Software Ideas
Kevin Conti had already built CoderNotes.io, a technical note-taking tool for developers that generated buzz—it ranked #2 on Product Hunt—but only converted to $50 MRR after eight months of hard work. He realized that building something cool isn't the same as building something people will pay for, and that market selection is crucial. Rather than pivot CoderNotes, he decided to start fresh with a new idea.
While researching potential SaaS business ideas by scanning job boards, Kevin discovered expensive paid databases ($1,000/year) that would accelerate his research. He realized the research itself might be valuable to sell. Instead of building a traditional product first, he used pre-sales as his validation mechanism. He set a goal: convert at least 10 customers out of 100 qualified leads at $19/month for a month of newsletters. After just 33 qualified leads, he had his 10 conversions and launched Software Ideas in July 2020. He publicly shared his pre-sales email templates to help other founders replicate the approach.
Kevin tested multiple distribution channels during his pre-sales phase: Indie Hackers, Reddit, and Twitter. He posted a free proof-of-concept version of his newsletter across these platforms to identify qualified leads. Twitter and Indie Hackers proved to be the two most reliable channels, and they remain his primary growth drivers. His strategy focuses on creating high-quality content that genuinely helps founders, and on Indie Hackers he publicly shared his business milestones, which resonated with the community.
The pre-sales model was transformative. Unlike CoderNotes.io, which took eight months to reach $50 revenue, Software Ideas hit $4,000+ in quarterly revenue in a quarter of the time—demonstrating that market fit and customer willingness to pay can be validated before building the full product. His free email list grew to 4,000+ subscribers with a 50% open rate, proving strong demand. However, Kevin acknowledges that maintaining a high-quality weekly publication is grueling—"It's an exercise in discipline. You don't get any weeks off." He's now exploring newsletter sponsorships and SEO to find new distribution channels and push revenue toward $10k-$20k MRR.
Software Ideas is growing linearly with approximately 100 new customers per month. Kevin is building a course called "The Foundation" on pre-sales and validation, included free for subscribers. His personal goal is to quit his full-time software developer job within 3-6 months once he finds one or two additional reliable growth channels. He's also deeply reflective about the emotional and mental toll of startup building, recognizing that success brings its own pressures and the importance of celebrating milestones and prioritizing well-being.
- •Kevin successfully identified a high-intent market (founders actively seeking SaaS ideas) and validated demand before building, avoiding the trap of building something people think is cool but won't pay for.
- •He used pre-sales as a forcing function for validation, creating accountability and early revenue that derisked the entire venture compared to his previous failures.
- •The business model (recurring subscription) combined with a specific, underserved niche (validated SaaS ideas for founders) created strong product-market fit in a market where customers were already spending money.
- •His authentic approach of sharing learnings, metrics, and templates (pre-sales emails, business milestones) built trust and community on Twitter and Indie Hackers, turning distribution into a content marketing advantage.
- •Kevin prioritized market selection over product novelty, learning from his previous failure that the addressable market is more important than technical differentiation.
- 1.Before building, identify 3-5 potential customer groups and test them through pre-sales outreach at $15-25/month to prove willingness to pay; stop building until you've converted at least 10-30% of qualified leads.
- 2.Create and share a free, proof-of-concept version of your product across multiple communities (Reddit, Indie Hackers, Twitter, niche forums) and directly engage qualified prospects with personalized, non-biased customer discovery conversations.
- 3.Document and publicly share your early business metrics, customer conversations (anonymized), and lessons learned to build credibility and attract organic word-of-mouth growth in communities like Indie Hackers.
- 4.Build a high-touch content strategy focused on genuinely helping your target audience rather than selling; consistency and quality matter more than frequency, and strong content attracts inbound customers.
- 5.Once you've validated a few reliable distribution channels, systematically experiment with adjacent channels (newsletter sponsorships, SEO, partnerships) using the same validation framework to unlock step-change growth.
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