11 things I have learned from creating my own SaaS

Two years ago I started creating my Software as a Service product. I decided to do it, since I always wanted to try to make something of my own. In the beginning, there was only an idea. It took a lot of time, effort and research to bring the product to the state it is currently in. At the time, I could not find a similar product on the market I planned to release it on.

The whole product creation process taught me a lot of things. Here are the top 11 things I learned while creating my own product.

1. Don’t do everything by yourself

Each business / company initially consists of a minimum of two, three or even four roles. In the world of software development, these would be — designer, developer, seller, product owner. Be smart and try to delegate work and tasks as soon as you can, so you can focus on things you know or you wish to know. Two brains are smarter than one, two people can do more work than one. Different sets of skills, thoughts, connections, brainstorming ideas are just some of the reasons why you shouldn’t initially dismiss the idea of ​​starting a business with someone else. If there are more people who think the idea is good, extra help is always welcome.

If you manage to set up good team spirit and organize yourself properly within a team or group, the quality of the product, the efficiency of execution and the time needed to realize the project will improve.

As I am more technically minded (software developer), the whole business side was unknown to me. I started building a product as a developer. I realized it was pretty hard to be a one-man show. There is a lot of work, there are different roles and perspectives that each role carries. I decided this time to try myself in the role of ‘product owner’. I was no longer the main developer on the project.

2. Do your research

Although at first, your idea may seem like a new facebook, instagram or slack, very likely something similar already exists. Which doesn’t have to be bad at all, but you have to explore what it’s all about.

• Is there already such a product?
• Is it missing something?
• How can you improve it?
• Why would anyone use your product instead of theirs?

On the other hand, whether or not a product exists, it is important to check if there is interest in it.

Define your audience. Do your research, find out what is the age group, geolocation, industry and gender that will mostly use the product. Adapt the UI/UX to them.

3. You don’t need to know the answers to all the questions right away

You will never know the answers to all the questions. What matters is that you initially define the items that your audience considers important. Things will surely change, be ready for a change and embrace it. It is imperative that you are aware that you will not be able to please everyone. Each has their own vision of the product. One will require a specific functionality, another will dislike design, third will have difficulties with user experience. Even the biggest companies have problems with that, how can you not? You’re only just starting the business.

Don’t let it discourage you if absolutely all goals are not clear — If you don’t have the most modern design or if you choose not to use cutting-edge technology.

4. Feedback is important

Try getting it as soon as you can. If possible, try this before the development itself. If you have a clickable design or wireframes, share your idea with a few friends. Or better yet, share them with people you don’t know — since people who don’t know you are more likely to be objective, and at the same time you won’t let acquaintances know you’re working on something — because that can sometimes be embarrassing, and you find out that some “Friends” are just waiting for your mistake.

Getting quality feedback is a must. You involve more people in the story, listen to other people’s opinions and ask many questions that can lead to product improvement.

It is also important to know how to accept criticism. Not everyone will like what you do or the way you do it. You need to know how to get the essentials out of every feedback.

5. Limit the MVP to a narrow number of functionalities

You have analyzed the market and gathered feedback. Prioritize functionalities and identify those that won’t be used as much, might be an overkill or are less valuable. To make the product usable as soon as possible, try to limit it to a smaller number of functionalities to save time (if time to release is your key item). Lower priority items are more likely to be changed, added, removed or adapted in the future.

Obviously, you will be able to add functionalities through additional releases and versions, but it’s important that users start familiarising with the platform even before you have everything done.

6. Set a deadline

I would like to emphasize the delivery time as one of the most important things. I found myself in a situation where, despite the fact that the product is functional, the product is not ‘perfect’ to my measurements. For weeks or even months, I tried to get it to the point where I liked it completely — which is impossible. The work of improving the product is a continuous process, it is constantly possible to add changes in the form of user interface, add functionality or change existing ones. But why all the effort if no one is using the product?

At this point, feedback from real users is required. They are the ones who will use the product and their opinion is important.

Because of this, it is necessary to set a deadline, either defined by time or by functionalities. Once all the items that have been defined as important are implemented, it is time for the first release.

7. Create a timeline — set daily, weekly and monthly measurable goals

I have a bunch of unfinished projects behind me, as I believe the situation is with most of you. It is my opinion that the main reason for this is, apart from not setting a specific deadline, the poor specifications of the product itself and the fact that I did not set short-term goals that I have to meet.

Imagine a situation where your main goal, for example, is to lose 80kg, run 50km, lift 150k, become a national champion in a sport of your choice. These are all big and long-term goals, which, from the perspective of the starting line, seem very distant, difficult, and even unattainable.

That ultimate goal must be such as to get you out of your comfort zone. But to get to it, you can’t immediately jump out of your skin. You need to set achievable goals, which lead you to the unattainable ones. Step by step. After each measurable goal, you can reward yourself, take a short break, or celebrate. You can also revise what you have done so far, how you have done it, whether there is a way to make that job easier or to do it better.

8. Think about how you will market, promote and sell the product

If the service you create will not be free, this is one of the most important items.

Marketing sells a product. Everyone knows that. How to do marketing for your SaaS? There are many ways. A lot depends on the geolocation, the type of user and the service itself. Since I am not a marketing expert, this area is unknown to me, but I am aware that it is necessary to promote the product in some way. Here are some ways of how your SaaS can reach the audience:

• marketing campaigns
• paid promotions on social networks
• account management on social networks
• rewards, discounts, free promotions
• cold reach…

9. See if the business model is applicable to a different domain

I have been working on this SaaS for about two years. Initially, there was no competition in the area. Now I see about 4–5 competitors on the market. The product is focused on Business-to-Business collaboration. Although I still stand behind having a better way to sell, I have noticed that I can apply this generalized model to smaller businesses and customers (Business-to-Customer).

In addition, with minor modifications in the form of UI / UX and different data models, the model is more widely applicable (to several other industries). Of course, this is not necessary, sometimes it is not even possible. But if you have a desire to give it another go — in case this product doesn’t come to life or if you want to expand your business; it’s not bad that you don’t have to start the whole procedure from scratch.

10. Don’t be sorry to invest in your product or yourself

I believe a lot of us have come to a situation where we need to buy something, which is either a little more expensive or of questionable utility. Don’t be sorry to invest in your product or yourself. How many times have you gone out to a more expensive dinner, taken unnecessarily expensive clothes, bought the latest technological item (laptop, cell phone)?

By investing in yourself once, you create a lifelong experience. Whether it’s a course, a book, a data set, a subscription service to help you get to your destination. Even if you eventually don’t need it, you can always help someone else with it.

11. It’s okay to switch off

Sometimes it’s healthy to stop working. Especially if this is your side hustle. You have a permanent job and you work extra in your spare time. Taking a break is the key to making progress. It is primarily important that you are healthy and sharp-minded. When you find yourself in a situation where you need a break or you are not sure what and how to proceed it is time for a pause.

A good work-life balance is necessary to get back on track. Vacation is actually desirable — forget the advice of people who do not have a social life, never travel and work forever. This is feasible in the short term. It is not healthy for longer life periods. Spend time in nature, with family, watching movies, reading books, playing computer and board games. Socialize, organize dinners and invite to spontaneous gatherings. Your brain and body will be grateful.

Conclusion

In order to succeed, you have to be an all-rounder. Don’t be afraid to try. It is your idea that can bear fruit. It’s all one beautiful adventure and experience in which you cannot lose — either you’re richer for the experience and the network of people, or your product will be used by many.

You may find that your product looks completely different from when you started — the software development process is like that. Goals change. Trends change. Work towards your goals, stay hungry and enjoy creating something, exclusively yours.