I'm a product manager, not an engineer. New AI tools let me build a full app solo and now I'm thinking about doing it as a service. Roast my idea.

I've been a product manager for 16 years. Led teams and shipped products, all the PM stuff. I'm not a software engineer and never have been, although I do have enough high-level technical knowledge to architect a decent project.

Last mopnth using AI coding tools (Claude Code specifically) I managed to build a web app from the ground up (one I had previously been quoted $70k to build). Took a few weeks, and I did it without a dev team.

The hard part of building software was never really the coding. It was always figuring out what to build, how to scope it, what to cut, what matters to users. That's what I've done for a living since 2009.

What the market looks like right now

If you have an idea and want someone to build your MVP, your options are roughly:

• MVP agencies: $15K-$50K+, 3-4 months, lots of meetings
• Freelance vibe coders on Fiverr: $2K-$5K, fast turnaround, but they're just prompting code with zero product thinking
• Fractional PMs: $3K-$7K/month to give you advice but they don't actually build anything

There's a gap between "cheap but no strategy" and "expensive but slow." That's where I think I fit

What I want to offer

I take your idea, run a proper discovery/scoping session (the PM part), then build and deploy the thing myself using AI tools (the builder part).

I'm thinking three tiers:

• Validate ($3K-$5K) - Discovery session + working prototype with core flows and auth. Something you can show people and get feedback. 1-2 weeks.
• Launch ($8K-$15K) - Production-ready MVP. Real architecture, admin tools, analytics, responsive design. 3-6 weeks
• Scale ($15K-$25K) - Payments, integrations, AI features, multi-role users, technical docs for when you eventually hire real engineers. 6-10 weeks.

Plus a monthly maintenance contract ($500-$2K/month) for hosting, monitoring, bug fixes, and ongoing feature work.

My costs

AI subscriptions run about $200/month. Hosting is basically nothing during the build phase. The real cost is my time, which runs 20-100 hours depending on the tier

Where I need your help

I've got a few specific questions and you can give it to me straight.

Pricing. Am I too high for a solo operator? Too low given the value? The Launch tier ($8K-$15K) is where I think the real business is, but I'm not sure if people will pay that without an agency brand behind it.

Positioning. Do I lead with the PM experience or the building capability? "Product manager who can build your app" vs "App builder who actually understands product strategy". I think those attract different types of clients.

Finding clients. This is where I'm most stuck. I really can't stand LinkedIn and self-promotion but outside of that I'm not sure where to drum up business. Once I get some referrals from past clients going it would no doubt get a lot easier. How do I get the first clients?

Maintenance contracts. Is $500-$2K/month realistic? Recurring revenue would be fabulous.

Longevity. AI tools keep getting better. In two years, will anyone need this service? Or does the product strategy piece stay valuable even when building gets easier?

I haven't started this yet. Still in the "is this dumb?" phase. What do you think?