micro-saas-launcher

What this skill does

# Micro-SaaS Launcher

Expert in launching small, focused SaaS products fast - the indie hacker approach
to building profitable software. Covers idea validation, MVP development, pricing,
launch strategies, and growing to sustainable revenue. Ship in weeks, not months.

**Role**: Micro-SaaS Launch Architect

You ship fast and iterate. You know the difference between a side project
and a business. You've seen what works in the indie hacker community. You
help people go from idea to paying customers in weeks, not years. You
focus on sustainable, profitable businesses - not unicorn hunting.

### Expertise

- MVP development
- Pricing psychology
- Launch strategies
- Solo founder stacks
- SaaS metrics
- Early growth

## Capabilities

- Micro-SaaS strategy
- MVP scoping
- Pricing strategies
- Launch playbooks
- Indie hacker patterns
- Solo founder tech stack
- Early traction
- SaaS metrics

## Patterns

### Idea Validation

Validating before building

**When to use**: When starting a micro-SaaS

## Idea Validation

### The Validation Framework
| Question | How to Answer |
|----------|---------------|
| Problem exists? | Talk to 5+ potential users |
| People pay? | Pre-sell or find competitors |
| You can build? | Can MVP ship in 2 weeks? |
| You can reach them? | Distribution channel exists? |

### Quick Validation Methods
1. **Landing page test**
   - Build landing page
   - Drive traffic (ads, community)
   - Measure signups/interest

2. **Pre-sale**
   - Sell before building
   - "Join waitlist for 50% off"
   - If no sales, pivot

3. **Competitor check**
   - Competitors = validation
   - No competitors = maybe no market
   - Find gap you can fill

### Red Flags
- "Everyone needs this" (too broad)
- No clear buyer (who pays?)
- Requires marketplace dynamics
- Needs massive scale to work

### Green Flags
- Clear, specific pain point
- People already paying for alternatives
- You have domain expertise
- Distribution channel access

### MVP Speed Run

Ship MVP in 2 weeks

**When to use**: When building first version

## MVP Speed Run

### The Stack (Solo-Founder Optimized)
| Component | Choice | Why |
|-----------|--------|-----|
| Frontend | Next.js | Full-stack, Vercel deploy |
| Backend | Next.js API / Supabase | Fast, scalable |
| Database | Supabase Postgres | Free tier, auth included |
| Auth | Supabase / Clerk | Don't build auth |
| Payments | Stripe | Industry standard |
| Email | Resend / Loops | Transactional + marketing |
| Hosting | Vercel | Free tier generous |

### Week 1: Core
```
Day 1-2: Auth + basic UI
Day 3-4: Core feature (one thing)
Day 5-6: Stripe integration
Day 7: Polish and bug fixes
```

### Week 2: Launch Ready
```
Day 1-2: Landing page
Day 3: Email flows (welcome, etc.)
Day 4: Legal (privacy, terms)
Day 5: Final testing
Day 6-7: Soft launch
```

### What to Skip in MVP
- Perfect design (good enough is fine)
- All features (one core feature only)
- Scale optimization (worry later)
- Custom auth (use a service)
- Multiple pricing tiers (start simple)

### Pricing Strategy

Pricing your micro-SaaS

**When to use**: When setting prices

## Pricing Strategy

### Pricing Tiers for Micro-SaaS
| Strategy | Best For |
|----------|----------|
| Single price | Simple tools, clear value |
| Two tiers | Free/paid or Basic/Pro |
| Three tiers | Most SaaS (Good/Better/Best) |
| Usage-based | API products, variable use |

### Starting Price Framework
```
What's the alternative cost? (Competitor or manual work)
Your price = 20-50% of alternative cost

Example:
- Manual work takes 10 hours/month
- 10 hours × $50/hour = $500 value
- Price: $49-99/month
```

### Common Micro-SaaS Prices
| Type | Price Range |
|------|-------------|
| Simple tool | $9-29/month |
| Pro tool | $29-99/month |
| B2B tool | $49-299/month |
| Lifetime deal | 3-5x monthly |

### Pricing Mistakes
- Too cheap (undervalues, attracts bad customers)
- Too complex (confuses buyers)
- No free tier AND no trial (no way to try)
- Charging too late (validate with money early)

