From building OceanWP (1M+ WordPress sites) to LinkedIn AI: why I bet on a Bring-Your-Own-Key model for my second SaaS

Hey IH,

First post here so I'll keep it real: LinkedGrow is pre-launch, 179 waitlist signups, $0 MRR, and I'm building it in public.

Quick backstory. I'm Nicolas, I spent the last 10 years on OceanWP (a WordPress theme that ended up on 1M+ sites, fully bootstrapped, zero funding). After that ride I wanted something subscription-based where the product gets better every month instead of just "stable". LinkedIn kept coming up in every conversation I had with founders, and every existing AI tool in that space made the same frustrating choice: charge $49-$99/month and cap how much AI you can use.

So I flipped the model. LinkedGrow is $19/month and users bring their own OpenAI / Anthropic / Google / Grok / Perplexity / Kimi API key. Real-world AI cost for regular posting is $2-$4/month. Total spend is roughly 80-96% lower than competitors, and the AI generation is uncapped.

What's built:

- Post generator across 26 text models + 14 image models
- Content repurposing (Reddit thread, YouTube video, blog, any URL → LinkedIn post)
- Voice training on up to 5 sample posts + tone + target audience
- Hooks generator, carousel generator, ideas generator
- Exact-time scheduling via QStash, direct publishing to LinkedIn (OAuth)
- First Comment, Cross Promotion, Algorithm Optimizer
- A/B testing, team collaboration, REST API for Business tier

What I've screwed up so far:

- Launched a waitlist before the product was ready, then had to send a "hey it's still coming" email that cost me ~8% of the list
- Overbuilt the Business tier features before validating Starter/Pro demand
- Spent 3 weeks on custom analytics before realizing the LinkedIn API doesn't expose the data I need (feature is now on ice until their API changes)

Currently running a lifetime deal while I fix the waitlist → paid conversion rate. Will post the real numbers when I have them.

Happy to answer anything about BYOK pricing mechanics, LinkedIn OAuth gotchas, or going from WordPress to SaaS.