Building a successful niche product as a wedge into a bigger market
Neel Bhattacharya saw a problem and new AI would be the solution. Then, she waited years for voice AI to get to where it needed to be for her idea to succeed — and in 2023, she finally built TheSolarAI.
Now, it's making a high 4-figure MRR serving as a wedge into its horizontal counterpart, LeadTrackAI.
Here's Neel on how she's doing it. 👇
Starting with a wedge
I'm not building an "AI company." I'm solving the problem I've obsessed over for 20 years: Why do businesses lose customers they've already paid to acquire?
My background is enterprise marketing automation — IBM Unica (now IBM Marketing Cloud), Salesforce, Adobe Campaign. I built multi-channel orchestration systems before "marketing automation" was even a buzzword.
During that time, I saw a pattern: Companies that responded fastest across voice + SMS + email won. Not the biggest budgets. The fastest, most coordinated responses.
Then, I moved into Australia's energy sector. Solar companies were spending $50K+ monthly on Google Ads, generating hundreds of leads, and taking 4+ hours to call them back.
Buyers choose whoever responds first.
By 2023, AI voice technology finally matured enough to solve this. So I built TheSolarAI.com — a voice + SMS + email orchestration system that responds to solar leads in under 60 seconds and converts them into appointments.
Why voice? Because $20-50k decisions need human conversations. But businesses can't staff 24/7. AI bridges that gap.
We're currently serving enterprise clients across Australia's solar sector with TheSolarAI.com, and we're expanding the model to LeadTrackAI with automotive, real estate, home services — just about any industry where speed + multi-channel follow-up = revenue.
Solar was the wedge. LeadTrackAI is the horizontal platform.
Performance pricing
We're at about $8k MRR. We use an interesting business model — it's 100% performance-based.
Clients pay $0 upfront. We only earn commission when leads convert to appointments. Why? After 20 years implementing enterprise platforms, I learned that CFOs buy outcomes, not features.
"What if it doesn't work?" was always the objection I heard, so I removed it. Pay nothing until it works.
Yes, it's capital-intensive. Yes, it creates lumpy revenue. But it aligns incentives perfectly. We're partners, not vendors.
Here are the metrics the important metrics:
18-month average client retention
30-90% conversion rate improvements for clients
Zero churn in the past 5 months
Performance pricing creates evangelical customers. That's worth more than predictable MRR.
Pricing issues
That said, performance pricing nearly killed the business.
I pay AI/SMS/infrastructure costs upfront, then wait 30-90 days for commission. So, in the early months, we were gaining clients and getting them strong conversions, but bleeding cash while we waited for payment cycles.
If I restarted, I'd probably rethink pricing in the beginning and go hybrid instead. Innovation in pricing is great, but you need to be able to afford your business model.
Building workflows
The AI was easy. The workflow was hard.
After 20 years building enterprise marketing systems, I knew:
Which touchpoints mattered (voice → SMS → email)
When to follow up (60 seconds, 2 hours, next day, 3 days, 1 week)
What to say at each stage (qualify → educate → create urgency → close)
I started by Frankensteining an MVP using GPT-4, Twilio, a VPS, and Google Sheets as my database (yes, really). Ugly, but functional.
Three weeks in, I tested on 50 "dead" leads a Brisbane installer had abandoned. Result: 46% contact rate, multiple booked appointments, closed deals. He asked to use it immediately. That was validation.
It took me two months to build the real platform. Then it took me six weeks to get my first paying customers.
I wasn't inventing technology. I just was applying 20 years of enterprise expertise to AI capabilities that finally caught up to the strategy I'd known would work.
Challenges with voice AI
Voice AI quality was inconsistent in the beginning. It would talk over customers, mishear Australian accents ("solar" → "sola"), fumble objections, etc.
It took four months of fine-tuning conversation flows, accent training, and objection libraries.
Customers helped — they knew what "good" sounded like from analyzing millions of conversations over the years.
Reliability over hype
Reliability scales better than hype. So, when it comes to my stack, here's my motto: Use proven tools; innovate in the application.
That's why LeadTrackAI (and our earlier platform, TheSolarAI) runs on a deliberately “boring” but powerful stack.
We use:
OpenAI GPT-4 Turbo for logic
ElevenLabs for natural voice
Deepgram for real-time transcription
Twilio for calls and SMS
The backend runs on Python/FastAPI, PostgreSQL, and Redis, hosted on AWS for speed and scale.
