Go solo or find a partner?
Newbie to IH... Long time builder though.
I currently run a dev shop, have for a while, and its going ok.
Mid way through this 25, I started to think about stopping running the dev shop and creating our own saas products that we can sell to the market. (AI playing a role in the changes of course )
By Nov that idea has been decided and slowing positioning from what we were, to what we are going to be....
That is to focus on niche saas products for niche problems, that we build and own.
I want to spend 2026, building out the 4 core products and growing them slowly as we onboard users.
Primarily through cold email, growing my social following on linkedin/x, newsletter of past customers and content etc..
No paid ads and staying away from large cost lead generation activites ( Cost on either $ or my time )
I am torn between trying to push these products out myself, or trying to find someone to join and help me grow them. (Not paid, but more as a co-founder on the products)
I have been building software for my clients through my agencies for 20+years, so everything about design, build, support etc is covered, but everything related to sales, marketing is a huge gap. (I think I know what to do, but lack the execution and procrastinate too much in this area. )
Is anyone else in this situation? How do you handle lead gen / sales / biz dev as a solo operator? What have you found works for you to help grow that doesn't take up all your day hours?
Thanks in advance
How to acquire your first users for $0?
Getting my first 100 users with $0: what actually worked
Vibe-coding is incredible. But here's where most founders hit a wall.
What can you get for $20 worth of marketing services?
The gap you're describing isn't really "sales/marketing skills" - it's the distance between knowing you have a "marketing problem" and understanding what marketing actually means for your specific situation.
That interview tool you mentioned is brilliant because it solved the writing problem by turning it into something you already do well (talking). The same principle applies here: you don't need to become a marketer, you need to find the version of marketing that fits how you already think.
Your 20 years of client relationships is the most underrated asset here. Those people already trust your judgment and know you ship. That's not a cold email problem - that's a "hey, remember that pain point you mentioned last year? I built something for it" conversation.
Most founders treat marketing like learning a foreign language. But you're a builder - you know how to break down complex systems and figure out what works. Cold email response rates? That's just an API you can optimize. LinkedIn engagement? A/B test your angles like you'd debug code.
The real question isn't solo vs partner. It's whether you want to learn this yourself (treating it like an engineering problem to solve) or hand 20-50% equity to someone who might not fully understand what you built.
We're building voice agents that guide users through products in real-time (demogod.me) - basically making sure people understand value before confusion kills interest. Your interview tool does the same thing for content: removes the friction between what you know and how you express it.
What's the first product you're launching? Curious if it came from a specific client pain point.
"you don't need to become a marketer, you need to find the version of marketing that fits how you already think."
This is a really good line. Explains it very well.
I think the other thing is "I dont know what I dont know", when it comes to marketing, but I guess thats what AI is for, to help shove you in the right direction.
"The real question isn't solo vs partner. It's whether you want to learn this yourself (treating it like an engineering problem to solve) or hand 20-50% equity to someone who might not fully understand what you built."
Agree with this for sure, its giving away equity for losing time to explain something to someone, at the same time as I am changing the products. So its hard on them and then hard on me. I think I need to stay solo until I just cant.... Push myself a bit more I guess and ask for freelancer help from time to time instead.
Demogod - I love the r2b2 styling of it. Watched the demo, its cool idea. For the voice of mber, we tried chatgpt voices, deepgram, gemini, we ended up using Elevenlabs voices as they have a massive range of voices compared to the others.
Our products came from my main running an agency and building other startups. ( except for mortar, that is my partners pain for her work )
Handl - (https://getahandl.com/) - Most freelancers & digital agency owners are flat out working on their client projects, they aren't great at managing the commercials to ensure they get invoices out so they get paid on time. ( Milestone + T&M based billing linked to the work e.g. jira, linear etc. )
https://mber.ai/ - Uses gsc, ga, reddit, your website content, to work out what topics you need to create then interviews you to help create and publish the content
https://arbeo.jobs/ - lightweight ats to help manage job applications (This actually was and maybe is a test project to try our different Ai agent techniques)
I'm in the exact same situation. 14 years building software, zero marketing skills. Currently running 3 products solo - all at $0 revenue.
I tried the co-founder route for marketing. Didn't work for me. As the product owner, my pace and decision-making was completely different from theirs. We weren't aligned on speed, priorities, or how to take action. Figuring this out cost me a few months.
Back to solo now. Honestly still figuring out the marketing part. Trying content and building in public - no idea if it'll work yet.
The hard truth: we can build anything, but selling is a completely different muscle. And there's no shortcut to learning it.
Curious what you'll decide. Keep us posted on how it goes.
What are you building? Where can I follow?
Solo dev here building an AI product. My take: start solo, but reframe what "marketing" means.
I dreaded outreach until I realized it's just... talking to people who have the problem I'm solving. Reddit threads where someone's asking for advice? That's not marketing, that's being helpful. And it converts way better than cold emails.
