This content originally appeared on HackerNoon and was authored by Queen Badass
Last year, I wrote a post on Indie Hackers about how we grew Olympia — our AI SaaS for solopreneurs and small teams — to $6K MRR in just ten months, without relying on big budgets or expensive ads.
\ It blew up.
\ What resonated most wasn’t just the numbers — it was the story of scrappy experiments, fast feedback loops, and community-driven growth. Continue reading to learn more about what we did right in a bit more detail.
The Starting Line
Our journey began in May 2023. My co-founder and I launched Olympia as a lightweight MVP: an AI-powered team of assistants for solopreneurs and small startup teams that don’t have the time (or budget) for large operations or marketing.
\ We kicked things off by creating a waitlist and began collecting emails, and shared it in our personal networks, a few online communities, and — crucially — involved friends and early supporters from day one.
\ Later, we sent private invites in small batches, listened obsessively to feedback, and refined the product in near real-time. By the time we had 30–40 people using it, we had already made major UX and feature changes.
\ This early intimacy with our first users turned them into fans. Word of mouth started to do the heavy lifting.
Finding Our Product-Market Fit
Listing Olympia on AI directories was a breakthrough moment. Our waitlist exploded — we started seeing 5–10 pages of new subscribers daily.
\ While sending more private invitations, we continually improved the product on a weekly basis and shared our progress openly through newsletters and social media.
\ At some point, we tried newsletter ads, but most turned out disappointing. The traffic was okay, but conversions were low. Lesson learned: expensive ads don’t beat community trust.
The Hard Launch (and a Price Increase)
By September, we rolled out of beta and raised prices. We grandfathered our early adopters into their original pricing as a thank-you.
\ At this point, we:
- Hired customer support
- Improved our website
- Doubled down on product improvements
- Invested time into PR and writing (thanks to my background running a PR agency)
\ We wrote articles on Indie Hackers, Medium, Hacker News, Entrepreneur, and HackerNoon. We also appeared on Twitter Spaces, sponsored a few in-person events, and started speaking gigs, and online and offline AI workshops.
\ Our Product Hunt launch provided a significant boost, and we began to see increased traction.
The Strategy That Actually Worked
Here’s what really moved the needle (and what didn’t):
✅ Direct community engagement — real conversations, feedback loops, and showing up at events.
✅ Content with substance — honest updates, behind-the-scenes posts, and educational articles.
✅ Leaning into product velocity — weekly updates, quick iterations, and new features.
✅ Personal connection — founder-led sales built long-term trust with our customers.
❌ Paid ads — we tested them, but they failed to deliver meaningful ROI.
❌ Overhyped newsletter sponsorships — too expensive for the results.
2024: Expanding the Foundation
In 2024, we focused on content marketing, expanding our blog, and growing our newsletter.
\ We launched an affiliate and referral program, which included referral links in the emails our AI assistants send directly from the platform, and built unique, powerful features our users asked for.
\ I believe that was the reason why we saw a big drop in churn and a 48% increase in LTV.
What We Learned
The biggest surprise wasn’t the growth — it was seeing how many founders feel stuck chasing quick wins and paid growth hacks instead of building real momentum.
\ Sustainable SaaS growth isn’t about how much you spend; it’s about how fast you can learn and improve, and how deeply you stay connected to your customers.
🌱 The 90-Day Organic SaaS Growth Blueprint
After sharing our story, I received dozens of messages from founders asking how to replicate it.
\ So, I turned the experience into a practical resource:
\ It’s a FREE PDF that outlines:
- The exact 3-phase strategy we used to build traction
- Real MRR, LTV, and churn data
- Step-by-step actions for your first 90 days
- Mindset shifts that made the biggest difference
👉 Get the Blueprint here with a bonus inside.
Final Thought
We didn’t grow because of ads or funding — we grew because we moved fast, listened harder, and built community trust first. If you’re trying to figure out how to grow your SaaS without burning cash or chasing vanity metrics, I promise this will help.
This content originally appeared on HackerNoon and was authored by Queen Badass
Queen Badass | Sciencx (2025-07-08T20:19:01+00:00) How We Grew Our SaaS to $6K MRR Organically in 10 Months Without Burning Cash. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/07/08/how-we-grew-our-saas-to-6k-mrr-organically-in-10-months-without-burning-cash/
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