u/ManufacturerNew369

I'm a graphic designer. 9 to 6 at a digital marketing agency. I've been trying to build something of my own for years, but not because I hate my job (I actually love it), but because I want something that's mine.

Every time I landed on an idea I got excited about, I hit the same wall. I genuinely didn't know if it was worth my time given my actual situation: day job, limited hours, zero budget, maybe saturated market. I know most things work if you put in the work. But when your budget is limited, life has its own costs that keep going up and you only have a few hours after work, you can't afford to play around. Every idea you chase is time and money you don't have to waste on the wrong one.

I tried frameworks, blog posts, asking friends. None of it gave me a straight answer. Friends especiallym they just tell you what you want to hear because they want to be supportive.

So one evening I just built the thing I kept wishing existed. A tool that asks you 10 real questions: your hours, your budget, your skills, who you can actually reach in 30 days and gives you a straight verdict. A percentage. Your biggest risk. One thing to do this week. Not a conversation. Not a list of considerations. A verdict.

I called it Franks. Built it in about a week with Claude helping me write the code. Zero budget. 21 people across 7 countries tried it before I put a price on it.

Then I added the paywall. Silence...

I spent the next few days questioning everything: the product, the price, the name, whether I was the only person who needed this. I should mention I'm also my grandmother's caregiver, so the hours I have for this are already thin. Tired evenings, not a lot of room for doubt. I rebuilt the entire thing anyway. New design, new name. It's soto now.

Yesterday I posted about it on Reddit for the first time. 379 people read it in an hour, real conversations in the comments. Still no paying users.

For those who've been through this: how do you diagnose whether the silence is a product problem or a distribution problem?

I'm a graphic designer. 9 to 6 at a digital marketing agency. I've been trying to build something of my own for years, but not because I hate my job (I actually love it), but because I want something that's mine.

Every time I landed on an idea I got excited about, I hit the same wall. I genuinely didn't know if it was worth my time given my actual situation: day job, limited hours, zero budget maybe saturated market and so on. I know most things work if you put in the work. But when your budget is limited, life has its own costs that keep going up and you only have a few hours after work, you can't afford to play around. Every idea you chase is time and money you don't have to waste on the wrong one.

I tried frameworks, blog posts, asking friends. None of it gave me a straight answer. Friends especially, they just tell you what you want to hear, because they want to be supportive. I'd ask, they'd be supportive, I'd feel better. Nothing would actually change.

So one evening I just built the thing I kept wishing existed. A tool that asks you 10 real questions: your hours, your budget, your skills, who you can actually reach in 30 days and gives you a straight verdict. A percentage. Your biggest risk. One thing to do this week. Not a conversation. Not a list of considerations. A verdict.

I called it Franks. Built it in about a week with Claude helping me write the code. Zero budget. 21 people across 7 countries tried it before I put a price on it.

Then I added the paywall. Silence...

I spent the next few days questioning everything: the product, the price, the name, whether I was the only person who needed this. I should mention I'm also my grandmother's caregiver, so the hours I have for this are already thin. Tired evenings, not a lot of room for doubt. I rebuilt the entire thing anyway. New design, new name. It's soto now.

Tonight I posted about it on Reddit for the first time and watched 379 people read it in an hour.

Still no paying users. But for the first time in weeks, I feel like I'm moving.

I'm a graphic designer. 9 to 6 at a digital marketing agency. I've been trying to build something of my own for years, but not because I hate my job (I actually love it), but because I want something that's mine.

Every time I landed on an idea I got excited about, I hit the same wall. I genuinely didn't know if it was worth my time given my actual situation: day job, limited hours, zero budget maybe saturated market and so on. I know most things work if you put in the work. But when your budget is limited, life has its own costs that keep going up and you only have a few hours after work, you can't afford to play around. Every idea you chase is time and money you don't have to waste on the wrong one.

I tried frameworks, blog posts, asking friends. None of it gave me a straight answer. Friends especially, they just tell you what you want to hear, because they want to be supportive. I'd ask, they'd be supportive, I'd feel better. Nothing would actually change.

So one evening I just built the thing I kept wishing existed. A tool that asks you 10 real questions: your hours, your budget, your skills, who you can actually reach in 30 days and gives you a straight verdict. A percentage. Your biggest risk. One thing to do this week. Not a conversation. Not a list of considerations. A verdict.

I called it Franks. Built it in about a week with Claude helping me write the code. Zero budget. 21 people across 7 countries tried it before I put a price on it.

Then I added the paywall. Silence...

I spent the next few days questioning everything: the product, the price, the name, whether I was the only person who needed this. I should mention I'm also my grandmother's caregiver, so the hours I have for this are already thin. Tired evenings, not a lot of room for doubt. I rebuilt the entire thing anyway. New design, new name. It's soto now.

Tonight I posted about it on Reddit for the first time and watched 379 people read it in an hour.

Still no paying users. But for the first time in weeks, I feel like I'm moving.

Every time I landed on an idea I got excited about, I hit the same wall. I genuinely didn't know if it was worth my time given my actual situation: day job, limited hours, zero budget.

I tried frameworks, blog posts, asking friends. None of it gave me a straight answer. Friends especially, they just tell you what you want to hear, because they want to be supportive.

So I built soto: it asks you 10 questions about your idea and your real constraints: your hours, your budget, your skills, your timeline and gives you a direct verdict with a percentage and one concrete next step.

Not a conversation. Not a list of considerations. A verdict.

21 people across 7 countries tested it before I put a price on it. It just went through a full redesign too. Now it's €19 for the full report, free partial result to start.

Genuinely curious, has anyone else felt this? And if you want to try it, drop a comment and I'll share the link.

Every time I landed on an idea I got excited about, I hit the same wall. I genuinely didn't know if it was worth my time given my actual situation: day job, limited hours, zero budget.

I tried frameworks, blog posts, asking friends. None of it gave me a straight answer. Friends especially, they just tell you what you want to hear, because they want to be supportive.

So I built soto: it asks you 10 questions about your idea and your real constraints: your hours, your budget, your skills, your timeline and gives you a direct verdict with a percentage and one concrete next step.

Not a conversation. Not a list of considerations. A verdict.

21 people across 7 countries tested it before I put a price on it. It just went through a full redesign too. Now it's €19 for the full report, free partial result to start.

Genuinely curious, has anyone else felt this? And if you want to try it, drop a comment and I'll share the link.