Your 20 years of client relationships is the cheat code though. Those people already trust you and know you ship. I'd start there before worrying about finding a cofounder to do marketing you might not actually need.
What's the SaaS idea? Curious if it came from a pain point you saw across those clients.
Man reddit is a time suck! I feel like I lose hours and hours there. But I need to spend more time there.
I kinda want a app that I can manage my linkedin comments, x replies, monitor reddit, monitor a few FB groups, check indiehackers groups all in the one. As going through each every day you can lose half your day in side quests.
saas ideas are all from my agency experience and talking to other startup / agency founders. (Yeah there are 4, mainly because I enjoy building, but also because in the past I put all my eggs in 1 product and it failed after 2 years. So figure since marketing takes time, while not have a few products cooking at the same time to keep me busy)
Handl - (https://getahandl.com/) - Billing for agenciese
https://mber.ai/ -Interviews to extract content from peoples heads
https://arbeo.jobs/ - lightweight ats to help manage job applications when hiring
Building practicelookml has been a rewarding technical journey, but I’ve realized that being a great developer doesn't automatically make me a great marketer. Despite positive validation from BI experts, I’m struggling to find consistent traction.
I am currently seeking strategic advice on how to reach BI teams more effectively. Furthermore, I am open to bringing on a Co-Founder with a strong background in GTM (Go-To-Market) strategy and growth. If you’re interested in the BI/Data space and want to build something together, let’s talk.
Been solo for a while and can relate to the marketing gap.
One thing that shifted my perspective: marketing doesn't have to mean "convincing people to buy." It can mean "showing up where people already have the problem you solve."
Instead of creating content hoping for reach, I started monitoring discussions where people describe their pain points. Reddit threads, Quora questions, niche communities - places where people are actively asking for solutions. A single helpful reply there often converts better than a polished blog post that gets lost in the algorithm.
For niche SaaS specifically, your 20 years of client work is an underrated advantage. You know exactly what problems people struggle with because you've solved them hundreds of times. That domain knowledge IS the marketing - you just need a way to put it in front of the right people.
Cold email is fine but the conversion is brutal. Finding existing conversations where people are already raising their hand is way more efficient for solo operators.
Cheers, so spending time in reddit etc is the go.
Sadly my old client list doesn't exactly match the new products... but that doesnt mean they cant refer.
exactly. referrals from people who trust you convert way better than cold leads anyway. even if they're not the direct user, they know someone who is. plus the reddit/quora approach compounds over time - old answers keep bringing people in months later.
Similar situation here — developer background, solo on a tech news aggregator, and marketing feels like a different language.
What's working for me so far: treating "build in public" as the marketing strategy itself. Every feature I ship becomes content. Every problem I solve becomes a post. It doesn't feel like marketing because I'm just documenting what I'm already doing.
The interview tool you mentioned is clever — turning talking into writing. I've found the same principle applies to community engagement: answering questions in forums like this naturally positions you as someone building in the space, without the "marketing" feeling.
One thing I'd push back on slightly: the gap might not be sales/marketing skills, but finding the version of marketing that fits how you already think. You clearly communicate well (this post is proof). The challenge is finding the channel where that communication style converts.
For niche SaaS specifically — have you considered that your 20 years of client relationships might be the distribution channel itself? Those people already trust you and know your work quality.
So "build in public" for you is just posting daily about your daily roadblocks? Where have you found your audience? Linkedin?X? Substaack? Other?
"but finding the version of marketing that fits how you already think. " Yeah I think thats what I need to try and focus on, and maybe bring in someone adhoc for the parts I know that need ot be done, but I just wont or cant do.
"You clearly communicate well (this post is proof". I dont mind writing about me, so many years of dealing with clients i had to learn to manage this part. I sometimes think that marketing is more than I think it is ... its like a magic art or something.
But starting to learn, marketing is just getting your message, whatever that is, out there and somehow, to your audience.
"have you considered that your 20 years of client relationships might be the distribution channel itself?" My past clients aren't really direct users of these products, but you have a good point, they could help refer. thanks!
definitely as said by others. build yourself first. scale it how you want it, and then draft in partners to assist
Id say you build yourself as first. I did that, built myself at first and then when the project started to scale, I brought in some more people. The thing is that it depends on the scale of the project as well. Right now im young, 15 and started building simple projects where I could be CEO CTO and CMO all at once due to the small scale.
Each product could either stay small or go large... Depending really on the uptake. But goign solo then brining in people as I go is my default. I have had 2 biz parters in the past with varied levels of success.
I've got a great idea for an app that I need help with- I'm not a developer. I'm trying to set up a Revenue-Share Saas MVP - Stripe + Automation app where users commit to goals and are automatically charged penalties if they fail. No content, no coaching, no social feed- just rules, automation, and Stripe.