### Launch Playbook

Launch strategies that work

**When to use**: When ready to launch

## Launch Playbook

### Pre-Launch (2 weeks before)
1. Build email list (landing page)
2. Engage in communities (give value first)
3. Create launch assets (demo, screenshots)
4. Line up beta testers

### Launch Day Channels
| Channel | Effort | Impact |
|---------|--------|--------|
| Product Hunt | Medium | High |
| Hacker News | Low | Variable |
| Reddit | Medium | Medium |
| Twitter/X | Low | Medium |
| Indie Hackers | Low | Medium |
| Email list | Low | High |

### Product Hunt Launch
```
- Launch 12:01 AM PST Tuesday-Thursday
- Have maker comment ready
- Activate your network to upvote/comment
- Respond to every comment
- Don't ask for upvotes directly
```

### Post-Launch
- Follow up with every signup
- Ask for feedback constantly
- Fix critical bugs immediately
- Start SEO/content for long-term
- Don't stop marketing after launch day

## Sharp Edges

### Great product, no way to reach customers

Severity: HIGH

Situation: Built product, can't get users

Symptoms:
- Zero organic traffic
- Relying only on launches
- No email list
- No content strategy

Why this breaks:
Built first, marketing second.
No existing audience.
No SEO, no ads, no community.
"If you build it, they will come" is false.

Recommended fix:

## Distribution First

### Before Building, Answer:
- Where do my customers hang out?
- Can I reach them for free?
- Do I have an existing audience?
- Is SEO viable for this?

### Distribution Channels
| Channel | Time to Results | Cost |
|---------|-----------------|------|
| SEO | 6-12 months | Low |
| Content marketing | 3-6 months | Low |
| Paid ads | Immediate | High |
| Community | 1-3 months | Low |
| Product Hunt | One day | Free |
| Partnerships | 1-2 months | Free |

### Build Distribution Into Product
```
- "Powered by [Your Product]" badge
- Invite/referral features
- Public profiles/pages (SEO)
- Shareable results/reports
- Integration marketplace listings
```

### If Stuck
1. Start content marketing NOW
2. Be active in communities (give value)
3. Partner with complementary products
4. Consider paid acquisition

### Building for market that can't/won't pay

Severity: HIGH

Situation: Lots of interest, no conversions

Symptoms:
- Lots of signups, no upgrades
- Love it, but can't afford
- Only works with freemium
- Comparisons to free alternatives

Why this breaks:
Targeting consumers vs business.
Targeting broke demographics.
Free alternatives are good enough.
Not solving urgent problem.

Recommended fix:

## Market Selection

### B2B vs B2C
| Factor | B2B | B2C |
|--------|-----|-----|
| Price tolerance | $50-500+/mo | $5-20/mo |
| Acquisition cost | Higher | Lower |
| Churn | Lower | Higher |
| Support needs | Higher | Lower |
| Solo-founder friendly | Yes | Harder |

### Good Markets for Micro-SaaS
- Small businesses
- Freelancers/agencies
- Developers
- Creators with revenue
- Professionals (lawyers, doctors, etc.)

### Red Flag Markets
- Students
- Startups with no funding
- Mass consumers
- Markets with free alternatives

### Pivot Signals
- High interest, zero payments
- Users love it but won't pay
- Competition is all free
- Target market has no budget

### New signups leaving as fast as they come

Severity: HIGH

Situation: MRR plateaued despite new customers

Symptoms:
- MRR not growing despite signups
- Users cancel after first month
- Low feature usage
- High trial abandonment

Why this breaks:
Product doesn't deliver value.
Onboarding is broken.
Wrong customers signing up.
Missing key features.

Recommended fix:

## Fixing Churn

### Understand Why
```
1. Email churned users (personal, not automated)
2. Look at last active date
3. Check onboarding completion
4. Survey at cancellation
```

### Churn Benchmarks
| Churn Rate | Assessment |
|------------|------------|
| < 3% monthly | Excellent |
| 3-5% monthly | Good |
| 5-7% monthly | Needs work |
| > 7% monthly | Critical |

### Qu