this thread will teach you how to build a product, validate the...

it covers:
> product types
> validating your idea
> how to build saas for free even if you can't code
> taking payments
> distribution channels & alternate channels
> selling directly to cold traffic vs. adding a second layer
unfold the thread to begin reading 🧵
i also happen to be a diehard organic guy, so i will not cover paid traffic in this guide for obvious reasons
unfortunately, like the rest of us, i am limited by my own experiences & i’m sure there are better ways of going about the things covered…
with that being said though, you can be sure that what i have to say works as it has helped me make what i’d consider a significant amount of money in my 22 years on this earth
> infoproducts: packaged knowledge (user does the work)
> saas: packaged cabality (code does the work)
> services: packaged labor (you or a hire does the work)
all differ in scalability...
> saas has the highest as it can be used by an infinite amount of users at once
> info the second highest because you can make it once, sell it forever (leaks & hype-loss hinder this overtime)
> services require human labor so it has lowest scale
with that being said though, the ease of building & acquiring clients is actually the same list, but reversed...
> with services you can sell your time rn, there's no tech, deep knowledge or audience required, you can even find clients via. cold outreach, it's not really hard if you've got the case studies & a convincing offer
> with info you have to be very knowledgeable (though most lie, lets be real), you have to package this knowledge in an intuitive way, create a convincing lander & of course win the trust of your audience
> with saas you need to be solving a true repetitive problem that a big company hasn't already solved before you, you need to build or invest into building this, then you need to market it, monitor churn, etc.
what product type you decide to choose is personal to you, but all of them work & every single one has been turned into a 6 fig MRR biz countless times
at the end of the day, as long as you're solving a genuine problem that people are facing & you communicate this clearly in your marketing in front of those people - you WILL make money
lets take the most simple example, money twitter
everyone on money twitter wants to make more money right? this is why info/saas/services that help them do so end up winning, obviously
the reason distribution for such products works so well here is because it is a community of thousands of people with one shared goal - even if that's a broad one
this can be applied to any problem - if there isn't a community that is constantly discussing it on the internet, then it's probably not an important one (except for problems massive corps face, again, not my domain)
my take here is probably not what you'd expect from me but i don't think you should vibe-code a saas
it's a waste of your time even if the big indie devs on X tell you otherwise
there are 1000's of cracked devs out there that are waiting to be given an opportunity - but how do we make them buy into our idea?
first of all, the idea has to be good, you need to be solving a real problem - but this isn't enough
we buy the devs over by first building our distribution channels & then pitching the idea
think about this from my perspective, i have a big audience on X, if i put up a tweet right now saying i want to build a saas that does XYZ, i would have 50 devs DM me right away because they know i've got distribution on lock
i think a marketer x dev partnership is super powerful, they are very complimentary roles - if you're deadset on building a saas but can't code i strongly encourage you to partner with someone who can
how do we take payments? do NOT overlook this part
a lot of people, like myself, overlooked this part in the beginning & went for the most popular option - but please for the love of God do not go with stripe...
the second you experience a large uptick of sales they will give you hell & your hair is gonna go grey (happened to me)
if you're selling anything digital i highly recommend using @whop
> their customer support is top tier
> they have the lowest fees @ 2.7%
> they have tons of integrations
> suggestions are actually implemented surprisingly
which communities did you find that are discussing the problem your product solves? whichever ones those are - you need to infiltrate them big-time
whether that's X, tiktok, reddit, youtube, whatever...
you need to study the top players & reverse engineer what they're doing, then do the same
if the content is faceless, then you can do it yourself no issue
but if the content requires a face (yt, tiktok, etc.) & you don't wanna dox yourself in the content, % partnerships will be your best friend
there are tons of youtubers out there who make absolutely no money & would love to be given an opportunity
this works for low-ticket products & getting impulse purchases in, but i highly discourage this approach
hard-selling hurts engagement metrics & the content ends up doing worse
instead, you wanna make the content as educational as possible & help them solve the exact problem your product does
then, you wanna build an external asset in the form of an email list, telegram channel, etc. where you also happen to help the leads solve that exact problem
we funnel them there by offering something in return for their email (e.g. a lead magnet about that problem)
now this external channel - this is where you go ham on the hardselling...
this channel is the real breadwinner...
this is where the people who are facing that problem will naturally fall & this is where you need to speak to their insecurities
most of the sauce will be found out within your own niche - through market research by engaging with the community & by actual trial/error when distributing