Next.js/React powers the dashboard, and we integrate directly with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Pipedrive for instant adoption.
The result: Scalable voice automation handling 1,200+ daily interactions.
Because in the end, technology is 20% of success — understanding the workflow is 80%. That’s our real competitive edge.
Growth via relationships
To grow, I leveraged years of relationships and credibility.
Most founders talk "growth hacks." My strategy: Call people I've known for 15 years and say, "I built something that solves the problem we've been complaining about forever."
Most founders can't do this because they're building for industries they discovered last quarter. Your network IS your moat when you've worked in your industry for years.
Here's the breakdown:
1. Direct network
50 personalized LinkedIn messages to former colleagues, consultants, conference connections
30% of demos → paying clients
2. LinkedIn content
Behind-the-scenes building, client wins, industry insights
Positioned as expert/educator, not vendor
3. Industry events
All-Energy Australia, Smart Energy Council events
Shared frameworks, never mentioned product
And here's what DIDN'T work:
❌ Google Ads (expensive, wrong audience)
❌ Facebook Ads (B2B solar doesn't browse FB for SaaS)
❌ Cold email (low response, felt spammy)
If there was a do-over
If I could do it again, here's what I'd do differently:
Hybrid pricing sooner
Build leadership team by month 3 and get the right team to complement what you lack
Build in public from day 1
Choose a familiar problem
The best products come from obsessing over a problem for YEARS, not weeks. So build what you've complained about for years
I've ranted about "businesses losing leads to slow responses" for 20 years and have been fixing it with various automation suites. TheSolarAI wasn't a "pivot." It was my years of obsession.
What problem have you experienced for 5+ years that's still unsolved?
And go Enterprise. Most indie hackers chase SMBs. It makes sense — I hate enterprise sales. Six to eight week sales cycles, security reviews, contract negotiations. I spent weeks in meetings instead of coding. But enterprise value is 10-50x higher.
Domain expertise compounds
And one more thing: If you're 35+ and think you're "too old" to be a founder — you're not.
I'm 46 and it's my unfair advantage: 20 years of domain expertise in a world of AI-first founders with zero real-world experience.
Most AI founders today:
Graduated from Stanford/MIT in the last 5 years
Know ML/AI deeply
Have ZERO understanding of actual business problems
They "learn" an industry in 6 months by reading blog posts, interviewing 5 people, building a chatbot, then wondering why nobody buys.
I did the opposite.
Because domain expertise compounds; technical skills are a commodity.
If you're 35+, your 15-20 years of domain expertise is an unfair advantage younger founders don't have. Use it.
What's next?
My goals are centered on building a sustainable, high-impact technology platform that redefines efficiency in sales. In the short term, our focus is on securing more enterprise clients, scaling our leadership team, and expanding our multi-channel AI automation across both our specialized solar brand (TheSolarAI) and the new verticals under LeadTrackAI.
The medium term is about transitioning this into a robust, modular platform — introducing self-serve tiers, API access, and 10x-ing our infrastructure to handle massive volumes of leads as we grow.
Our long-term vision is where the two brands converge into a powerful mission: To establish the platform as the global standard for high-volume, automated sales conversion.
The specific goal remains to help 1 million households go solar by 2030. I'm building a profitable business that solves profound, real-world problems. I’m not optimizing for a valuation metric; I am building a company that champions impact, sustainability, and sanity as its core business model.
I post 2-3x/week about AI, enterprise software, solar, and indie hacking on LinkedIn. And check out LeadTrackAI!
Leave a Comment
Incredible story, Neel! Your approach perfectly shows why domain expertise and patience matter more than chasing trends. I really like how you focused on workflow reliability over hype that’s such a rare mindset in today’s AI space. The performance-based pricing model is bold but deeply aligned with client success, and it’s inspiring to see it work in real markets like solar. Huge respect for building something real, profitable, and purposeful.
Really liked this; classic wedge strategy done right. Starting niche lets you win trust, refine the product in a focused environment, and then expand into the broader market with credibility and data. The way you positioned around a small, underserved segment instead of trying to go wide from day one is textbook smart.
Curious; what signal told you it was time to expand rather than keep dominating the niche: plateauing growth, feature pull from adjacent users, or repeat inbound from outside your ICP?
P.S. I’m with Buzz; we build conversion-focused Webflow sites and pragmatic SEO for SaaS and product launches. Happy to share a quick 10-point GTM checklist if useful.
