Doubling down on directories to hit $13k/mo

Running a similar model in a completely different niche. I built a directory of 570+ construction software tools and just got my first paid customer last week through cold email.

Your point about being at Google's mercy is the thing that keeps me up at night. I went with one-time pricing ($59/$119/$199 for featured listings) instead of subscriptions because the value prop is the backlink and placement, not ongoing access. Curious if you've thought about one-time vs recurring for featured listings, or if the subscription model is working well enough that it's not worth testing.

The cold email piece is interesting too. I built a full local pipeline to send 40/day to SaaS vendors who aren't listed yet. The pitch is basically "you're not in the only directory built specifically for construction pros, free to list, paid if you want priority." First conversion came from a CEO who forwarded my email to his HR team. Not scalable forever but it's working while DR is still low.

How did you handle the early days before SEO kicked in? That 48-hour build to 100k visitors story is wild but I'm guessing most directory builders don't get that kind of launch spike.

I really relate to your “48-hour rapid launch” principle. I often overthink features, but seeing how you built the initial version of OpenAlternative using just Astro and Airtable made me realize that the real value lies in solving problems.

This is a really solid breakdown of the directory strategy. It’s interesting to see how much traction you can still get by focusing on niche utility tools rather than just chasing the next "big" SaaS idea. The point about doubling down on what already works is huge—too many people jump to a new project before fully exhausting the SEO potential of their current one. Have you found that certain niches (like PDF tools or media converters) tend to have better retention, or is it mostly a volume game with one-off users?

Great to see the $13k milestone, that's a massive achievement for this kind of model.

What are some additional ways that you promoted the product to get 100k visitors in the first week? Genuinelly curious as we are using both Reddit and Indiehackers for this but not seeing nearly so much engagement, even though every post is genuine and provides value. Did you invest in PR? Did you do any business developemnt upfront? Producthunt? Thanks.

This is super interesting, feels like you’ve basically turned SEO into a distribution engine rather than just content.
How defensible this gets long term once others copy the playbook?

Absolutely loved this post — the directory play really resonates with me! I’ve been focusing on delicesaufour fr a (artisan/food-related) directory and showcase for local bakeries and sweet makers in France 🍰🇫🇷. Doubling down on well-curated, niche directories has not only boosted our SEO but also brought in highly targeted users who genuinely care about the content we curate. Your journey reinforces that quality + relevance > chasing generic traffic — and that’s something I’m applying every day. Excited to keep building and scaling!

The underrated part here is restraint. Shipping something simple fast, then not monetizing for almost a year after getting burned takes real discipline. In a world where directories are easy to clone and SEO is fragile, consistency and trust end up being the real moat.

This is an incredibly inspiring story! Your journey from building directories as a personal project to achieving $13k/mo is a perfect example of solving your own problems and scaling from there.

The 48-hour launch timeline is particularly impressive - it really shows the power of avoiding perfectionism and just shipping. Your transparency about the open-source monetization misstep is also valuable; building trust before monetization is such a crucial lesson for anyone working with developer communities.

The automation-first mindset you've implemented is brilliant, especially the way you've used GitHub data for dynamic SEO content. Congratulations on your success, and thank you for sharing these insights with the community!

Congratulations! Inspiring journey!

for someone looking to go the same route , when deciding which directories were worth scaling, what signals mattered most to you early on (search demand, monetization potential, or how fast they started indexing)?

The GitHub data as auto-updating SEO content is smart - the pages improve without you touching them. How much of your current traffic comes from the programmatic pages vs. the hand-written blog posts? Curious which compounds faster.

This is such a useful breakdown... thanks for sharing!
Directories really feel like one of those underestimated channels. It’s interesting how many makers spend most of their energy on Twitter or Product Hunt, but a few well-chosen directories can actually drive very consistent, intentional traffic.

For me, the challenge is knowing which directories are worth the time vs the ones that feel like noise, especially for early-stage projects where every hour counts. Curious how you decide which directories to list first? Is it instinct, metrics, or just experimentation?

Also, did you find that the traffic from directories turned into actual users or mostly passive views?

I really love this story, especially the points about starting simple, shipping fast, and learning from real feedback. The idea of giving yourself a hard deadline and just building in 48 hours really resonated with me; it shows that speed and execution can teach you more than overthinking ever will.

I really love this advice - especially the points about consistency and patience. Showing up every day truly is a competitive advantage, even more than fancy ideas or tools. I also appreciate the reminder to launch quickly and not overthink things; you learn so much faster that way. Automating tasks to protect your time is something I need to take more seriously. Overall, this is such a practical and inspiring perspective for anyone building something meaningful. Thanks

I like the thinking behind diversifying away from SEO dependence. I've seen too many directory businesses crater overnight from algorithm changes. Also love that you're running everything in 2-3 hours/week through automation. Curious tho about the seas goal, what direction you're leaning for that $10k mrr target?

