How we built, launched, and scaled a SaaS product to a sustainable revenue engine in one year.

The Starting Point

Twelve months ago, the Trusted AI Agent Builder didn’t exist.
We had:

• A clear problem to solve (SME and mid‑market e‑commerce needed AI automation without coding)
• A small, highly technical founding team
• Zero paying customers
• Zero brand recognition in our category

Our goal was simple but ambitious: hit $50K in Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) within 12 months — and do it efficiently.

Step 1: Nail the First 10 Customers

Before we even thought about scale, we focused on proving the product worked in the real world.
We:

• Found our early adopters through founder networks, LinkedIn outreach, and e‑commerce forums
• Offered free pilots in exchange for feedback and testimonials
• Prioritised feature velocity over perfection — shipping weekly to address real merchant needs

Impact: Our first 10 merchants became case study material that fueled the next stage of growth.

Step 2: Go All‑In on Product‑Led Growth (PLG)

From day one, we made sure merchants could:

• Sign up in minutes without a sales call
• Deploy their first AI agent within 15 minutes
• See measurable results within hours (e.g., optimised images, improved SEO rankings)

We launched with Quick Deploy agents for high‑impact, low‑effort wins like:

• SEO optimisation
• Inventory monitoring
• Image compression for speed and SEO

Impact: Activation rates (3+ agents deployed in first month) hit 65%, a leading retention predictor.

Step 3: Build Expansion Into the Product

We designed the Agent Marketplace as both a value driver and an upsell engine:

• Merchants could start with one free agent
• In‑product prompts suggested complementary agents based on usage
• Bundled pricing tiers encouraged multi‑agent adoption

Impact: 38% of customers expanded into higher tiers within 90 days.

Step 4: Create a Retention Flywheel

We knew churn could kill MRR momentum. So we:

• Deployed an internal Customer Retention Agent to flag at‑risk accounts
• Sent Weekly Impact Reports showing hours saved, tasks completed, and ROI
• Offered quarterly “automation reviews” to identify new opportunities for each merchant

Impact: Churn dropped by 42% and Net Revenue Retention (NRR) rose to 137%.

Step 5: Leverage Partnerships for Distribution

We partnered with:

• BigCommerce (Elite Partner status)
• Adobe Commerce
• Listed on the Shopify App Marketplace

Impact: These channels delivered steady inbound leads without expensive outbound campaigns.

Step 6: Measure, Iterate, Repeat

We tracked:

• Activation Rate
• Time to First Value (TTFV)
• CAC Payback Period
• NRR and Expansion ARR

Any metric falling short became the focus of the next sprint. This relentless measurement kept growth compounding month after month.

The Results

• Month 1: $0 MRR — validating problem-solution fit
• Month 3: $5K MRR — early adopters paying for value
• Month 6: $20K MRR — Agent Marketplace launches
• Month 9: $35K MRR — churn reduction efforts take effect

Month 12: $50K MRR — with NRR at 137% and CAC payback under 90 days

Lessons Learned

1. Get value to customers fast — first wins drive retention and referrals.
2. Expansion is easier than acquisition — build upsell into the product experience.
3. Retention compounds growth — keep customers happy and MRR builds itself.

Partnerships accelerate distribution — especially in niche SaaS categories.

Final Word

Reaching $50K MRR in 12 months wasn’t about one big launch — it was about hundreds of small, consistent steps.
By focusing on product‑led growth, retention, and expansion, we built a revenue engine that’s now primed to scale far beyond this first milestone.