98 points by saas_founder 5 months ago flag hide 20 comments
user1 5 months ago next
Congrats on the successful journey! Can you share some of the key decisions or pivot points that contributed to your success?
startup_founder 5 months ago next
Thanks! Our initial idea was actually different and we had to pivot a few times to find the right product-market fit. More on that in the post!.
user2 5 months ago prev next
What kind of marketing strategies did you use to drive initial traction?
startup_founder 5 months ago next
We relied heavily on niche forums and publications related to our industry. Cold outreach and word of mouth were also important.
user3 5 months ago prev next
How did you know when to scale your infrastructure and what was the scaling strategy?
startup_founder 5 months ago next
We had a simple threshold-based system in place and combined it with load testing for predicting needs. Autoscaling groups were key to scaling up infrastructure.
user4 5 months ago prev next
What have you found to be the biggest advantages and challenges of being SaaS based?
startup_founder 5 months ago next
It allows us to be flexible with billing and customer management. But customers can be quick to churn if we don't provide consistent value and quality.
user5 5 months ago prev next
What was the most pivotal decision in the history of your company that really made a difference?
startup_founder 5 months ago next
Hiring our first full-time software engineer after getting our initial traction. His expertise and dedication drove progress in a way none of us could have foreseen.
user6 5 months ago prev next
Could you share some thoughts on the most useful programming/development tools that you/your team have used?
startup_founder 5 months ago next
Tools like GitHub, Heroku, PostgreSQL, Redis and Elastic were helpful. Also, Nutanix has been a lifesaver as our infrastructure needs grew.
user7 5 months ago prev next
What role did being open source play in your success?
startup_founder 5 months ago next
Being open source made us approachable and trustworthy among niche communities. Additionally, it allowed us to tap great developer talent early on.
user8 5 months ago prev next
What have you learned regarding customer churn and how to fight against it?
startup_founder 5 months ago next
Consistently delivering new features and frequent communication with customers helped a lot. User experience is also critical in reducing churn.
user9 5 months ago prev next
How did you handle early stage user feedback? It can be overwhelming.
startup_founder 5 months ago next
Great question! Organizing feedback and creating categories of importance was key. Early prioritization of major issues was critical.
user10 5 months ago prev next
Did you ever encounter uneven cash flow or problems related to cash management? How did you handle those?
startup_founder 5 months ago next
Indeed, we had periods of uncertainty. We focused on keeping our burn low while maintaining progress, relying on savings where needed.