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October 25, 2025How I Built and Scaled My SaaS With Lean Startup Principles
Building a SaaS product isn’t just about writing code – it’s about solving real problems without burning through cash. I want to share how we grew from zero to $45k MRR by focusing on what actually matters. Forget perfection; this is about making smart choices when every dollar and hour counts.
1. Your Tech Stack: Keep It Simple, Founder
Start With What You Need (Not What’s Cool)
Early on, I made the classic mistake of building infrastructure we didn’t need. Today, our stack looks like this:
- Frontend: React + Tailwind CSS on Vercel
- Backend: Node.js/Express on AWS Lambda
- Database: PostgreSQL with Neon serverless
- Auth: Clerk.dev (saves countless dev hours)
- Payments: Stripe with webhook queues
// User onboarding - keep it functional, not fancy
export default async (req, res) => {
const user = await createUser(req.body);
await stripe.customers.create({ email: user.email });
await sendWelcomeEmail(user);
return res.status(201).json(user);
};
My $20,000 Lesson in Over-Engineering
I once wasted three months building Kubernetes clusters when a simple serverless setup would’ve worked. Your tech stack shouldn’t be your vanity project – treat it like a survival toolkit.
2. Roadmap Strategy: Cut the Fluff
Prioritize Like Your Business Depends On It (Because It Does)
We use this simple framework to avoid feature creep:
- Fire alarms: Core functionality breaking? Fix now
- Growth levers: Improvements that move metrics
- “Nice to haves”: Requests from one vocal customer
- Distractions: Features that look cool but add zero value
How We Ship Features Faster
Three changes that doubled our output:
- Weekly sprints instead of monthly marathons
- Max 3 active features in development
- Mandatory sunset clauses for underperforming features
“Your roadmap is oxygen – carry only what keeps you alive at altitude.”
3. Lean Validation: No Code Required
Test Before You Build (Seriously)
We validate ideas with:
- Landing page smoke tests (40% conversion or bust)
- “Fake door” testing with Hotjar recordings
- Manual concierge service pretending features exist
Pricing That Doesn’t Guess
Finding the sweet spot took three steps:
- A/B testing three price points simultaneously
- Tracking how features affected willingness to pay
- Offering annual plans early (surprise cash flow win)
4. Bootstrapping Rules That Actually Work
Do More With Less (No MBA Speak)
My non-negotiable bootstrapping rules:
- No hires until manual work hurts (really hurts)
- Outsource everything except your secret sauce
- Barter equity for critical services (legal, accounting)
How We Reached $10k MRR With $0 Marketing
Organic growth tactics that delivered:
- Personalized cold emails (2% reply rate adds up)
- Open-source tools that solved real problems
- Guest posts where our customers actually hang out
- Building in public via Twitter/LinkedIn
5. Scaling Without Losing Your Mind
Automation That Matters
We automate only when:
- We’ve done the task manually 50+ times
- It eats >15 minutes daily
- Outcomes are predictable (no edge cases)
Keeping Tech Debt in Check
Every six weeks, we:
- Remove at least one unused feature
- Refactor our most painful code
- Update dependencies (security isn’t optional)
The Real SaaS Growth Metric: Survival
Building our SaaS taught me that sustainable growth comes from consistent small wins, not moonshots. We focus on:
- Retention over acquisition (our NPS is 68)
- Profitability over vanity metrics
- Customer conversations over assumptions
What’s one process you could simplify today? Sometimes the biggest growth comes from removing things, not adding them.
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