28
From laid off last Sept, to currently $1,000 MRR and $6,000 revenue
r/Entrepreneur
7/12/2025
Content Summary
The author was laid off in September and used the time to build Answer HQ, an AI support tool that automates repetitive customer questions for small businesses. After 8 months, the tool has reached $1,000 MRR with $6,000 total revenue from 7 paying customers. Key successes include word-of-mouth referrals (5/7 customers), personal onboarding, and same-day bug fixes. Challenges include poor self-serve onboarding conversion and ineffective cold emailing. Upcoming plans include launching on Shopify App Store and Product Hunt.
Opinion Analysis
Mainstream Opinions:
- There's strong consensus that solving real customer pain points (like repetitive support questions) is more valuable than sleek UI design. Multiple commenters reference examples like RockAuto and Craigslist where functionality trumps aesthetics.
- Personal touch in onboarding and support is seen as crucial for building trust in AI tools, especially with small business customers.
Conflicting Views:
- While the author finds cold email ineffective (using Clay and Smartlead), no alternative B2B acquisition methods are debated in the comments.
- Pricing perception varies: some users thought the original $199 price was too low, prompting the author to increase it to $299, but no dissent is recorded in these comments.
Notable Perspectives:
- u/Zanthious emphasizes that solving genuine needs matters more than polished products, citing examples of "ugly" successful businesses.
- u/Legitimate-Bar7433 raises scalability concerns about personal onboarding, questioning if hybrid approaches (e.g., video concierge) could maintain trust while growing.
SAAS TOOLS
| SaaS | URL | Category | Features/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answer HQ | Not provided | AI Support Tool | Automates repetitive support questions like return policies and shipping info |
| Clay | Not provided | Sales Automation | Used for cold emailing |
| Smartlead | Not provided | Sales Automation | Used for cold emailing |
USER NEEDS
Pain Points:
- Small business owners spend 80% of their time answering repetitive support questions
- Handling basic inquiries manually leads to lost deals
- Self-serve onboarding has poor conversion rates
- Cold emailing is ineffective for customer acquisition
Problems to Solve:
- Automating repetitive customer support inquiries
- Reducing time spent on basic customer questions
- Improving customer onboarding experience
- Finding effective customer acquisition channels
Potential Solutions:
- AI-powered support tools that learn business content
- Personal onboarding and monthly check-ins
- Word-of-mouth referrals
- Niche community engagement (non-spammy)
- Platform integrations (e.g., Shopify App Store)
GROWTH FACTORS
Effective Strategies:
- Prioritizing customer-requested features over vanity features
- Offering tiered pricing plans ($199 Pro plan as sweet spot)
- Providing same-day bug fixes
- Personal onboarding and monthly check-ins
Marketing & Acquisition:
- Word-of-mouth referrals (71% of customers)
- LinkedIn/X DMs to small business owners
- Niche Facebook groups (non-spammy approach)
- Upcoming Shopify App Store launch
- Planned Product Hunt launch
Monetization & Product:
- $199/month Pro plan identified as optimal pricing
- Custom enterprise plan at $349/month
- Focus on simplicity and solving core problems
- Avoiding feature bloat
User Engagement:
- Personal onboarding sessions
- Monthly customer check-ins
- Authentic non-AI support alongside automation