12
Getting laid off last Sept was a blessing in disguise for me
r/SideProject
7/12/2025
Content Summary
After being laid off in September, the founder developed Answer HQ - an AI support tool automating repetitive customer queries. The SaaS product achieved $1k MRR with 7 paying customers in 8 months through word-of-mouth referrals, personalized onboarding, and niche community engagement. Key strategies include rapid MVP development, tiered pricing, and maintaining authentic customer relationships while expanding to Shopify App Store and Product Hunt.
Opinion Analysis
Mainstream opinions celebrate the lean startup approach and customer-centric development:
- Validation of solving real small business pain points
- Praise for balancing automation with human touch
- Recognition of effective referral-driven growth
Controversial aspects:
- Some may question sustainability of night/weekend development with full-time job
- Debate around cold email effectiveness vs LinkedIn outreach
- Potential concerns about scaling personalized onboarding
Comment debates:
- Initial joke comment about "getting laid" contrasts with serious business discussion
- Followers of the public build process show engaged community interest
SAAS TOOLS
| SaaS | URL | Category | Features/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answer HQ | https://answerhq.co | AI Customer Support | Automates repetitive support questions |
| Learns business content | |||
| Custom integrations (e.g. insurance verification) | |||
| Personalized onboarding | |||
| Clay | [Not provided] | Sales Automation | Used for cold email campaigns |
| Smartlead | [Not provided] | Sales Automation | Used for cold email campaigns |
| Shopify | [Not provided] | E-commerce Platform | Integration target for Answer HQ |
USER NEEDS
Pain Points:
- Small business owners spend 80% time answering repetitive support questions
- Difficulty scaling customer support without losing deals
- Poor conversion rates with self-serve onboarding
- Cold email ineffectiveness
Problems to Solve:
- Automating basic customer inquiries (return policies, shipping info)
- Maintaining authentic customer relationships while scaling
- Improving onboarding conversion rates
- Finding effective customer acquisition channels
Potential Solutions:
- AI-powered automated support with business-specific learning
- Personalized human onboarding and monthly check-ins
- Platform integrations (Shopify App Store)
- Word-of-mouth referral systems
- Niche community engagement (Facebook groups, LinkedIn DMs)
GROWTH FACTORS
Effective Strategies:
- Rapid MVP development (3 weeks)
- Prioritizing customer-requested features over vanity features
- Same-day bug resolution
Marketing & Acquisition:
- Word-of-mouth referrals (71% customers)
- LinkedIn/X direct outreach
- Niche Facebook group engagement
- Upcoming Shopify App Store launch
- Planned Product Hunt launch
Monetization & Product:
- Tiered pricing ($199/mo Pro plan as sweet spot)
- Custom enterprise solutions ($349/mo Growth plan)
- Annual prepayment option
- Focus on simplicity and core functionality
User Engagement:
- Personal onboarding sessions
- Monthly customer check-ins
- Authentic non-AI support complementing automation
- Community-driven development approach