Good morning,
Freelancers lose deals because they can't offer net-30 payment terms. Small businesses need applicant tracking but Greenhouse costs $7,000/year. No-code builders can't accept payments without hiring developers.
Today: Three ideas that simplify complex infrastructure for underserved markets.
💡 IDEA #1: Invoice Financing for Freelancers
TLDR: Advance freelancers 97% of invoice value today, collect from client in 30 days, keep 3% fee.
The Problem
Freelancers and small agencies face a cash flow nightmare:
Clients want net-30 or net-60 payment terms. Big companies have budgets and processes. They don't pay immediately.
Freelancers need cash flow. They have rent, payroll (if they have contractors), and operating expenses. They can't wait 30-60 days to get paid.
This creates a lose-lose:
Freelancers who insist on immediate payment lose deals to bigger agencies who can wait
Freelancers who accept net-30 terms struggle with cash flow and can't take new projects while waiting for payment
Freelancers charge higher rates to compensate for delayed payment (less competitive)
The gap: Give freelancers the ability to offer net-30 terms by advancing them cash immediately.
The Numbers
59 million freelancers in the US
40% do B2B work (need to offer payment terms)
Average invoice: $5,000-50,000
Cash flow problems cost freelancers $150B/year in lost opportunities
How It Works
For Freelancers:
Complete work and send invoice to client through your platform
You advance 95-97% of invoice value immediately (within 24 hours)
Client pays invoice to you in 30 days
You keep 3-5% as fee
Example:
Freelancer invoices client for $10,000
You pay freelancer $9,700 today
Client pays you $10,000 in 30 days
You profit $300 (3% fee)
For Clients:
Normal net-30 terms (nothing changes for them)
Pay through your platform (ACH or card)
Receive invoice as usual
Risk Management:
Credit check on clients before advancing cash
Start with invoices under $10k (lower risk)
Insurance for non-payment
Build credit scoring model over time
Business Model
Revenue: 3-5% fee per invoice
At scale:
Process $1M in invoices/month
Earn $30-50k/month (3-5% fee)
Annual revenue: $360-600k
Capital requirements:
$100k-500k to start (advance invoices)
Capital recycles every 30-60 days
Can raise debt facility or find angel investors who understand factoring
Unit Economics:
Average invoice: $10k
Fee: 3% = $300
Default rate: 2-3% (with credit checks)
Net margin: ~70% after defaults and operating costs
Why This Wins
Invoice factoring exists but serves enterprise:
Traditional factoring: $100k+ minimums
You serve: $5k-50k invoices (underserved)
Freelancers desperately need this:
Can compete with bigger agencies (offer net-30 terms)
Take more projects (not waiting for payment)
Better cash flow (predictable income)
3-5% fee is cheap compared to:
Losing deals to competitors who can wait
Delaying growth because capital is tied up
Business loans (8-15% APR)
Go-to-Market
Phase 1: Launch (Months 1-3)
Target agencies and consultants (highest pain, frequent invoicing)
Partner with accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero integrations)
Cold email: "Offer net-30 terms without cash flow pain"
Goal: 50 freelancers processing $500k/month
Phase 2: Scale (Months 4-12)
Referral program (freelancers tell other freelancers)
Content marketing: "How to compete with agencies on payment terms"
Partner with freelance platforms (Upwork, Toptal)
Goal: 500 freelancers processing $5M/month
Competitive Landscape:
Fundbox, BlueVine: Serve small businesses, not freelancers
Invoice2go: Invoicing software, not financing
You: Built specifically for freelancers with small invoices
Risks & Mitigations
Risk: Client doesn't pay
Mitigation: Credit checks, insurance, start with established businesses
Risk: Freelancers default after receiving advance
Mitigation: Only advance after client confirms invoice (not before work is done)
Risk: Capital intensive
Mitigation: Start small ($100k), prove model, raise debt facility
💡 IDEA #2: ATS for Small Businesses
TLDR: Greenhouse costs $7,000/year and is built for enterprise. Build simple applicant tracking system for $99/month that small businesses can actually use.
The Problem
Small businesses (10-50 employees) need to hire but recruiting tools are terrible for them:
Enterprise ATS (Greenhouse, Lever, Workable):
$500-1,000/month ($6k-12k/year)
Built for companies hiring 50+ people/year
Complex features small businesses don't need
Require training and onboarding
Current alternatives:
Email (loses track of candidates)
Spreadsheets (breaks when you have 50+ applicants)
Free tools (lack key features, look unprofessional)
The gap: Simple, affordable ATS for small businesses that hire 5-15 people per year.
