From weekend experiment to $20k/mo business
This interview was originally published on Indie Hackers on August 13, 2025, by James Fleischmann. Republished with permission.
#Contents
- Finding an idea
- From side hustle to main hustle
- Ugly and basic
- Getting quality feedback
- Growth via Google and PLG
- Nailing the business model
- Keep it simple
- What’s next?
#Finding an idea
I recorded every idea I had for two years. Everything from “Funny Posters for Toilet Doors” to “Website Generator for Restaurants.”
I thought there were 2-3 promising ideas. But I decided to start with the simplest idea.
The simplest idea was one that came to me during a visit to a friend’s video studio. I watched him jump up, run to another room to start a timer on an old laptop, then dash back to his video mixer. I thought, “Surely there’s a better solution” — but when I searched online, I only found outdated desktop software that looked like Windows 98.
As a web developer, this seemed like such an easy problem to solve. I had always wanted to build my own product anyway, so I put it on that idea list. And since it was simple enough to build in a weekend, that’s what I eventually started with
I never got to idea number two.
#From side hustle to main hustle
I worked on Stagetimer as a side hustle while working as a frontend developer at a startup. When my project was discontinued, they offered me one month’s extra pay to look for another job, but my wife encouraged me to go full-time on Stagetimer instead. It was making $3,000/month at that time.
Stagetimer is a web-based timer app for live events, video production, and presentations. Think of a TED talk where the speaker sees a countdown on screen - that’s what we do, but it’s remotely controlled through the browser. We serve everyone from small event producers to big companies like Microsoft and IKEA.
We’ve grown from $0 to over $20k/mo in about three years.
#Ugly and basic
I built the first version in a single weekend using Vue.js, Node.js, Express, and MongoDB — all technologies I already knew well. The key is picking something you’re comfortable with and can move fast in.
The MVP was incredibly simple: You click start on one device, and a timer begins counting down on another device via a shared link. No user accounts, no payment system, no fancy features. Just a working synchronized timer.
I deliberately kept it ugly and basic because I wanted to focus on solving the core problem first.
Then, I put it online for free because I never thought of people paying for a timer.
The real challenge wasn’t coding, but finding users. I spent almost as much time searching for the right subreddit as I did building the product. I eventually found r/CommercialAV through a Reddit mapping tool, posted my free timer, and got surprisingly helpful feedback instead of the usual Reddit toxicity. Those early users gave me a long list of feature requests, which told me I was onto something that people actually wanted.
#Getting quality feedback
Early users know they are early users and they are very helpful. They often contacted us through our support email and actively gave us feedback, much more so than nowadays when our product is perceived as more mature.
The next best thing is our product update newsletter. It goes out to ~400 users, and we usually get 3-4 responses. Not much, but better than nothing. We make sure to ask specific questions. For example, “This is an experimental feature; please let us know if it’s useful.”
We also interview our customers. We target the happy, quiet customers because our product already fits their needs. I found that after three calls, you usually have a good idea of the biggest two to three features you can build to improve your product.
We used to go in with a script, prepared questions, and everything, but it wasn’t necessary. Our customers sometimes showed up with their whole team and just loved to tell us how they use our tool and what would make it even better. I take notes, implement the big ones, wait a bit, then do the next round of interviews.
#Growth via Google and PLG
50% of our customers come through Google (both organic SEO and paid ads), and 30% through word-of-mouth recommendations.
#SEO
I focused heavily on writing technical documentation and how-to articles — not SEO fluff, but real step-by-step guides like “how to integrate a timer with your video mixer.” These get low search volume (maybe 100 people per month), but almost everyone who finds these articles has high intent.
#PLG
I actively try to encourage word of mouth by using a PLG (product-led-growth) strategy.
When someone uses our free version, our logo appears prominently on the timer display — so every time it’s used at an event, conference, or livestream, hundreds or thousands of people see our brand. It’s like having a billboard at every event we’re used at. And our name and logo are easy to remember.
#Nailing the business model
The biggest challenge I’ve faced was high churn. We had 12% monthly churn because people would subscribe for one event, then cancel.
We solved this by creating “event licenses” — one-time purchases for 30 days with no auto-renewal. It costs almost double the monthly rate, but customers love it because they can bill it directly to clients and don’t have to remember to cancel.
This dropped our churn to around 3%.
So now, we use a freemium model with two paid tiers, plus those 30-day event licenses. The free version works without registration — you can create and share a timer immediately, but you need to upgrade for advanced features and to remove our branding.
My takeaway: Understand your customers’ actual usage patterns and price accordingly.
#Keep it simple
Here’s my advice: Pick the simplest idea on your list, not the most exciting one. Your first product will probably teach you more about customers, marketing, and building a business than it will make you money — so make the learning process as easy as possible.
Also, let me speak to any Germans reading this: Do not be afraid to get started. Our country’s bureaucracy can look like a monster. And yes, you’ll need some more time to get started (privacy policy, impressum, understanding VAT, etc.), but it’s possible, and once you roll, it’s not that hard anymore.
#What’s next?
I thought I’d work on this thing for three years, “finish it,” and then move on. Turns out, it’s more successful than I ever expected, and it would be stupid not to keep going.
Eventually, I want to use Stagetimer to fuel my next startup that will be more capital intensive. I’ve already rejected a $500k offer because I think there’s more I can do to grow Stagetimer and get a real payout. Or better, eventually hire a CEO and keep Stagetimer as passive income.
I’m building my ideas list again and have long conversations with Claud to understand how different products/industries work that are interesting to me.
You can follow me on Twitter or visit my website to listen to my podcast guest appearances.