Bootstrapping a portfolio of apps to $28k MRR after angel investment killed his SaaS

On his first product, Sorin Alupoaie quit his job before validating. He had to get funded by an angel investor just to make ends meet, and this created a cascade of problems that, ultimately, killed the product.

This time around, he saved up some runway and bootstrapped Swifteq as a side hustle until he was able to pay himself a decent salary. Now, he's doing it full time and making €26k MRR.

Here's Sorin on how he did it. 👇

Building something that matters

I enjoy building things that make life just a little bit easier for my customers.

I am a developer, and the first part of my career was spent building software for mostly large companies. A significant part of what I built during that time was never used by any customers — just "big ideas" pushed by “senior leaders”, which often went unused.

This frustrated me a lot, so I decided to build my own business. It was a long journey with lots of ups and downs, but I’m happy with where I am today. I’m a solo founder, completely independent, building useful software for my customers.

Building on the side

At Swifteq, we build apps that expand the Zendesk platform to help Customer Support teams automate and streamline their workflows. This allows them to focus on providing a stellar customer experience.

I started Swifteq on the side while working full time. And I also set aside about a year’s salary before quitting. This was extremely important, as I couldn’t afford to put my family’s financial security at risk just because of my “entrepreneurial ambitions”.

I'd done that once before. Back in 2016 with a product called Cx Moments — we had an initial working prototype and a potential order, and in our excitement, we decided to dive in completely. I couldn’t afford to go without a salary, which meant we had to seek investment early on. This led to a chain of negative consequences, including early dilution of ownership and a false sense of security.

This time around, I did it right. And less than six months after moving full time on Swifteq, I was completely profitable, funding everything from the customer revenue.

Doubling MRR

Our MRR is currently close to €26k. It has more than doubled in the last 12 months, while the gross last 12 months revenue almost tripled.

Roughly half of this goes toward expenses, including salaries, tools, and partners, while the rest I’m setting aside to reinvest in future growth.

My business model relies primarily on recurring revenue from subscriptions to my Zendesk apps. The majority of customers subscribe to annual or monthly plans, but I also offer a smaller one-time payment option for customers who need a short-term solution, such as duplicating a help center.

This came about after noticing that some customers only needed specific features for a few weeks, leading to high churn. Introducing a 30-day pass for those users worked well to reduce churn and keep them satisfied. Many of these short-term users even returned later to purchase a full-year subscription.

Don't undervalue your work

One thing I'll say is this: Be careful with pricing. Many founders start out underpricing, which can lead to low growth, attracting the wrong customers, and even impacting how people perceive the value of your product.

It’s better to start a little higher; you can always adjust down if needed, but it’s harder to raise prices later.

Starting from my first release, I charged for the product right away — I think that's essential for both motivation and validation. But I initially priced the product too low. Adjusting prices upwards made a noticeable difference ine the revenue and the type of customers I was attracting.

Don't undervalue your product!

Customer-focused building

For my first Zendesk app, I kept the scope very small and focused only on the essential parts. That allowed me to finish the app in less than two weeks, launch it, get early feedback, and make improvements — all while working full time. The whole project was bootstrapped and very lean.

One of the best decisions I made was to prioritize customer feedback when deciding which features to build. I focused on features that addressed common pain points, making the product better for a large number of users; not just one.

We didn't do that with CX Moments, and we never found product-market fit.

My tech stack is straightforward and effective. On the front end, I use React, while Node.js and MongoDB power the back end. For certain tasks, like data processing and automation, I also rely on Python. This combination has been reliable for my needs, and I haven’t had to make any major changes over time — the stack has proven both stable and scalable as I’ve expanded.

Don't ignore marketing

For indie hackers starting out, the best advice I can give is to balance building with marketing.

It’s easy to get caught up in developing the product and assume users will come, but marketing is just as essential as the product itself — perhaps even more so.

