/micro-saas-launcher

name: micro-saas-launcher
description: "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. Use when: micro saas, indie hacker, small saas, side project, saas mvp."
metadata:
  source: vibeship-spawner-skills (Apache 2.0)

Micro-SaaS Launcher

**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.

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)

Anti-Patterns

❌ Building in Secret

**Why bad**: No feedback loop. Building wrong thing. Wasted time. Fear of shipping.

**Instead**: Launch ugly MVP. Get feedback early. Build in public. Iterate based on users.

❌ Feature Creep

**Why bad**: Never ships. Dilutes focus. Confuses users. Delays revenue.

**Instead**: One core feature first. Ship, then iterate. Let users tell you what's missing. Say no to most requests.

❌ Pricing Too Low

**Why bad**: Undervalues your work. Attracts price-sensitive customers. Hard to run a business. Can't afford growth.

**Instead**: Price for value, not time. Start higher, discount if needed. B2B can pay more. Your time has value.

⚠️ Sharp Edges

| Issue | Severity | Solution | |-------|----------|----------| | Great product, no way to reach customers | high | ## Distribution First | | Building for market that can't/won't pay | high | ## Market Selection | | New signups leaving as fast as they come | high | ## Fixing Churn | | Pricing page confuses potential customers | medium | ## Simple Pricing |

Related Skills

Works well with: `landing-page-design`, `backend`, `stripe`, `seo`