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Duhano

3 karma · joined April 19, 2024

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Duhano··on [dead]
Hey=(

This is a tough post for me to write. I built an AI-powered interior design platform after my mom regularly messaged me Pinterest screenshots, asking for help with her home.

What started as a side project grew into something much bigger—17,000 users, recurring revenue, and one of the top-ranked sites in SEO for AI interior design. But now, I have to be honest with myself: I just can’t take it forward alone anymore.

I spent a long time looking for a co-founder, trying to balance this with my main job, but I’ve hit a wall. This project has huge potential, and it hurts to let go, but the reality is that I don’t have the bandwidth to give it what it deserves. I couldn't even dedicate time to find investors or seek external support because I simply can't manage everything alone

What’s there: 70-150 new signups per day – People are actively interested 10-15 recurring payments per month – Already generating revenue( More than 100 payment) One of the top 5 SEO-ranked sites in its niche – Years of work in organic growth Fully built & functional – AWS backend, Amplify frontend, Stripe for payments Complete market research & user data – I’ll share everything we’ve learned Client survey insights – We know what people want, and you’ll get that knowledge Full roadmap & workflow documentation – Nothing gets lost in transition Active LinkedIn & Instagram presence – Already connected to an audience Huge opportunity for Custom Solutions

Why This is Hard for Me: I’ve put so much heart into this. I watched it grow, I saw what people love about it, and I know how much more it could become. I’m not giving up because it failed. it’s actually thriving. But with my full-time job, I just can’t give it the time and attention it needs.

It doesn’t require heavy investment, just maintenance and execution. The AI workflows are already prepared, the business model is working, and I have all the market data and strategy ready to hand over.

Challenges & Opportunities – You’ll Get Everything I Learned *What worked & what didn’*t – I’ll tell you exactly where the strengths and weak points are Challenges & potential growth areas – I know where this can scale further AI improvements already in the pipeline – Some simple updates could make a big difference

Who Should Take This Over? A founder looking for a fully built startup with real traction A developer or team who wants a profitable SaaS business without starting from scratch A marketer or growth strategist who knows how to leverage strong SEO & user data

If you’re interested, please DM me. I’ll be happy to share all the market reports, insights, and details to help you see the full picture.

This is hard for me, but I want to do what’s best for the platform. If you’re serious, let’s talk.

Duhano··on [dead]
Remember me? The guy who built an AI tool because his mom wouldn't stop sending Pinterest screenshots? Here's what's been happening.

Current State:

Our AI model has some quirky behaviours we're fixing:

Loves adding too many flowers and lamps

Makes bathrooms too dark

But sometimes these "mistakes" lead to interesting designs

Mom still sends me design issues, but now they're about the AI's flower obsession

Key Learnings:

Don't delete Google-indexed pages, learned this the hard way

WhatsApp-only wasn't the solution we thought

The best marketing? Showing real people using the tool in real-time

What's Next:

Adding French language support

Fixing our AI's enthusiasm for flowers and lighting

Making the platform more accessible beyond WhatsApp

New Idea We're Exploring: We're thinking about creating a dedicated space for interior designers, home improvement enthusiasts, and renovation experts to collaborate using our AI tool. Picture a community where professionals and enthusiasts can share designs, get feedback, and work on projects together, kind of like how my mom and her friends share designs, but at a larger scale.

What Do You Think:

Would you join a design-focused community platform?

How could AI best support collaboration between designers and clients?

Any other parents driving their kids to build startups?

Looking For:

Interior designers interested in AI collaboration

Home improvement and renovation experts

French language beta testers

Anyone interested in building a design community

P.S. Mom's latest message: "The AI added flowers again... but I kind of like them this time!" Progress?

Duhano··on From Mom's Design Questions to 5k Users
I never planned to build an AI startup. I was just tired of my mom bombarding me with WhatsApp messages about her living room redesign.

"How would this couch look here?" sends 20th Pinterest screenshot of the day

As a software engineer with a full-time job, I thought I could solve this with a "simple" AI tool. Classic engineer's overconfidence.

The Reality Check:

Burned through $15k of wedding savings Hired a developer who disappeared after taking a $5k advance Worked 9-5 at my day job, 7-3am on Styly.io Wife started calling my laptop "the mistress" Learned that "simple AI tool" is an oxymoron

But something interesting happened. My mom started sharing it with her friends. They shared it with their kids. Those kids shared it with their friends.

Today's Numbers:

5,000+ active users 15,000+ room designs generated 70% user retention $0 spent on marketing 1 very proud mom

Key Learnings:

Don't believe Twitter threads about "building an AI startup in a weekend" Start with WhatsApp integration - turns out parents are your best beta testers Focus on one thing and do it well (we only do interior design visualization) Mental health > Growth metrics

Tech Stack:

Frontend: React/Next.js Backend: Node.js AI: Custom fine-tuned Stable Diffusion Mom's Feedback: Priceless

What's Working:

Simple WhatsApp interface (send photo → get design variations) No complex prompts needed Fast response time (under 2 minutes) Free tier for basic features

What's Next:

Launching premium features Improving AI accuracy Building mobile app Getting more sleep (hopefully)

Looking for:

Feedback from community Potential collaborators Tips on scaling AI infrastructure Stories from others who built products for their parents

Try it: www.styly.io

P.S. Mom still sends me Pinterest screenshots, but now she also sends Styly.io designs.

Progress?

Duhano··on My mom's couch obsession spawned a $15k nightmare – and 5000 users
This startup stuff wasn't some Silicon Valley dream. Please don't belive or take decision after seeing some twitter threads.

