I was about to pull my hair out.
There I was, staring at another Wix subscription renewal notice, watching my monthly SaaS bills pile up like trading positions gone wrong. As someone who’s spent over two decades in fixed income markets—from implementing Bloomberg’s TOMS system to building algorithmic trading platforms—I should have seen this coming. But somehow, I’d fallen into the same trap that catches so many of us: SaaS subscription hell.
The Breaking Point
Let me paint you a picture. I’m John Shelburne, and I’ve built my career bridging financial markets and technology. I’ve worked with tier-1 banks across Europe implementing complex trading systems, acquired the IP for a machine learning platform that analyzed 200+ million bond pairs, and somehow managed to reduce enterprise cloud costs without touching a single line of code.
Yet here I was, defeated by… a blog.
The irony wasn’t lost on me. I could architect neural networks for relative value trading, but I was paying Wix $50+ per month for what should be a simple content management system. Every time I wanted to customize something, I hit a paywall. Need better SEO? Upgrade. Want custom domains? Upgrade. More storage? You guessed it.
I was living in what I now call “SaaS Stockholm Syndrome” – where you keep paying for tools that hold your content hostage.
The Lightbulb Moment
The breakthrough came during a particularly frustrating evening of wrestling with Wix’s limitations. I was trying to add some custom financial charts to a blog post (you know, the kind of market analysis that got me through 20 years on trading floors), and Wix wanted me to upgrade to their “Business” plan.
That’s when it hit me: Why am I paying for someone else’s limitations when I have AI tools that can help me build exactly what I need?
I’d been using Claude Code for development work, and it struck me—what if I could leverage AI to minimize my SaaS subscriptions entirely? With my basic HTML, CSS, and Tailwind knowledge (and I mean basic), could I actually build something better than what I was paying for?
The AI-Powered Approach
Here’s what changed everything: I stopped trying to be a full-stack developer overnight and started being a domain expert who uses AI as a force multiplier.
My approach became:
- Identify what I actually needed (not what SaaS companies told me I needed)
- Leverage AI tools to fill knowledge gaps instead of paying for pre-built limitations
- Focus on content and user experience rather than fighting with platforms
For this blog, I:
- Used Claude Code to transform 59 scattered blog posts from multiple failed Astro projects into a clean, organized content library
- Built a terminal-themed design that reflects my background (because let’s face it, most of my career has been spent in terminals anyway)
- Integrated with ZenBlog CMS for content management without the Wix markup
- Deployed on Netlify with automatic builds from GitHub
The Technical Stack (Surprisingly Simple)
Here’s what I’m running now instead of Wix:
Frontend: Next.js 14 with React 18 (AI helped me set this up) Styling: Tailwind CSS with a custom terminal theme (GitHub Dark colors) CMS: ZenBlog for content management Hosting: Netlify with automatic deployments Version Control: GitHub (because I’m not insane)
Monthly cost: ~$0-10 instead of $50+
The kicker? This site is faster, more customizable, and actually represents my personality. The terminal theme isn’t just aesthetic—it’s authentic. After 20+ years working with trading systems, Bloomberg terminals, and FIX protocols, why would I want some generic template?
What I Learned About AI and SaaS
AI tools aren’t just for coding—they’re for escaping vendor lock-in.
Instead of being stuck with Wix’s limitations, I can now:
- Add any financial charts or trading analysis I want
- Customize the design to match my professional background
- Own my content without worrying about export limitations
- Scale without hitting arbitrary plan limits
- Integrate with any tools I actually use (not just what’s in their app store)
The real revelation was this: My “minimal” HTML, CSS, and Tailwind knowledge was actually plenty when combined with AI assistance.
I didn’t need to become a frontend expert overnight. I needed to clearly communicate what I wanted, leverage AI to fill knowledge gaps, and focus on what I actually bring to the table—domain expertise in financial markets and two decades of experience with complex systems.
The Migration Process
Moving from Wix was surprisingly straightforward with AI help:
- Content Analysis: AI helped analyze and categorize my 59 existing posts by complexity
- Automated Migration: Built scripts to convert frontmatter and clean up content
- Design Implementation: AI translated my “terminal aesthetic” vision into actual CSS
- Deployment Setup: Configured the entire CI/CD pipeline with AI assistance
The whole process took a few focused sessions instead of months of learning curves.
Beyond Blogging: The Bigger Picture
This experience taught me something crucial about modern development: The bottleneck isn’t technical knowledge—it’s knowing what questions to ask and how to communicate requirements clearly.
My background in fixed income markets actually gave me advantages I didn’t expect:
- Systems thinking from trading floor experience
- Risk management from handling complex financial instruments
- Process optimization from reducing cloud costs at Katana Labs
- Clear communication from client-facing roles at Bloomberg and European banks
These skills transfer directly to working with AI tools for development.
The Results
Here’s what I have now that Wix could never give me:
Performance: Lighthouse scores in the 90s across the board Customization: Every pixel is exactly what I want Content Freedom: My posts, my rules, my formatting Cost Control: Predictable, minimal monthly expenses Professional Alignment: A site that actually represents my background
But most importantly: I’m not paying for someone else’s limitations anymore.
For Fellow SaaS Refugees
If you’re reading this while staring at your own pile of subscription renewals, here’s my advice:
Start with what you actually need, not what platforms tell you to want.
You don’t need to become a full-stack developer. You need to:
- Clearly define your requirements (like writing trading specs)
- Identify your core competencies (domain expertise matters more than you think)
- Use AI to bridge knowledge gaps (not replace your judgment)
- Focus on ownership over convenience (you’re building an asset, not renting one)
The technical learning curve is much gentler when you have AI assistance and clear objectives. My “minimal” web development knowledge was actually sufficient because I had 20+ years of experience breaking down complex requirements and implementing solutions.
What’s Next
This blog represents more than just escaping Wix—it’s proof that domain experts can leverage AI to build exactly what they need instead of settling for what SaaS platforms decide to offer.
I’m planning to document more of this journey, including:
- How AI helps with financial market analysis and visualization
- Building custom tools instead of buying generic SaaS solutions
- The intersection of traditional finance and modern development practices
Because here’s the thing: If a bond trader can build a terminal-themed blog with AI assistance, anyone can escape SaaS limitations and build something that actually serves their needs.
The question isn’t whether you have enough technical knowledge. The question is: Are you ready to stop paying for someone else’s vision of what your online presence should be?
This blog is built with Next.js 14, styled with Tailwind CSS, powered by ZenBlog CMS, and deployed on Netlify. Total monthly cost: $0-10. Total freedom: Priceless.
Want to escape your own SaaS subscriptions? Feel free to reach out or check out my other projects on GitHub.