Validating via services before building a $27k MRR product

After Romàn Czerny's first business got acquired for seven figures, he decided to build a new business around the growth tactic that was responsible for that success.

He started by doing it manually for clients, then created a product to automate the process. Now, Gojiberry AI is at $27k MRR.

Here's Romàn on how he's doing it. 👇

A 7-figure exit

My name is Román. I’m 30 years old, I'm currently based in Lisbon, Portugal, I have a weakness for pastéis de nata, and I’m the cofounder of Gojiberry AI.

I started doing online business in 2019, first as a freelancer, then through affiliate marketing. In 2023, I discovered a passion for SaaS, leading me to build my first product, CocoAI, which I later sold for seven figures.

Today, I’m working on Gojiberry AI, an intent-based LinkedIn outreach tool. It helps B2B companies find and convert customers on LinkedIn by leveraging buying signals and reaching prospects when they’re ready to engage. We reached $27k MRR at the beginning of December, and we made $35,000 in sales the same month.

Scratching his own itch

Our previous SaaS sold WhatsApp solutions for e-commerce. We saw that e-commerce founders actively engaging on LinkedIn, especially around topics like email marketing for e-commerce, converted significantly better.

So we started doing it manually. We searched for e-commerce founders interacting with specific keywords and topics. It worked extremely well, but it was incredibly time-consuming.

After selling that SaaS, we asked a simple question: Why not turn the system that helped us sell our previous SaaS for seven figures into a product?

That is how Gojiberry AI was born, built on the same approach that powered CocoAI's growth and exit.

Validation through manual services

To build the MVP, we did not write a single line of product code. Instead, we first focused on getting customers. We told them we would deliver high-intent leads, and then we manually searched for those leads on their behalf.

Finding 100 qualified prospects often took several hours, sometimes up to five. We spent an entire summer doing this manually, with the help of multiple virtual assistants based in Pakistan and India. It was painful and completely unscalable. But it proved two important things: Real demand existed and customers were genuinely happy with the results.

That validation pushed us to turn the process into an actual product with Gojiberry AI.

That wasn't easy. We had to automate a very human, intuitive process. Identifying real buying signals on LinkedIn is not just about scraping data. It requires context, judgment, and timing. Translating this into a reliable system without losing quality took time and many iterations.

Tech stack

I’m not technical at all; my CTO handles all the technical stuff. But we use:

• AWS

• Framer

• Firebase

• Gemini

• Claude

• ChatGPT

Growth and consistency

Our growth strategy was multi-dimensional:

• Reddit: We built early trust by sharing real data and transparent results in SaaS communities.

• LinkedIn: We ran a dual engine, viral inbound content combined with high-intent outbound campaigns using our own tool.

• Cold Email: We scaled volume, sending thousands of emails daily using leads sourced from Sales Navigator and Gojiberry AI.

• Influencers: We partnered with trusted B2B voices to borrow credibility and reach high-quality users.

• Other tactics: We layered the above with YouTube tutorials, newsletter sponsorships, webinars, and building in public on X.

No single channel was a silver bullet, but we found working with B2B influencers on LinkedIn particularly helpful.

Our core customers already spend time on LinkedIn, so partnering with influencers who speak directly to that audience gave us instant credibility and distribution. It allowed us to reach the right people, in the right context, with a message they already trusted.

And overall, the real secret was the compounding effect of showing up everywhere, every single day.

Expansion revenue

Our business model is subscription-based SaaS. We sell Gojiberry AI on monthly and annual plans. As teams grow and rely more on intent-based outreach, they naturally upgrade their plans, which creates built-in expansion revenue.

From the beginning, we made sure customers could see results quickly, meaning qualified conversations and booked meetings, not just data or dashboards. That made it easier to convert trials, reduce friction in sales, and drive word of mouth.

Narrow down your ICP

Here's my advice: Pick one clear ICP and one clear use case. Trying to serve everyone slows everything down. A narrow focus makes product decisions, messaging, and growth much easier.

Initially, we tried to serve too many profiles at once. Once we focused on the users who truly valued intent-based outreach, everything became easier. If I had to start over, I would validate pricing and positioning earlier and narrow the ICP faster.

Also, try all marketing channels. There is never enough marketing!

What's next?

Our main goal is to make intent-based outreach the default way B2B teams generate pipeline.

On the product side, we want Gojiberry AI to become the standard system for detecting real buying signals and turning them into qualified conversations across LinkedIn and other channels.

That means deepening signal quality, automation, and integrations, while keeping the experience simple and outcome-driven.

You can visit gojiberry.ai and start a free trial. If you want 14 days instead of 7, send us the word INDIE14 in the in-app chat and we’ll extend your trial.

And you can follow me on X and LinkedIn.