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Mohan Ganesan
Mohan Ganesan

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Tips For Developers Who Want To Build A SAAS Startup

Having built Proxies API and made it to 100 paid users for the first time in my startup life, I tried to compile a list of tips for other developers like me who might be thinking of starting something on their own.

Developers are a different beast, and the advice here may not apply to anyone who is not a developer and is a normal human being. šŸ˜€

Pick an idea you have used. When you start a startup one of the persistent problems you face is that you don't relate to the problem. If you are not a parent, its almost impossible to relate to any conversations that parents have about their troubles. You just donā€™t. This lack of empathy in a startup setting adds up to a huge disadvantage and will never allow you to be fully confident in what you are doing.

  1. Pick an idea you have already paid for: If you have ever paid for a service, think very carefully about that. Can you code it yourself if you give yourself a few months? It is because developers donā€™t pay for shit. If an app forced you to do that, then there must a real need for that app.

  2. Donā€™t pick something that needs a pretty UI: My product Proxies API is an API. I can get away with almost no UI. It is such a relief that I donā€™t have to work with a designer. I find that I am 4 to 5 times faster when I donā€™t have to deal with UI stuff.

  3. Donā€™t pick anything that you need in-person sales for. Marketing is a developerā€™s friend. I realized this only later in my life. In-person sales are very weird for the developer personality. My advice. Don't do it. Learn how to market instead.

  4. Pick something that is a self-serve model: People signup for a trial and decide to pay or not pay based on their trial experience. This is a beast that you can conquer. You donā€™t want to be going around talking to actual humans. It is not for us.

  5. Try writing: If you can code and write, you will win the world. The whole success of Proxies API is based on constant improvements to code and a little bit of consistent writing over time.

  6. Keep it real: Be clear on your motivations. I know that developers are not motivated by the prospect of making millions. But they are excited by the promise of financial freedom. So I was clear on my motivations when starting Proxies API ā€” I didnā€™t want it to make me millions. I wanted it to give me financial freedom by earning what I earned in my day job. I didnā€™t need a penny more. By being clear about it, you are not living someone elseā€™s life but your own, and it will give you the necessary fuel to keep going.

Have fun.

The author is the founder of Proxies API the rotating proxies service.

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