How SupaCodeur got its first users — From internal tool to niche SaaS

The origin story

In April 2024, I was burned out from scrolling through low-quality leads on Codeur.com. Like many freelancers, I found most projects on the platform were either:

• Underfunded
• Vague or unserious
• Ghosted you mid-discussion

But I kept using Codeur anyway, because despite the mess, it still brought me clients.

So I built myself a tool.
Not a startup. Not a product. Just an extension that automated my prospecting flow.

What it did:

• Scanned new projects on Codeur
• Filtered by budget, tags, or project quality
• Auto-generated personalized proposals with my tone & style

It worked. I used it for a full year, quietly, every day.

Breaking point

Late 2024 was rough professionally.

I lost a long-term client in Web3 after two security breaches (that’s a story for another time).
Then in January, another client straight-up refused to pay.

I had worked like crazy all year… for what?

Meanwhile, my engineering friends had stable jobs, decent salaries, and no surprise invoices.
I realized: I needed to stop relying on unpredictable acquisition channels.

That internal tool, the one I built for Codeur, deserved better.
So I decided to turn it into a real product.

Building SupaCodeur (as a SaaS)

By January 2025, I was in my element: building MVPs.

I used my favorite stack:

• Nuxt + Nuxt UI Pro (seriously underrated templates)
• Vue for the extension
• Supabase for auth, DB, and storage
• Vercel for fast shipping
• GitHub to keep it clean

In February, the MVP was ready. Not perfect, but usable.

The First iteration

I hosted it under supadev.fr, my studio brand.
At first it was just:

• A simple form
• Some backend API logic
• A waiting list & filters for targeting freelancers' ideal project types
• A Chrome extension that was a bit buggy

It felt good. Clean. Lightweight.

Getting the first user

Then came sales.

The great thing about SupaCodeur is that the target market is super niche, freelancers on Codeur.com. And the data is public:

• Phone numbers
• Names
• Project history

So I went guerrilla-style:

• Set up a WhatsApp Business account
• Wrote a very aggressive sales message
• Manually contacted 100 freelancers

WhatsApp banned me fast. 😂
But it worked.

Multiple people replied. I learned and eventually convert one client.
That’s all I needed.

He became my first user, and a key tester.

Together, we:

• Debugged the Chrome extension
• Improved the user flow
• Identified the real pain points (and ignored the fake ones)

Leveling up

With momentum building, I invested more:

• Bought a dedicated domain with a better name
• Added a real dashboard
• Built a nicer stats interface
• Refined the extension UI/UX
• Identified the different personas (freelancers, agencies, etc.)
• Create subscriptions for each persona

Then came sales round #2.

A new agency showed interest. They tested it in April.

I was excited. MRR was picking up. But not for too long...

Unfortunately, the results weren’t great, low conversion on their end, the generated proposals were too generic.

But that’s part of the journey. Every new user is a lesson.

And we are working on it together to improve the product and give them a reason to come back.

Long-Term play

To support the project long-term, I also:

• Launched an SEO-focused blog
• Launched on Product Hunt for backlinks
• Wrote use-case pages to boost organic discovery
• Started documenting the product more seriously

What’s next?

• More users: I’m still reaching out to freelancers and agencies, I am planning to semi automate the process.
• More features: I’m working on a new version of the product, with a better UI and more features.
• More content: I’m writing more blog posts, tutorials, and guides to help users get the most out of SupaCodeur.
• More partnerships: I’m looking for collaborations with other freelancers and agencies to expand the reach of SupaCodeur.
• More feedback: I’m actively seeking feedback from users to improve the product and make it more valuable.
• More fun: I’m enjoying the process of building and learning, and I want to keep it that way.

What I Learned

• Build for yourself first. You’ll always be your best user.
• Niche SaaS markets can be super powerful if the pain is real.
• Early users are not clients — they’re co-builders.
• Guerrilla sales works when your prospect is clear and reachable.
• MVPs don’t need to be polished. They need to be used.

SupaCodeur is still growing. Still niche. Still learning.

But now it’s a real product — with users, feedback, and a future.

And I’m excited to share the next steps, as always, in public.

👉 Want to try it? Visit SupaCodeur