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You get started by sharpening your tools and learning about how business works. For me, it was mostly podcasts on commutes and physical chores. I listened to
by BackBlast 4y ago
You get started by sharpening your tools and learning about how business works.
For me, it was mostly podcasts on commutes and physical chores. I listened to podcasts about web development, JavaScript, backend, data flows, infrastructure. I built small systems that used this understanding, cementing it in my brain with the pros and cons of approaches where the rubber meets the road. Then I listened to podcasts about small business, particular successful SaaS companies, marketing, sales approaches, management, hiring and all the ingredients that made them successful. Side benefit of this exploratory research is that it makes you very valuable in the market.
Find a need, think of how to serve that need, judge its longevity, quality, and value. Then you put your now sharp tools to work. Idea evaluation is a good skill, and required. You need to be brutally rational about the ideas. Emotional attachment helps drive your motivation to work on it, but it won't magically make customers appear.
Then you try to execute. Good execution is the hardest part, and you give yourself the best shot by head down improvements in your skills. For software, your first goal is to produce something that serves the need and can acquire a few paying customers. The less "other stuff" involved the better, just serve the need. Once you have paying customers leverage their feedback to grow the product and pick the best direction to feel out where the market for it really is. Non-paying feedback is much worse than someone else with skin in the game, paying customers are key.
It's a lot more blood and sweat than the article seems to point out. I like bootstrapping, but it means long evenings and weekends unless you have a sizable nest egg for a runway. Or better if you can afford to work only part-time and can find an accommodating position.
Be ready to fail the first few times and try again. 2-3 significant failures under your belt is pretty normal for a successful SaaS bootstrapper.
If you have the stomach and drive for it. Then you to can reach this definition of success.
There are tons of small underserved markets that would provide nicely for an individual or small team.
- 0xCAP 4y agoMind sharing the mentioned podcasts?
- Pandabob 4y agonot op, but here's a bunch of bootstrapper podcasts: * Startups for the rest of us * Art of product * Out of Beta * Indiehackers * Software Social * Build your SaaS The guy doing Startups for the rest of us, Rob Walling, also runs a bootstrapper conference called Microcof that I recommend checking out.
- BackBlast 4y agoThe SaaS podcast https://saasclub.io/saas-podcast/ https://saasclub.io/saas-podcast/ JavaScript Jabber I flitted around a bunch of others always looking for quality hosts and topics. I didn't like most of those I found with signal-to-noise too low. There were others, but I can't recall them off the top of my head. I didn't really maintain a list.
- swyx 4y agoi posted my list here https://www.swyx.io/fave-podcasts https://www.swyx.io/fave-podcasts
- robocat 4y agoHave you created a profitable SaaS, or are you are responding hypothetically on how to do it based on what you have learned from others?
- BackBlast 4y agoThis is my best information. It really isn't all one or the other. I've created 3 products thus far. One is abandoned as failed. One is currently flirting with profitability with about 30 paying customers, there is definitely a positive market signal here, and I'm trying to take it to the next level. The other is an MVP, but it is apparently still missing bits to give it a real go in the market, so it needs more investment. All of my products are B2C. I've also been working at small businesses for years and have built several products that are not mine. Mostly MVPs style products, but also some more ambitious projects. Mostly I've been the solo dev, but occasionally I run a team. These have also been, largely, marketplace failures. Some have seen success. I've been really living and working micro-saas for about 3-4 years as both founder and dev. I feel like I've trained my instincts correctly. I WILL make this work, even if I have to build #4, #5, and #6.
- robocat 4y agophilmcc recommended this talk: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31981864 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31981864 Jason Cohen talks a bit about why creating a B2C business is extremely difficult, and why B2B is better for self-funded startups. Amazing talk, and everything he said matches what I have seen of other businesses locally and my own experience (I am a successful B2B self-funded co-founder in one of the categories he mentioned). The other microconf talks are also worth watching, as they have bits of very valuable information, but Jason’s talk is just next-level and all of his info seems solid.