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Banatie Project Roadmap

🎯 Current Status

Phase: Pre-launch / ICP Validation
Date: October 30, 2025
Version: 1.0
Next Milestone: Complete ICP validation by Nov 3, 2025

🚀 Active Sprint (Oct 20 - Nov 3)

✅ COMPLETED

  • Market positioning clarified (converge AI gen + CDN, not pure AI image generation)
  • ICP hypothesis validated internally (founder IS the ICP - AI-powered developers)
  • Pricing strategy drafted (hybrid credits + subscription model)
  • MVP scope defined (MCP + core features, 4-6 week timeline)
  • Documentation framework established (filesystem MCP approach)

🔄 IN PROGRESS

  • ICP External Validation (DUE: Nov 3, 2025)
    Owner: Oleg
    Status: 0 / 10 interviews completed
    Blocker: Need to post on Reddit/Indie Hackers

    Action items:

    • Create throwaway Reddit account (stealth mode)
    • Post in r/ClaudeAI: "How do you handle images in Claude Code?"
    • Post in r/ChatGPTCoding: "AI-assisted devs: image generation workflow?"
    • Conduct 10-15 text-based interviews via DM
    • Fill validation scorecard after each interview
    • Make GO/PIVOT/STOP decision based on results

⏸️ BLOCKED / WAITING

  • MVP development (blocked by ICP validation - need confirmed feature priorities)
  • Beta user outreach (blocked by validation - need validated messaging)
  • Pricing finalization (pending ICP confirmation of willingness to pay)

📅 Upcoming Milestones

Week 1-2 (Nov 4-17): POST-VALIDATION

IF GO decision (60%+ willing to use, 40%+ willing to pay $20+):

  • Finalize MVP scope based on validated top 3 needs from interviews
  • Begin MCP server development (Week 1: Core generation pipeline)
  • Prepare beta access list from interviews (early adopters identified)
  • Plan soft launch strategy (Reddit post schedule, messaging)

IF PIVOT decision (<60% interest OR weak willingness to pay):

  • Select alternative ICP (agencies? e-commerce? different dev segment?)
  • Prepare new interview script tailored to alternative ICP
  • Run 5-10 more interviews (deadline: 1-2 weeks)
  • Final GO/STOP decision with hard deadline

IF STOP decision (<40% interest, no one willing to pay):

  • Document learnings (what didn't work, what insights gained)
  • Thank all interviewees professionally
  • Decide: tackle different problem OR shut down project
  • Focus energy back on day job (reduce stress, reassess in 3-6 months)

Week 3-8 (Nov 18 - Jan 5, 2026): MVP DEVELOPMENT

(Assuming GO decision)

Development timeline (4-6 weeks):

  • Week 3-4: Core generation pipeline + MCP integration

    • REST API endpoints finalized
    • Prompt Enhancement Agent working
    • Image generation with @name references
    • Basic storage + CDN integration
    • Deliverable: Working API (generate + upload + references)

  • Week 5: MCP implementation

    • MCP server setup (follow spec)
    • Implement 3 tools: banatie_generate, banatie_upload, banatie_list_images
    • Test with Claude Desktop
    • Documentation for MCP usage
    • Deliverable: Working MCP integration

  • Week 6: Transformations + UI refinement

    • Image transformation service (Imageflow or Cloudflare)
    • Refine demo UI (code snippets, transformation previews)
    • Dashboard (history, usage stats)
    • API key management
    • Deliverable: Functional UI for testing

  • Week 7: Payments + polish

    • Stripe integration (credit packs: $20, $50, $100)
    • Free tier limits enforcement (10/month with watermark)
    • Landing page copy + design
    • API documentation (REST + MCP)
    • Deliverable: Monetization-ready product

  • Week 8: Beta testing + iteration

    • Invite 5-10 validated users from research
    • High-touch onboarding (help with MCP setup)
    • Gather feedback, fix critical bugs
    • Iterate on UX pain points
    • Deliverable: Product-market fit signals or pivot triggers

Month 4-6 (Jan-Mar 2026): SOFT LAUNCH & GROWTH

Month 4 (Jan): First paying customers

  • Goal: 5-10 beta users onboarded
  • 50+ generations completed
  • 2+ users purchase credits (willingness to pay validated)
  • Target MRR: $200-500

Month 5 (Feb): Soft launch to communities

  • Post in r/ClaudeAI: "Show HN: Generate images from Claude Code via MCP"
  • Indie Hackers build-in-public post
  • Dev.to technical content (tutorial: "Automate image gen in Next.js with Claude Code")
  • Target MRR: $500-1,000

Month 6 (Mar): Growth optimization

  • SEO content (start ranking for "AI image generation API", "Claude Code images")
  • Community building (Discord, Reddit presence)
  • Case studies from early users
  • Target MRR: $1-2K (Side Project Validation milestone)

