Dear SaaStr: What Are The Top 5 Things I Should Know Before Starting a SaaS Startup?

My Top 5:

  • It will take you at least 24 months to really get anywhere. Everyone mentally budgets 10–12 months. It’s never enough. At least, not to get enough paying customers from Code Zero. A little more here: https://www.saastr.com/if-youre-…
  • A co-founder not equally committed will blow up on you, and best case, is a disaster you will have to clean up later. Almost always.  Wait and find a co-founder just as committed as you are.
  • Someone else great already has the same idea. Like, always. It’s OK. That’s the way it should be. So ask yourself — why will you win? Answer that instead of worrying about being first.  Too many founders aren’t honest about why they will win.
  • If you’re a “business” founder, know it’s really, really hard to win without a truly great CTO.  If you aren’t sure if your technical co-founder is good enough, ask the top engineering leader you know what she thinks.
  • Make 100% sure the market will actually pay for your product.  Not just like it.  This is a top mistake so many founders make.  They build a useful product, but not one the market values so much they will pay for it.  At least do 30+ customer interviews and really listen on if they’d paid for real, and then go validate that some more.

A bit more here:

Dear SaaStr: What Do You Have to Get Right in a Start-Up?

 

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