You're overcomplicating it. Just solve a real problem.(Got my SaaS to $3,6k MRR)
5 comments
Have you had a successful SaaS besides the one this post advertises for?
Feels a bit like "buy my course, I'm very successful from selling courses, and can teach you too."
Feels a bit like "buy my course, I'm very successful from selling courses, and can teach you too."
My co-founder had a $30k MRR SaaS before this.
Do it 10 times and come back and I will buy your book
You guys keep posting similar stories:
https://news.ycombinator.com/submitted?id=davidheikka
Not quite sure what response you are hoping for with all these posts.
https://news.ycombinator.com/submitted?id=davidheikka
Not quite sure what response you are hoping for with all these posts.
We're co-founders of https://buildpad.io
We're hoping to help founders with the problems they experience on their journey of building products.
I've been there myself in the beginning and I've made the mistakes. Sharing what I've learned from my experience is the least I can do to help those who are starting out.
And if the people who read the posts need more practical help, then they can get that by finding out about our platform.
So, I'm hoping to help people with a bonus of having some check out our platform.
A fair exchange in my opinion, but maybe I'm wrong.
We're hoping to help founders with the problems they experience on their journey of building products.
I've been there myself in the beginning and I've made the mistakes. Sharing what I've learned from my experience is the least I can do to help those who are starting out.
And if the people who read the posts need more practical help, then they can get that by finding out about our platform.
So, I'm hoping to help people with a bonus of having some check out our platform.
A fair exchange in my opinion, but maybe I'm wrong.
>> Just look at problems you experience yourself. This could be in your day-to-day life, at work, in an industry you have experience in, or in something you’re passionate about. Start by simply looking for a problem, not a solution
I agree 100%. But I would add the following;
"Is solving the problem valuable?"
For example in some restaurants with uneven floors, tables rock. You could engineer a fancy wedge to solve this. But customers already solve this problem for free (by stuffing napkins or coasters under the foot.)
So it's a real problem, but you can't make a living fixing it because the fix has no value.
So in addition to finding a problem you have, find out if others have the same problem- and critically how much theyd spend to fix it.
I agree 100%. But I would add the following;
"Is solving the problem valuable?"
For example in some restaurants with uneven floors, tables rock. You could engineer a fancy wedge to solve this. But customers already solve this problem for free (by stuffing napkins or coasters under the foot.)
So it's a real problem, but you can't make a living fixing it because the fix has no value.
So in addition to finding a problem you have, find out if others have the same problem- and critically how much theyd spend to fix it.
Absolutely. Idea validation and continuously gathering feedback from users is something we've focused a lot on, and it's made all the difference. What makes the problem real is that a significant amount of people actually experience it and are willing to pay for a solution.
MRR proof because who trusts a random guy on the internet: https://imgur.com/a/NdybW3R
Nice post! Thanks!
What software/tools do you use?
In particular for online account tracking and subscriptions?
What software/tools do you use?
In particular for online account tracking and subscriptions?
Glad you liked it. We use Stripe for subscriptions.
You find what you think is the perfect idea for a product, then you do a little market research and find out someone else has built it already.
You conclude that it’s over. It’s already been done so you have to start all over again and find a new perfect idea. That’s the first wrong conclusion.
Then you try finding the idea that’s going to change the world, that will reinvent the whole industry. You spend hours searching for an idea like this and most of you never find it. You conclude that maybe entrepreneurship isn’t for you and you should go back to the 9-5. That’s the second wrong conclusion.
Now you’re all out of ideas. You have no clue where to look for new ones, nothing interesting comes to you, and everyone else takes all the good ideas that you should’ve thought of. You conclude that you’re simply not creative enough to come up with good ideas. That’s the third wrong conclusion.
That's three strikes. You’re out.
Now, let’s look at why all these three conclusions are wrong:
Someone has already built the idea
You mean that someone has already validated that demand exists and that people are willing to pay for a solution? Or do you mean that this business has taken every single customer that exists on the market, like every last one? Just because business X solves Y problem doesn’t mean that every person in the world who experiences Y problem knows about business X.
The truth is, you could build the exact same solution and still capture your share of the market. However, the better approach is to find your unique spin on the idea to better serve a specific group of people that business X might miss.
Your idea has to change the world to be worth building
Does it? When was the last time you paid for a tube of toothpaste? Did you buy it hoping it would change your life? Did you even think twice about buying it? You just need to start by solving a problem that people experience. If your solution is valuable to them, they will tell you by giving you their hard-earned value (money) in return. It’s time to stop thinking of yourself as Steve Jobs, it’s just holding you back.
Now, this simple idea will change over time as you receive customer feedback and start shaping it into something that people really want. Eventually, you might actually find yourself with a product that changes the world, but it all starts with just solving a real problem.
You’re not creative enough to come up with a good idea
You don’t have to be especially creative to find a good idea. Just look at problems you experience yourself. This could be in your day-to-day life, at work, in an industry you have experience in, or in something you’re passionate about. Start by simply looking for a problem, not a solution. Is your life problem-free? Congrats, Buddha. For the rest of you, it shouldn’t take long to find a problem with potential here.
What I want to achieve with this post is to get some of you over the barrier of endlessly searching for perfect ideas. The real work is in constantly improving the product to slowly shape it into something that’s really good. That’s where you should be spending your time.
Don’t look for a million-dollar idea, just solve a real problem.