Look, I get it. You’re tired of scrolling through Twitter threads promising you’ll make $50k/month with some vague “SaaS idea.” You’ve seen the same recycled advice a hundred times. Build a CRM. Start a newsletter. Learn to code.
But here’s the thing – I actually went deep. Like, really deep. I spent the last few weeks crawling through Reddit complaints, Indie Hackers discussions, Hacker News threads, Facebook groups, and even economic reports. I wanted to find out what problems people are actually willing to pay to solve.
And I found some gold. Let me share what I learned.
The Big Shift Nobody’s Talking About
Here’s what surprised me most: the era of building “the next big thing” is over for most of us. And that’s actually great news.
The real money in 2025? It’s in tiny, boring niches that big companies ignore.
Think about it. Salesforce isn’t going to build a CRM for dog groomers. HubSpot doesn’t care about tattoo artists managing their booking. And that’s your opportunity.
I found a solo founder making €45,000 per month – just from a simple tool that helps dental offices manage patient follow-ups. That’s it. Nothing fancy. Just solving one specific problem for one specific group of people.
What Problems Are People Actually Complaining About?
After reading thousands of posts, comments, and discussions, here are the pain points that kept coming up again and again:
1. “I’m drowning in tools that don’t talk to each other”
Remote teams are using Slack AND Notion AND Asana AND Zoom AND… you get it. Everyone’s exhausted from switching between 15 different apps to do their job.
The opportunity: Simple, unified tools for specific types of teams. Not another “all-in-one workspace” – those exist. But what about a single hub just for async teams that includes standups, tasks, and even wellness breaks?
2. “I spend 20 hours a week on stuff I shouldn’t be doing”
Small business owners – especially in Latin America – are still managing everything in spreadsheets. Invoicing, inventory, client communication, tax stuff. Manual everything.
In Brazil alone, less than 10% of small businesses use any software tools. They’re drowning in paperwork while billion-dollar solutions are priced way out of their reach.
The opportunity: Affordable, simple tools for specific professions. A $30/month tool that saves a plumber 5 hours a week? That’s a no-brainer purchase.
3. “I can’t find a tool that actually fits how I work”
This one was everywhere. Generic tools force people into generic workflows. But a wedding photographer doesn’t work like a real estate photographer. A yoga instructor who teaches at multiple studios has different needs than a studio owner.
The opportunity: Vertical SaaS – tools built for ONE specific profession. The market for this is growing at 26% per year. That’s insane.
4. “WhatsApp is my entire business and it’s chaos”
This was huge in Latin America. In Brazil, 99% of smartphones have WhatsApp. People run entire businesses through chat – selling products, booking appointments, managing customers. But there’s no good way to organize it all.
The opportunity: WhatsApp-first business tools. Inventory that syncs with your chats. Booking systems that work through messages. Payment collection via Pix right in the conversation.
My Top 10 Ideas That Could Actually Work
Based on everything I researched, here are ideas with real demand and low competition:
For Service Professionals
1. Tattoo Artist Booking + Portfolio
Most tattoo artists are still using Instagram DMs and paper consent forms. A simple tool for consultations, deposits, design revisions, and aftercare reminders would be a game-changer. 20,000+ tattoo shops in the US alone.
2. Pet Groomer Appointment System
$11 billion industry. Super fragmented. Groomers need breed-specific timing, vaccination tracking, and before/after photos. Current booking apps don’t cut it.
3. Solo Lawyer Case Management
Enterprise legal software costs thousands. But 400,000+ solo attorneys just need intake forms, deadline reminders, and simple billing. Charge $49-149/month.
4. HVAC Maintenance Scheduler
This one’s a goldmine for recurring revenue. HVAC companies need to track customer equipment, schedule seasonal maintenance, and send reminders. Equipment lifecycle tracking would be killer.
5. Personal Trainer Client Tracker
Huge market, but current tools are either too simple or too complex. Trainers want workout builders, progress photos, and scheduling in one place. $29-59/month.
For Hobbyists and Enthusiasts
6. Etsy Seller Expense Tracker
7+ million Etsy sellers. They all struggle with tracking fees, calculating real profit, and managing taxes. Connect to Etsy’s API, auto-import sales, done. $9-19/month.
7. Trading Card Portfolio Tracker
$15 billion market. Collectors want to track values, manage want lists, and know when to sell. Most current options are clunky or expensive.
8. Homebrewer Recipe Manager
Dedicated community that actually pays for tools. Recipe calculators, brew day logs, ingredient inventory. $9-19/month from passionate hobbyists.
For the Latin American Market
9. WhatsApp Commerce Platform for Brazilian SMBs
Combine inventory management, automated responses, and Pix payments – all through WhatsApp. The demand is massive and competition is thin.
10. Pix Subscription Billing
60% of Brazilians don’t have credit cards. Pix Automático just launched in June 2025, enabling recurring payments. Someone needs to make this easy for small subscription businesses.
The Tech Stack That Actually Makes Sense
You don’t need to overcomplicate this. Here’s what I’d use:
For a quick MVP (week 1-4):
- Bubble or Glide (no-code)
- Carrd for landing page
- Stripe Payment Links
For growth (month 2-6):
- Next.js + Supabase
- Clerk for auth
- Stripe for payments
For Latin America specifically:
- Add Mercado Pago or Pix integration
- WhatsApp Business API
- Deploy to São Paulo region (Vercel or AWS)
Total cost to start? Under $50/month.
How to Actually Validate Before Building
Here’s what I learned about finding ideas that will actually make money:
-
Search for verbs, not nouns. Don’t search “CRM” – search “I manually track” or “I spend hours doing.” Frustrated people describe problems in terms of actions.
-
Look for frequency words. “Every week,” “daily,” “constantly” – these signal recurring pain worth solving.
-
Find the watering hole. Every niche has a subreddit, Facebook group, or Discord. Spend time there before building anything.
-
The pain email test. Write a 120-word email describing the problem and your solution. Send it to 20 potential users. If 5+ respond interested, you’ve got something.
-
Get paid, not compliments. Launch with founding member pricing. Real validation is someone paying money, not saying “cool idea!”
The Numbers That Made Me Optimistic
- SaaS market is hitting $232 billion in 2025
- Vertical SaaS (niche-specific tools) growing at 26% per year
- Latin American SaaS growing at 23% – fastest in the world
- Solo founders regularly hitting $5k-50k monthly revenue with micro-SaaS
- 70-80% profit margins are normal for small SaaS
What I’d Do If I Were Starting Tomorrow
- Pick ONE niche from this list (or find your own)
- Spend 2 weeks in their community, just listening
- Build the simplest possible version in 2-4 weeks
- Launch at 50% off to founding members
- Get 10 paying customers before adding features
- Ask for referrals – tight communities spread word fast
The opportunity is real. The competition is low. The tools to build are easier than ever.
Stop looking for the perfect idea. Start with a small, specific problem for a small, specific group of people.
That’s where the money is.
This is based on 40+ hours of research across Reddit, Indie Hackers, Hacker News, economic reports, and industry analysis. The full research doc is 2000+ lines if anyone wants the deep dive.
What niche are you considering? Drop a comment – I’m happy to share what I found about specific industries.