I am here to tell you how I built a micro SaaS business from scratch.
It was not easy, but my goal is to show you that it can be done.
Here are the steps that led me to success:
Step 1: Find a problem and solve it with software
In a nutshell, this is the first and most important step. As an entrepreneur you have to find a problem that needs solving and then figure out how software can solve it better than any other available option.
I started by asking my friends and customers about what they struggled with in their businesses or personal lives. I searched for a few specific problems, then found niche opportunities where I could solve those problems.
I was able to find a problem that needed solving and then found the best way for me to solve it. It took some time as I had no idea what I wanted to do when starting this venture, but once I knew there were no holds barred!
Once you have your desired niche in place, all other decisions are easier.
Step 2: Get customer attention
Be out there and show how your product/software is beneficial for your target customer.
I started by talking with merchants in Shopify and understanding their needs.
I would do this by talking with them on the phone and spending time in person. I also did research, so when they were telling me their struggles or needs, I could give a solution that was either an app we had created or something similar from another company.
Step 3: Grow your user base
Starting from scratch is not easy and it takes time and focus.
I started by signing up for a bunch of Facebook ads and ran some really basic campaigns just to start building an audience.
Here are the basics I would recommend:
- Make sure your landing page is converting well before you increase spend.
- Test different ad creative (images, text) in order to see what converts.
- Build a list of potential customers that you need to email. You can use entrepreneurs/SaaS-focused subreddits on Reddit, Facebook Groups or Eventbrite (I found my best leads there).
- Experiment with different products and pricing models in order find what works.
Step 4: Partner up with other businesses or influencers who have similar audiences
For example, Shopify Partners, or Influencers in your niche on social media platforms like YouTube.
So, what can you do here?
For starters, join Facebook groups, forums, and slack channels for Shopify partners to connect with others in the space.
Then, create an email list of potential customers to reach out to later on. This can be done by asking people for their personal information on your website or creating a "Sign up" page that imports their contact details into Mailchimp automatically.
Step 5: Build an MVP and get feedback from customers before spending time building out features they don't need
The Minimum viable product or MVP will allow you to test your idea with potential customers before investing time and money into building a product that may not be profitable.
This is the perfect way for those without any technical knowledge or experience to validate an idea and determine if it's worth pursuing or not. If the feedback from the MVP process validates their assumption, then further development would make sense. If not, it's better to move on to something else.
Step 6: Validate your idea by getting investment from investors
Don't risk your capital, VCs are professional investors, and they can help you grow your business.
The first step is to talk with investors and understand their perspectives.
Then, create a pitch deck that will be used for meetings before pitching the VCs or Angel Investors.
Talking with early-stage Angel investors can help you get some additional insight on the process as well as potentially getting funding from them too!
Conclusion
The startup journey is not easy, but it's possible. It can be done with the right team and partners, understanding customer needs, finding validation through an MVP or investment from investors.
About us
We are a Shopify app development company that helps entrepreneurs create their own micro SaaS businesses as a Shopify app in whatever niche they want to work in.
Our mission is to help them put together all the pieces of building out that business and make the process as simple as possible! We have helped many people build successful online stores - take our course if you're interested in learning more about how we do this!