It is messy, painful, and born from my mom constantly asking, "What if we change this couch?"

I'm not a design guru. I'm just a guy with a full-time job, a new marriage, and zero patience for endless Pinterest scrolling. When my mom kept redesigning her living room, something clicked.

Inspired by a viral Twitter thread claiming you could "build a startup in 60 minutes," I dove headfirst into creating Styly.io. The guy had 50k followers and made it sound so simple.

"Just use these no-code tools," he said. "AI is easy," he promised. Spoiler: They're full of sh*t.

Reality hit hard.

The first version of Styly.io? A complete disaster.

I burned through $15,000 of my savings. Hired a seasonal developer who disappeared mid-project. Spent countless sleepless nights coding after my full-time job. My honeymoon? Forget about it. I was debugging and designing.

The low points were brutal:

- Depression crept in

- My wife watched me spiral

- The "simple" AI tool became a complex nightmare

- Every feature seemed to require another $500 to $1,000 investment

But something unexpected happened.

We hit 5,000 users. Not through fancy marketing, but through pure, stubborn determination.

Lessons learned:

Building an AI startup is NOT a 60-minute job

Technical complexity is real

Sustainable development takes time and money

Never trust viral Twitter "experts"

My mom? She became our first and most brutal tester. "This looks terrible," became her catchphrase. And she was right, most of the time.

What saved me?

- Genuine user feedback

- Persistence

- My mom's continuous support (ironically, the project's original inspiration)

Today, Styly.io is going 0 to 0. But the cost wasn't just monetary - it was personal. I am not sure how many months- years I need to get back this on my bank account but your support can be appreciated=)

To anyone thinking of building a startup:

- It's going to be harder than you think - You'll question everything - Your relationships will be tested - But if you're stubborn enough, you might just make it

pleaasseeeeeeeee, think deeply. it is a complete business not jus a website.

I'm not here to sell you anything. I'm here to say: It's okay to struggle. It's okay to fail. Just keep learning.

Who else is fighting their own startup battle? Also if you want me support I have chrismas living room, you can support me and let me alive for a while.

Thanks for reading.

Duhano··on [dead]
Let's get real.

This startup wasn't some Silicon Valley dream. It was messy, painful, and born from my mom constantly asking, "What if we moved this couch?"

I'm not a design guru. I'm just a guy with a full-time job, a new marriage, and zero patience for endless Pinterest scrolling. When my mom kept redesigning her living room, something clicked.

Inspired by a viral Twitter thread claiming you could "build a startup in 60 minutes," I dove headfirst into creating Styly.io. The guy had 50k followers and made it sound so simple. "Just use these no-code tools," he said. "AI is easy," he promised. Spoiler: They're full of sh*t.

Reality hit hard.

The first version of Styly.io? A complete disaster.

I burned through $15,000 of my savings. Hired a seasonal developer who disappeared mid-project. Spent countless sleepless nights coding after my full-time job. My honeymoon? Forget about it. I was debugging and designing.

The low points were brutal:

- Depression crept in

- My wife watched me spiral

- The "simple" AI tool became a complex nightmare

- Every feature seemed to require another $500 to $1,000 investment

But something unexpected happened.

We hit 5,000 users. Not through fancy marketing, but through pure, stubborn determination.

Lessons learned:

Building an AI startup is NOT a 60-minute job

Technical complexity is real

Sustainable development takes time and money

Never trust viral Twitter "experts"

My mom? She became our first and most brutal tester. "This looks terrible," became her catchphrase. And she was right, most of the time.

What saved me?

- Genuine user feedback

- Persistence

- My mom's continuous support (ironically, the project's original inspiration)

Today, Styly.io is going 0 to 0. But the cost wasn't just monetary - it was personal. I am not sure how many months- years I need to get back this on my bank account but your support can be appreciated=)

To anyone thinking of building a startup:

- It's going to be harder than you think - You'll question everything - Your relationships will be tested - But if you're stubborn enough, you might just make it

pleaasseeeeeeeee, think deeply. it is a complete business not jus a website.

I'm not here to sell you anything. I'm here to say: It's okay to struggle. It's okay to fail. Just keep learning.

Who else is fighting their own startup battle?

Brutal honesty welcome in the comments.

Duhano··on My mom inspired me to build an Design tool – Need your honest feedback
A few months ago, my mom kept bombarding me with questions about redesigning our living room.

She kept asking me, "What if we moved this?" or "How would this color look?" Being a tech person, I thought there had to be a better way than endless Pinterest boards and expensive consultations. That's how Styly was born (named after my mom Sylvia - she insisted!). It's an AI platform that helps visualize interior changes before making them.

I built a simple AI tool that lets anyone reimagine their rooms through WhatsApp AI design (because let's face it, that's where our parents are most comfortable!). Just send a photo, describe what you want, and boom - you get design variations!I've been testing it with my mom (she's now obsessed and has redesigned every room twice ��),

We've grown to over 5k users who are actively redesigning their spaces, which honestly blows my mind! While the free tier has helped many people, maintaining and improving the AI features isn't cheap. I'm considering adding some premium features to keep the project sustainable while keeping the core features free

What started as a solution for my mom has grown into something I'm really proud of, but I know it can be better. I'd love to hear from fellow Redditors:

• What features would make this actually useful for you? • Any cool ideas you'd like to see implemented? • What would make you trust an AI design tool

Your feedback would mean the world!

P.S. If anyone's interested in testing ai home design out and providing detailed feedback, I'd be grateful!