A co-founder of a Manchester-based SaaS platform has opened up on the factors that led to the company鈥檚 decision to close for good after two years.
Liam Brennan, who launched 鈥榩assion project鈥� GhostPosts.ai alongside fellow entrepreneur Paul Wilshaw, knew he had reached a crossroads and had got to the point where it was double or nothing.聽
鈥淲e reached a point where we either needed to double down and give it the full attention it deserved, or accept that we couldn鈥檛 take it where we wanted to,鈥� he said.聽
The duo started the business having designed a tool aiming to make AI-generated content accessible, affordable and sustainable for small business owners and founders.
However, with consultancy work and other projects demanding more of his focus, the Manchester-based entrepreneur made the difficult decision to shut down the platform. He has pledged to donate all remaining profits to a UK digital inclusion charity.
GhostPosts.ai will officially close on 3rd September, having brought together the pair鈥檚 values of inclusivity and environmental responsibility, using large language models (LLMs) to generate social posts, blogs and scripts whilst keeping pricing deliberately low.聽
The real story though, Brennan suggested, was about the reality of building SaaS on the side in an increasingly crowded AI sector.
He added: 鈥淗onestly, time was the biggest factor.
鈥淕hostPosts was always a passion project Paul and I ran alongside our other commitments, but over the past year my focus has shifted heavily towards supporting our consultancy clients.鈥�
Early traction, limited bandwidth
Although the platform attracted a loyal user base and benefited from the early excitement around AI content tools, Brennan admitted that it was difficult to grow at the pace required to make it truly sustainable.聽
鈥淲e had steady growth early on, especially when people were curious about AI content tools, but we deliberately kept our pricing low to make it accessible,鈥� he explained.
鈥淭hat meant it was always a volume play and because GhostPosts was never full-time for us, we didn鈥檛 push the kind of aggressive marketing we would have needed to scale,鈥� he said.
鈥淲hen we started GhostPosts, AI content tools were exciting and new: there were less than 10,000 apps on .
鈥淲ithin months, the market became flooded and cutting through the noise was definitely harder than we expected.鈥�
There are now more than 40,000 tools listed on the There’s An AI For That platform.
Lessons from the journey
Manchester is becoming a hotspot for its thriving tech scene.聽
Not only that, but it is harnessing the power of networking and communication to build a strong ecosystem, something Brennan said he could have benefited from.
鈥淚 think we would鈥檝e brought on more collaborators earlier,鈥� he admitted.
鈥淧eople who could help with growth, development and marketing while we focused on the tech and vision.鈥�
He was also clear that running it as a side project ultimately limited what it could become, with other commitments taking up a lot of time.聽
He added: 鈥淵es, without a doubt [it limited it]. Building a SaaS product that competes in such a fast-moving space requires focused intention and speed.聽
鈥淔or us, GhostPosts was a creative outlet; a way to test ideas and learn, whilst showing others what might be possible.鈥�
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Venturing elsewhere
Brennan continues to run his consultancy business, Left Foot Forward, and has also been investing time into The Plotcast –聽 his podcast born from reclaiming a long-awaited allotment plot.聽
鈥淏usy is an understatement, but busy is also good!鈥� he said.
鈥淩ight now, The Plotcast is pure passion鈥� While I鈥檓 exploring sponsorships and funding longer term, I want to keep it authentic and community-driven first.聽
鈥淚f it grows into something bigger, great. But at its heart, it鈥檚 about connection.鈥�
Values over revenue – and giving back
The decision to donate remaining profits to a Manchester-based digital inclusion charity was deeply aligned with GhostPosts.ai鈥檚 mission.聽
Brennan explained: 鈥淔rom day one, GhostPosts was about accessibility. Making it easy and affordable for anyone to get their ideas out there.聽
鈥淲e’ll be donating to – a Manchester based CIC which does incredible work helping people and communities across the UK.
鈥淚 grew up in a home where difference was the norm. My biological mum was a foster carer, and over the years, I had more than 60 siblings come through our door, most with some form of disability.聽
鈥淓ach one had their own story, their own challenges, and their own needs. Living in that environment taught me very early on that no two people experience the world the same way and that the systems we build need to work for everyone, not just the majority.
鈥淚 think growing up in that environment hardwired me to see potential where others see limits. Whether it鈥檚 giving someone a voice, breaking down barriers, or making space for people who are often excluded, it鈥檚 all connected.鈥�
Neurodiversity and workstyle
Brennan has often spoken about being neurodiverse and how it influences his working life.聽
鈥淣eurodiversity definitely shapes how I work,鈥� he said.聽
鈥淚鈥檝e always had lots of ideas bubbling at once, and I thrive when I can switch between different kinds of problems.聽
鈥淪ometimes it鈥檚 chaotic, but I鈥檝e learned to lean into that instead of fighting it.鈥�
His businesses tend to follow a social-impact thread – something he credited to his upbringing and worldview.聽
鈥淚鈥檝e always been more interested in solving problems than chasing numbers.聽
鈥淩evenue matters, of course, but for me, success is when something you鈥檝e built genuinely makes life a little easier for someone else.鈥�
A different kind of entrepreneurial success
Despite having built and run businesses before, Brennan said this experience has reshaped how he thinks about collaboration and ambition.聽
鈥淕hostPosts reminded me how important it is to know your own strengths and limitations,鈥� he told 老九品茶Cloud.聽
鈥淚 thrive when I鈥檓 working alongside others, especially people who can challenge me, pressure-test my thinking and sometimes tell me when an idea鈥檚 too ambitious or complex.鈥�
He further explained that he wants to work in environments where bold ideas meet diverse perspectives.聽
He continued: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 where I鈥檒l be placing myself next: collaborating with people who aren鈥檛 afraid to tackle problems that look unsolvable at first glance.鈥