- Filip Panoski, a self-taught software developer, quit his $7k/month job after 7 years of failed side projects to focus full-time on his startup Bazzly, now earning $7.5k/month.
- Key lessons from previous failures: avoid B2C models and one-time payments; instead, choose B2B with recurring revenue solving a recurring pain point.
- Validated demand for a Reddit marketing tool by creating a waitlist landing page and securing 30 sign-ups via direct messages (DMs) before building the MVP.
- Built Bazzly in one month using AI, JavaScript, React, Next.js, Supabase, and Node.js, leveraging free hosting plans to minimize costs.
- Simplified pricing from three tiers to a single $99/month plan, boosting revenue by improving paid conversion and positioning the product as premium.
- Growth phases: $0 to $100 MRR by addressing churn through user interviews; $100 to $1k MRR via marketing on Reddit, X, and Indie Hackers; $1k to $5k MRR through a partnership and repositioning to an autopilot system.
- Marketing channels included personalized DMs, helpful Reddit comments, and building in public on X and Indie Hackers, focusing on improving funnel conversion rather than adding new channels.
- Critical advice: optimize your life for long-term goals; build in public for feedback and traction; think in systems, not one-time events; fix churn before scaling; validate distribution early; prioritize onboarding and user conversations.
- Future goals include reaching $10k MRR and expanding Bazzly into an AI-driven traffic generation system for SaaS companies.