🎯 Long-term Goals (6-12 months)

Month 6: Side Project Validation Checkpoint

Success criteria:

  • MRR: $1-2K
  • Customers: 10-20 paying
  • Churn: <5% monthly
  • Signal: Product-market fit OR clear pivot needed

Decision: Continue scaling OR reassess viability

Month 9: Hybrid Mode Decision

Success criteria:

  • MRR: $3-5K
  • Customers: 30-50 paying
  • Usage: Predictable growth pattern

Options:

  • Negotiate 4-day work week with employer (80% salary = $4.8K)
  • OR: Stay full-time job, continue nights/weekends
  • Combined income: $7-10K/month (meets family needs + buffer)

Month 12: Full-time Leap Evaluation

Success criteria:

  • MRR: $6K+ (current salary replacement)
  • OR: 12-month runway saved + high confidence in growth
  • OR: MRR = $4-5K + spouse (Ekaterina) involved in admin with income

Decision: Go full-time on Banatie OR continue hybrid

Long-term vision (24-36 months):

  • $15-30K MRR: Sustainable solo/small team business
  • Hire 1-2 people (support, marketing, or tech)
  • Consider Ekaterina full-time on admin/ops

🚦 Decision Gates

GATE 1: ICP Validation (Current - Nov 3, 2025)

Success criteria (ALL must be met):

  • 60%+ interviews say "I would use this" (6 out of 10)
  • 40%+ willing to pay $20+ (4 out of 10)
  • 30%+ want early access (3 out of 10)
  • Consistent pain point validated (not scattered)
  • Budget confirmed (they pay for other tools)

Possible outcomes:

  • ✅ GO → Build MVP for AI developers (strong signals)
  • 🔄 PIVOT → Test different ICP (weak signals, 1-2 more weeks)
  • 🛑 STOP → Shut down or fundamental rethink (no market fit)

Review meeting: Nov 4, 2025 with @men

GATE 2: MVP Launch Readiness (Week 8 - Late Dec 2025)

Success criteria:

  • MCP integration works reliably (95%+ success rate)
  • 5-10 beta users onboarded and generating images
  • 50+ generations completed (usage validated)
  • 2+ users purchase credits (monetization validated)
  • No critical bugs blocking core workflow

Possible outcomes:

  • ✅ LAUNCH → Soft launch to r/ClaudeAI, Indie Hackers
  • 🔄 ITERATE → 1-2 more weeks bug fixes, UX improvements
  • 🛑 PIVOT → Different approach needed (MCP too complex? Different features?)

Review meeting: Late December 2025

GATE 3: PMF Validation (Month 6 - March 2026)

Success criteria:

  • $1-2K MRR achieved
  • <5% monthly churn (customers staying)
  • "Can't live without" feedback from 3+ users
  • Organic word-of-mouth starting (referrals, shares)
  • Usage growing without marketing spend

Possible outcomes:

  • ✅ SCALE → Invest in growth (content, partnerships, paid ads eventually)
  • 🔄 OPTIMIZE → Refine product, improve conversion
  • 🛑 PIVOT/STOP → No PMF achieved after 6 months, reassess fundamentally

Review meeting: April 2026

⚠️ Risk Mitigation Watch

HIGH PRIORITY RISKS

1. Burnout Risk (Severity: HIGH)

  • Factors: Full-time job + side project + newborn (Kirill, 2 weeks old) + family of 5
  • Current exposure: Working 60+ hrs/week total (40 job + 20 Banatie)
  • Monitor: Weekly health check-ins (Sundays)
  • Mitigation:
    • Strict time boundaries (no work after 10 PM)
    • One full day off per week (family only)
    • Use Agent Coding (Claude Code) to maximize efficiency
    • Cut scope ruthlessly (MVP, not full vision)
  • Red flags: Physical health decline, family tension, day job performance suffering
  • Abort criteria: If health/family at risk, pause Banatie (not worth it)

2. Financial Pressure Risk (Severity: HIGH)

  • Factors: Zero savings buffer, school tuition coming, single income ($6K/month)
  • Current exposure: No emergency fund, Daniel's private school pending
  • Monitor: Monthly expense tracking, runway calculation
  • Mitigation:
    • Keep day job until Banatie ≥ $6K MRR (non-negotiable)
    • Negotiate hybrid work arrangement early (6-month mark if traction)
    • Bootstrap (no fundraising until PMF clear)
    • Minimize Banatie expenses (use family VPS, free tools)
  • Red flags: Credit card debt accumulating, school tuition unpaid, family stress over money
  • Abort criteria: If Banatie costs exceed $500/month without revenue

