From $0 to $62k MRR in three months

Going from $0 to $62K in monthly recurring revenue within three months requires a clear product–market fit, a focused target audience, and fast execution. Consistent lead generation, strong value messaging, and quick customer onboarding play a major role. Continuous feedback, rapid improvements, and scalable pricing models help sustain growth while building long-term customer trust and predictable revenue.

Incredible! That's all I can say about this story! Thanks for sharing insights!

"We built the tool for our own use. We sold nothing we didn't believe in."

This landed. My project started the same way - I just wanted to automate messages for my fantasy football group. Wasn't trying to build a business.

The hard part for those of us without 180k followers: how do you get those first believers when you're starting from zero audience?

This is one of the most honest breakdowns I’ve read recently. The part about leaving a “dream job” that no longer felt meaningful will resonate with a lot of engineers who are comfortable but unfulfilled.

What really stands out is the speed + trust combo. Shipping v2 in four weeks after a cease-and-desist, then building momentum through real users, transparency, and direct feedback—not hype—is impressive. The Slack community, fixing bugs within hours, and listening to repeated user requests instead of personal preferences is textbook done right.

The stack choices and “speed over perfection” mindset are refreshing too. Templates, simple prioritization, and AI tooling used intentionally—not blindly—show how solo devs can compete at a much higher level today.

Distribution through trusted audiences rather than ads or launches is a powerful reminder: trust scales faster than traffic. Huge respect for the execution and clarity here 👏

Such an inspiring journey! From a dream job to building something meaningful with Kleo, your focus on distribution, fast shipping, and using AI tools is a game-changer.
Love how you prioritized listening to users and working with people you trust. Excited to see where Kleo and Mentions go next!

Wow—this is an incredible journey! Your story perfectly captures the balance between skill, speed, and trust. I love how you leveraged AI tools like Claude Code to supercharge your decade of experience, letting you ship Kleo as a solo dev so quickly. Four weeks from scratch to a working product is insane.

The focus on distribution and trust is such a standout lesson. Most founders obsess over “perfect features” before launch, but you built for yourselves, used your networks, and cultivated a community that actually believed in you. That warm audience + transparent process clearly made the difference—$62k MRR in 3 months is no joke.

I’m curious—out of all the AI tools and stack choices you made, which one ended up giving you the most leverage as a solo developer?

This resonates with me. I've been exploring how digital experiences can shape our attention and reflection.

don't have the guts to quit my college yet, but I will give more time to my SaaS building. Thanks for the workflow.

thanks so much for sharing your workflow and insights, this is super helpful for those aspiring to build a successful startup

I am finding difficult in getting the first paying client. Product is well built and I believe it has value, may not be that unicorn value but, it will be really helpful for the users who deal with data and analytics daily and developers like me who every day built backend for collecting data.

Since have no any people / users reach. I am finding very difficult to reach to them

Did you find yourself refactoring more or less than pre-AI development? I've landed on "ship fast, refactor often" but curious if your experience was different.

Really impressive speed. Curious what mattered most early on, distribution or timing? Appreciate you sharing real numbers.

How long did it take you to get your first paying user?

Hi, I'm new on Indie Hackers, I'm busy with a Micro-SaaS idea and I found this very motivating! Are there any extra tips that would be helpful to expand my knowledge on Micro-SaaS? I already have an idea, but I am not sure if the interest in my Niche is high!

Incredible breakdown! As a developer focused on UI/UX, I totally resonate with the 'Ugly MVP' problem. I actually built a Room Planner Boilerplate specifically to help founders skip the 40+ hours of fighting with Canvas API that you mentioned. Your stack (Next.js + ShadCN) is exactly what I recommend for shipping fast. Congrats on the $62k MRR!

Hi!! I am new to the SaaS ecosystem. These posts are incredibly motivating to read, so thankyou for posting this!!

Well done, not many people have the guts to quit their job and go full in on a risky business.

How are you guys dealing with rentention, using any user onbaording tools etc?

Impressive, I'm thinking of testing it :)

Hi,

I built a small tool because I was tired of spam hitting my personal inbox 😅

EmailShield[.]app lets you generate disposable email aliases so you can sign up for websites without exposing your real email.

I’m looking for early users to try it and tell me what sucks / what’s missing.

Happy to give free access to anyone willing to share feedback.

"This is a great update! From an SEO perspective, I’d suggest focusing on long-tail keywords and optimizing your on-page content early on to build a solid foundation. If you need any specific tips on improving your search rankings, feel free to ask. Happy to help a fellow indie hacker!"

What stood out to me is how little of this story is about “hacks” and how much is about focus — clear ICP, fast feedback loops, and getting in front of customers early instead of polishing in isolation. Going from 0 to $62k MRR that fast really highlights how powerful distribution + disciplined execution can be when the problem is well-defined. Thanks for sharing the details.

Going from $0 to $62k MRR in just three months is the result of sharp focus, fast execution, and relentless customer validation. By identifying a real pain point, launching a lean MVP, and iterating quickly based on feedback, growth accelerates. Clear positioning, aggressive distribution, and a repeatable sales motion turn early traction into predictable monthly recurring revenue fast.