Find a way to promote yourself that feels natural, whether it’s content marketing, free tools that provide value, or strategic partnerships. And start on it early. Marketing isn’t just about selling — it’s also about understanding your users and community and giving them something genuinely useful.

And prioritize strengthening and promoting existing apps rather than constantly developing new ones.

Growth

Growing my user base has been a learning journey, and I’m still refining my approach.

Marketplaces

Since I’m focused on building Zendesk apps, the most natural first step was to list on the Zendesk Apps Marketplace. Many Zendesk customers search here when they’re facing a challenge, so this channel gave me an initial customer base.

However, I quickly realized that, while it’s great for validation and getting initial users, the marketplace alone isn’t enough to drive sustainable growth. With thousands of other apps listed, there’s little control over visibility, so I had to look for additional channels.

Free tools

The next strategy I tried was to develop free apps as a form of “engineering as marketing.” I created small, but useful, apps that solve common pain points for Zendesk users, like export and search. These free apps collect user emails during signup, allowing me to promote other paid apps through banners in the UI or in emails.

This approach has worked well, especially because customers are actively looking for these kinds of tools. However, it’s easy to overdo this by creating too many apps — or by making an app free but not particularly valuable.

I learned that the apps need to be straightforward, easy to support, and, most importantly, they need to offer a feature that you know customers are already seeking.

Content marketing with a twist

Another effective channel has been content marketing with a twist. Instead of relying on generic content, I partnered with a team of subject matter experts who produce high-quality articles specifically tailored to my audience’s needs.

Initially, I tried a general content marketing agency, but their work felt shallow, with content full of platitudes rather than practical advice. Now, I publish weekly blog posts written by experts in customer support, which are helpful and relevant. Each post also goes out in a newsletter to users who signed up for free apps, keeping me in touch with my community and adding value for them.

Paid ads

More recently, I started experimenting with paid ads, mainly on Reddit. This worked well at first and brought in several customers, but then the performance dropped unexpectedly. I haven’t pinpointed why yet, but I'm keeping the ads running as I analyze what might have changed.

Partnerships

I’m also planning to test additional partnerships with other companies in the space to extend my reach further and explore new ways to connect with potential users.

Some advice

One piece of advice I’d share is to focus on adding value to your target market rather than just pushing ads or promotions. Look for ways to be genuinely helpful to your audience without expecting something in return.

This not only builds trust but also naturally attracts users who recognize the value you’re bringing to the community.

Persistence is key

Persistence is key. Building a business has its ups and downs, and sticking with it, even when things don’t look great, can make all the difference.

Just make sure to be persistent about the right things, not about what isn’t working. And remember that growth doesn’t always come from more product features; sometimes, it’s about making the most of what you already have and putting a stop to that “I want to build more stuff” instinct.

Finding the balance between being persistent and knowing when to adjust course is something I’m still learning.

The biggest roadblock is him

My main product goal is to consolidate and enhance my current suite of Zendesk apps based on the roadmap I’ve developed from customer feedback. This will keep the products aligned with user needs and ensure they stay competitive.

I’m also planning to expand to other platforms, like Intercom, Freshdesk, or Salesforce, to reduce platform risk. Right now, my business relies heavily on Zendesk, which poses a risk if there are any changes on their end, so branching out will help make the business more resilient.

Personally, I want to step back from development and focus more on marketing and growth. It’s been a challenge, as I’m naturally inclined toward the technical side, but I’m working on shifting my mindset and dedicating more time to scaling the business.

I'd like to build Swifteq into a €1 million ARR business, proving to myself that it can be more than a business that pays my salary. To reach this, I’ll be experimenting with new marketing channels, exploring partnerships, and finding ways to expand my audience.

The biggest roadblock in all this, I’ve realized, is myself — specifically, my own preconceptions about what I should focus on and how I approach growth. Breaking those habits and adapting my approach will be key to achieving these goals.

You can follow along on X and Linkedin. And check out Swifteq.