My SaaS reached $500 MRR (and then dropped again a day later)

After 14 months of building Refgrow, I finally crossed $500 MRR this week. A day later, one subscription was cancelled and I instantly dropped below $500 again :)

I started developing the project in June 2024, and launched it for the first time in September 2024 (under a different name, Referral Page). The launch was unsuccessful, so I stopped working on it. But in November, I decided to give it a second chance and after improving and changing the positioning, I launched it again and failed again (2 paid customers appeared, but 1 cancel almost immediately)

I don’t know why, but this did not stop me and in April 2025 I decided to launch it again with new positioning and this time it was a little successful. Here, the fact that I added lifetime deals also played a role and perhaps this attracted more attention.

In May, I refused lifetime deals to focus on the growth of MRR (at that time it was $48). On lifetime deals in April - May, I earned $5.5k, which for me was a sufficient signal to focus on the development of this product.

And after another 3 months, the MRR reached $500 (and 1 day after dropped to $468).

It’s a good reminder that in micro-SaaS, milestones are not a straight line up.

Revenue fluctuates, churn happens, and “$X MRR” is never permanent until you’re well past it.

What helped me get here:

• Shipping fast and often (small but constant updates)
• Focusing on one distribution channel at a time (for me: social media)
• Building trust by showing real screenshots and transparent progress

If you’re building your own SaaS: don’t get discouraged when numbers move backward. Progress is rarely linear.