This hits incredibly hard. After 11 years in the corporate executive suite, the 'golden handcuffs' are real, but as Cameron noted, promotions eventually lose their thrill when you aren't building something meaningful. I’m currently documenting my own transition from Senior Executive to a $30k/mo solo business. The 'Distribution First' advice is the ultimate cheat code—it’s the exact system I’m applying to my own playbook right now. Absolute masterclass in speed and focus.

Thank you for sharing this it helped me getting a better understanding of the market for the products I'm building.

The "on paper it was the dream, in reality I wasn't building anything meaningful" hit hard. Senior dev, good salary, shipping code that didn't matter to me. Same story here after 15+ years of freelance.

What stands out in your story is the distribution-first approach. Most devs (myself included) default to "build it and they'll come". Having 60k users from v1 + cofounders with 400k+ combined following is a massive advantage most solo devs don't have.

Curious: without that existing audience, would you have approached launch differently?

how did you get visibility out there? im doing by best but so many free groups wont let you post anything

Love the transparency. What would you do differently if starting over? Any channels or tactics that looked promising but turned out to be a waste of time?

Hitting $62k MRR that quickly is legendary!

I'm curious about the 'Day 1' traffic source. Did this growth come primarily from a massive launch (Product Hunt/Twitter), or did you find an SEO 'loophole' for utility keywords that started converting immediately? I'm currently experimenting with SEO for my own project (HexPickr) and would love to know which channel had the highest ROI for you early on.

yo, that's wild about the identity section! apparently, some users had a hard time with it so they just made it way easier. check out how they simplified things - oh can't post links...

Really appreciate you sharing this. The part that stood out most to me was choosing speed and distribution over perfect architecture. A lot of people intellectually agree with that idea, but very few actually commit to it the way you did.

Quitting a “dream job” when everything looks perfect on paper is something many engineers quietly think about but rarely act on. Your story highlights an important truth: fulfillment often comes from ownership and feedback loops, not titles or views from a high-rise apartment.

I also liked how you emphasized explicit prioritization and listening to users instead of guessing. That mindset translates well beyond startups. I have seen the same thing working on informational projects like smart square wellstar info guide where clarity and simplicity matter far more than clever abstractions.

Congrats on the growth and thanks for breaking down the process so honestly. This kind of transparency is what makes Indie Hackers valuable.

Fast growth always grabs stakes but what caught my eye here is how easy the fundamentals were.

Usually, the source of speed is about taking decisions away, not adding tactics.

I utilize a coarse lens.

Single ICP.

This is wrong.

One definite action for return on investment.

Everything else early on is noise.

I want to know what was the most difficult thing not to do for you in the first 3 months?

If you are feeling stuck, you may want to delete half of your roadmap and double down on the one thing that users already pay for. ~

Respect for taking the risk and making it work.

This really hits hard—in the best way.

The distribution point is the real insight here - 480k combined LinkedIn followers did the heavy lifting. Most of us reading this don't have that, so the question becomes: how do you get those first 100 users without an existing audience?

That said, the execution principles still apply regardless of scale: ship fast, prioritize bugs over features, and listen to what users actually do vs. what you think they want.

Curious - before your cofounders had those audiences, what was their early distribution strategy? Or was audience-building always the long game?

For founders without established audiences, what’s your go-to strategy for getting those first 50–100 paying users?

This is a masterclass in resilience. The pivot from receiving a Cease & Desist on Kleo 1.0 to hitting $62k MRR with v2.0 is incredible.

I'm curious about the psychology of your initial user base. When you shifted from a free extension to a paid SaaS model, did you find it hard to convert those original 'free' users, or was the demand just that strong?

This is exactly why AI tools are blowing up right now—problem first, tech later. I’m building something small in this space too and seeing the same pattern. Thanks for sharing real execution, not just hype.

Very interesting, i am myself trying to get into self-sustaining income and would like some more information on getting started as a beginner.
Thankyou!

Loved reading the article.

Really enjoyed reading this. It feels like building a strong, loyal fan base through trust is what really matters.

That's an incredible journey Cameron took—quitting for real impact and hitting $82k total MRR with Kleo and Mentions. Love the stack choices like Claude + Next.js for solo shipping and the beta sales via webinars. Key lesson: ship fast, listen to users, prioritize revenue features. Inspiring for any indie hacker! What's your next move?

This was a really honest and motivating read. The idea of career insurance through ownership of an audience especially stood out — that’s something more creators are realizing, but very few articulate this clearly.

I also appreciate how transparent you were about the long “messy middle.” Ten years of experimentation, plateaus, and self-doubt is a reality most success stories skip, yet it’s often the most relatable part. It’s encouraging to see how those seemingly disconnected skills (design, animation, prototyping, marketing) eventually compounded into a very focused, scalable business.

The way you describe competition as a filter rather than a barrier is a powerful mindset shift. In overcrowded markets, quality and consistency really do become unfair advantages over time.

I’ve been exploring similar ideas around building sustainable, product-based income and documenting the process publicly, and this article reinforced how important it is to start sharing earlier — not just for growth, but for clarity and connection as well.