Love your energy and focus! It's really Amazing!
I’m also working on something that might help with exactly the challenge you mentioned about finding early users and monitoring conversations.
I built a Chrome extension called PulseOfReddit it tracks Reddit keywords and alerts you when relevant discussions pop up. It’s already helped me catch early conversations and validate ideas faster. I’m giving free access for the first 10 users if you want to try it.
Website:
pulseofredditcom
I went solo and honestly wouldn't change it for my situation.
Here's my take: bringing in a co-founder specifically to fill a gap you have (like sales/marketing) can create weird dynamics. You end up with someone who owns 20-50% of something they didn't build and might not fully understand. When product decisions come up, you're now in negotiation mode rather than just building what makes sense.
What's worked better for me: treating marketing like a dev problem. You already know how to break down complex systems and figure out what works. Cold email? That's just an API with response rates you can optimise. LinkedIn? A/B test your angles. You won't be amazing at it immediately but you'll get competent enough.
The interview content idea you mentioned above is exactly right - find the version of marketing that doesn't feel like marketing to you. For me it was building in public and sharing technical insights. The audience finds you rather than you chasing them.
20 years of client relationships is actually a huge asset. Those past clients already trust you. They're your warmest leads for new products. Have you thought about reaching out to see what problems they're still dealing with?
" You end up with someone who owns 20-50% of something they didn't build and might not fully understand." I found this with my last biz partner. I built it all and they never fully "got it". I then felt I had to check everyting all the time.
"treating marketing like a dev problem" - Good point, I think thats how we ended up with another product..... I turned creating content into a engineering problem to solve.
"For me it was building in public and sharing technical insights. The audience finds you rather than you chasing them." - Any advice on that one? I am trying to do a weekly newsletter on LKN, then doing social posts there and X every 2nd day. Any areas you found were better than others?
"Have you thought about reaching out to see what problems they're still dealing with?" - Not yet, most of them would be in my linkedin, so would get the newsletter when it goes out.
Great! I’m also working on something that might help with exactly the challenge you mentioned about finding early users and monitoring conversations.
I built a Chrome extension called PulseOfReddit it tracks Reddit keywords and alerts you when relevant discussions pop up. It’s already helped me catch early conversations and validate ideas faster. I’m giving free access for the first 10 users if you want to try it.
Website:
pulseofredditcom
The interview-style content thing is interesting, turning writing into talking feels kinda like cheating in a good way. Curious if it styas fun after the first few weeks though.
Cheating is just doing it right :)
I just couldnt deal with the same AI generated content for my sites, I wanted my thoughts, my voice, my ideas, and AI just helps extract it from my head and then document it for me. + Publish it as well to socials and the websites CMS.
I get the point though, I am now trying to build the habit of doing it each week. 15 minutes each day, means I have socials and article for each product done.
The product is something I will keep adding to over the year, so the fun side of building with it will still be there.
I am going to add in different voices so its different each time, I have also added in integrations to github / linear ( among others ), so that it can ask me why I build certain feature into the other products. ( I have my ide auto create linear tickets while developing, so that I can remember what I did each week).
Trying to make the barrier for entry for me lower. Its not that its hard to use, its just that I prefer to build, than to talk about what I have built, if that makes sense.
I feel this 100%. I'm a solo dev too, and I just realized that forcing myself to be a 'marketer' was killing my love for building.
I actually just listed my latest SaaS for auction this week specifically because I didn't want to do the daily marketing grind anymore. I'm pivoting to smaller, simpler tools (extensions) where the marketing is easier.
If you can find a partner who genuinely loves sales, do it. Otherwise, the solo marketing struggle is real and can lead to burnout fast.
Love your energy and focus! You're speaking the truth!
I’m also working on something that might help with exactly the challenge you mentioned about finding early users and monitoring conversations.
I built a Chrome extension called PulseOfReddit it tracks Reddit keywords and alerts you when relevant discussions pop up. It’s already helped me catch early conversations and validate ideas faster. I’m giving free access for the first 10 users if you want to try it.
Website:
pulseofredditcom
the burnout is what I have felt in my agency trying to market it.
At least products , your ICP is alot more locked down. Making the effort alot more focused.
I am trying to also, if its appropriate, create products to help me with the marketing effort.
For instance, I hate writing content, I am not a born writer, BUT I love interviews, I can answer questions about my business or ideas for days on end.
SO We built a tool that we turned into its own product, that uses the data from your site (+ ga, gsc, reddit etc etc) to build topics, it them builds questions to ask you.
Then built a voice agent, to basically act like someone interviewing you. We then turn that transcript into content for web and socials.
This helped turn "the suck" of doing something, into something that I enjoy. (Thinking of turning that same tool into something to help with video as well)
How did you get your first customers, enough so that you were able to sell it off?