Nice product! Have you thought about using a short SaaS video on your homepage to show how it works?
Zero churn in the past 5 months is impressive! Having evangelical customers is definitely key, they will help to get more loyal customers
This is such a masterclass in clarity and purpose, you’re not just building “with AI,” you’re solving a real, long-standing business pain with precision. The part about reliability over hype and domain expertise compounding really hit home. We’re building Loopra, an AI workspace that turns chaotic team inputs (voice notes, docs, screenshots, transcripts) into structured knowledge and we’re already seeing how tricky categorisation and handling large files can get at scale. Hearing how you built steady, reliable systems from years of experience is a great reminder that endurance and workflow depth beat hype every time.
This is a really awesome example of how domain expertise can translate into building valuable solutions. It really comes from the fact that you always need to be solving problems that people actually have. Great reminder and congratulations to you!
amazing
Inspiring Story
Inspiring story. I'm 36 and just starting to build out a solution for the industry I've been in for the past 15 years.
Safe to say, you're right. Stick to your domain and make it better.
To create a successful niche product that can be used as a wedge into a larger market, it is necessary to start small and focus. Businesses can create strong value, gain trust, and refine their products very quickly by focusing on a specific audience with a clear problem. Once the niche has been established and has proven to be successful, it can be used to expand into broader markets with confidence, ensuring sustained growth, loyal customers, and a strong competitive advantage.
This is such an important lesson in focus. The fear for many of us is that starting with a niche means we're limiting our potential. But this story shows the opposite: a sharp focus is what unlocks potential. By becoming the absolute best solution for a small group, you get the traction, feedback, and revenue needed to expand confidently. It's a much safer and more sustainable path than building for a vague 'everyone' from day one. Congrats on proving the model!
Wow nice
Have you ever conducted any tests outside of Australia?
Did you build this solo or with a team?
interesting
I've been writing for Indie Hackers for the better part of a decade. In that time, I've interviewed hundreds of startup founders about their wins, losses, and lessons. I'm also the cofounder of (AI interview assistant) and customer feedback via Loom). And I write two newsletters: (micro-SaaS acquisition opportunities) and (archaeo/anthro news).
We are looking for someone who can invest 45,000 US dollars in our company.
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With the budget of 45,000 US dollars you will invest in our company, we will produce our own designed furniture and sell it in the global market.
With the money you lend, we will have the company we have agreed on produce quality furniture for a certain amount of money and sell it on the international market.
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💼 Your Profit:
You will provide a loan of 45,000 US dollars to our company. We will invest these funds in our furniture business, grow the investment, and return a total of 250,000 US dollars to you by March 22, 2026.
You will invest 45,000 US dollars in our company. When 22.03.2026 comes, I will return your money as 250,000 US dollars.
In short, you will receive back the 45,000 US dollars you lent to our company as 250,000 US dollars, and we will give you back your money in an increased amount.
We will contact you on March 22, 2026, and refund your winnings of 250,000 US dollars.
To learn how to lend 45,000 US dollars to our company and to get detailed information about our educational project, send a message to my Telegram username below.
To learn how you can invest 45,000 US dollars in our company and how you can participate in our furniture project, send a message to my Telegram username below and I will give you detailed information.
To learn how you can multiply your money by investing 45,000 US dollars in our company and to get detailed information about our furniture project, send a message to my Telegram username below.
To learn how you can lend 45,000 US dollars to our company and increase your money by participating in our furniture project, send a message to my Telegram username below and all detailed information will be given to you.
Turn your capital into opportunity! Our company is seeking a 45,000 USD investment to expand our innovative furniture project. Join us and discover how your money can grow while supporting a global venture. For full details, message us on Telegram at the username below.
For detailed information and to learn how you can participate in our furniture project, send a message to my Telegram username below and I will give you detailed information.
My telegram username:
@adenholding
I've been at Voice AI for a year and it's not easy getting clients, most demos are people who just want to get in the business, not actually buyers. Buyers do not like AI taking calls, some see value in after hours though.
I hear you on the grind - a year in and I'm still fighting for every real buyer. But here's what keeps me going: "The obstacle in the path becomes the path." Every objection you're hearing now is teaching you how to position better.
