This document discusses best practices for bootstrapping a SaaS startup to 100 customers including starting small with a focused product, getting early feedback from free users, having a slim team, charging early, using word-of-mouth online marketing, and letting others promote the product through an affiliate program. It also provides tips for optimizing the user experience, metrics, funnel management, hiring, customer stories, saying no to extra features, developer quality, and managed hosting.

1. Bootstrapping to 100
+
SaaS Best Practices
Sahil Parikh
Founder, DeskAway
Author, The SaaS Edge
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

2. What type of business to build?
product
recurring revenue
self-service
Scalable
global teams, smbs
can run from anywhere
= SAAS
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

3. First 6 months = 0 customers
Mistakes…
#1 offline strategies to build online biz
#2 Indian customers = hand
holding, presentations, demos, negotiat
ions
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

4. Bootstrapping to 100
(pre social media era)
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

5. Bootstrapping to 100
Free Accounts
Proto Event
Blog Comments (GAlerts, Feedrinse)
Forums (LinkedIn)
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

6. (cont) Bootstrapping to 100
Viral Loop
** Blog Reviews **
Writing – get people on your side
We hit 100 customers in Sept 2008
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

7. How we acquire customers today
23% Direct (Social Media)
32% Search
45% Referring Sites (Blogs etc.)
“Make it easy for people to find you”
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

8. Recommendation Age
Participate on social networks via
keywords. Listen & respond.
Save keywords via twitter search.
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

9. People still search for…
“best project management tool”
“alternative to basecamp”
“free project collaboration app”
“review of project management apps”
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

10. SaaS Best Practices
Stuff I learnt over the years…
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

11. 1. Start Small
keep it simple and focused
more features != success
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

12. 2: Early Feedback
100 free accounts
Fix bugs, pitch and vision
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

13. 3: Slim Team
wear multiple hats
dev, design, marketing, support
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

14. 4: User Interface
sleek, crisp, sexy
people like it if it feels good
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

15. 5: Charge Early
break-even/ profitable
learn why people don’t pay
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

16. 6: WOM Online
reduce CAC
social media, SEO, email, blogs
build an email list early-on
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

17. 7: Let others work for you
build an affiliate program
1 to many is better than 1 to 1
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

18. 8: Metrics Matter
beauty of a web business
traffic to
site, signups, conversions, churn, ren
ewals, advance segments.
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

19. 9: Manage the funnel
Do you have a leaky bucket?
Forentrepreneurs.com has great
content on this subject
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

20. 10: Hire your English teacher
blog writing, help faqs, online
community management, customer
service and outreach
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

21. 11: Who loves you?
Testimonials, stories, videos
comfort visitors with success
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

22. 12: Say no to features
“It comes from saying no to 1,000
things to make sure we don’t get on
the wrong track or try to do too
much”
- Steve Jobs
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

23. 13: Don’t make everyone happy
“I don’t know the key to success, but
the key to failure is trying to please
everybody.”
- Bill Cosby
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

24. 14: Developers
Do not hire web developers from the
service era. Hire real
programmers, hackers who love to
build shit.
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

25. 15: Managed Hosting
Get managed hosting. Let the experts
take care of your infrastructure.
Focus on the software & user exp.
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai

26. the good stuff…
BVP SaaS Page
http://www.bvp.com/saas/
Thank you!
Bootstrapping to 100 + SaaS Best Practices / @sahilparikh / TiESiG /Mumbai