Case Study: $20K MRR as a Solo Founder (Zero Ads, Zero Employees)
Published September 6, 2025
Introduction
This case study examines how the solo founder @aginext scaled a SaaS product to $20K MRR with no ads, no employees, and zero paid marketing spend. Instead, growth came from rapid customer feedback, evergreen content, and hyper-personal engagement.
Each strategy below is broken into a 30-minute Indie10k Action Card so you can immediately apply the lessons in your own journey. The founder’s story is included as context for why each card worked in practice.
Action Card 1: Set Up Google Alerts
Why This Matters
Catching conversations about your niche lets you join in early and drive signups.
Action Steps
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Go to Google Alerts.
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Add your top 3 competitor names + “alternative.”
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Choose “As-it-happens” and send to your inbox.
Metric Impact: referral_traffic
Case Study Context
The founder set keyword alerts across multiple platforms—Twitter, Reddit, Indie Hackers, forums—and responded within minutes for six straight months. This created the illusion of being “everywhere at once,” even though he was operating completely solo.
Action Card 2: Create a Twitter/Reddit Keyword Search
Why This Matters
Real-time engagement makes you look “everywhere at once.”
Action Steps
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On Twitter, save a search for
[keyword] SaaS. -
On Reddit, subscribe to 2–3 relevant subreddits.
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Respond thoughtfully to 1 post today.
Metric Impact: social_engagement
Case Study Context
By jumping into conversations almost instantly, he built credibility and trust. Users assumed there was a team behind the account, but in reality it was just one founder monitoring alerts and replying quickly.
Action Card 3: Schedule One Customer Zoom Call
Why This Matters
Direct conversations create loyalty and reveal instant feature ideas.
Action Steps
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Send 3 invites using Cal.com or Calendly.
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Ask one question: “What’s your #1 frustration with [problem]?”
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Write down 2–3 takeaways.
Metric Impact: customer_feedback
Case Study Context
The founder stopped using a 12-month roadmap and instead built directly from customer calls. In one live session, he shipped a feature while still on Zoom with the user—earning six new referrals that same month.
Action Card 4: Write a Mini Blog Post (300 words)
Why This Matters
Evergreen posts compound traffic even if short and tactical.
Action Steps
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Pick one FAQ (e.g. “Export CSV from X”).
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Write a 300-word guide with screenshots.
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Publish on your blog.
Metric Impact: organic_traffic
Case Study Context
He published over 200 highly targeted blog posts, each answering niche, intent-driven queries. Posts like “how to export CSV from [competitor]” brought in ~50 consistent signups every month, with no ongoing promotion needed.
Action Card 5: Draft a Competitor Comparison Page
Why This Matters
Users actively search for “[competitor] vs [you].”
Action Steps
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Create a Google Doc with 2 columns: Competitor vs You.
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Add 3 clear differences.
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Save for publishing later.
Metric Impact: competitor_conversion
Case Study Context
The founder set Google Alerts for competitor keywords, built “alternative” landing pages, and published migration guides. He also engaged directly in competitor support groups, often winning customers by simply helping them migrate. Over 40% of his MRR came from competitor refugees.
Action Card 6: Record a 2-Minute Loom for a New Signup
Why This Matters
Personalized onboarding reduces churn and feels premium.
Action Steps
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Open Loom, record your screen.
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Say: “Hi [Name], here’s how to get started with [your app].”
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Send via email.
Metric Impact: activation_rate
Case Study Context
Every new signup got a personal Loom onboarding video. Customers often replied with appreciation, and this personal touch set him apart from bigger, faceless competitors. Even users whose feature requests were declined received a follow-up Loom explaining why.
Action Card 7: Test a Pricing Page Update
Why This Matters
Small pricing shifts help you gauge willingness to pay.
Action Steps
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Duplicate your pricing page.
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Increase one tier by 20%.
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Track signups for 1 week.
Metric Impact: MRR_growth
Case Study Context
The founder raised prices by 5x in one move. Although 80% of customers churned, revenue doubled overnight. Even more surprisingly, support load dropped from 20 hours a week to just 2, because higher-value customers required far less hand-holding.
Action Card 8: Email One Churned User
Why This Matters
Direct outreach often reveals the real cause of churn.
Action Steps
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Open your churn list.
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Pick 1 person.
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Send: “Hey [Name], I saw you left. What could we have done better?”
Metric Impact: churn_insights
Case Study Context
The founder personally emailed churned users and sometimes won them back. Even when he didn’t, he gathered valuable product insights. This level of 1:1 care is nearly impossible for larger teams to replicate at scale.
Action Card 9: Map Your Daily Routine
Why This Matters
A clear rhythm helps you avoid chaos as a solo founder.
Action Steps
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Open Notion/Google Doc.
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Write: Morning – Social responses, Afternoon – Customer call, Evening – Blog.
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Stick to it for one day.
Metric Impact: consistency_score
Case Study Context
His daily routine was simple: mornings for social + Looms, afternoons for a customer call and feature build, evenings for content. This routine required no employees, no automation, and cost $0 to run.
Action Card 10: Block Time for Rest
Why This Matters
Protecting downtime ensures you don’t burn out.
Action Steps
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Add a calendar block called “Off – No Work.”
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Pick a weekend slot.
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Commit to it.
Metric Impact: founder_sustainability
Case Study Context
The founder surfed twice a week, took weekends off, and even traveled to Japan for three weeks while revenue continued to grow. This balance proved the business was resilient without constant hustle.
Final Note
This solo founder’s journey demonstrates that rapid action, personal customer care, and compounding assets can outperform paid ads and big teams. By following these 30-minute cards, you can start building the same sustainable foundation on your path to $10K MRR.
Ready to actually start working toward it instead of just reading about it? Indie10k breaks down the journey into weekly missions that focus on revenue, not vanity metrics. Because goals are nice, but systems that help you reach them are better.