The Numbers
6 million small businesses in US (10-50 employees)
80% hire at least once per year
Average small business: 8-12 hires annually
Current spend: $0-500/year (spreadsheets or email)
Willingness to pay: $99-199/month for real solution
How It Works
Simple recruiting workflow:
Post jobs to multiple boards (Indeed, LinkedIn, etc.) from one place
Collect applications in organized pipeline
Score candidates automatically (resume parsing, keyword matching)
Schedule interviews with calendar integration
Collaborate with team (comments, ratings, voting)
Make offers and send offer letters
Track hiring metrics (time to hire, source effectiveness)
No enterprise bloat:
No complex approval workflows
No advanced analytics nobody uses
No custom fields and configurations
Just the basics, done well
Key features:
Mobile-friendly (small business owners check on phones)
Email integration (works with Gmail/Outlook)
Candidate communication templates
EEOC compliance tracking
Simple reporting
Business Model
Pricing:
Starter: $99/mo (1 user, 3 open jobs, unlimited candidates)
Team: $199/mo (5 users, 10 open jobs, collaboration features)
Business: $299/mo (unlimited users and jobs, advanced reporting)
At 1,000 customers averaging $150/mo: $150k MRR
Unit Economics:
CAC: $200 (content marketing + free trial)
LTV: $3,600 (average 24-month retention)
Churn: ~4%/month
Gross margin: 90%+
Why This Wins
Greenhouse is overkill:
Built for 100+ hires per year
Small businesses hire 5-15 people annually
Don't need 80% of features
Can't justify $7k/year cost
Email and spreadsheets are painful:
Lose track of candidates
No collaboration features
Look unprofessional to candidates
Break at scale
You're the Goldilocks solution:
Simple enough to use immediately
Professional enough for candidates
Affordable enough for small businesses
Competitive Landscape
Greenhouse/Lever: $6k-12k/year, too expensive, too complex
BambooHR/Gusto: HR platforms with recruiting add-ons (not ATS-first)
Free tools (Google Forms): Unprofessional, lack features
You: Purpose-built ATS at small business price point
Go-to-Market
Phase 1: Launch (Months 1-3)
Target: retail, hospitality, professional services (high turnover)
SEO: "applicant tracking for small business" "simple ATS"
Content: "How to hire without enterprise recruiting tools"
Offer free trial (30 days, no credit card)
Goal: 100 paying customers
Phase 2: Scale (Months 4-12)
Partner with HR consultants serving small businesses
Integration with payroll providers (Gusto, ADP)
Case studies from successful customers
Goal: 1,000 paying customers
Risks & Mitigations
Risk: Market too small (small businesses don't hire often)
Mitigation: 6M small businesses × 10 hires/year = huge market
Risk: Low willingness to pay
Mitigation: $99/mo is impulse purchase, saves hours of work
Risk: Competition from free tools
Mitigation: Free tools lack key features, you're worth $99/mo
💡 IDEA #3: Stripe API Wrapper for No-Code Builders
TLDR: Stripe is powerful but requires coding. Build wrapper that lets Webflow/Bubble users accept payments with zero code.
The Problem
No-code builders can create beautiful websites and apps using Webflow, Bubble, Framer, etc.
But they hit a wall when they need to accept payments:
Stripe problems:
Requires API integration (coding knowledge)
Documentation is for developers
Setting up webhooks is technical
Testing payment flows is complex
Current workarounds:
Hire developer ($2k-5k for simple integration)
Use payment links (works but limited functionality)
Switch to Shopify/Gumroad (lose control, pay higher fees)
The gap: Native Stripe integration for no-code platforms that requires zero coding.
