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18 Comments

Idea Validation: SaaS app builder

The problem:

I have many startup ideas that I want to try, it's becomes difficult to buy domains, change DNS hosts, create a landing page, track who's visiting the page, collect user feedback, out reach to customers for list goes on.

I'd like one place to easily spin up my new idea, create a landing page and launch. Once launched I can track customers, send emails to users who've shown an interest, create mailing campaigns and many other jobs

You can think of it like a complete combination of:

  1. Mailchimp - Send unlimited emails, track opens, analyse them. This is the marketing element of the app.
  2. Unbounce - Design landing pages. This is the CMS element of the app.
  3. Hubspot - A CRM to manage sales pipelines, view analytics, create tasks etc.

The concept of the app is a one stop shop for launching your latest SaaS idea, from idea to building and managing a sales pipeline.

IndieHackers feels like the target market for my idea so I'm really keen to hear your feedback.

#idea-validation

  1. 3

    Seems like a good way to test a new idea cheaply and easily and then migrate to the more established tools if the idea has legs. Which, unfortunately, would mean you'd have a very high churn rate.

    1. 1

      Thanks for your feedback.

      If the idea had legs why would you need to switch tools if they were working for you?

      For example if our sales platform was converting customers why would you want to migrate?

  2. 2

    This sounds like one of those dangerous 'great ideas someone else would use'

    Indiehackers are doing this type of stuff. But I bet most wouldn't use your service they just 'do it themselves' especially since the tools are mostly free.

    How would you monetize?

    One way to test this is to get 10 people to commit to buy it. Have you talked directly to 10 potential users?

    1. 1

      Thanks for the feedback.

      Some really interesting points, in terms on monetisation it would be a tradition SaaS model so you’d pay a monthly fee.

      I see similarities between my idea and https://www.notion.so/

      We’re the all in one SaaS builder, although I think it’s clear there is definitely some confusion around custom code and “what happens when we get big”

      I’d love to chat to more people about this, potentially silly question where do I find them. I thought IH was a great place to post as it’s my target market.

  3. 2

    I think to validate this idea you should buy a domain, create a landing page and provide some "visual" material for your idea, to understand it better.

    If I want to launch my saas idea there is a lot of custom code/development behind other than landing page and sales and I want to keep things on my side not on another saas

    1. 1

      Thanks for the feedback.

      Valid points, this product tries to replace the need for using multiple services. So with your custom code you could easily integrate with it and have your sales, CRM, emails all in one place alongside your custom code.

  4. 1

    This is a great idea. You can strip it down to provide the core functionality of each of those tools (email + website + crm), removing the bloat that's come with those tools.

    Yeah, there's natural churn with a product like this. But lots of startups / side projects / solopreneurs / etc. need things outside their product to just happen. That goes a long way, and you can build in complexity later to reduce churn.

  5. 1

    Affiliate marketing might be a good way to monetize.

    My intuition tells me an MVP would be great for proof of concept work... maybe first 10-100. Most likely people would move to competitors after that so you could make money by referring them over.

    At some point, you could probably build a competing product though.

  6. 1

    I like the idea, but it would have to be truly fast and simple in order to use it. This is because it probably only takes me 2-3 hours or so to set up everything manually (a domain, website, email automation, etc).

    A key feature would be ability to export all the data so that people could transfer to their usual stack as soon as they validated that their idea works for them, so they could import to WordPress/ConvertKit/etc when they build their permanent site.

    1. 1

      Thanks for the feedback.

      Based on your comment and a few others I can see people believe they’d want to migrate away once their product took off. Maybe instead of focusing on the initial setup the product is a sales/automation platform that exposes APIs a user can integrate with their product.

      If our sales platform was working and converting I struggle to see a reason why you’d want to migrate to something else.

      1. 1

        I think this is because any legitimate startup doesn’t want to be dependent upon a single platform. That’s just a bad business decision and could be a huge continuity problem. Much safer to have multiple platforms for each part of your business, or build your own platform for yourself.

  7. 1

    I think it's a good idea. I picture this as a start with a generator / wizard and when the customer idea start picking up and need custom code they can still use your product thought APIs

  8. 1

    Sounds like a good idea, but I don't know if I would use it.
    My concerns are:

    1. Landing page + CRM + Email is only the first step. Then I have to move out from your Saas, because I will have a code part and it's better to have it in one place.
    2. I know that Mailchimp and Hubspot are good. But you probably won't make email as good as mailchimp and CRM as good as Hubspot. You will have some limitations
    1. 0

      Thanks for the feedback.

      1. Fair point, but Unless you’re going to build your own CRM, CMS, sales pipelines software etc you’ll never have everything in one place.
      2. of course there will be some limitations but I believe the tools will be good enough to compete. The USP here is having all your data in a single app - I believe this opens up many exciting opportunities.
  9. 1

    I think its a good idea. Would users be able to launch multiple projects? each with their own landing page etc etc? As long as the overall cost was the same or less that the combined cost of the products you are trying to accumulate, i think you'll be good 👍

    1. 1

      Thanks for the feedback.

      Yeh you’d be able to start multiple projects, each would have it own set of tools and reporting so you can track. Is this something you’d see your self using?

      1. 1

        Yeah id use it, depending on price of course

  10. 0

    Have you seen any guides/resources on how email services like mailchimp are built?

  11. 0

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  12. 1

    This comment was deleted 5 years ago.

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