It took me 4 years to come up with the $16k SaaS idea. Here are the 4 steps I did 😉

Step 1: learning HTML+CSS for 3 months.
I was genuinely interested in the web dev industry. I spent nights learning from videos made by smart Indian guys on youtube and building for-fun-only side projects such as a habit-tracking app.

Step 2: working as a web dev in an agency for 1 year.
Since I had no real experience the only offer I got was from a tiny web design agency.
The founder was shamelessly underpaying me and I was making like $300/m. But I did not care about the cash because all I wanted to do is to learn and get experience.
Experience! Experience! GIVE ME ALL THE EXPERIENCE!!!! 😈
I took every possible opportunity to help the business and learn. Technically my role was just “html coder” but I was also coding JS, PHP+WordPress, making UI. Hiring and firing other programmers, going to meetings with clients and discovering their problems, making sales and doing leadership for the tech team.

Step 3: working as a freelancer in web dev for 1 year.
Freelancer is a great initial step for any entrepreneur. You learn how to sell yourself, how to build relationships with clients. And the most important for a SaaS founder, you can learn their pains by directly speaking with them and asking the right questions. You can also build a solid network and use it for your SaaS needs later.
Freelancing deepened my understanding of the web dev industry. After doing websites for other I was ready to start my own project. Btw, the first clients of the SaaS I built (unicorn platform were my ex-clients from the freelancing past).

Step 4: make some html/wordpress themes for sale 2 years.
I was too scared to start an actual SaaS so I partnered with a talented guy and we started selling HTML and WordPress themes.
This gave me an even better understanding of the market. I was able to speak to even more people and learn even more pains. Also, I was able to try myself in selling a product and learn the basics of marketing and growth.

After spending 4 years in the industry I automatically got a clear vision of my future SaaS. There was no need to find a startup idea for me. I knew what to build and I knew it would be successful.
I talked to hundreds of wordpress users and every single person complained that WP is so complicated. So I just created a super simple website builder and people fell in love with it. And it was a success from day one. That was not a surprise to me because I knew people needed it. I knew their pains so I could build the right solution.

The process of finding a SaaS idea was not an actual process of searching for ideas. It was about being interested in the industry. Learning pains. Trying to solve the problems at a small scale. After years of hanging out in the niche, the SaaS idea just popped into my brain by itself.
So if you do not know what to do, work as an employee or as a freelancer for a couple of years. It is not a shame to take a step back from the building and “have a boss again”. It may actually turn your best decision as a SaaS founder.

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