Sagie Grunhaus

Building in public — phone photos → emotional video gifts. Real numbers, dead ends, hard truths.

[Sagie Grunhaus @sagiegr]

64 days in a row, someone bought from me every single day. Long enough to get used to things just flowing (until they don't).

By the 16th I was at $5,000 in revenue for October on Echoes. I was already fantasizing about crossing $10,000 this month and the celebration post that would follow.

Then came 3 really weak days, and the third one broke every record: a perfect zero, stretched across the whole day, until 11pm.

My brain immediately announced the business was dead. I sent Claude to turn the analytics and the code upside down (I was kind of hoping it would come back and tell me I'd simply broken checkout). It came back with the "disappointing" truth: everything works perfectly, nobody bought today.

Then at 11pm, a purchase notification.

Business-wise? Nothing changed. It's still just a weak day, even if those 3 days probably killed my chance of hitting $10K this month. One purchase of 239 shekels (about $65) saved my 64-day streak (and mostly ruined the draft I'd written about the streak breaking), but the thoughts about what the dip means are still here.

A one-time payment model is a rollercoaster. One day you're king of the world, and the next you're refreshing the dashboard 20 times an hour, waiting for some stray customer to save your ego.

So the streak survived by a miracle, but sitting in front of charts until midnight won't bring the next customer. I went back to working on what actually moves the needle: a new website, influencers, and the end-of-month campaign.

Does your brain also prefer believing you broke something in the code over accepting that some days are just slow?

[Sagie Grunhaus @sagiegr]

Since I shared that my app https://t.co/eOduI9i8oq made $8,057 in September, a lot of people who built something, are building something, want to succeed, and feel stuck have reached out for advice.

Here's what I tell them:

1. Nobody knows in advance what will work and what won't, and I don't pretend to. The only way to hit is to try a lot of things.

2. Don't give up too fast (like I did). I gave up on my product and killed it after 4 months because it wasn't growing and I was discouraged by the one-time payment model. Then, after a few months of standstill, I decided to ship a new feature, relaunched, and everything flipped. Things take time and can surprise you.

3. Success is cumulative. You push hard on every front at once, until the different efforts connect and move the needle. It's hard to predict exactly when or how that will happen.

4. Be "loud," in a good way (it's insanely hard to keep up). Write organically on social media, try PR, go on podcasts (this week I'm on my first one). You have to make noise so someone turns their head and notices you exist. That matters most at the start.

5. The only way to build a good product is obsessing over the small details. Hours of watching users get stuck on the screen, direct conversations with customers, analytics, chasing bugs, and polishing the UX and copy until it works smoothly. It's exhausting and feels like it will never end, but at some point you start to feel the results. Truly good products are rare. People notice them, and they attract a community and support.

6. Until the product reaches that level, you cover for it with insane customer service. Answer at 1am, on weekends, on holidays, and in the middle of a vacation in Cyprus (see photo). Fix every issue as fast as possible so every customer is happy. You'd be surprised, but the customers who had the most frustrating things happen to them became my biggest ambassadors (because I refused to let them leave frustrated).

7. Be forgiving with yourself. The fastest way to fail is to burn out and quit. Nobody gets through all their tasks, and nobody writes every day. You make mistakes, embarrass yourself, and cringe at things you posted a week ago. It's awkward, hard, and scary, but you can't succeed without it.

What would you add to this list?

#buildinpublic

[Sagie Grunhaus @sagiegr]

7. Be forgiving with yourself. Burning out and quitting is the fastest way to fail. You'll mess up and cringe at last week's posts. It's awkward and scary, and you can't succeed without it.

Which one are you stuck on?

[Sagie Grunhaus @sagiegr]

5. Obsess over details. Watch users get stuck, talk to customers, chase bugs, polish UX and copy. It feels endless, then it pays off.

6. Until then, cover with crazy customer service. 1am, weekends, mid vacation in Cyprus (pic). Upset customers became my biggest fans.

[Sagie Grunhaus @sagiegr]

Next, to break $100K:
1. Find Israel's twin (91% of revenue is from Israel)
2. Expand to IG, TikTok, X and Threads
3. Go all in on paid ads
4. Influencers (30 reached out, zero replies)
5. Referrals

If you could pick only one, which would you bet on?

[Sagie Grunhaus @sagiegr]

Echoes hit a $96K annual revenue run rate. So close to $100K it kind of hurts.

4 things that got me here 🧵

[Sagie Grunhaus @sagiegr]

4. Customers as ambassadors.

Crazy customer service. Sometimes that meant answering at midnight or on a holiday eve. I don't have a single unhappy customer. It's my baby, I'll do anything for it.

[Sagie Grunhaus @sagiegr]

@GoldenbergLior Looks cool!

[Sagie Grunhaus @sagiegr]

I hit a $96K annual revenue run rate. Here's what got me there. #buildinpublic

[Sagie Grunhaus @sagiegr]

I hit a $96,000 annual revenue run rate at https://t.co/QAni9m437n.

So close to 100 that it kind of hurts.

Here's what got me there.

#buildinpublic

[Sagie Grunhaus @sagiegr]

5. Refer a friend. I changed the model. Friends get a discount, and you earn free videos.

I was pretty bad at this until now. Hoping to move the needle.

If you could pick only one of those five to break $100K, where would you put your chips?

https://t.co/QAni9m3vhP

[Sagie Grunhaus @sagiegr]

I hit a $96,000 annual revenue run rate at https://t.co/QAni9m437n.

So close to 100 that it kind of hurts.

Here's what got me there.

#buildinpublic

[Sagie Grunhaus @sagiegr]

3. Paid ads at full volume. I have emotional videos. Now I need to crack Facebook and Instagram and take this 10X.

4. Influencers. Reached out to 30. Nobody replied. (I'm literally trying to throw money at you. Why are you ghosting me?)

If anyone has an intro, I'd love one.