Keep pushing. Sounds like you're learning exactly what you need to know :)
Curious on what was your main marketing/distribution channel because I can see (I might be mistaken) that both sites are vibe-coded and the domains are new-ish (March and September) so how did you grow to an extent that this is considered successful, as seen in the title on this article? Thanks.
Hi there , my main mode of 'distribution ' was my network NOT Website. The old fashioned way of picking the phone. email or message .
Read the article it is laid out above
It wasn't safe for you to assume I did read it prior to asking the question, thus the question? Another fake ass shit. As with 99% posts on IH. lol 'read the article' LOL
Does JAMES tell callers he is an AI? Love 40+ hustle story! Well done!
Just curious — why would you choose to build in public from day one if you had the chance to start over?
Excellent question! Three reasons:
a, When you're building at night while juggling a day job, it's easy to quit when nobody's watching. Public building creates healthy pressure.
b, The conversations that come from sharing your journey early are really imp. You learn what resonates, who your audience is, and what problems matter most.
c, if you BIP, by the you launch, you would already have an audience who'd watched you solve problems in real-time.
I waited too long to share because I was afraid. 'What if' I fail' publicly' , 'what if' my friends know what Im upto? employers think if me? That imposter syndrome cost me 2+ years of community building. If I could redo it, I'd share from day zero – messy MVP, ugly prototypes, all of it.
The vulnerability creates connection. And connection creates customers.
Just my take :)
Great insights! Focusing on a tight niche before expanding is a proven strategy—solving a real pain point first not only gets traction but also builds trust and an early customer base. Love how the post emphasizes close interaction with users and iterating based on their feedback as the foundation for long-term growth. Thanks for sharing these practical steps.
Thank you, Abdur! The 'niche first, expand later' strategy has been everything for us. Appreciate you reading and taking the time to comment!
There is an ancient Chinese saying: favorable timing, advantageous location, and harmonious people.
Love this!
And you're absolutely right – all three had to align. Patience was the hard part, but it paid off.
Thank you for sharing this wisdom!
We grow together.
Out of curiosity, why do you say you would build in public from day 1 if there was a do-over?
Excellent question! Three reasons:
a, When you're building at night while juggling a day job, it's easy to quit when nobody's watching. Public building creates healthy pressure.
b, The conversations that come from sharing your journey early are really imp. You learn what resonates, who your audience is, and what problems matter most.
c, if you BIP, by the you launch, you would already have an audience who'd watched you solve problems in real-time.
I waited too long to share because I was afraid. 'What if' I fail' publicly' , 'what if' my friends know what Im upto? employers think if me? That imposter syndrome cost me 2+ years of community building. If I could redo it, I'd share from day zero – messy MVP, ugly prototypes, all of it.
The vulnerability creates connection. And connection creates customers.
Just my take :)
Finally a success story that didn't happen overnight with $10,000 MRR in three days. We need more of this. The Levi Strauss approach really stands out - while everyone's rushing to mine AI gold, she's selling the picks and shovels to solar companies who actually need to get work done. Doing this is hard and takes time. I think we sometimes forget that with all those stories of instant success. I love the honesty on the pricing and the building in public from day. Finally a story where someone used hard won experience to make a real company with real success and real problems!! Bravo!!!
Thank you so much for this! Your comment really resonates. The "overnight success" narrative has done real damage to founders who are building sustainably.
The hardest part was honestly the waiting – waiting for voice AI to mature enough, waiting through the cash flow challenges of performance pricing, waiting while everyone around me seemed to be moving faster. But domain expertise compounds slowly.
Appreciate you taking the time to read and comment!
Exactly! This kind of story is refreshing because it reminds us that sustainable success is usually built on persistence, not overnight hype. The ‘picks and shovels’ model is one of the smartest plays right now focusing on real problems and tangible value instead of chasing trends. It’s great to see someone taking the slow, steady, intentional path and actually building something that lasts. Truly inspiring!
Caroline, thank you! 'Slow, steady, intentional' – that's exactly it. When you're building at night while managing a day job and family, you don't have the luxury of moving recklessly.
The irony is that what felt like disadvantages (age, responsibilities, limited time) turned out to be the very things that kept me focused on solving real problems instead of chasing hype.
Really appreciate your thoughtful comment!
Absolutely love that perspective. It’s amazing how what once felt like constraints often become the foundation for depth, clarity, and discipline. You’re right building with intention creates something sustainable, not just flashy. Your journey really captures the power of focused growth over frantic motion.