This is such a solid example of real indie hacking done right. What really stood out to me is how much of this success came from constraint-driven decisions rather than some grand master plan — starting with a simple personal list, shipping in 48 hours, and letting usage and traction pull the product forward. The patience around monetization is especially underrated; most people rush it, burn trust, and never recover, while Piotr did the opposite and let credibility compound. I also love the point about consistency being the only real moat now — with AI making cloning trivial, execution over time is the differentiator. This is a great reminder that you don’t need to predict the perfect business upfront; you just need to start, listen, and keep showing up.

This is a massive insight, thanks for sharing! I’ve been debating whether to focus on SEO or directories for my new project, ProofNote (it’s a blockchain-based IP protection tool).

The $13k MRR is impressive, but what I find most interesting is the efficiency of directories for initial traction. Did you find that some directories brought higher 'intent' users than others, or was it purely a numbers game for the backlink juice?

I'm currently at the stage where I need to decide where to put my energy, and your post just pushed directories to the top of my list. Cheers for the transparency!

The directory model is often overlooked, but it's a brilliant way to build a sustainable boilerplate business. I'm curious, Piotr, how do you handle the initial chicken-and-egg problem when starting a new directory? Do you focus first on populating it with quality data manually to attract traffic, or do you prioritize the SEO structure of the boilerplate itself? I’ve seen many directories fail because they lack that initial depth.

This is super interesting

The OpenAlternative → Dirstarter product birth sequence is one of the cleaner examples of "build it, then sell the recipe." You validated directory economics by running one that worked — OpenAlternative gets organic compounding as every new listing adds content that adds search surface area. Once the model was proven, you could sell the infrastructure to people who want to replicate it. That's a credible proof of work that most boilerplate sellers don't have.

Directories also have unusual unit economics compared to SaaS. Acquisition costs are low (SEO-driven), marginal cost per listing is near zero, and the product grows its own distribution because listings = content = search traffic = more submissions. The compounding is structural, not just a nice-to-have.

The WordPress theme → directory boilerplate arc over 10 years is also interesting. The technology changed completely but the category never did. That kind of sustained focus on one vertical builds intuition most generalist product builders never develop. You probably understand directory SEO and UX at a level that's hard to acquire without having done it repeatedly.

The 10-years-ago-in-Poland context for the "first sale" story is worth noting. The psychological barrier to believing solo products could generate real income was genuinely higher then and there. That first notification didn't just make money — it made the mental model possible.

What's the revenue split roughly between OpenAlternative and Dirstarter — is one significantly bigger than the other?

Great story.
The point about consistency being the real moat really resonates.

This is useful information, thanks for sharing.

Really enjoyed the breakdown.
Love how you treated SEO as a long-term distribution engine instead of short-term traffic.
Curious — did you validate demand for categories first, or build them based on intuition?

This was a great example of execution over complexity. Many founders search for a unique idea, but you showed that doing simple things consistently can work really well. Also interesting how compounding traffic from small directories eventually becomes meaningful revenue.

This is a great reminder that speed + consistency beats perfection. Launching in 48 hours, then iterating into multiple revenue streams, is exactly how small projects turn into real businesses. Also loved the point about automation as a moat — not many founders talk about how leverage on time is what actually makes solo projects scalable.

Love the consistency, that's what made you a winner my friend!

Most comments here are praising the story (deserved), but I want to push back on one thing, you mention consistency is the only moat, but isn't the real moat the automation layer? Anyone can show up daily, but running the whole operation in 2-3 hours/week because you built the right systems is what makes a difference. Without that, consistency just means burnout. How long did it take you to get the automation pipeline to the point where it actually freed up your time rather than just being another thing to maintain?

In addition to increasing visibility and backlinks, double-down on directories drove consistent traffic and conversions. The strategy helped grow revenue from $13k/month to $13k/month by optimizing listings and targeting niche platforms.

Dirstarter is bringing in about $5k/mo in one-time purchases. And I also make about $250 MRR from other directories and $500/mo from affiliate commissions.

So, in total, I'm doing $12,000-13,000 per month.

Something wrong with math?

This is seriously motivating. I love how it all started with him just building something for himself and hitting launch without overthinking it.

The biggest takeaway for me? Start simple, stay consistent, and earn trust before trying to monetize. Seeing a small side project grow into $13k/month makes indie hacking feel very real.

This was such a great read. I really liked how honest you were about the Reddit monetization mistake — that part felt very real. The automation-first mindset is inspiring too. It’s proof that simple ideas + consistency can compound into something big. Respect for building patiently and playing the long game.

What stood out to me isn’t just “directories work” — it’s how constraint forced clarity.

48 hours.
No search.
No filters.
Just curated signal.

That’s basically editorial judgment at scale.

In a world where AI can clone the interface instantly, the real moat feels like:

1. Taste (what gets included / excluded)

2. Systems (auto-updating GitHub data, automation loops)

3. Consistency over time

I also think your point about being at Google’s mercy is super honest. SEO is leverage, but it’s rented land.

