I shut down my biggest project last month. Over 30K+ users in just a year. Lost over $2000 in a year. Now Building an AI Company!! Wish me luck!
Content Summary
Opinion Analysis
Mainstream Opinion: The community appears supportive of the pivot, with the top comment expressing excitement about wearable AI integration. The author's transparency about failure is well-received.
Key Debates: While not heavily debated in this thread, the underlying tension between free access and sustainable business models is implied. The author's journey from free tool to paid AI services reflects a common SaaS learning curve.
Different Perspectives: The author initially believed in keeping products free forever, but learned this was unsustainable. The pivot from serving individual users (B2C) to businesses (B2B) shows evolution in understanding value creation. The commenter suggests hardware integration, indicating user desire for deeper AI integration into daily life.
Consensus: There's agreement that building something "valuable" requires sustainable monetization, and that AI assistants need to go beyond simple chatbots to truly personalized, automated solutions.
SAAS TOOLS
| SaaS | URL | Category | Features/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Momentem | https://momentem.pro/ | Productivity / Note-taking | Free side project, gained 200K+ Reddit views, 30K+ users |
| G1 | https://g-one.tech | AI Assistant / Automation | "World's first living AI", learns user habits, remembers needs, automates tasks, 3K+ waitlist |
USER NEEDS
Pain Points:
- Free products can create unsustainable burn as user base grows
- Lack of monetization leads to heavy monthly losses
- Growth without revenue is a "vicious cycle"
- Desire to build something "big" and world-changing rather than small client work
Problems to Solve:
- How to balance free access with sustainable business model
- How to transition from side project to profitable SaaS
- How to create AI that truly personalizes and automates digital life
- How to collect user data independently (wearable format mentioned)
Potential Solutions:
- Shift from free to paid or freemium model
- Pivot to high-value AI services for businesses
- Build next-gen AI assistant with memory and automation
- Explore wearable/IoT integration for autonomous data collection
GROWTH FACTORS
Effective Strategies:
- Leverage Reddit for viral marketing (200K+ views)
- Build waitlist hype (3K+ signups) before launch
- Position product as "world-changing" to attract early adopters
- Use inspirational quotes (Steve Jobs) for brand storytelling
Marketing & Acquisition:
- Reddit marketing campaigns drove 200K+ views and 30K+ users
- Waitlist strategy with early access to create scarcity
- Direct call-to-action in post to join waitlist
- Community engagement through supportive messaging
Monetization & Product:
- Free model unsustainable at scale - lesson learned
- Pivot from B2C free tool to B2B AI services shows monetization learning
- Focus on high-value AI automation rather than simple tools
- Emphasis on product-market fit through "valuable" feeling
User Engagement:
- Transparent sharing of failure and pivot journey builds trust
- Community call to "support each other and grow together"
- Waitlist creates engaged early user base
- Long-term vision (wearable AI) keeps users invested in roadmap