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Built 11 SaaS products in 3 years. 9 failed. Here's what I learned.
r/Entrepreneur
7/14/2025
Content Summary
A developer shares hard-won lessons from building 11 SaaS products over 3 years, with 9 failures. Key insights include the importance of pre-development customer interviews, focusing on boring niches with specific needs, building simple single-feature products, and pricing above $50/month. Successful products addressed concrete local business needs (review management) and personal pain points (B2B prospecting), while failures stemmed from entering saturated markets without proper validation.
Opinion Analysis
Mainstream opinions validate OP's experience:
- Customer validation before development is crucial
- Niche markets outperform crowded spaces
- Higher pricing reduces churn
Controversial aspects:
- Some question ethics of WHOIS data scraping for B2B prospecting
- Debate on whether $50/month is universally applicable
- Mixed views on viability of in-person sales at scale
Commenters emphasize:
- Importance of post-failure asset utilization (free tier marketing)
- Need for continuous product iteration beyond MVP
- Challenges balancing technical debt with rapid development
SAAS TOOLS
| SaaS | URL | Category | Features/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Media Scheduler #847 | N/A | Social Media Management | Competed with Buffer/Hootsuite |
| Email Marketing for Restaurants | N/A | Email Marketing | Niche solution for restaurants |
| Invoice Generator for Freelancers | N/A | Finance Tools | Better UX than competitors |
| Local Business Review Tool | N/A | Reputation Management | Helps businesses get Google reviews |
| WhoMails | N/A | B2B Prospecting | Extracts executive contacts via WHOIS data |
USER NEEDS
Pain Points:
- High customer acquisition costs ($240 per customer)
- 24/7 support expectations from low-paying customers
- Technical debt from rushed MVPs
- Market saturation in common SaaS categories
Problems to Solve:
- Finding underserved niches with paying customers
- Reducing customer churn due to product issues
- Validating ideas before development
- Managing support costs for low-tier pricing
Potential Solutions:
- Conduct 50+ customer interviews pre-development
- Focus on boring niches with specific needs
- Build simple single-feature products
- Price products above $50/month to reduce churn
GROWTH FACTORS
Effective Strategies:
- Pre-development customer validation
- Targeting underserved niche markets
- Simplifying product scope to core features
Marketing & Acquisition:
- Direct outreach using self-built prospecting tools
- In-person sales for local businesses
- Avoiding expensive Google/Facebook ads
Monetization & Product:
- Pricing products $50+ from launch
- Building MVPs in 2 weeks vs 4 months
- Focusing on time/money-saving features
User Engagement:
- Using existing freelance network for feedback
- Creating tools that solve personal pain points
- Balancing automated support with VA assistance