Growing an MVP-building service to ~$15k/mo
While Manoj Ahirwar built side projects, people kept asking him how they should turn their ideas into MVPs. So Manoj quit his job and started offering it as a service — while building his own MVPs at the same time.
Now, UniqueSide is bringing in between $10k and $20k per month.
Here's Manoj on how he did it. 👇
Going all in
I launched my first mobile app in 2015. I wanted to do it full-time, but as a fresh graduate in 2017, I could not go all in. So, I began my professional career and launched side products in my free time.
During that time, many people asked me how to turn their ideas into products. They didn't know how to build a complete product they could launch to acquire customers and generate revenue. So, I guided them, suggesting their next steps after coming up with the idea. That's where the idea for UniqueSide — an MVP-focused software development company — came from.
It brewed in my mind for a long time. Then, in 2023, I decided it was now or never. So I said F**K it and went for it. I left my job to pursue indie hacking full time.
UniqueSide gets most of my attention and it brings in $10-$20k per month. But I am also working on my SaaS, UseArticle.com, which I launched last year. It's currently at about $300 MRR.
The best tech stack for MVPs
My current tech stack includes NextJS, Postgres, Supabase, and TypeScript. I also use Python for specific projects.
I chose NextJS and Supabase because they consolidate everything. NextJS allows me to combine frontend and backend. Supabase provides my database and user authentication in one place.
I believe this is the best tech stack for a product's initial phase. However, as a product's traffic and resource needs grow, it's a good idea to cut operational costs by looking for more scalable solutions, such as deployment on VPS and moving to other services.
Your price must increase as you grow
UniqueSide primarily charges founders to build an MVP. Our charges depend on the MVP's scope, but it's usually around $8k right now. I only charged $3k for our first couple of projects, but as we've grown, so has our pricing.
And that's important: Growth necessitates price increases.
From there, most customers continue working with UniqueSide long-term after we launch their MVPs, which sustain and grow revenue.
Diversifying growth channels
Before UniqueSide, I launched multiple apps and SaaS. Most failed. I thought users would come if I built a perfect product, so I built them in private and did no marketing.
I was completely wrong.
Now, when I build an initial product, I market from the very beginning and focus on a handful of features. I only add more features later, based on user feedback.
UniqueSide's initial customers came from Twitter. And that's still our main channel. I share everything I do and build products in public. I share my ups and downs, revenue growth, and product shutdown stories. This lets people know what I am working on.
Done right, a personal brand is a huge help with both short-term and long-term growth.
But relying on just one customer channel is not enough. And the Twitter Algorithm is now unreliable. It seems random most of the time. So, I've diversified my sources a bit, including LinkedIn, Reddit, and organic traffic via blogs and free tools.
Adding relevant free tools is one of my favorites. I recommend it. This will definitely increase your organic traffic.
Avoid over-engineering
Here's my advice:
Build your personal brand. Share your journey on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Reddit. People should know who you are.
Avoid over-engineering the initial product. Many people become indie hackers after working in the professional software industry and follow the same pattern for their side projects. That's wrong. Building a solid tech product is good, but it can become over-engineered without you realizing it. Launch a base version. Get users and revenue. Then, add features and improvements as you go.
What's next?
My goal is to have one SaaS that makes at least $10K in MRR.
UniqueSide has already reached that goal, but UniqueSide is still a service-based business and requires a lot of my time. I'd like to grow it more so I don't have to be involved all the time in every stage.
I share my journey and activities on Twitter. I also share updates on LinkedIn. And to learn more about UniqueSide, visit UniqueSide.io
Leave a Comment
Great breakdown, Manoj. Building MVPs fast, pricing up with value, and diversifying channels is exactly how service businesses scale sustainably. I'm launching my AI-First Fintech UI/UX design on Product Hunt today, and I'm keen to learn more about how to scale side projects alongside client work."
Great read. The "avoid over-engineering" part hits home. I spent months building "perfect" products that went nowhere. Then I shipped one MVP in a month for a specific niche — got 30k users in 30 days. Biggest lesson: speed + focus beats perfection. Then I made the mistake of chasing a complementary product instead of doubling down. Failed. But learned a ton.
Building in public is next on my list. Thanks for sharing your journey.
respect for going all in and getting uniqueside to 10-20k, thats real traction. one pushback though: "best mvp stack" is less about nextjs or supabase and more about time to first dollar and ability to change direction fast. for the saas side, what is your plan to stop usearticle from staying a $300 mrr side quest, like one clear acquisition channel you can repeat weekly? also curious: how are you productizing uniqueside so you are not the bottleneck as it grows?
great example of demand-first entrepreneurship. people asked for help → service validated → product later. also love the emphasis on marketing early and avoiding over-engineering — that lesson alone saves founders months.
Great work Manoj.
We're working on a PropTech Product called PropVentory. The reason to start working on the product was a personal problem that we faced after doing site visits - lost details and documents.
So, we took it in our hands to develop a product to manage our problem. As we were using it, we realised the need of features that were important to us. We kept adding and adding. And now we feel, that we should take it public.
We're happy with the product that we have build and the features we've added.
Now it is the time to test it in the market.
We have expertise and experience with real estate, but lauching a Saas product - this is new to us. So, we have a question for you. Since you mentioned that your initial customers were from twitter, what should be apt mode of marketing for a Saas which is meant to be used by the Indian Audience (especially which relies too much on Whatsapp as a CRM).
Great breakdown, Manoj. Building MVPs fast, pricing up with value, and diversifying channels is exactly how service businesses scale sustainably. One channel that fits especially well with what you’re doing is Reddit, founders actively discuss MVP validation, tech stacks, and hiring help there, and value-first posts consistently outperform ads. When used correctly, Reddit becomes a steady source of high-intent founders who already understand the problem you solve.
Awesome journey!
Nice Work
nice
This makes me check out the UniqueSide, also how is your X progress going on, I have heard in 2025, it't better to promtoe on else-where.
It was mostly demand + clearer positioning. As results and referrals stacked up, $3k felt mispriced. Building in public definitely compounded trust and inbound.
Growing an MVP-building service to around $15k/month requires a mix of targeted marketing, operational efficiency, and strategic client acquisition. Start by clearly defining your niche—focus on startups or businesses needing quick, cost-effective MVPs. Showcase past work with strong case studies and testimonials. Use content marketing, LinkedIn outreach, and startup communities to generate leads. Streamline your development process to deliver high-quality MVPs quickly, and price your services to balance value and volume.
What do you mean by adding free tools? How does it drive organic traffic?
Great story and very relatable. Turning repeated “how do I build an MVP?” questions into a focused service is smart, and the emphasis on pricing up, early marketing, and avoiding over-engineering really resonates. Solid example of services funding the path to SaaS.
nice work
Nice work
I am not understand whenever i tried to post this kind of story why they are not accepting
So this will help people with less tech knowledge to build MVPs?
What type of products currently trending on?