Starting any software company from scratch you get a lot of options on how you can build it. As with pretty much anything else there are current trends so-called “experts” adhere to and whichever platform or language they think is better than others. You have to learn how to ignore the endless advice that will get you permanently locked in the beginning stage. When it comes to SaaS application development you just have to choose the right one that fits your business model the best. Ultimately you will have to go with your gut, and here we will give you a place to start, so you can make the best decision.
Don’t reinvent the wheel
When you start building your SaaS you have to remember that there are a ton of fantastic products out there that you can integrate. Wonderful API’s that are great in handling payments like Stride, support like Help scout, logging like loggly, and exceptions like bugsnag. You may think that building them yourself is part of the fun but it’s simpler to have a leg up straight on, so your focus is directed on your core business and its main features. The distractions from your core business are stifling the whole industry, so just take the help where you can. You will be busy enough as it is.
Work in the Platforms you know
Just work with tools you know best, it’s as simple as that. A lot of people while doing side projects learn new technologies, but they should be treated as a hobby and not as a basis for business. It’s all about time management, when you are building on a familiar platform you get through hurdles quicker and more efficiently. Sometimes when you are in a crunch this can make or break you.
Hosting/Cloud Providers
The best cloud providers out there are both Google Cloud and Amazon Web Service. Not only do they both offer startup credits through your incubator or VC they both have similar capabilities they do differ in some key areas. While Google Cloud is a suite of public cloud computing resources and services, AWS is one managed by Amazon built in-house. Google offers fully encrypted data transmission while AWS’s data transmission is in a general format. Google CLoud volume size is 1gb to 64 TB while AWS volume size is 5000GB to 16 TB, and while Google Cloud provides backup services, AWS offers cloud-based disaster recovery services. Whichever you choose you can’t go wrong with sticking with the big players.
Build it with a selling potential in mind
There are a ton of reasons while a lot of founders end up selling. Maybe they had a major life change that impacts their commitment to the company. Sometimes we burn out, other times we hit our limit on expertise, we run into challenges that we can’t solve and end up stifling the growth of our business. While other times founders lose interest and just shift their energy into a whole new project altogether. Whatever the reason may be, building your business in a way that’s easy to sell will help with a potential sales process. Because when you are “building to sell”, means you got your stuff together.
Conclusion
However, you choose to start growth is key. You have to balance your companies growth without constraining developer productivity, so we have to start with the tools we are most comfortable with. Just remember you don’t need to overcomplicate things, either the stack or the architecture. As for your customers, what you are offering them are features that make their lives easier and better, they neither care nor see your tech stack. What they do care about is that your product works reliably and that it provides value.