Miko Savin

Happy husband & dad.
Ex-VC, 9 yrs in product (Setapp, Competera).
Now indie founder building (60%) → $2K MRR 🚀

[Miko Savin @MikoSavin]

Is it just me, or is Opus 4.8 a complete mess? Misjudgment after misjudgment — Opus has never been so confidently wrong. 😅

[Miko Savin @MikoSavin]

@despair_chan

[Setapp by MacPaw @Setapp]

Huge Setapp update 🎉

We’re welcoming Moonlock by MacPaw — plus two more standout apps.

Moonlock — malware protection + security insights + VPN
PopChar — special characters in a snap
Lasso — smarter window layouts

A celebratory drop for your Mac!

Try new apps and more on Setapp: https://t.co/9vFWs1quPV

[Miko Savin @MikoSavin]

🚀 MurmurType October: $1,156

Revenue:
June: $632
July: $1,093
August: $1,168
September: $1,005
October: $1,156

• switching to claude-code from cursor saved ~$500/mo (!!)
• reinvested $100 of that into automated SEO content
�� 46 new registrations (vs 17 previous month)
• MRR is now $24 → $31 😄

It feels like I finally figured out how to scale one channel.

Now I badly need a couple product improvements to boost conversion.

November goals:
⚡️ ship 2 big UX wins
🧪 keep pushing SEO + Reddit

[Miko Savin @MikoSavin]

I’m finally seeing an impact from the SEO activity. It took about three and a half months to see this spike — not just in clicks and visits, but now in actual registrations.
Forty-six new users, most of them coming directly from SEO, is huge for me at this stage. In the best case, I’m barely touching anything — everything just runs automatically.

[Miko Savin @MikoSavin]

Well, it looks like agents are down; it's time for some tweeting.

I have a couple of hundred extra bucks I can spend on tools, preferably for marketing, but I am open to anything.

What useful tools do you have for a solo builder that can help me grow more?

I am willing to test and subscribe.

[Miko Savin @MikoSavin]

Just sent a $10 refund — fully deserved. The product failed to work for the user, and will investigate why.

Rationally, I know this is a good signal — it proves people are willing to pay and exposes issues early.

But emotionally, it still feels like failing someone who trusted you.

[Miko Savin @MikoSavin]

@vachmara Are you on @polar_sh ?

[Miko Savin @MikoSavin]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply — I respect the clarity of your position and the product focus behind it.

I do think this is an important part of building in public on the way to success, but of course it’s your call to make.

Polar already makes the journey a lot easier, so I’m with you either way.

[Miko Savin @MikoSavin]

Nowadays, there's a lot of talk about fake MRR screenshots.

How about adding some validation or a code that proves the MRR is real? @polar_sh, @birk

[James Potter (rephonic.com) @jamespotter]

A lot of people's minds are getting warped by fake/juiced MRR numbers on here. So they think they "failed" and give up too early.

It took me 5 months and 7 days to get to $1k MRR for Rephonic. It's now dramatically beyond that and by far my most successful endeavour.

Also that was after ~10 years of grinding on tons of other failed apps.

In my opinion even if you're at ~$250/mo with a few customers you already did the hardest part and you just need to avoid the usual foot guns and find more people like that.

[Miko Savin @MikoSavin]

A lot of firsts this month:
* First refund
* First time losing a loyal user to a competitor
* First time a user’s subscription payment failed due to insufficient funds (but it recovered after 2 days)

@polar_sh is there a way to keep a running “milestone log” for moments like these?
Would be great to share them on Twitter over time.

[Miko Savin @MikoSavin]

The latest GPT update

me: “GPT I NEED A DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY”

GPT: right away!
to proceed, please select a service configuration:
A1 — Doctor (Standard)
B2 — Doctor + Disclaimers
C3 — Doctor w/ 47 clarifying questions
D4 — Doctor Ultra w/ inspirational quote

me: “any JUST CALL A DOCTOR”

GPT: “100% doing that!
please select your urgency style pack:
E1 — dignified panic
F2 — chaotic panic w/ vibration
G3 — panic w/ sound effects
H4 — Silent Mode™ (premium)”

[Miko Savin @MikoSavin]

It feels like organic growth is finally compounding and moving at a steady pace.

What’s even more encouraging is that signups are starting to follow the same trend.

Conversions still need work, but overall the trajectory looks strong

month 3 with @outrank_so

[Miko Savin @MikoSavin]

Sonnet 4.5 was having a party yesterday.

I was just about to order a perfect cup from @daniel_nguyenx

When my Claude made a decision to change tone a bit
- HOLY SHIT. This changes EVERYTHING.
- FUCK YES. 89.7/100 - that solution is exceptional.

and now it is in denial :)

[Miko Savin @MikoSavin]

MacOS app UI can be sneaky.

I was stuck trying to get proper spacing for this menu until I asked Claude to sketch a layout schema.
Instantly clicked.

Probably not an issue for real devs, but as a vibecoder, not fully grasping a few language quirks can really get you stuck

[Miko Savin @MikoSavin]

Looks like SEO finally reached the point where I can actually see weekends on the traffic graph.

Domain rating is still terrible, but slowly improving.

Next step: build a few quality links — maybe through Reddit and product reviews.

But I’d rather ship the next version first.

[Miko Savin @MikoSavin]

AI design tools feel stuck between “magic demo” and “production reality.”

Tried the Figma agent — visually fun, but slow, token-hungry, and not practical for real iteration.

Still no tool that truly streamlines design for builders.
Hope we get there soon.

[Miko Savin @MikoSavin]

@_bilous what is your plan?

[Miko Savin @MikoSavin]

Everyone’s freaking out that OpenAI will kill their startup. Honestly, I don’t think so.

OpenAI gives you ideas — it’s Google and Microsoft you should be worried about.
History kinda repeats itself: Netscape? Killed by Microsoft.
Slack? Crushed by Teams.
It’s never the cool startup that takes you out, it’s the giant that decides your niche should come pre-installed.