I Built 3 SaaS Apps to $200K MRR: Here's My Exact Playbook

Starter Story 11/2/2025

Mike, a founder from Australia, has successfully built five different SaaS (Software as a Service) apps generating a combined $200,000 in monthly recurring revenue (MRR). What makes his story remarkable is that each app follows the same repeatable framework-a playbook so effective that he guarantees success for every app created through it.

In this article, Mike shares details about his SaaS portfolio, how he picks "ideas that can’t fail," and his exact 10-step playbook. This deep dive is filled with actionable insights for anyone interested in building sustainable SaaS businesses without raising capital.

About Mike and His SaaS Businesses

Mike currently owns five SaaS businesses, making just over $200K MRR combined. He and his team are aiming to grow this to $1 million MRR within the next five years-keeping the team lean and avoiding outside capital.

The Apps in Mike’s Portfolio

Curator.io: A social media aggregator tool for websites and events.
Frill.co: A customer feedback tool that allows collecting feedback, plotting it on a roadmap, and announcing new features.
Juno.co: A digital signage platform targeting cafes, gyms, schools, and shops.
Fluke.co: A no-code tours platform designed for SaaS businesses to create onboarding tours, tooltips, and pop-ups without needing developers.
Smile.co (launching soon): An innovative platform for group e-cards tailored for B2B businesses.

Mike emphasizes that all these apps were bootstrapped and followed the same playbook, which he intends to keep refining for the fifth app and beyond.

“Our aim is to get to about a million dollars MR over the next five years with the smallest team possible without raising any capital.” - Mike

Mike’s Background

Mike started his career as a developer-admittedly one of the "world’s worst," with a background in Flash development. He then ran a digital advertising agency, which he eventually sold. Despite his ventures into advertising, Mike realized that his true passion was building products, and that's what led him back to software development and SaaS entrepreneurship.

Mike’s Approach to Building SaaS Businesses

At the core of Mike’s approach is minimizing risk and ensuring each business is built for success.

Key Elements of His Model

Find proven ideas: Instead of chasing new, risky ideas, Mike focuses on ideas that have already been validated in the market.
Assemble a strong, balanced team: The founding team always consists of four co-founders - a front-end developer, back-end developer, designer, and a product lead (usually Mike himself).
Equal equity split: The founders share 25% each to minimize founder fallout, which Mike identifies as a top cause of failure.
Prioritize design and user experience: Good design is critical as it helps sell the product; the entire team contributes toward UX considerations.
Stay lean and efficient: Instead of reinvesting heavily in advertising and staff, profits are shared among founders, focusing on sustainable salaries over big exits.
Grow to $10,000 MRR: This milestone covers the company's costs and becomes a foundation for paying founders from profits.

“We expect every single one of our businesses to be successful. We haven’t had a failure yet.” - Mike

Mike’s 10-Step Proven Playbook for SaaS Success

Mike follows this 10-step playbook each time he launches a new business. It has been effective across multiple companies:

Pick an idea that's been done before
Avoid risky, unvalidated new ideas. Proven ideas have a known demand and work in existing markets.
Define your MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
Analyze competitors and determine the features customers want most. Build and launch your MVP quickly.
Offer a lifetime deal (LTD) to get early revenue
Sell the product for a single payment (e.g., $59 or $100) to build cash flow early.
Never give away free accounts
Always charge users upfront. Paying customers are more likely to use the product and give useful feedback.
Work hard to sell private LTDs
Engage in Reddit groups, private Facebook groups, and communities where your customers hang out to maximize private LTD sales. For example, launching a private LTD for Frill raised about $30,000.
Start writing content immediately
Create landing pages, blog posts, and competitor alternatives early on. Use the initial revenue to fuel content creation.
Launch on marketplaces like AppSumo
AppSumo offers huge reach, allowing access to many users and additional capital. Learn the difference between their marketplace and select offering models.
Offer one last private LTD before closing forever
Raise prices slightly and send a final LTD offer to your mailing list. Closing it permanently creates urgency and exclusivity.
Get early customers to write reputable reviews
Ask LTD customers for honest reviews on platforms like Trustpilot and G2. Positive reviews boost SEO and trust.
Engage with communities (Reddit, forums)
Answer authentic, helpful questions related to your competitors and product subreddits. This brings trust and potential users.

This framework helps you go from idea to launch with momentum, using early revenue to fuel growth without external investment.

Choosing Ideas That Can’t Fail: What Mike Looks For

Mike avoids sexy or trendy ideas that depend heavily on external factors or technologies outside his control.

Example of an Idea Mike Avoids

AI-focused businesses that rely on third-party APIs, which carry huge platform risk and uncertainty.

Example of an Idea Mike Values

Documentation tools. Mike believes existing products in this space are either overpriced or inadequate. Good documentation will become crucial for AI to understand and recommend your product. However, even here, Mike resists integrating AI as a core feature due to potential instability.

“We love the idea of documentation tools but won’t rely on AI to build or be integral to the business.”

Tech Stack Overview

Mike's tech stack varies by team preferences and project needs but typically includes:

Front-end: Vue or React
Back-end: Predominantly PHP and Laravel
Tools used:
- Willow Voice (for voice-to-text typing)
- Granola (for meeting notes)
- Slack (team communication)
- Framer (for website design and development)
- VO (for product prototyping)
- Figma (for UI/UX design)

Their workflow involves prototyping in VO, designing in Figma, and then building the final product with their tech stack.

Final Advice from Mike to Founders

Mike offers a heartfelt tip for anyone starting out:

Work with people you enjoy: Collaborate with teammates you genuinely like and with whom you’d happily share a drink. This camaraderie is a key motivation and makes the work enjoyable.
Focus on products you love building: Don’t just chase what customers want but build something you’re passionate about.

“It’s brilliant fun to go to work every day with your mates and work on the details you love.”

Final Words

Mike’s approach to building SaaS businesses is methodical, risk-averse, and focused on sustainable growth. His apps may be considered "boring," but they succeed by solving real problems without chasing flashy trends.

If you are looking to start your own app-even if your idea feels unexciting-consider exploring Starter Story Build, a program designed to help founders launch apps using AI tools.

Connect with Mike

Mike on LinkedIn

Additional Resources

Learn how to build a unicorn startup with HubSpot’s free guide: How to Build a Unicorn in 2025
Starter Story Jobs: https://starterstory.com/jobs
Starter Story Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild

This article is based on Mike’s interview on Starter Story, sharing his experience bootstrapping multiple SaaS businesses to over $200K MRR using a disciplined 10-step playbook.

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