Home/r/SaaS/2025-07-02/#3891
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What’s the one lesson you wish you knew before starting your SaaS?

r/SaaS
7/1/2025

SAAS TOOLS

SaaSURLCategoryFeatures/Notes
NotionProductivityTag themes to spot churn risks
StripePaymentsQuick billing, webhooks for cancellation alerts
IntercomCustomer SupportOnboarding nudges
Pulse for RedditSocial Media MonitoringSurfaces complaints from niche subreddits
Should I Build Ithttps://shouldibuild.itIdea ValidationValidates SaaS ideas, library of validated ideas

USER NEEDS

Pain Points:

  • Difficulty in customer acquisition and distribution
  • Building unnecessary features that users don't pay for
  • High churn rate without understanding reasons
  • Lack of user understanding of the product
  • Underestimating the challenge of getting first users
  • Low visibility when building in public

Problems to Solve:

  • Validating product ideas before building
  • Identifying core features that users actually pay for
  • Reducing churn by addressing cancellation triggers
  • Improving product marketing and user onboarding
  • Finding effective distribution channels
  • Gaining initial traction and first users

Potential Solutions:

  • Charge from day one to validate willingness to pay
  • Conduct user interviews before building new features
  • Set up cancellation alerts and respond quickly to retain customers
  • Simplify pricing (monthly/annual, limited discounts)
  • Use tools like Pulse for Reddit to find interview leads
  • Build in public across multiple platforms (Reddit, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X)
  • Focus on solving real user problems rather than building features

GROWTH FACTORS

Effective Strategies:

  • Start charging early to validate product-market fit
  • Ship updates frequently (e.g., weekly)
  • Focus on distribution and marketing over building
  • Build in public to gain visibility and feedback

Marketing & Acquisition:

  • Identify and focus on effective distribution channels
  • Use social media monitoring tools (e.g., Pulse for Reddit) to find leads
  • Share bug fixes and updates in changelogs to engage users
  • Run user interviews to understand target market

Monetization & Product:

  • Keep pricing simple (monthly/annual plans)
  • Avoid large discounts (no more than two months free)
  • Build only core features that users pay for
  • Obsess over solving real user problems rather than adding features

User Engagement:

  • Conduct regular user interviews (e.g., two hours weekly)
  • Use onboarding tools (e.g., Intercom) for user guidance
  • Respond to cancellations within 15 minutes to retain customers
  • Tag and analyze user feedback themes in tools like Notion