For anyone interested in the broader concept of turning skills into long-term leverage (audience, systems, and distribution), I’ve been collecting notes and resources here that complement a lot of what’s discussed above:

Thanks for sharing such a grounded breakdown — this kind of transparency genuinely helps people who are still in the “figuring it out” phase.

Partnering with someone who has reach, amazing point ! Cheers to James for putting together such a well detailed article!

this is insane velocity. congrats on hitting $62k that fast.

as a solo dev currently grinding through the cold start phase (building a Shopify performance tool), I'm curious about your week 1 strategy.

did you rely mostly on inbound/content to get those first 10 users, or was there a heavy manual sales/outbound push initially? trying to figure out the right balance while working a day job. thanks.

Well done !!! This gives me a confidence boost , I am also building something new

crazy numbers. Thanks for boosting my confidence, I am also starting something new...

This resonates.
We’ve seen a lot of websites that look polished but don’t really help users take the next step.

We’re 360WebCoders, a small digital agency. After years of working locally, we’ve recently started collaborating internationally, focusing on clear user flows, usability, and real business outcomes — not just visuals.

Sharing our site for context:

360webcoders

Good to be part of these discussions and learn from other builders.

The distribution point is the real takeaway here.

A lot of people fixate on “$62k in 3 months” and miss that this was built on years of credibility + an existing audience. Without that, the same execution would look very different.

What still resonates though is the tight feedback loop + shipping based on real usage instead of assumptions. That part does generalise, even without a big audience.

Great breakdown, Cameron! The "distribution first" mindset really resonates.

I just launched my own AI security tool (AgentAudit) last week - we scan LLM apps for prompt injection and other OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities.

Your point about AI code editors is spot on. I built the entire platform as a solo founder using Claude Code - it's a game changer for shipping fast.

Curious about your experience with LinkedIn's API integration - did you face any rate limiting issues? We're considering adding social features down the line.

Congrats on the $62k MRR! 🚀

This is a super-misleading post. 3 months for people having hundreds thousandsof of followers is like 3 years for some without them. Where is the downvote button? IH disappointed me more than ever.

Really enjoyed reading about your whirlwind journey from quitting your job to scaling to $62k MRR so quickly. Bringing in beta users early and shipping based on their feedback clearly paid off. I also appreciated the emphasis on distribution-first and partnering with creators who already have reach.

As a fellow builder, I'm curious how you balanced rapid iteration with maintaining quality: were there moments when AI coding tools like Claude Code helped you move faster without sacrificing reliability? And on the distribution side, which channels ended up driving the majority of your initial sign-ups – was LinkedIn the clear winner, or did webinars and email marketing pull their weight too?

Hi, I help app owners get real worldwide users and installs

through task-based campaigns.

Happy to start with a small test batch.

What would you say is the best way to market a Sass product currently?

Thanks for the post.

Quick question for folks building or branding B2B products.

I’ve noticed a lot of early-stage teams launch on longer domains or creative TLDs (.ooo, .xyz, etc.) and later consider upgrading once the product and positioning are clearer.

I currently own everyday. tech and am deciding whether to keep it for a future project or sell it. Curious how much founders here actually value short, brandable domains once traction starts picking up.

For those who’ve rebranded or upgraded domains:

• Was it worth it?

• Did customers care?

• Would you do it earlier next time?

Happy to share details if anyone’s curious, but mostly interested in founder perspectives. Thanks!

Thank you for your detailed post!

I agree with you that inital feedback is crucial. I am wondering, how did you get your inital users? And did the initial users pay for your tool or did you offer it for free?

This is a great reminder that speed + distribution beats perfect planning. Starting from a real audience, shipping fast, and letting users pull the roadmap forward is what most founders say they’ll do — but few actually execute this cleanly. Also love the honesty around AI as a force multiplier only when paired with experience. Solid playbook here.

This really resonates — especially the part about “on paper it was the dream.”

I’ve seen (and felt) that exact arc where promotions and scale stop feeling meaningful once you’re no longer building your thing.

I’m curious about one decision point though: when Kleo 1.0 got the cease-and-desist, how did you reason about continuing in the same space vs walking away entirely?

Was it purely the 60k users signal, or were there other indicators that made you confident this wasn’t just a short-lived hack?

Also appreciate the stack breakdown — not because of the tools themselves, but because it’s a good example of choosing speed + leverage over novelty.

This is a solid roadmap

This resonates a lot, especially the shipping fast + tight feedback loop part.

One thing that stood out is how clearly you validated demand before perfection (Kleo 1.0 users → v2 in weeks → paid betas). That’s something we’ve seen repeatedly with PitchArti founders too: the breakthrough usually doesn’t come from “one perfect pitch,” but from fast iterations, real feedback, and fixing what’s unclear immediately.

Your approach to prioritization (bugs first, then what users explicitly ask for) is underrated advice. Most teams overbuild opinions instead of listening signals.

Also +1 on AI as a leverage multiplier for experienced builders. The edge isn’t “AI writes code,” it’s knowing what to ask it to build, what to ignore, and how to ship without overthinking.

Great example of distribution + trust compounding faster than any technical advantage.