30
Growing a startup from 0 is WILD. Here's what no one told me.
r/indiehackers
7/3/2025
SAAS TOOLS
| SaaS | URL | Category | Features/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flowglad | http://Flowglad.com | Payments/Billing | Focuses on payment processing and pricing strategies |
USER NEEDS
Pain Points:
- Difficulty acquiring first users/initial traction
- Getting real visitors is harder than product development
- Subreddit rules make product promotion challenging
- Balancing value provision with product promotion
Problems to Solve:
- How to earn first 100 users through manual effort
- Finding effective channels for early-stage user acquisition
- Converting initial interest into actual sign-ups/sales
- Building authentic community engagement
Potential Solutions:
- Strategic commenting in relevant Reddit threads
- Open-sourcing projects with pay-what-you-want model
- Multi-channel presence (Reddit, Discord, LinkedIn, Twitter)
- Non-salesy cold DMs and value-first engagement
- Changelog newsletters and community building
GROWTH FACTORS
Effective Strategies:
- Hand-to-hand combat approach for first 1000 customers
- Consistent multi-platform content creation
- Early-stage focus on community building over ads
Marketing & Acquisition:
- Reddit engagement (commenting > posting)
- Cold DMs with non-spammy approach
- Attending real-world events for networking
- Leveraging co-founder social media presence
Monetization & Product:
- Open-sourcing with pay-what-you-want pricing
- Free expertise sharing to demonstrate value
- Iterating based on direct user feedback
User Engagement:
- Active participation in Discord communities
- Daily LinkedIn/Twitter content updates
- User referral requests after conversations
- Passion-driven organic interest generation