From consulting revenue to SaaS MRR — The unsexy transition
Hey Indie Hackers,
I’m Julien, founder of Linkeme — a SaaS that automates social media content for founders and small teams using AI.
Before that, I ran a small consulting company. Steady clients. Decent revenue. Predictable cash flow.
But it didn’t scale — and it didn’t excite me anymore.
So I did the bold (dumb?) thing:
I started turning our internal automation tools into a product.
From service to software: here’s what actually happened.
✅ What I gained
A product I believe in, deeply.
Recurring revenue (currently $1K/month and growing).
Leverage: I can sell 24/7 without needing more humans.
Interest from strangers — not just referrals.
🚫 What I lost
Big invoices.
Instant cash.
Control over deadlines.
The comfort of being paid for time, not results.
💡 The hard truths
SaaS is slower.
Way more things are outside your control.
You’ll doubt everything when the Stripe balance goes down.
But I’m still 100% committed — because I know the upside is not just financial.
It’s about building something once… that helps hundreds (maybe thousands?) over time.
If you’re sitting on an internal tool, a repeatable process, or a service workflow — it might be your MVP.
It was for me.
Happy to answer questions on:
Making the transition without killing cash flow
What I’d keep (and drop) if I had to restart
How I validated the product before selling it
Your turn:
🧠 Have you made the switch from service to SaaS?
What was your biggest challenge — and what made it worth it?
Julien
This transition is honestly the hardest part.
I’ve seen many founders get stuck optimizing consulting instead of productizing it.
Curious — what was the one signal that told you “this needs to become SaaS” rather than staying services?
Love this, Julien. I’m on the same path moving from client-based SEO work into building out a SaaS product that automates parts of that workflow. That transition from predictable cash flow to the slow SaaS grind is real, but the upside of building something scalable is what keeps me going.
Thanks! Sounds like we’re walking the same tightrope. That drop from predictable client revenue to the long SaaS ramp can be brutal — especially when the product’s not fully there yet.
But yeah, the upside is real. Knowing that every line of code moves you closer to something that scales (and doesn’t rely on your hours) — that’s what keeps me in the game too.
Would love to hear more about what you’re building!
Really resonate with this. That switch from time-based income to product-based risk/reward is no joke. Inspiring to see you commit fully!
Thanks a lot — really appreciate it.
That shift is definitely humbling. Going from immediate income to delayed (but scalable) outcomes forces you to rethink everything — priorities, patience, even identity sometimes.
Still wouldn’t trade it, though.
Building something that works while I sleep feels worth the upfront chaos.
Why Saas is slower??
Great question. Here’s what I meant when I said SaaS is slower — especially coming from consulting:
In consulting, you can close a deal with one conversation. Revenue is tied to time and availability. You solve a client’s pain → they pay → cash in.
In SaaS:
You have to build the product
You have to earn trust at scale (without being in the room)
You need dozens or hundreds of users to match one consulting deal
Support, churn, and onboarding matter just as much as sales
It’s a game of systems, not just relationships.
That doesn’t mean it’s worse — it’s just different.
Slower to start, but much more scalable over time.
Happy to dive deeper if you’re going through that same shift.
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