The offer where I ran out of prospects

Context

It's 2024, just a few months after I published my ebook about the internet. Now I'm ready for the next project. I consider combining learning a new skill with making an offer. Which skill? As a backend developer, I've always wanted to learn frontend.

I've been listening to podcasts about developers who build SaaS (software as a service). These independent builders launch an app, then find customers to sign up to a monthly subscription. I decide to try something similar. But what will I build?

Want help planning your own SaaS offer? Let's talk.

Effort

At this time, I'm part of a group that gives feedback on each others' YouTube video ideas. We ask for suggestions on thumbnails and titles, but there's no easy way to generate a shareable preview image. So I decide to create a SaaS to solve the problem. I just hope those in the group will think it's good enough to sign up.

I immediately start building, spending a month coding an MVP (minimum viable product) that solves the problem. Soon I'm able to generate preview images and I'm using the app daily. My SaaS goes live, initially only with a free tier. I send a short message to the group asking them to try it out, which gets me my first few sign ups.

I ask for feedback from initial users and implement the suggestions. My product improves and eventually I add a pro tier. For lifetime membership, it's just $29. I explain the benefits of pro membership to two regular users—the first offer I've ever made via DM. With such tiny numbers, the likelihood of a sale feels slim.

Results

To my surprise, someone messages back saying they've signed up. I've just landed my first ever SaaS customer. Does this mean my idea's a winner?

To my dismay, none of my other free users seem interested. The group of YouTubers I'm in only has a few dozen members, so there's no obvious way to grow my user base. Any momentum quickly fades.

Today, I have 137 users. Two of them bought pro, bringing my total revenue to $58.

Lesson

When I started building the product, I was excited to learn new skills and solve my own problem. Although the excitement felt like momentum, it didn't mean my idea was any good. I never stopped to ask myself: how will I find customers consistently?

I told myself I'd answer the customer question after launch. But after putting in so much effort to build the app, I didn't know what to do. Get traffic from Google? Promote the app on social media? By this point, I'd done the 'fun' part and was now faced with a marketing problem. I lost all enthusiasm to continue. For future offers, I'll make sure to find customers first. Only once I've identified demand will I start building.

Conclusion

Not knowing where you'll find customers before you start building is a massive risk.

Building the product is only one part of creating a SaaS offer people want to buy. For developers like me, it's the easy part. Do marketing up-front so it's not forgotten.