The Numbers
5 million active no-code builders
60% need payment processing
Current spend: $0 (can't integrate) or $2k-5k (hire developer)
Willingness to pay: $29-79/month for no-code solution
How It Works
For Webflow users:
Install plugin/extension
Connect Stripe account (OAuth, 2 clicks)
Drag and drop payment button onto page
Configure: one-time vs subscription, amount, description
Publish site
Payments work automatically
For Bubble users:
Same flow, native plugin in Bubble plugin store
Works with Bubble's workflow builder
No code required
Features:
One-time payments
Recurring subscriptions
Customer portal (manage subscriptions)
Webhook handling (update user status automatically)
Test mode (sandbox for development)
Payment confirmation emails
Analytics dashboard
What you handle:
Stripe API complexity
Webhook processing
Error handling
Security and PCI compliance
Updates when Stripe API changes
Business Model
Pricing:
Free: Test mode only
Starter: $29/mo (up to $10k processed, basic features)
Pro: $79/mo (up to $100k processed, advanced features)
Business: $199/mo (unlimited processing, white-label)
No transaction fees (Stripe already charges 2.9% + $0.30)
At 1,000 users averaging $60/mo: $60k MRR
Revenue projections:
Month 6: 200 users @ $50 avg = $10k MRR
Month 12: 1,000 users @ $60 avg = $60k MRR
Year 2: 5,000 users @ $70 avg = $350k MRR
Why This Wins
Stripe is powerful but complex:
Built for developers
No-code builders locked out
Huge market of people who need payments but can't code
Current alternatives suck:
Hire developer: expensive, slow, hard to modify
Payment links: limited functionality, not embedded
Other platforms: lose control, higher fees
You're the native integration:
Works inside their workflow
Zero coding required
Professional payment experience
Full Stripe power, none of the complexity
Competitive Landscape
Zapier: Can connect Stripe but clunky, not native
MemberStack: Focused on membership sites, not general payments
Custom development: $2k-5k, slow, hard to modify
You: Native no-code Stripe integration
Go-to-Market
Phase 1: Launch (Webflow first)
Webflow has 200k+ active users
Launch in Webflow app marketplace
Tutorial videos: "Accept payments in Webflow without code"
Offer first month free
Goal: 100 paying users
Phase 2: Expand platforms
Add Bubble support (Month 4)
Add Framer support (Month 6)
Add other no-code tools based on demand
Goal: 1,000 paying users across platforms
Phase 3: Expand features
Add Stripe Connect (marketplace payments)
Add advanced subscription features
Add analytics and reporting
Goal: Become default payment solution for no-code
Technical Feasibility
MVP Stack:
Backend API (Node.js/Python) handling Stripe integration
Webflow plugin/app
OAuth for Stripe connection
Webhook processor
Simple dashboard
Build time: 8-12 weeks for one platform
Ongoing costs:
Hosting: $200-500/month
Stripe fees: pass-through to customer
Gross margin: 95%+
Risks & Mitigations
Risk: Webflow/Bubble builds native Stripe integration
Mitigation: Move fast, build loyalty, expand to other platforms
Risk: Stripe changes API
Mitigation: You handle updates, that's part of your value
Risk: Support burden (users don't understand payments)
Mitigation: Comprehensive docs, video tutorials, email support
Five more from the quieter side of the internet.
Bootstrapped SaaS metrics benchmarks (real numbers, not hype)
https://openviewpartners.com/saas-benchmarks/
(OpenView)How one tiny WordPress plugin became a sustainable business
https://wptavern.com
(WP Tavern)The psychology behind why customers don’t buy (even when they should)
https://conversion-rate-experts.com
(Conversion Rate Experts)What indie hackers learned after 1,000 product launches
https://www.producthunt.com/stories
(Product Hunt)Why “boring” B2B startups quietly outperform flashy consumer apps
https://www.stratechery.com
(Stratechery)
🚀 Founder Story: How Plaid Became $13B by Wrapping Banking APIs
The Beginning: Zach Perret and William Hockey built Plaid in 2013 because connecting apps to bank accounts was impossible.
Banks had APIs but they were terrible - inconsistent, poorly documented, unreliable.
The Insight: Don't compete with banks. Just make their APIs usable.
Build one unified API that wraps all the bank APIs. Developers integrate once, get access to thousands of banks.
The Growth:
2013: Launched with 4 banks
2016: 10,000 banks supported
2018: Venmo, Robinhood, Coinbase all using Plaid
2020: Visa tried to acquire for $5.3B (blocked by regulators)
2021: Valued at $13.4B
2025: Industry standard for fintech
What You Can Steal: Plaid didn't innovate on banking. They wrapped existing infrastructure and made it simple.
The Stripe wrapper is the same playbook: Stripe already exists, you just make it accessible to no-code users.
Simplify complex infrastructure. Charge for the simplification.
💭 Final Thought
The best opportunities simplify complex infrastructure for underserved users.
Stripe for no-code builders (exists but inaccessible).
ATS for small businesses (exists but too expensive/complex).
Invoice factoring for freelancers (exists but wrong minimums).
Don't invent new categories.
Make existing solutions accessible.
Simplification is the innovation.
That's it for today.
Building one of these? Reply and tell me which one.
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Tomorrow: Climate Tech, Workflow Automation, and Gaming.
Connor
P.S. Missed Saturday's deep dive? "Audience Is Not Demand" explains why 10k followers ≠ $10k MRR. Read it here.