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What I Learned Helping Over 1,900 Non Tech Founders Start SaaS Companies From Scratch | SaaS Academy

Written by Dane Maxwell | Nov 26, 2024 2:50:45 PM

My students have collectively made more than $750,000,000 by understanding the concepts you’re about to learn.

The tech world is changing. AI is making it faster to start software companies, but the fundamentals are even more powerful than before.

AI is not what will make a business successful, it’s understanding that a customer wants an outcome. They just want it faster, easier, and cheaper. This is the ticket.

 

"Those who get this, can start just about anything successfully"

 

It’s easy to think that a SaaS is all about the tech and the mechanism you’re making. It’s not.

Whether you’re starting a SaaS or any other business, it’s the same concept.

AI is only a mechanism to get a customer a result. So is your SaaS or business.

 

Here Are The 5 Things You Should Know To Start Any Kind of Company (Including SaaS)

A Personal Invitation For You…

The world needs better software products. Good software changes everything for the better. My students and I are getting together to talk about how to start SaaS companies from scratch.

If you want to learn more  - check it out here.

One: It’s not about right and wrong, it’s the “almost right” that gets ya.


In SaaS (and in business), it’s not so much about being wrong, it’s about what happens when you’re almost right. When you’re almost right, you fail.

Almost right. Fail by a lot.

So your aim is not to be almost right, it’s to hit the nail on the head. Right square in the center. You do that by working on idea number 2.

Two: Help a specific person with a specific problem.

This is close but not right…

  Helping course creators get sales

  Helping Realtors with their CRM

  Helping e-commerce owners set up stores

 

This is right…

 7 figure course creators increase webinar conversions

  Helping top 10% Realtors convert their current leads

 Helping 7 figure brick and mortar stores go digital

 

Three: Speak in outcomes, not in mechanism.

Once you understand this… it’s the difference between a few sales and hundreds and thousands of new customers. 

This is close but not right…

  Course Creators: Make beautiful funnels with our software

  Realtors: Close more leads with our CRM software

 Brick & Mortar niche: Build your first e-commerce store

 

This is right…

 Course Creators: Get sales automatically with our webinar software for courses

  Realtors: Close 3 more deals each month with our software

 Bricks & Mortar Niche: Take your 7-figure physical store online in 72 hours with our software

Four: Act like you’re broke. 

I’ve lost hundreds of thousands of dollars by not following this.

If you’re conserving cash, don’t start development until your prototype is clear and simple. 

What I mean is this. Don’t start until your specific person has a specific outcome defined, and your prototype helps in a specific way. 

With this, you’re golden. 

People think having money is what makes it easy to start a SaaS business (or any business for that matter). The truth is when I’ve had money I’m lazy.

I built better SaaS companies when I was broke. Stay broke in your mind.

Five: Hire a coach that scares you, not that comforts you

Listen, I teach this stuff and I hire coaches. I paid a coach $6,000 and he saved my ass. 

Excitement can cost you a lot of money. I almost lost $30,000 starting a SaaS I was so excited about. My coach saved me when he forced me to manually test the software concept in a Slack group. I saved myself an easy $30,000 when I realized it wasn’t gonna fly.

You can shave hundreds of hours and hundreds of thousands with a coach who scares you by guiding you where you need the most help.

So let’s recap:

One   Aim for exactly right, not almost right.

 

Two   Help a specific person with a specific problem.

 

Three   Speak in outcomes, not in mechanisms.

 

Four   Act like you’re broke.

 

Five   Hire a coach that scares you, not comforts you.

 

If you’d like, you can print that out as a north star for your business life!

One Final Thought…

You have no idea how good your life can be when you own a great SaaS. The lifestyle is second to none. But your life can also be miserable with a bad SaaS. Please be careful when starting one.

My top students and I are getting together to talk about how to start SaaS companies from scratch. 

If you want to learn more  - check it out here.