Hey there!
I just came across an incredible story that I had to share with you.
Meet Val Sopi. He's a solo founder who built something really special - and he did it in just 20 hours.
The Challenge That Changed Everything
Back in April 2021, Val set himself a wild challenge: build and launch a complete product in 20 hours. No AI assistance. Just him, his code, and a deadline.
The result? BlogMaker - a simple blog engine for small teams and solo creators who want to publish for SEO.
Here's the crazy part: he got his first paying customer right after launch.
What Makes This Different
Val didn't follow the typical startup playbook. Instead, he:
Kept it ridiculously simple - He used a minimal tech stack with zero external libraries. This meant less time fixing broken dependencies and more time building features people actually wanted.
Focused on SEO from day one - Instead of chasing social media followers, he created two blogs. One for product updates, another for helpful content like comparison posts and how-to guides.
Built smart partnerships - He partnered with tools like RightBlogger to give his users more value without building everything himself.
The Pricing Lesson
Val made an interesting mistake early on. He started with yearly-only pricing, which seemed good for customers but made growth tough.
When he switched to monthly pricing, he hit a wall - people expected the old yearly prices.
But he stuck with it. Today, his monthly recurring revenue has almost overtaken all the yearly subscriptions. He even found a graceful way to upgrade existing customers to newer plans. Persistence pays off.
Why This Matters to You
If you're a freelancer, creator, or marketer building something on the side, Val's story has three important lessons:
You don't need months to validate an idea - 20 hours was enough to prove people would pay for his solution.
SEO still works - Even short articles answering simple questions can rank quickly and bring you customers with real intent.
Take care of yourself - Val learned this the hard way after burning out in 2020. Now he walks 7,000 steps daily, hits the gym 4x a week, and meditates. Your product needs you healthy.
The Real Secret to Finding Product-Market Fit
Here's Val's advice that hit home for me:
Stop building products first and hoping people will come.
Instead, look at:
What people are already buying
Who's buying it (hint: usually business people with budgets)
How they're finding these products
Why you're the right person to build this
"Scratching your own itch" can work, but it requires luck. Research beats luck every time.
What's Next for Val
He's growing BlogMaker to 5-figure monthly recurring revenue with 80% profit margins. He's also launched AMSDeck for bigger organizations, using everything he learned from his first product.
The approach? Following teachings from The SaaS Launchpad course by Rob Walling - which Val says you absolutely cannot skim. It demands dedication but delivers real results.
You can follow his journey on his podcast or check out his thoughts at valsopi.com. All his ventures operate under Handmade Spaceships, Inc.
Quick thought: What could you build in 20 hours? Not something perfect - just something people would pay for.
Sometimes the best way to start is to just... start.
Cheers,
P.S. - Val's experience shows that you don't need a fancy tech stack or VC funding to build something profitable. You just need focus, consistency, and the willingness to ship fast and iterate based on what your customers actually need.