Curious how you’re thinking about defensibility going forward:

If you were starting today in 2026 with AI-native tooling everywhere, would you still begin with programmatic SEO first?
Or would you design distribution into the product itself from day one?

I’m building an AI creative director and this same question keeps coming up for us — distribution vs. craftsmanship vs. automation.

Really appreciate how transparent this breakdown was. Super clean execution.

This is so helpful! Your point about consistency being the only real moat really resonates.

I'm coming from a similar angle but different niche - I am 25 years in running nonprofits and know how badly that sector needs better tools. I built a directory of nonprofit tools called Nonprofit Tools .com and a companion app called CauseKit Pro, and now AptiBuild AI to help people discover app ideas hiding in their unique skill combinations.

Curious about your automation setup. How much of your content pipeline is fully hands-off vs. needing manual review? That's something I'm trying to figure out as a solo founder still leading my organization and juggling multiple products.

Absolutely loved this post — the directory play really resonates with me! I’ve been focusing on delicesaufour fr a (artisan/food-related) directory and showcase for local bakeries and sweet makers in France 🍰🇫🇷. Doubling down on well-curated, niche directories has not only boosted our SEO but also brought in highly targeted users who genuinely care about the content we curate. Your journey reinforces that quality + relevance > chasing generic traffic — and that’s something I’m applying every day. Excited to keep building and scaling!

Trust first, monetize later + ruthless automation = underrated combo. This story is a great reminder that consistency is the real moat, not code.

This really hit home: 'Every hour you spend on manual tasks is an hour you're not spending on growth.'

I’m currently living that exact struggle. I run a web agency and I've actually just built my first SaaS product, but I haven't been able to get my first paying user yet because the agency demands eat up all my time. (I run a freemium saas model). I love the craft of SEO and client work, but the lumpy revenue and constant manual tasks are keeping me from making the switch.

Seeing how you used automation to reclaim your time is exactly the motivation I needed to fix my priorities. Thanks for the push.

The part about delaying monetization really stood out. I’ve seen similar pushback when commercial features are introduced too early especially in dev-heavy communities. Trust really is the currency first. Also interesting how automation + a simple initial stack carried so much of the early growth. Feels like a good reminder that production thinking matters more than feature count.

The Reddit monetization lesson really resonated. I've seen the same dynamic in developer communities - if you try to monetize before you've earned trust, the backlash can be worse than starting from zero. The Cloudflare Workers approach for pulling GitHub data automatically is clever though. Programmatic SEO with genuinely useful, auto-updating content is one of the few strategies I've seen work reliably for dev tools without burning through an ad budget. Smart move packaging the stack into Dirstarter too - your own dogfooding is the best validation.

The Dirstarter angle is what makes this really interesting to me. Taking a stack you already built for yourself and packaging it as a product is one of the cleanest paths to a second revenue stream — zero additional research needed, you already know every pain point. Curious about the pricing though: at $5k/mo from one-time purchases, that implies pretty solid volume. Are most buyers technical founders spinning up niche directories, or are you seeing non-technical people trying to enter the space too? That would tell you a lot about where to take the product next.

Great strategy, directories can drive consistent organic traffic, build authority, and compound growth when optimized with niche targeting, strong SEO, and ongoing content updates.

This was a fantastic explanation. ~

I was struck by the part about how directories are boring, but predictable.

I noticed the same thing with simple utility-type sites – they don’t feel exciting to build, but they masterfully compound because the intent is so clear.

A person arrives there with a prior intention.

Seeing the SEO benefit makes a lot of sense too. Saying clever things is not the point here but owning very specific searches which don’t change much over time.

I also appreciated the candor about what didn't work. It gives the whole strategy a more repeatable feeling, rather than a lucky hit.

Sharing openly is underrated. It not only keeps you accountable but also attracts a supportive network that helps refine ideas. The indie hacker community thrives on this transparency, and your journey is a great example of how valuable it can be.

Great read

Man, that's such a relatable story! It’s wild how that first notification of a sale can completely flip your mindset from "this is a fantasy" to "this is a career". I love that you focused on being ruthlessly selective with the 48-hour launch instead of getting stuck in the typical endless dev cycle. It's a huge lesson for all of us trying to ship faster and let the market do the talking!

Loved this, the biggest takeaway for me is how far constraints + consistency can take you.
Shipping in 48 hours, earning trust before monetizing, and letting SEO compound over time is such a clean playbook.

Great story to read!

Great story and very inspiring! Your '48-hour launch' rule really resonates with me. I’ve often found myself overthinking features, but seeing how you built the initial version of OpenAlternative with just Astro and Airtable is a great reminder that the value lies in solving the problem, not the complexity of the stack.

I especially appreciate your honesty about the Reddit monetization mistake—it’s a valuable lesson for those of us just starting to build in public. Thanks for sharing your journey!

Great story, but I’m not fully convinced consistency alone is the moat. A lot of copycats fail not just because they quit, but because they don’t have the same distribution intuition or editorial judgment. Feels like there’s more “craft” here than the narrative lets on.