🚀 Launched my SaaS MVP: Show Notes Generator for Podcasters

The Journey So Far

Built and launched my first SaaS in 3 weeks - a tool that converts podcast transcripts into professional show notes.

Why This Problem? Every podcaster I know either:

• Spends 2+ hours per episode on show notes

• Pays $50-100/episode to outsource it

• Just skips show notes entirely (bad for SEO/discoverability)

The MVP Approach Instead of burning money on AI APIs from day 1, I started with smart templates:

• ✅ Zero AI costs while validating

• ✅ Instant processing (no API delays)

• ✅ Predictable quality

• ✅ Can focus on UX and payment flow

Tech Decisions

• Backend: Node.js/Express on Render (free tier)

• Frontend: Simple HTML/CSS/JS

• Payment: Stripe integration ready

• Future: Will add AI once I have revenue to cover costs

Early Metrics

• Built: 3 weeks

• Cost so far: $0 (thanks Render free tier!)

• Template quality: Good enough for MVP validation

Next Steps

1. Get first paying customers with templates

2. Gather feedback on desired features

3. Reinvest revenue into AI integration

4. Scale based on what users actually want

The Question: Has anyone else started with "dumb" automation before going full AI? I'm curious about your experiences with this approach.

Would love feedback from fellow indie hackers!