Savvy Cal
Derek Reimer entered the scheduling software space despite the presence of well-funded competitors like Calendly. Rather than building a broad solution, he identified an opportunity to zoom in on specific pain points within the scheduling market that larger players were overlooking due to their broad positioning.
Derek approached development as a solo founder, writing mostly monolithic code with a hybrid server-side rendering and React approach. He intentionally avoided over-engineering, focusing on core functionality testing while shipping fast. From day one, he implemented continuous integration, GitHub workflows, and pull requests—treating his solo operation like a small team to build good habits before hiring.
Derek's breakthrough came through a carefully architected product launch in January 2021. He partnered with marketing consultant Corey Haynes, who created a multi-page strategy document detailing timing, email sequences, and promotional tactics. The meticulous execution of this launch—combined with luck and skill—resulted in significant initial traction. Derek emphasizes that without Haynes's owner-level thinking and execution, he likely wouldn't have achieved the same results.
Since launch, Derek has invested in multiple growth channels: podcast sponsorships, pay-per-click ads, an affiliate program, and SEO. October 2021 marked his best growth month since February, indicating that his diversified channel strategy is beginning to compound. He's intentionally kept costs low with no full-time employees, only contractors for support and marketing strategy, which allowed him to reach profitability at $20k MRR while maintaining revenue for growth expenses.
With $20k MRR ($240k ARR), Derek is seriously evaluating his first engineering hire. He's had conversations with senior-level engineers, recognizing that his extensive roadmap and the need to oversee overall company vision require engineering support. Having previously scaled Drip from one engineer to 18 before acquisition, he understands the hiring process and is approaching this carefully with resources from Tiny Seed funding.
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