From 9-to-5 to $12K/Month: Dmytro’s SaaS Success Story

From countless ideas to a focused SaaS product, Dmytro shows how persistence and strategy lead to success.

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Welcome to Money Making Story,

Today, we’re thrilled to share the story of Dmytro, who left his 9-to-5 job and turned his backend coding expertise into a $12,000-a-month SaaS business.

In this discussion, we’ll discuss his:

  • Top Advice

  • Turning Passion into Action

  • Finding the Right Idea

  • Validating the Product

  • How To Build Resilience

  • Marketing Strategies

  • Keeping Customers Engaged

  • Pricing and Monetization

  • Tools and Technology

  • Balancing Life as a Solopreneur

  • Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

  • A Story Worth Reading

Top Advice:

"Persistence and focusing on what you know best can help turn a simple idea into a profitable business."

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Two years ago, Dmytro made a life-changing decision. He left his comfortable job as a software developer to pursue his childhood dream of building his own business. Today, he is a solopreneur earning $12,000 in monthly recurring revenue (MRR) through his SaaS product, ScreenshotOne. His journey is a testament to the power of persistence, strategic thinking, and leveraging niche expertise.

The Leap: Turning Passion into Action

Dmytro’s background as a backend developer gave him a unique edge. His deep knowledge of APIs became the foundation for his business. Despite having a high-paying job, he felt an inner drive to create something of his own.

“Even having the best job in the world, a huge salary, I still felt something pushing me in another direction.”

His advice for others? Trust your instincts, but make informed decisions. Your context matters—runway, risk tolerance, and goals should all influence your path.

Finding the Right Idea

Dmytro began his entrepreneurial journey with a long list of ideas but quickly realized the importance of focus. He narrowed his scope to API-based products—his area of expertise—and sought out niches where there was proven demand.

“Having competitors is actually good. It shows there’s a market of people willing to pay.”

For ScreenshotOne, he noticed other tools for automating screenshots already existed, which validated the market. Instead of trying to create something entirely unique, he focused on building a better solution within a known niche.

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Validating the Product

For Dmytro, real validation came not from promises or compliments but from paying customers.

“Once you have 10 paying customers from outside your network, that’s ultimate validation.”

His initial product took five months to build, but he learned to launch faster over time. Today, Dmytro aims to release a minimal viable product (MVP) within a month, testing features with close friends and iterating based on real feedback.

How To Build Resilience

Attracting Customers: Marketing Strategies

Dmytro employed a combination of conventional and unconventional marketing tactics:

  1. Twitter and Google - These were his primary channels for reaching customers.

  2. Zapier and Product Hunt - Integration platforms like Zapier brought steady traffic, while launching on Product Hunt boosted awareness and SEO.

  3. YouTube Tutorials - Dmytro discovered that video tutorials on YouTube could drive paying customers by showcasing his product in action.

By testing various channels and focusing on the ones that worked, Dmytro was able to grow his customer base efficiently.

Reducing Churn: Keeping Customers Engaged

Churn, or the rate at which customers stop using a product, is a critical challenge for SaaS businesses. Dmytro reduced churn from 11% to 7% by actively reaching out to customers who canceled their subscriptions. By asking targeted questions about their experience, he gained valuable insights and refined his marketing copy to attract the right audience.

“Sometimes, you realize someone isn’t your ideal customer. Fixing your marketing to filter them out can help.”

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Pricing and Monetization

Dmytro’s initial pricing was low—just $5 to $7 per month. Over time, he adjusted prices based on customer feedback and profitability goals. Raising prices, he found, not only improved margins but also attracted more committed users.

“Higher pricing sends a strong signal. You attract people who genuinely want to use your product.”

Today, ScreenshotOne operates on a subscription model, with pricing tiers starting at $17 per month and scaling based on features and usage.

Tools and Technology

Dmytro uses a mix of tools and technologies to build and run his business:

  • Programming Languages: TypeScript and Go for backend functionality.

  • Infrastructure: Cloudflare for storage and server management.

  • Analytics: Google Search Console and PostHog to track user behavior and marketing performance.

  • Customer Support: Crisp Chat for live interactions.

With 40–60% profit margins, his primary expenses are server costs, which run about $4,000 per month.

Balancing Life as a Solopreneur

Dmytro’s daily routine emphasizes mental health and balance. Mornings are dedicated to reading and planning, while evenings and weekends are reserved for family, friends, and hobbies like soccer.

“Taking care of your mental health is the most leveraged thing you can do in your business.”

Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Dmytro’s parting advice is to take ownership of your decisions. Learn from others, but ultimately trust your intuition.

“Don’t outsource your decisions. You need to own them.”

For those starting out, he emphasizes persistence. Building a business is challenging, but getting to your first paying customer is the key milestone.

Dmytro’s journey proves that success doesn’t require a groundbreaking idea—just a focused approach, persistence, and a willingness to learn. By leveraging his coding skills and targeting a niche he understood, he built a $12,000/month business that supports his family and fulfills his entrepreneurial dream.

For aspiring founders, Dmytro’s story is a reminder that action beats perfection and that even a small idea can grow into something life-changing. Your journey starts today—take the first step.

A Story Worth Reading

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Stay tuned for more stories that showcase the diverse ways people are achieving financial success. Until next time, keep exploring and keep learning.