After 54 days working on RedShip, I’m now close to $400 MRR.
Nothing crazy, but it forced me to reflect on what actually helped me get there.
I haven’t really focused on marketing yet. Most of the work so far has been about removing friction and making the product easy to adopt.
Here are a few things that made a real difference for me:
1. Ultra-simple onboarding
When I launch a product, my goal is always the same: make onboarding as simple as possible.
On RedShip, users only have to enter their website URL. That’s it. Everything else is automated.
The faster people see value, the more likely they are to stick.
2. I still believe in free trials / freemium
A lot of well-known indie hackers say you should remove free trials. I strongly disagree.
As a user myself, I almost never pay for a product if I can’t see what’s inside first. I want to test it, understand what I’m getting, and know what to expect.
Giving users a free first batch of results has worked well for me. If the value is there, upgrading feels natural.
3. Talk to users early (and a lot)
During the first month, I contacted almost every user who tested the product.
Now there are close to 300 signups, so that’s harder, but I still talk to all paying users.
This is probably the most valuable thing I’ve done. You quickly learn what’s unclear, what’s missing, and what actually matters. That feedback directly improves the product for the next users.
4. The hero section matters more than the rest of the page
Most people don’t scroll. If they don’t understand the value immediately, you lose them.
What worked well for me was focusing heavily on the hero section.
My current tagline is “Turn ready users into customers”. It might be a bit bold, but the word “customers” clearly resonates.
I shared a screenshot of that landing page on X and it alone brought close to 100 signups. People want benefits, not features.
Overall, I didn’t try to grow fast through marketing yet. I focused on building something that feels smooth to use and removes as much friction as possible.
My takeaway so far:
If you nail a simple onboarding, give users a way to experience the value, and talk to them early, your product becomes much easier to sell later.
I’m now at $397 MRR without really pushing distribution.
The next goal is to double or triple that and try to reach $1,000 MRR in February.
Still early, but the foundations feel solid.
What worked for you?