Absolutely that perspective really resonates with me. Constraints often sharpen our focus and discipline. It’s inspiring to see how you’ve turned what most people see as limitations into strengths. Thanks for sharing that insight!
Brilliant.....it’s often the smartest way to earn trust and expand naturally.
Really appreciate you dropping by , reading my story and your encouraging words !
Interesting pricing concept. I honestly love the idea. Do you plan on keeping that same model or getting some more social proof then moving to a full subscription model from the start?
Great question! We're actually moving to a hybrid model now. Perf. pricing was incredible for building evangelical customers and proving product-market fit, but it's capital-intensive and creates lumpy cash flow.
Going forward, we're testing: base subscription (covers infra costs) + performance bonuses (aligns incentives). This gives us predictable revenue while keeping the 'we only win when you win' philosophy.
The social proof from our early performance-only clients is nice (and was very imp) – when a customer says 'they didn't charge me until it worked,' that's powerful positioning for enterprise sales.
What's your take on hybrid models vs. pure subscription for something like this?
Love how you’ve combined decades of domain expertise with modern AI to solve a real, high-impact problem. Your focus on speed, multi-channel follow-up, and performance-based pricing is a masterclass in aligning incentives with outcomes. The point about enterprise experience being an unfair advantage is spot on — most founders underestimate the value of deep industry knowledge. Really inspiring to see AI applied with strategy, not just hype.
Thank you!
Honestly, performance-based pricing was terrifying at first (and nearly broke us), but it forced us to build something that actually works. When your revenue depends on your customers' success, you don't ship vaporware.
Really appreciate you dropping by , reading my story and your encouraging words !
Interesting story
Thank you ! Really appreciate you dropping by , reading my story and your encouraging words !
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We are looking for someone who can invest 45,000 US dollars in our company.
We are looking for an investor who can lend 45,000 US dollars to our company.
We are looking for an investor who can invest 45,000 US dollars in our company.
With this budget, we will produce our own uniquely designed furniture through our contracted manufacturers and offer them to the global market. By producing in bulk (wholesale), we will significantly reduce production costs and be able to sell high-quality, durable, and aesthetically pleasing furniture at affordable prices.
With the budget of 45,000 US dollars you will invest in our company, we will produce our own designed furniture and sell it in the global market.
With the money you lend, we will have the company we have agreed on produce quality furniture for a certain amount of money and sell it on the international market.
Since our furniture will be produced wholesale, we will provide a cost advantage and will be offered to customers at affordable prices.
In short, we will be able to sell quality, beautiful-looking, comfortable furniture to people at affordable prices.
Since the furniture we produce will be made of cheap and high-quality materials, people will want to buy it quickly.
You know that furniture is a type of profession that has been very profitable for years and will provide us with a large profit in a short time.
Thanks to our experience in advertising, we will expand into international markets and make quick profits.
Because our advertising network is strong, we will be able to acquire a customer base from many countries in a short time.
This means that within this project, your money will grow more than fivefold in a short period, providing you with a high and guaranteed profit.
💼 Your Profit:
You will provide a loan of 45,000 US dollars to our company. We will invest these funds in our furniture business, grow the investment, and return a total of 250,000 US dollars to you by March 22, 2026.
You will invest 45,000 US dollars in our company. When 22.03.2026 comes, I will return your money as 250,000 US dollars.
In short, you will receive back the 45,000 US dollars you lent to our company as 250,000 US dollars, and we will give you back your money in an increased amount.
We will contact you on March 22, 2026, and refund your winnings of 250,000 US dollars.
To learn how to lend 45,000 US dollars to our company and to get detailed information about our educational project, send a message to my Telegram username below.
To learn how you can invest 45,000 US dollars in our company and how you can participate in our furniture project, send a message to my Telegram username below and I will give you detailed information.
To learn how you can multiply your money by investing 45,000 US dollars in our company and to get detailed information about our furniture project, send a message to my Telegram username below.
To learn how you can lend 45,000 US dollars to our company and increase your money by participating in our furniture project, send a message to my Telegram username below and all detailed information will be given to you.
Turn your capital into opportunity! Our company is seeking a 45,000 USD investment to expand our innovative furniture project. Join us and discover how your money can grow while supporting a global venture. For full details, message us on Telegram at the username below.
For detailed information and to learn how you can participate in our furniture project, send a message to my Telegram username below and I will give you detailed information.
My telegram username:
@adenholding