How to Build Your Own SAS in 2024: A Step-by-Step Guide
Are you interested in building your own SAS but don't know where to start? With new tools available, it's easier than ever to build software with no code. In this guide, we'll break down the process of building your own SAS in five simple steps, with zero code required. We'll also share our launch strategy that got us hundreds of paid users on our first day. Let's get started!
Step 1: Create a Wireframe of Your App
Before you start building your SAS, you'll want to create a wireframe of your app. This is a good way to visualize what your app will look like without spending the time it takes to actually build functionality. To build a wireframe, Figma is going to be your best friend. Write down a description of what your app will do, list out all of the features that you want, and gather a few reference images. The more reference images you have, the better the designer will actually understand your vision and the faster they will get it done.
Step 2: Test Your Idea
It's best to see if people are even interested in your idea before you spend all this time building the functionality. Since you have a Figma, you can easily show people what the app looks like. Find a few people that could potentially be interested in your app, then send them a message. Ask them if they would use it and send them the Figma. We are looking for brutally honest feedback and suggestions that we can use to improve the app to better fit their needs.
Step 3: Building Your MVP
Your goal is to build only that one core feature that people want and to launch as fast as possible. Perfectionism is the number one reason most first-time founders fail. You will add the rest of the bells and whistles as you go, but building your MVP is the exciting part. The old way of doing things was to hire a developer and wait, but now anyone can build software thanks to no-code tools. We use Bubble make.com and Rapid APIs, depending on what you want your app to do. Odds are there's already an API that can do it, so instead of having to hardcode everything from scratch, you just use the existing pre-built features, also known as APIs.
Step 4: The Pre-Launch
Start building up media assets as you're building your MVP. The earlier you start doing this, the more money you're going to make when you launch. By media assets, we mean Instagram accounts, Discord communities, newsletters, Twitter accounts, and more. You need a content strategy in 2024. Content is king, so to set your SAS up for success, you just need one content style on one content platform. This could be memes on Reddit, threads on Twitter, AI-generated ads on Instagram, or paying UGC creators for TikTok.
Step 5: Launch
It's time to prepare for the launch. The first thing you're going to need for your launch is a sales page. This is going to be similar to the waitlist page you created in step two, but you're going to need a demo video and a signup page. The demo video can be a simple Loom video of you walking them through how the app works with voiceover and screen recording. Your signup page should just clearly display your pricing and encourage them to sign up for a 7-day free trial.
For the best results, you'll want to schedule your launch for 12:01 a.m. PST on a Sunday. This gives people the full 24 hours to view your product on the least competitive day when you launch. You're competing against hundreds of other apps that are launching on the same day, so you have 24 hours to try and climb the leaderboard to the number one spot. This is where those media assets that we have been building for the last few months will give you an unfair advantage.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Building your own SAS is easier than ever with no-code tools.
- You can test your idea before spending time and money building the functionality.
- Launching on Product Hunt can give you thousands of new users overnight.
Cons:
- There is still a learning curve, and you need to understand SAS lingo.
- Building your MVP can still take time and effort.
- Launching on Product Hunt is competitive, and you only have one shot at it.
Highlights
- Building a wireframe of your app is a good way to visualize what your app will look like without spending the time it takes to actually build functionality.
- Testing your idea is best to see if people are even interested in your idea before you spend all this time building the functionality.
- Building your MVP is the exciting part, and you will add the rest of the bells and whistles as you go.
- Content is king, so to set your SAS up for success, you just need one content style on one content platform.
- Launching on Product Hunt can give you thousands of new users overnight.
FAQ
Q: Do I need to know how to code to build my own SAS?
A: No, you can use no-code tools like Bubble make.com and Rapid APIs.
Q: How do I test my idea?
A: Find a few people that could potentially be interested in your app, then send them a message. Ask them if they would use it and send them the Figma.
Q: How do I launch on Product Hunt?
A: Submit your product, create your product page, and then schedule your launch day. You can schedule your launch up to 1 month before your launch day.
Resources:
- Bubble make.com
- Rapid APIs
- Figma
- Product Hunt
- wgmi academy
- Auto newsletter
- Revamp
- Beehive
- Link tree
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