The other day, I sat down at my desk ready to complete my daily list of mundane tasks, when it hit me:

"Why aren't I working for myself?"

I mean, think about it. No boss telling you what to do, no deadlines, no annoying co-workers, sounds like a dream. You decide when you log on and off, you decide what you work on, and you set your deadlines.

What is a SaaS Startup?

Naturally, I turned to SaaS, the latest hot topic in the world of software development. I'm sure most people know what it is, or at least have heard of it. Love it or not, it's one of the easiest ways to profit from programming, next to freelancing.

For those who have been living under a rock for the past couple of years, a SaaS Startup is a company that offers software as a service, paid for by end users usually in a subscription model. They're usually developed by individuals or small teams, giving them the potential for large revenue margins. They often focus on delivering a solution to a specific audience's issues, while building a loyal customer base simultaneously.

But I'll save the specifics of starting a SaaS Startup for another article. Instead, today I want to focus on the very first step for any SaaS Startup.

So what do I build?

You've decided to launch your own SaaS Startup, planning to build the next Instagram. So you open up your favourite code editor (Dark mode, hopefully) run npm create next app and...

"Wait, where do I start?"

We've all been there, motivated to begin programming, but then overwhelmed by the blank file. This is precisely the reason why it is crucial to know what you're going to build before you build it.

"But where do you find SaaS ideas? They don't just grow on trees, Josh". Correct! But the main issue with this question is it ignores the premise of a SaaS Startup. The market for startups is extremely oversaturated, so you need to make sure yours stands out. It can't just 'exist', it needs to solve something. The best startups succeed because they solve something most people experience, but are too lazy to solve.

The key to finding a SaaS idea is to look at other's pain. People are only going to pay for something that brings value to them, so you need to provide them with that value before they'll hand over their bank details.

Even if you don't find anything good, start creating something. Make a fun little game, write a blog post like this one, build a note-taking app. There will be issues along the way that you'll encounter, and boom, there's your SaaS Startup

Stop thinking, start doing.

- Josh