u/Mountain_Complex6708

Hey everyone,
I’m a backend/full-stack developer. Two months ago, I finished building ReplyTone, a Chrome extension designed to act as an AI 'Thinking Partner' for social media engagement.
And then, I fell into the classic developer trap: I deployed it to Vercel, did absolutely zero marketing, and went back to my comfort zone of writing code. Unsurprisingly, the site has sat there with exactly 0 users for 60 days.
Yesterday, I lost my day job due to the current market situation. It was a massive reality check. I can’t hide behind my IDE anymore. If I want this tool to work, I have to actually put it in front of people.
Why I built it:
I am incredibly tired of generic, low-effort AI replies on X (planning to add LinkedIn soon). They sound like corporate robots. I wanted a tool that didn’t just autocomplete text, but actually analyzed a post to find the 'Unaddressed Angle', giving you a unique perspective to start a genuine conversation.

Where I’m at now:

The engine is completely built and functional. The dashboard is live. But I am starting from absolute scratch on the distribution side.
I don't want to run a massive SaaS right now; I just need to see if this project can sustain my baseline expenses while I navigate this sudden career shift. To get my very first cohort of users and gather raw feedback, I’m offering it for $9/month.

If you struggle with social media growth, writing high-signal replies, or just want to roast my dashboard
I’m wide open to brutal feedback on the positioning, the UI, or how I should approach marketing this week. Thanks for reading.

Got laid off this morning without having any job in hand.

I spent the last few years building a social media monitoring system for 500+ brands worldwide. The entire module detecting fake accounts, brand impersonations, negative mentions, was built by me. I know it inside out.

So when they told me to go today, my first thought wasn't panic. I already have the product. I just need the customers. Instead of applying to jobs, I am building it for my self this time.

Here's my plan:

Day 1-2: Build a YouTube scraper that detects fake channels impersonating brands

Day 3+: Run it on real brands, find real impersonation accounts, reach out with actual data

Month 1: Get my first paying customer

Month 3: Turn this into a real business

The pitch is simple. I'll walk into a brand's DMs and say — "I found 15 fake YouTube channels impersonating you this week. Want to see them?"

That's not a sales pitch. That's a service.

3 months runway. No co-founder. No funding. Just a script and a plan.

Has anyone here gone from getting fired to building something real? Would love to hear how it went.

Got laid off this morning without having any job in hand.

I spent the last few years building a social media monitoring system for 500+ brands worldwide. The entire module detecting fake accounts, brand impersonations, negative mentions, was built by me. I know it inside out.

So when they told me to go today, my first thought wasn't panic. I already have the product. I just need the customers. Instead of applying to jobs, I am building it for my self this time.

Here's my plan:

Day 1-2: Build a YouTube scraper that detects fake channels impersonating brands

Day 3+: Run it on real brands, find real impersonation accounts, reach out with actual data

Month 1: Get my first paying customer

Month 3: Turn this into a real business

The pitch is simple. I'll walk into a brand's DMs and say — "I found 15 fake YouTube channels impersonating you this week. Want to see them?"

That's not a sales pitch. That's a service.

3 months runway. No co-founder. No funding. Just a script and a plan.

Has anyone here gone from getting fired to building something real? Would love to hear how it went.