3. No PMF Risk (Severity: HIGHEST)

  • Factors: Unvalidated ICP, new category (convergence play), complex product
  • Current exposure: Hypothesis not yet tested with external users
  • Monitor: Interview feedback, churn rate, usage metrics, qualitative signals
  • Mitigation:
    • Brutal ICP validation BEFORE building more (current sprint)
    • Launch ultra-MVP (not full platform)
    • 10-15 customer interviews BEFORE launch
    • Set clear pivot triggers (see Phase 1 decision point)
  • Red flags: No one willing to pay, high churn (>10%), "cool idea, but..." feedback
  • Abort criteria: After 6 months, if <$500 MRR and no PMF signals → shut down

4. Employer Discovery Risk (Severity: MEDIUM)

  • Factors: Building side project while employed, same industry (web dev, AI)
  • Current exposure: Public presence needed for marketing (Twitter, LinkedIn, dev.to)
  • Monitor: LinkedIn/social mentions, colleague conversations
  • Mitigation strategies: (see 06-future-topics-backlog.md - "свечение фейса")
    • Use separate brand identity (Banatie, not personal)
    • Delay LinkedIn posting until closer to launch
    • Focus on dev.to, Indie Hackers (less employer monitoring)
    • Check employment contract for IP clauses
  • Red flags: Employer asks about side projects, colleagues mention seeing Banatie
  • Abort criteria: If employer explicitly forbids, negotiate exit OR pause publicly

📊 Key Metrics Dashboard

Updated: Weekly (every Sunday evening)

Validation Metrics (Current Sprint - Oct 20 - Nov 3)

  • Interviews completed: 0 / 10
  • Positive responses ("I would use"): - / -
  • Willing to pay $20+: - / -
  • Early access requests: - / -

Development Metrics (After validation - Nov+)

  • MVP features completed: - / 8
  • Beta users onboarded: - / 10
  • Generations completed: - / 50
  • Credit purchases: - / 2

Business Metrics (Post-launch - Jan+)

  • MRR: $0
  • Paying customers: 0
  • Churn rate: N/A
  • Conversion rate (Free → Paid): N/A
  • Usage per user (avg gens/month): N/A

🔮 Future Considerations (Not Currently Scheduled)

Features (Post-PMF, after 50+ users)

  • Flow-based chained generation (complex workflows)
  • On-demand URL generation (programmatic HTML generation)
  • Namespaces / project organization
  • Team collaboration features (multi-user, agencies)
  • Advanced style presets / fine-tuning

Market Expansion (After PMF with AI developers)

  • Agency tier ($149/mo for teams)
  • E-commerce vertical (product image generation, Shopify integration)
  • Enterprise tier (custom pricing, SLA, support)

Operations (After $10K MRR)

  • Hire VA for customer support
  • Involve Ekaterina (wife) in admin/ops
  • Consider part-time dev help for non-core features
  • Explore partnership opportunities (integrations, resellers)

📋 Action Items Summary

This Week (Oct 30 - Nov 3):

  1. Create throwaway Reddit account
  2. Post validation questions in r/ClaudeAI and r/ChatGPTCoding
  3. Conduct 10 text-based interviews
  4. Document results in validation scorecard
  5. Make GO/PIVOT/STOP decision by Nov 3

Next Week (Nov 4-10) - IF GO:

  1. Finalize MVP scope based on interview insights
  2. Set up development environment (if not already done)
  3. Begin MCP server implementation
  4. Prepare beta access list

Next Week (Nov 4-10) - IF PIVOT:

  1. Select alternative ICP
  2. Prepare new interview script
  3. Begin second validation round

🎯 Success Definitions by Stage

Pre-launch Success (Current)

  • ✅ ICP validated externally (60%+ interest, 40%+ willing to pay)
  • ✅ MVP scope locked (based on validated needs)
  • ✅ First 5 beta users identified from research

Launch Success (Month 3-4)

  • ✅ 5-10 beta users actively using product
  • ✅ 50+ generations completed
  • ✅ 2+ credit purchases (willingness to pay confirmed)
  • ✅ No critical bugs blocking workflow

Early Traction Success (Month 6)

  • ✅ $1-2K MRR
  • ✅ <5% monthly churn
  • ✅ Product-market fit signals ("can't live without")
  • ✅ Organic growth starting (word-of-mouth, referrals)

Sustainability Success (Month 12)

  • ✅ $6K+ MRR (salary replacement level)
  • ✅ Predictable growth trajectory
  • ✅ Hybrid or full-time transition viable
  • ✅ Clear path to $10-15K MRR

Roadmap Owner: @men + Oleg (joint ownership)
Last Review: October 30, 2025
Next Review: November 4, 2025 (post-validation decision)
Version Control: Track major changes via Git commits

Quick Reference Commands:

  • Update metrics: Every Sunday evening
  • Review roadmap: After each decision gate
  • Update action items: As completed or priorities change
  • Archive completed sprints: Monthly cleanup