This Secret AI Image Hack Made Me $2K In Revenue While You Slept

IIn this interview, Saquib, the founder of TheFluxTrain, shares how he built a product that helps people create stunning, hassle-free images with the power of AI.

Nov 13, 2024

👋 Hello, Idris here! Welcome to this week's Indieniche newsletter. Each week, I feature tips and stories from successful self-made founders, share insights on building great products, talk about growing your business, and showcase essential tools to help you build and scale better.

If you've found this newsletter helpful, please spread the word to your friends and consider subscribing if you haven't yet.

In this interview, you'll meet Saquib. Saquib founded TheFluxTrain, a platform that creates pictures of people, products, fashion and more using AI. I discovered him on one of my Reddit threads and thought to feature his journey.

In this interview, Saquib shares:

His backstory and how he started.
How he got his first free and paid customers for his product.
What was effective in attracting customers to his product?
His competitive advantages, what gives him an edge, and insights that have proven beneficial to his operations.
Which books, podcasts, or other resources have had the greatest impact on him.
What advice would he offer to entrepreneurs who are just starting out.

Q. Hello! Who are you and what product are you working on currently, and who is your target audience(Age range)?

I’m Saquib from India, with a background in Robotics and AI. Before founding TheFluxTrain, I worked as a research engineer in the UK. TheFluxTrain is a unique platform where anyone can train their own image AI models to create virtual influencers, cartoon characters, and branded styles (more features coming soon). Users can generate unlimited images of influencers, characters, and creative assets in their brand’s unique style. We even offer an AI image editor that enables creating images with multiple influencers and characters together. The product is designed for creatives, typically between 18-40 years old, who are eager to incorporate AI into their workflows.

Q. What is your backstory and how did you come up with your idea? What year did you start?

After leaving my job in the UK, I became a digital nomad, traveling through India and Thailand while exploring AI. I was actually enjoying my job in the UK, but had to come back to India due to personal reasons. I was experimenting extensively with model training (LoRA) and was passionate about photography and filmmaking. When Flux was released, I was impressed by the results and eager to explore how fine-tuning could create personalized photos and videos. I initially built a UI to make model training easier for my own use and later released it on Reddit, where it gained traction. The first release was just two months ago.

Q. Take us through the process of building the first version of your product MVP.

The MVP was a simple UI allowing users to upload photos, caption them using AI, and edit to optimize training outputs. I primarily used it for my experiments before sharing it on Reddit. This basic functionality helped me validate interest and refine the core experience for early users.

Q. How many employees do you have working on your product? Do you have any co-founders?

I am currently building this solo, without any employees or co-founders.

Q. How much monthly traffic do you receive?

In just two months, we’re seeing around 80-90 sign-ups daily, with an impressive conversion rate of 8-10%. Our highest single-day revenue has been approximately $225, which is very encouraging given the organic growth and the early stage of the product.

Q. How did you get your first customers for your product and how many free/paid customers do you have currently? (Feel free to list them out).

The first customers came from a Reddit post, which generated great interest. Following that, I published a blog on Medium, which performed exceptionally well and drove consistent sales for several weeks. I currently offer 1,000 free credits on signup but no free tier. So far, there are 112 paying users.

Q. Since you launched your product, What has worked to attract customers?

Posting consistently on Reddit and publishing on Medium have been the most effective strategies. Medium was particularly impactful—it reached a broader audience than I could have through my own channels. I also experimented with Twitter and Facebook ads, but they weren’t as effective.

Q. How is your product performing currently, and what are your plans for the future? Can you share your current metrics and revenue figures?

The product is growing organically through blog and social media efforts. My focus is now on trying paid channels, and I’ve started working with Twitter influencers to boost TheFluxTrain’s reach. Currently, I track the rolling 7-day average for daily revenue. Last month, we earned over $1,900, up from $300 in the first month.

Q. Since the inception of your business, have you gained any insights that have provided you with a competitive advantage and proven beneficial to your operations?

One of the biggest insights has been an optimized workflow for creating AI influencers that outperforms competitors. Since launching the AI influencer feature, I’ve noticed a significant increase in conversions.

Q. What tools have helped you grow your product?

So far, my primary tools have been Medium and Reddit for content distribution and organic growth. It’s early days, but these platforms have helped me connect with a highly engaged audience.

Q. Which books, podcasts, or other resources have had the greatest impact on you?

Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares has been hugely impactful. It’s packed with actionable insights that are very relevant for early-stage startups.

Q. What advice would you offer to entrepreneurs who are looking to start or have just begun their journey?

Focus on solving a problem you’re personally invested in. It gives you 100x more clarity on what to prioritize, which is invaluable in the early stages.

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions! What is your contact info if people would like to inquire about your services? You can add all your links.

You can connect with me on X, also, feel free to reach out to me via Email.

Let me know what you learned from this interview and have a productive week!🙏

Indie Tip Of The Week

This week's indie tip is all about Sam Altman's advice on making the most of life and work. Prioritize relationships, keep a low personal burn rate, set clear goals, and embrace new experiences. Focus on what truly matters, act with empathy, and remember that while days may feel long, the decades fly by. Check it out!

Indie Product Of The Week

ParentEase by Anirban Banerjee. This is a platform specifically designed for parents, it provides personalized AI-driven parenting advice, helps you manage tasks easily, and connects you with other parents.

Check out the product, and share your thoughts in the comments!

Indie Trivia Of The Week

In a quest to replace rubber, James Wright accidentally invented what common toy?

Sell Your Startup With Indieniche!

Want the best deal for your startup? Partner with Indieniche, and let us handle the work! Just fill out this form, and we'll connect you with the right buyer.

If you're looking to buy, reach out to us via email, and we'll help you find top deals!

Share Your Product With Indie Niche Users

Do you have a product you'd like to share with our community of over 1,000+ indie niche founders?

Drop us a line detailing what makes your product stand out, whether it's a SaaS, marketplace, app, newsletter, or anything else innovative. We're eager to hear from you!

We will pick a product to feature in next week’s newsletter. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to hearing from you.