sharing screenshots on Twitter.
  • Growth: Promotional videos (parodying World of Warcraft), free tools (e.g., visualizhabit.com).
  • Viral Marketing: The visualizhabit.com tool went viral on Reddit, generating significant user traffic. A Reddit post got almost 6,000 likes.
• Marketing Strategy Shift: Recommends focusing on platforms like Instagram and TikTok for B2C subscription apps in 2025, using inspirational videos and challenges.

IND the page: Website Builder for Entrepreneurs

• Description: A no-code website builder for entrepreneurs to showcase their work.
• Pricing: $25/year or $45 lifetime deal.
• Revenue: $43,000 since 2023.
• Idea Origin: A personal website created to showcase projects led to DMs from people wanting a similar website.
• Customer Acquisition:
  • Social Proof: Getting influential Twitter users (e.g., Arvid Kahl, Damon) to use the app.
  • Product Hunt Launch: Achieved "number one of the day" badge.
  • Free Tools: A Twitter bot that shares user sales data.
  • Leaderboard: A leaderboard showcasing verified user revenue, framed as a challenge ("Can you make $1,000 online?").
• Key Feature: Automatic Stripe integration for revenue display.

Workbook PDF: AI Educational Platform

• Description: An AI-powered platform for creating customized language learning workbooks.
• Pricing: $29 for 30-day access (pass system).
• Revenue: $2,400 since July 2023.
• Idea Origin: Personal need to learn Korean in a more engaging way, tailored to specific interests.
• Customer Acquisition:
  • Initial launch spike.
  • SEO: Targeting keywords like "English workbook PDF for intermediate people."
  • Google Search Console shows 100+ clicks per day from SEO.
• Marketing Strategy Shift: Suggests social media (e.g., TikTok) as a better fit for educational apps, focusing on viral content and influencer marketing.

By disput: Stripe Dispute Prevention Tool

• Description: A no-code tool to analyze Stripe payments and prevent disputes.
• Pricing: Credit-based system (e.g., $219 for 100,000 protected transactions).
• Revenue: Almost $8,000 since launch (approximately one year ago).
• Idea Origin: Personal experience of being banned from Stripe due to fraudulent payments.
• Customer Acquisition:
  • Viral Video: A video featuring Leonardo DiCaprio explaining the importance of dispute prevention (half a million views, 2,000 likes).
  • SEO: Articles targeting "stripe disputes" keywords (5-20 qualified clicks per day).
• Marketing Strategy: Suggests targeting larger companies with cold emails or using fear-based marketing to highlight the risk of Stripe bans.

Zenvo: Stripe Invoice Generation

• Description: A tool to generate Stripe invoices without paying the 4% Stripe fee.
• Pricing: $49 for one Stripe account, $69 for unlimited accounts (one-time payment).
• Revenue: $15,000 since launch (one year ago).
• Idea Origin: Frustration with Stripe charging 4% for PDF invoice generation, costing $1,600 in one year.
• Customer Acquisition:
  • YouTube Live Streams: Live-streaming the entire software development process (coding, brainstorming, design, marketing) over 9 days.
  • Badge: A unique badge on customer invoices that links back to the Zenvo website.
• Key Insight: Live streaming development builds trust and can generate sales before launch.

Poop Up: Website Popup Notifications

• Description: A no-code tool for creating website popup notifications.
• Pricing: $9 for one website, $19 for unlimited websites (one-time payment).
• Revenue: Almost $7,000 since launch (March 2024).
• Idea Origin: Inspired by the popup notifications on the Zenvo website, suggested by a friend (Don).
• Customer Acquisition:
  • Launch strategy on Product Hunt and other platforms.
• Key Takeaways:
  • The importance of surrounding oneself with good friends.
  • Startup ideas often come from previous projects.

Data Fast: Web Analytics and Revenue Data Integration

• Description: A web analytics tool that integrates website traffic with revenue data.
• Pricing: Starts at $9/month, scaling with traffic volume.
• Revenue: Almost $6,000 in 3 months. Monthly recurring revenue (MRR) is almost $1,400.
• Idea Origin: Personal need to centralize and analyze data from multiple internet businesses.
• Customer Acquisition:
  • Building in public on Twitter.
• Key Metrics: Tracks revenue per visitor and conversion rate.

Disconnected SaaS Businesses

• Virot: A project about making money as a developer. Reached over $4,000 in monthly recurring revenue. Marketing involved cold emails.
• Game Widget: Widgets to increase website conversion rates. Sold for $43,000 after making $200.
• Make Lending: A website generator using AI. Made $15,000 in 3-4 months and sold for $35,000.

Three Key Takeaways

1. Don't Need a Brilliant Idea: Stop looking for the perfect idea and start building something. Rebuild existing tools or explore new hobbies to find problems worth solving.
2. Find the Right Marketing Channel: Marketing should feel natural and enjoyable. If a marketing strategy feels forced, move on to the next product.
3. Learn When to Quit: Set a visitor threshold (e.g., 1,000 visitors) to quickly assess a product's potential. Don't let expectations based on time invested lead to burnout.

Conclusion

The speaker details his journey building and monetizing multiple SaaS businesses as a solo developer. He emphasizes the importance of building in public, finding marketing channels that align with personal preferences, and knowing when to pivot or abandon a project. The key to success lies in continuous creation, learning from each project, and adapting marketing strategies to suit the product and target audience. He also highlights the value of personal connections and the iterative nature of startup ideas, where one project often inspires the next.