Ben's first users came not from building a product, but from publishing a YouTube video and a Reddit post about his personal system for managing internet use — something he had built for himself in 2020 when work-from-home normalized. He was "shocked" by how many people messaged, emailed, and asked to consult him as a result of that free content. He did not monetize at this stage. He continued creating free content for about a year before launching any paid product. During this time he built an audience specifically interested in the "intentional internet use" topic. This pre-qualified audience gave him a ready pool of potential customers to launch to once the product was ready, and also kept him motivated knowing someone would actually use what he built.
Tech Lockdown
Helps adults block websites and apps for intentional internet use
7 moves, in order
- Pre product (2020)Youtube and reddit organic
Published a YouTube video and a Reddit post sharing his personal system for blocking distracting websites. Did not try to sell anything — gave the full system away for free.
Flooded with messages, emails, and consulting requests; validated strong audience demand - Audience building (~2020–2021)Content marketing free
Continued publishing free, well-researched content for roughly a year before monetizing. Focused on building a topic-specific audience rather than a general social following.
Built a 20,000-contact mailing list and a pre-qualified audience to launch to - Monetization launch (~2021)Email list
Launched paid SaaS product ($15/mo or ~$10/mo annual) to the pre-built audience after ~1 year of free content. Offered a 14-day free trial to reduce friction.
Initial paying customers acquired from warm audience; MRR began - Growth — SEO contentSeo longform guides
Wrote deeply researched, step-by-step guides targeting specific high-intent queries. Example: a guide on converting an iPhone into a dumb phone, covering exactly how to lock down apps and disable Safari.
That single article was read hundreds of thousands of times and became a top organic traffic driver - Growth — Reddit promotion strategyReddit organic
Developed a Reddit promotion system: put ALL the valuable content inside the Reddit post itself (not behind a link), then only subtly reference the YouTube video or guide at the end. This drove engagement and front-page placement, while curious readers followed the link to explore further.
Posts more likely to reach the front page of relevant subreddits; drove significant referral traffic - Growth — Personal brand / authenticityPersonal brand content
Positioned himself as a solo individual builder rather than a faceless company. Used 'I' not 'we', put his face on the brand, and leaned into personal authenticity vs. corporate competitors.
Built trust in a category (content blocking) where users are skeptical of faceless apps; differentiated from corporate competitors - Post layoff scale (2023+)Content marketing fulltime
After being laid off in 2023, chose to go full-time on Tech Lockdown instead of returning to employment. Doubled down on content and product with 40 hours/week instead of side-project hours.
Revenue grew 5x from the point of layoff; reached $15K MRR with 1,300 customers and 2M+ organic visitorsMRR $15k Users 1.3k users
Ben had already built a real, engaged audience around the specific topic (internet blocking/intentional internet use) before he ever launched a product. He had a 20,000-contact mailing list and 2M+ organic site visitors driven by his free content — meaning he wasn't starting from zero when he monetized.
SEO / organic content marketing (Google search + social sharing of long-form guides)
Ben explicitly called out two prior patterns that failed: (1) over-obsessing over branding, logo, colors, and naming before solving the business model or customer acquisition problem (lead gen platform); (2) over-complicating the product and burning out before ever launching (landing page builder). He also noted that Reddit promotion must be non-promotional — simply dropping links doesn't work; you have to put the real value inside the Reddit post itself.
My Side Project Makes $15K/Month (Quit My 9-5)
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