From Side Project to $40K/Month: How a Simple Waitlist App Outperforms Giants

Joe, a former software engineer turned solopreneur, turned a frustrating brunch experience into a profitable SaaS business. His app, Weightley, now generates over $40,000 monthly by solving a common problem for small businesses with a focus on simplicity and customer service. Here's his story.

From Engineering Management to Solopreneurship

With a background in computer science and a career as a software engineer, Joe landed a job at Shutterfly in 2008. While he enjoyed building products, a move into management left him missing the hands-on coding aspect. This led him to seek a side project where he could learn iOS development, ultimately setting the stage for his future business.

The Problem: A Clunky Waitlist Experience

The idea for Weightley was born from a personal pain point. In 2017, while at a busy brunch spot, Joe received a text to check his wait time. The link forced him to download Yelp and create an account just to view his position. By the time he completed the process, his table was ready. His wife suggested he build a better solution, sparking the initial concept.

The Long Road to a Working Product

Development was a marathon, not a sprint. Joe spent six months building a prototype that could add people to a list but couldn't text them. After a year and a half of deeper development, he launched the app. The first week yielded just 10 downloads. It wasn't until two years in that he launched in-app purchases, which marked the true beginning of the business's growth.

Traction and Revenue Growth Timeline

Weightley's revenue growth was slow and steady, demonstrating the power of persistence:

• Year 1: $0 (Free version only)
• Year 2: $14,500
• Year 3: $116,000
• Year 4: $186,000
• Year 5: $307,000
• Year 6: $354,000
• Year 7: $445,000

The business is now on pace to surpass half a million dollars in annual revenue.

How Weightley Works: Simplicity is Key

Weightley is a waitlist and reservations platform. When a business is busy, staff can add a customer by entering their name, party size, estimated wait, and phone number. The customer immediately receives a text with a link to view their wait time—no app download or account creation required. When the table is ready, staff taps "notify," sending a second text. The process is designed for speed and convenience.

Competing with Billion-Dollar Giants

Weightley competes with large players like Yelp and OpenTable through three key differentiators:

• Price: A flat fee of $100/month with no per-cover charges, compared to competitors costing hundreds per month plus fees.
• Simplicity & Flexibility: Focused solely on waitlists and reservations, it adapts to other industries. During COVID, retail chains used it to manage capacity, adding 700 locations and 10xing revenue.
• Customer Service: Immediate, human responses to support calls, a stark contrast to larger companies.

Marketing and Growth Engine

Apple Search Ads are a primary customer acquisition channel. The cost to acquire a customer (CAC) is approximately $130, while the customer lifetime value (LTV) ranges from $750 to $1,000, providing a strong return on investment. This is supplemented by email nurturing, onboarding support, Zoom training, and promotional offers to convert free trials.

By the Numbers: Key Business Metrics

The scale of Weightley's operations is significant:

• Total Businesses Tried: Over 15,000
• Current Paying Customers: 700 across the US and Canada
• Total Parties Waitlisted: Over 59 million since launch

Tech Stack and Operational Costs

The application is built on a modern, scalable stack: Google Firebase (hosting, auth, database), Node.js for backend services, Swift for the iOS app, and ReactJS for the web version.

Monthly operational costs are lean for a business of this scale:

• Firebase: ~$700
• Business Text Messages: ~$2,500
• RevenueCat (1% of revenue), Stripe (3%), Apple Search Ads (~$500)
• Various SaaS tools (Survey Monkey, Hive, Freshes, Calendly): ~$100
• AI Tools (Claude Code, ChatGPT): ~$220

A Framework for Finding Your Idea

Joe advises against searching for a completely new idea. Instead, he recommends:

1. Improve Existing Solutions: Find problems that are already solved but can be improved, and identify a niche (e.g., small restaurants).
2. Leverage AI for MVP: Use modern tools to build a minimum viable product quickly.
3. Gather Early Feedback: Iterate based on input from initial users.
4. Embrace Adaptability: Be ready to pivot as unexpected opportunities and challenges arise.

Potential Business Ideas to Explore

Joe shares a few ideas he believes have potential:

• Pickleball League Management: An app to manage leagues and help players find games, solving the "spreadsheet problem."
• AI Support Chatbot: A specialized chatbot that can be trained on specific product or website data.
• Social Media for Real Connections: A platform focused on reconnecting friends and family, moving away from corporate and influencer-dominated feeds.

The #1 Piece of Advice: Keep Going

Joe's fundamental advice for aspiring founders is to persist through self-doubt. He emphasizes that doubts about competing with giants are not based on reality because the future is unpredictable. The only way to know if an idea will work is to launch it and adapt along the way.