7 Hard-Won Marketing Lessons from Our July Office Hours Session

What happens when indie founders get real about their marketing struggles? Pure gold.

3 weeks ago I hosted a 60-minute marketing office hours session with our Indie Masterminds community.

No fluff, no theory… just founders in the trenches sharing what's actually working (and what's spectacularly failing) in their businesses right now.

Here are the seven biggest insights that emerged from our discussion.

1. The Feedback Desert: Why Users Won't Talk to You (And What to Do About It)

One founder shared a painful reality: they offered 6 months free to their 1,200-person email list to get feedback.

Only 6 people signed up. Two showed up.

Another founder: 40 people on a waitlist for their new product. Zero agreed to user interviews.

We're all competing for attention in an oversaturated market where users are bombarded with "try my new app" requests daily.

They've become tone-deaf to feedback requests.

2 Strategies that actually work:

• Build in public with your face attached: Founders with personal brands (YouTube channels, active Twitter/LinkedIn presence) report dramatically higher feedback rates
• Make feedback part of the product experience: Don't ask for separate interviews—embed feedback mechanisms into the actual usage flow.

2. The Service-First Path to Product Success

Multiple founders in our session were wrestling with the same dilemma: should I build a product or offer services?

My consistent advice: Start with services, even if your goal is a SaaS product.

Here's why this approach works:

• Immediate revenue: Services can generate cash flow while you validate ideas
• Deep customer insights: You'll understand problems at a granular level
• Natural evolution: Document your service processes, identify patterns, then automate

One member is successfully using this approach for YouTube optimization—offering video strategy services while identifying which parts can become automated tools. Another is transitioning from newsletter writing to strategic consulting, using "subscriber mapping" as their wedge.

The key: Position your service as a productized offering with clear deliverables, not open-ended consulting.

Also read: Why Agency Owners Fail at Building SaaS Companies (And How to Break Free)

3. The Accidental App Store Gold Mine

Here's a plot twist no one saw coming: One founder discovered they're making $2K MRR primarily through the iOS App Store—with zero optimization.

Think about that. No ASO strategy. No Apple Search Ads. Just organic discovery generating most of their revenue.

The opportunity most founders miss:

• App Store Optimization (ASO) is vastly underutilized compared to SEO
• Apple Search Ads can be incredibly cost-effective for the right apps
• The App Store's search algorithm is less competitive than Google

Action items if you have an app:

• Invest in your App Store listing (screenshots, preview video, description)
• Use tools like RevenueCat for subscription analytics
• Test Apple Search Ads—the first result in any search is always an ad
• Fix your onboarding (one founder had a 50% drop-off between download and completion)

4. The Ascension Funnel That Actually Converts

A fascinating model emerged from our discussion that several successful founders are using:

The Three-Tier Funnel:

1. Front-end ($7-27): Educational product or mini-course
2. Middle (Recurring): SaaS tool or membership community
3. Back-end (High-ticket): One-on-one consulting or done-for-you services

This isn't new.. it's literally the ClickFunnels playbook.. but what's interesting is how indie founders are adapting it:

• Using the educational product to qualify leads (buyers vs. tire-kickers)
• Building the SaaS tool based on patterns from consulting work
• Creating natural progression paths between tiers

One example shared: A parenting company using this exact model, leading with education, converting to membership, and upselling personalized consulting.

A perfect value ladder

5. Platform-Specific Growth Hacks That Still Work

TikTok from Restricted Regions

One founder shared their complete playbook for accessing TikTok from India (where it's banned):

• Factory reset spare phone
• Use VPN (specifically Private Internet Access)
• Set location to US in all settings
• Warm up account for 6 days (like, comment, watch)
• Post directly from phone (no scheduling tools)
• Simple slideshow format getting 1000+ views consistently

Instagram's Shadow Ban Trap

Multiple account creation from the same IP/device can trigger shadow bans. One founder created 100+ posts but stuck at 24 followers—likely shadow banned from creating multiple accounts.

The "Search on App Store" Bio Hack

Instead of links (which require multiple clicks), successful app founders are using: "Search [App Name] on App Store" in their TikTok/Instagram bios. Simple but effective.

6. The Great SaaS Summer Slowdown Is Real

I reminded everyone of a crucial pattern: July through mid-September is traditionally dead for B2B SaaS sales in Western markets.

This isn't your product failing.. it's a predictable seasonal pattern:

• Decision-makers are on vacation
• Budgets are locked until Q4
• Teams are in planning mode, not buying mode

The strategy: Use this time to:

• Build features for Q4 launch
• Create content for September surge
• Refine your onboarding flow
• Build relationships (not sell)

Survive until September 15th, then watch the floodgates open.

7. The Power of Specific, Packaged Offers

The most valuable advice from the session came during a discussion about packaging services. A founder offering newsletter services was struggling with positioning.

The transformation:

• Before: "I help with newsletter content and strategy"
• After: "12-week newsletter sprint with defined deliverables and outcomes"

The framework for packaging any service:

1. Define specific deliverables (not hours or effort)
2. Set clear timelines (sprints work well)
3. Promise measurable outcomes (even if not results)
4. Price based on value, not time

This applies whether you're selling newsletter services, YouTube optimization, or any other expertise.

The Meta-Lesson: Community Accelerates Everything

Perhaps the biggest insight wasn't any single tactic but the power of founders sharing real experiences in real-time.

No course or blog post can replicate the value of hearing someone say, "I tried that last week—here's exactly what happened."

Every struggle shared saved someone else weeks of wasted effort. Every success gave others permission to try something new.

Your Next Actions

Based on what worked for our community members:

If you're pre-revenue:

1. Pick ONE platform and master it (don't spread thin)
2. Start with services to fund your product development
3. Build in public to create feedback loops

If you're stuck at low MRR:

1. Audit your onboarding (50% drop-offs are common but fixable)
2. Consider the ascension funnel model
3. Look for unexpected channels (App Store, Pinterest, Reddit)

If you can't get feedback:

1. Start building a personal brand immediately
2. Target beginners, not experts
3. Make feedback part of the product experience

For everyone: Remember the summer slowdown—don't panic if growth is slow right now. Use this time to prepare for the September surge.

Want to join these conversations? Indie Masterminds hosts monthly marketing office hours, topic-specific masterminds, and daily coworking sessions. We're a small, focused community of founders building to $5K MRR and beyond.

No theory. No fluff. Just real founders sharing what actually works.

Stay updated - make sure to sign up to the Superframeworks newsletter to stay updated with latest community events and sessions.