💰
Revenue
$85,000/mo
Timeline
48 months
🚀
Channel
SEO + Affiliates
🎯
Difficulty
medium-hard
💡 KEY INSIGHT

Tim was stuck at $1,300 MRR for 2 years until he killed his core 'sharing' feature and added scheduling instead—immediately doubling revenue and proving that removing features can be more powerful than adding them.

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How to Replicate This in 30 Days

30-Day Starter Plan
  • 1
    Week 1: Research 30 potential customers in your niche. Interview 5 about their current tools and pain points. Check API access for your target platform.
  • 2
    Week 2: Validate pricing by asking 'Would you pay $30/month for [core feature]?' to 10 prospects. Map out MVP feature set (scheduling only). Set up development environment.
  • 3
    Week 3: Build basic scheduling functionality. Set up database and authentication. Create simple dashboard UI. No fancy features yet.
  • 4
    Week 4: Integrate social platform API. Set up Stripe test mode. Deploy to staging. Get 3 beta testers using it daily and collect feedback.

Growth Timeline

MONTH 0
Launched ShareMyInsights
MONTH 1
First 100 customers via friend's site
MONTH 6
Stuck at $1,300 MRR
MONTH 24
Still stuck at $1,300 MRR
MONTH 24
Removed sharing, added scheduling
MONTH 25
MRR doubled to $2,500
MONTH 26
Rebranded to Pallyy
MONTH 36
10x growth through marketing
MONTH 48
Hit $85K MRR solo

How They Did Marketing

Marketing Flow

confirmed

SEO-first strategy combined with affiliate program and targeted Google Ads. Started with network effect from friend's redirect, then built systematic content marketing.

SEO
Affiliate Marketing
Google Ads

Channel Breakdown

SEO50%

50+ blog posts targeting scheduling and analytics keywords, comparison pages

Affiliate Program30%

20-30% recurring commissions to partners

Google Ads15%

High-intent keywords for social media tools

Referral/Network5%

Initial 100 customers from friend's Instagram Analytics site

Key Tactics

  • Built free tools for backlinks
  • Focused on agency niche after broad start
  • Rebranded from limiting name
  • Price increases as features added

What Didn't Work

  • Initial sharing feature had high churn
  • Broad positioning before niche focus
  • Waiting 2 years to pivot

Tools Used

M

MongoDB

Database

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N

Node.js/Express

Backend

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V

Vue/Nuxt

Frontend

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S

Stripe

Payments

Online payment processing

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I

Instagram API

Integration

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R

Railway/Render

Hosting

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G

Google Ads

Marketing

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A

Affiliate Software

Marketing

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Detailed Replication Blueprint

Phase 1 - Market Research

(Weeks 1-4)
Objectives:
  • Identify underserved niche
  • Validate API access
  • Confirm willingness to pay
Steps:
  1. 1.Research 20-30 potential customers in target niche
  2. 2.Check API terms for chosen platform
  3. 3.Validate $20-100/month price point
  4. 4.Choose specific positioning

Phase 2 - MVP Development

(Months 2-4)
Objectives:
  • Build core scheduling feature
  • Set up billing
  • Deploy to production
Steps:
  1. 1.Build scheduling feature only
  2. 2.Integrate social platform API
  3. 3.Set up Stripe billing
  4. 4.Deploy on Railway/Render
  5. 5.Budget $500-1,000 for tools

Phase 3 - First Customers

(Months 4-5)
Objectives:
  • Get 10 paying customers
  • Validate core value prop
Steps:
  1. 1.Reach out to 50-100 people personally
  2. 2.Offer early-bird pricing
  3. 3.Schedule weekly feedback calls
  4. 4.Track what features they actually use
  5. 5.Reach $200-300 MRR

Phase 4 - Product-Market Fit

(Months 6-12)
Objectives:
  • Reduce churn below 5%
  • Reach $1,000-2,000 MRR
Steps:
  1. 1.Track churn religiously
  2. 2.Monthly user interviews
  3. 3.Build top 2-3 requested features
  4. 4.Remove unused features
  5. 5.Get 30-50 customers

Phase 5 - Marketing Engine

(Months 12-24)
Objectives:
  • Build systematic acquisition
  • Reach $10K MRR
Steps:
  1. 1.Write 50+ SEO blog posts
  2. 2.Launch affiliate program at 20-30% commission
  3. 3.Test Google Ads with $500-1,000
  4. 4.Build comparison pages
  5. 5.Create free lead-gen tools

Phase 6 - Scale

(Months 24+)
Objectives:
  • Reach $50K+ MRR
  • Consider first hire
Steps:
  1. 1.Double down on working channels
  2. 2.Test higher pricing tiers
  3. 3.Add churn-reducing features
  4. 4.Stay lean as long as possible
  5. 5.Hire only when bottlenecked

Generated: November 14, 2025

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