How a 10-Year-Old Built a $12K/Year AI SaaS Business

I recently sat down with Srihan. He is a 10-year-old founder who turned a frustrating cold-calling problem into a paying software business called Agent Srihan. This interview was originally published by AppSumo. It shows how he built a real product and grew it to 51 customers. He now earns about $12,000 a year while spending just 15 minutes a day on his business. Below is a breakdown of his playbook, the AI tools he used, and his marketing strategy. These lessons can help anyone start building today.

Quick Answer

Agent Srihan helps sales teams check if their phone numbers are flagged as spam.
The 10-year-old founder built the product using AI tools like Cursor and Lovable.
He grew the business to 51 paying customers and a $12,000 annual revenue run rate.
His growth strategy relies on building in public, making cold calls for content, and sending monthly updates to mentors.

🎯 What is Agent Srihan and why it matters

Agent Srihan is a highly focused software tool. It checks if a phone number is flagged as spam or scam by carriers. This is a massive problem for sales teams. Smartphone spam detectors often block legitimate calls, leaving cold callers wondering why no one answers. This product solves that exact issue.

Key facts:

Customers: 51 paying customers.
Price: $10 per phone number each month.
Estimated yearly revenue: $12,000.
Founder: Srihan, a 10-year-old fifth grader.

🛠️ How he built the product with AI and no heavy engineering

Srihan did not hire a team or write thousands of lines of code. He used AI and no-code tools to turn his idea into a working product quickly. His tool stack included:

ChatGPT for ideas and prompts.
Cursor for backend logic and coding.
Lovable for building landing pages.
Canva for design assets.
Veed for video editing.
Perplexity for research.

His message is simple. Launching a product is easier than ever. You can build an app just by asking questions, writing prompts, and connecting different software tools.

📈 Growth and marketing: Build in public + content as your sales team

Srihan uses two main marketing strategies:

Build in public: He shares his progress openly online. He also sends a monthly revenue and business update to people he admires. This habit led to helpful introductions and free credits for software tools.
Content-first cold calling: He calls potential customers, records the conversations, and posts them online. The calls serve as marketing material. People watch, learn, and share the videos. This viral content brought him a lot of attention. One post about securing his fourth customer reached a massive audience.

He explains his method clearly. Cold calling will not always make people buy, but he uses cold calling as a marketing tool. This mindset turns standard outreach into a powerful way to create content.

✉️ Launching, networking, and getting noticed

Srihan did not wait for permission. He sent cold emails to conference organizers and founders he wanted to meet. Some of them said yes. For example, he emailed the team at SaaStock in Austin. They replied by inviting him to speak on stage.

He also sends monthly updates to other founders and builders. These short emails detail his revenue, tool expenses, recent wins, and requests for help. This consistent habit opened doors. It earned him free subscriptions to tools like Cursor and Lovable, plus valuable introductions.

📣 Advice for adults: building is easy, marketing is the hard part

Srihan has honest advice for older founders. He points out that anyone can build software with AI today. However, marketing remains the hardest part. He urges people not to fear the camera.

He recommends using AI to build simple versions of products quickly. After that, focus heavily on public marketing. Create candid videos, share updates, and explain the problem you solve. If you keep putting things off, follow his simple plan:

Use AI and no-code tools to launch your first version.
Put yourself on camera. Even if it feels uncomfortable, distribution wins.

🐘🐇🐾 Who to sell to: rabbits, deer, or elephants

His dad, Lax, taught him a simple way to group customers. This framework helped shape his product’s pricing strategy:

Rabbits: Low-price, high-volume customers paying $10 each.
Deer: Mid-range customers paying around $100.
Elephants: Large customers who sign a single big contract to hit your revenue goal.

Setting goals with this framework helps you decide who to target. You can chase many small transactions, a few medium ones, or a handful of large contracts. Srihan’s $10 monthly product targets many smaller customers, but he keeps the other options in mind.

⚽ Balancing business and childhood

Srihan still plays football and enjoys being a normal 10-year-old. His secret is time management. He spends about 15 minutes a day on the business. Instead of staring at the ceiling when he is bored, he does a productive 15-minute work sprint.

That small, steady effort created impressive results. He built a product, found customers, spoke at conferences, and made viral videos. He did all this without giving up his childhood.

📞 Live cold calls: converting signups the human way

We tried doing live cold calls during the interview. Srihan opened his dashboard, picked random recent signups, and called them. Here are two examples:

Call 1: The potential customer said they were looking at the software. However, they did not realize the tool cost $10 a month per number. They were already fixing their spam issues through their phone provider.

Call 2: Another user was registering a phone number and appreciated the personal call. Srihan asked for feedback and offered to help them get set up.

These calls were friendly, human conversations. Not every call turns into a sale. However, making these calls helps you create content, build relationships, and get honest product feedback. Also, if someone misses the pricing details during signup, it does not mean they are a bad lead. It just means you need to communicate more clearly.

❓ FAQ

How much time does Srihan spend on the business each day?

About 15 minutes most days. He prefers working consistently over long hours.

What tools did he use to build Agent Srihan?

He built the app using AI and no-code tools. His stack includes ChatGPT, Cursor, Lovable, Canva, Veed, and Perplexity for research.

How much does Agent Srihan cost?

The tool costs $10 per phone number each month.

How did Srihan get on conference stages or connect with makers?

He sent cold emails to speakers and event organizers. He also sends monthly business updates to founders he admires. Being persistent and building in public helped him earn speaking spots and free tool credits.

Is this approach repeatable for adults?

Yes. The core lessons apply to anyone. Find a real problem, build a solution quickly with AI, share your progress publicly, and use content to drive growth.

🔚 Final thoughts

Srihan’s story proves that a small amount of focused effort can produce real results fast. You just need to use modern AI tools and focus on creating content. Your age does not matter. Find a specific problem, build a simple solution, and share your work publicly. If you do this consistently, customers will find you.

To explore the exact tactics Srihan used, check the resource page linked in his original AppSumo interview. It includes his favorite tool stacks and step-by-step guides.

Meet The 10-Year-Old CEO With 51 Paying Customers