Build Your First SaaS Checklist

A no-nonsense checklist for solo founders and small teams building their first SaaS product - from raw idea to paying customers. Skips the theory and focuses on the decisions that actually matter.

work, productivity, coding

by Morris

Idea Validation (Before Building Anything)

Real validation means someone giving you money or an email address - not friends saying "that's cool." Do this before writing a single line of code.

• Write a one-sentence problem statement: "[Person] struggles to [do X] because [reason], so they currently [workaround]."
• Identify 20 potential users by name - not demographics, actual people you could email today
• Run 10 customer discovery interviews - ask about their current workflow, not whether they'd use your product
• Identify if anyone is already paying for a solution to this problem
• Set up a landing page with an email capture or waitlist before building anything
• Ask 5 people from your interviews to pre-pay or join a paid waitlist
• Define your target customer with enough specificity to find 1000 of them online

Market and Competitor Research

Know what already exists. Your job is not to build something with zero competition - it's to understand the landscape so you can position clearly.

• List every direct and indirect competitor - search Google, Product Hunt, G2, Capterra, and Reddit for existing solutions
• Sign up for and actually use 2-3 competitor products for at least one week
• Build a simple comparison table: you vs. top 3 competitors on the 5 dimensions that matter most to your target user
• Research pricing in your category - what do comparable tools charge per month?
• Identify one specific underserved segment within the broader market

Tech Stack Decision

Choose boring, well-supported technology. The goal is to ship, not to use interesting tools. You can always refactor later.

• Choose a language and framework you already know well - this is not the time to learn something new
• Decide on your database and set it up before writing any product code
• Set up your hosting and deployment pipeline before writing product features
• Choose your authentication provider - use Clerk, Auth0, Supabase Auth, or NextAuth rather than building it yourself
• Decide which third-party services handle non-core functionality: email, file storage, analytics
• Document your architecture decisions in a single README or doc - even if it's just for yourself

MVP Scope Definition (What to Cut)

Your MVP should take 4-8 weeks to build alone. If your current scope would take longer, cut features until it fits. The goal is to learn, not to ship a complete product.

• Write down every feature you think the product needs - then cut 70% of them
• Define your core user loop in one sentence - the one action users will repeat that makes the product valuable
• Estimate build time for each remaining feature in honest hours - double your estimate, then cut again
• Identify which features can be "faked" manually in the early beta rather than built
• Write a one-paragraph description of what MVP done means - specific and testable
• Create a public roadmap or changelog page from day one - even if it's just a Notion doc

Development Environment and Project Setup

Get the boring setup done right the first time. Bad project structure and missing tooling causes compounding pain.

• Initialize the repository with a proper .gitignore and commit your initial project structure
• Set up environment variable management for local, staging, and production environments
• Configure ESLint and Prettier before writing any product code
• Set up your CI/CD pipeline - at minimum, run linting and type checks on every pull request
• Create a staging environment that mirrors production - use it for manual QA before every launch
• Set up error tracking (Sentry free tier) on day one - you need to know when things break in production

Core Features Build

Build the minimum path through your core user loop. Ship the unhappy path later. Focus on making the main thing work end-to-end first.

• Build end-to-end core flow first - even if it's ugly - before adding any secondary features
• Build the data model and database schema before building any UI
• Build the happy path only - stub out error states with generic messages for now
• Write at least basic integration tests for your core user flow
• Build an admin view or internal dashboard for yourself to see all users, their data, and activity
• Add basic logging to every meaningful user action - you need this data for debugging and iteration
• Time-box the build: set a calendar date for "feature freeze" and stick to it

Authentication and Payments (Stripe Integration)

Stripe integration always takes longer than expected. Plan 1-2 weeks just for billing and subscription logic. Set up payments before launch, not after.

• Set up Stripe account, create products and prices in the dashboard before writing any integration code
• Implement Stripe Checkout (hosted page) rather than custom payment form for MVP
• Implement Stripe webhooks to handle subscription lifecycle events
• Store Stripe customer ID and subscription status on your user record in the database
• Build a customer portal link using Stripe Billing Portal for subscription management
• Test the complete payment flow end-to-end in test mode: sign up, upgrade, cancel, resubscribe
• Switch Stripe keys from test mode to live mode before launch - double-check every environment variable

Beta Testing

Get 10-20 real users using the product before public launch. Their feedback will change what you build next.

• Recruit 10-20 beta users from your customer discovery interviews and waitlist - not friends and family
• Set up a private Slack or Discord channel for beta users to report bugs and give feedback
• Schedule 3 live walkthroughs with beta users - watch them use the product without helping them
• Track which beta users are actually returning and using the product - identify the engaged ones
• Fix only the bugs and UX issues that block the core flow during beta - defer everything else
• Ask 3 engaged beta users to write a testimonial or let you quote their feedback

Launch Preparation

Distribution is harder than building. Your launch day needs to be prepared 2 weeks in advance, not the night before.

• Pick 2-3 distribution channels and prepare your posts and content before launch day
• Write a Show HN post if targeting developers - follow the format that gets traction
• Update your landing page with real screenshots, a clear value proposition, and pricing before launch
• Set up a free trial or freemium tier that doesn't require a credit card to start
• Prepare your launch-day response plan: who responds to comments, how quickly, what you'll say
• Set up your customer support workflow before launch - email, Intercom, or a simple contact form

Post-Launch Iteration

Launch is not the finish line - it's day one of learning. The biggest SaaS failure mode is building for 6 months then launching to silence. Your first 30 days of data are gold.

• Define your 30-day post-launch success metric before launch day - and commit to what you'll do if you don't hit it
• Track MRR, not users - users is a vanity metric, monthly recurring revenue tells you if you have a business
• Do weekly 30-minute reviews of user behavior in analytics for the first 3 months
• Email every churned user personally within 24 hours of cancellation and ask why they left
• Identify your first 3 power users and ask them what feature would make them pay 2x as much
• Publish a public retrospective or build-in-public post about your first 30 days - include real numbers