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Building my first SaaS… Already failed twice. No idea "what I’m doing". What’s your real advice?
r/SaaS
7/4/2025
SAAS TOOLS
| SaaS | URL | Category | Features/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe | https://stripe.com | Payments | Payment processing integration |
| Brevo CRM | https://www.brevo.com | CRM | Customer relationship management |
| Vercel | https://vercel.com | Hosting | Free hosting for scaling |
| Supabase | https://supabase.com | Database/Auth | Free database and authentication services |
| Resend | https://resend.com | Email/SMTP | Free email service for scaling |
| Hetzner | https://www.hetzner.com | Hosting | Low-cost dedicated/VM hosting |
USER NEEDS
Pain Points:
- Difficulty validating product ideas effectively
- Lack of marketing expertise and budget
- High server costs for early-stage products
- Building products without clear problem-solution fit
- Struggling to find paying customers
Problems to Solve:
- Identifying real pain points worth solving
- Validating demand before building
- Reducing upfront infrastructure costs
- Finding effective distribution channels
- Creating solutions for expensive/time-consuming problems
Potential Solutions:
- Manual validation through service-first approach
- Focus on compliance/regulatory pain points
- Target manual processes for automation
- Partner with existing agencies/distributors
- Use no-code/low-cost infrastructure tools
GROWTH FACTORS
Effective Strategies:
- Problem-first approach instead of product-first
- Manual customer validation before automation
- Targeting expensive problems ($1000+/month)
- Partnering with existing distribution channels
- Building in public/documenting the process
Marketing & Acquisition:
- Focus on B2B over B2C for predictability
- Targeting niche communities/industries
- Leveraging compliance/regulatory needs
- Community building through shared pain points
Monetization & Product:
- Start with manual services to validate pricing
- Use free tiers (Vercel/Supabase) to reduce costs
- Focus on problems affecting direct revenue
- Prioritize features that automate manual workflows
User Engagement:
- Building in public to attract early adopters
- Targeting hyper-specific communities
- Creating solutions for existing active communities
- Using documentation as marketing material