I'm 17 and built my first SaaS. Here's the tech stack and what I'd do differently.
Source: Dev.to
Three months ago I started building Animiso – a tool to help freelancers stop the “any update?” text chaos.
Day 3 of launch
- Users: 0
- Revenue: $0
- Lessons learned: infinite
The problem
As a freelancer, clients would ask for updates in multiple channels:
- Text at 9 PM
- Email at 6 AM
- Slack during lunch
- Calls that should’ve been a screenshot
I was spending 2+ hours/week just on status updates.
The solution: Animiso
Animiso is a shareable project timeline:
- Freelancer creates a project → gets a unique link.
- Posts updates (screenshot + note) in ~30 seconds.
- Shares the link with the client (no login required).
- Client checks whenever they want.
Simple, boring, and it solves a real problem.
What I built (and what I left out)
Features shipped
- Project creation with unique shareable link.
- Quick update posting (screenshot + note).
Features I wanted but postponed
- Email notifications
- File uploads
- Comments
- Custom branding
Shipping without those features turned out to be a good decision – I can add them when users actually request them.
Lessons on validation & distribution
- “Build it and they will come.” → Reality: building is ~10 % of the work; distribution is ~90 %.
- I built what I thought freelancers needed without proper validation.
What I should have done
- Interviewed ~50 freelancers.
- Validated the problem.
- Pre‑sold the solution.
Current metrics
- Users: 0
- Revenue: $0
- Runway: infinite (I’m 17, live with parents, no costs)
Immediate plan
- Send 100 DMs/day until I get 10 users.
- Validate the product before adding more features.
Strategies I’d try next
- Build an audience first.
- Start with a waiting list.
- Create a demo video.
- Be more aggressive in outreach.
Want to try it?
Website
Code LAUNCH50 = $1.50/month foreverI’m desperate for feedback from real developers who freelance. Tell me what sucks and I’ll fix it.
Questions for the community
- How did you get your first 10 users?
- How long until you hit $100 MRR?
- What marketing channel worked best?
- What would you tell your past self?
Drop your answers below – I’m reading everything.
If you’re a developer who’s thought about building a SaaS but haven’t started – do it. You’ll learn more in 3 months than in 3 years of tutorials (even if you end up with 0 users like me 😅).