Awesome SaaS

Category: Founder

  • Use Founder’s Voice + Indie Credibility as a Differentiator

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    Tactic Description:Derrick’s personal brand gave SavvyCal a boost – he shared his process, struggles, and decisions publicly, earning respect and support from the indie SaaS community. Priority: Long-termDifficulty: EasyBest Stage: Early to Growth Example / Use Case:His tweets about Calendly frustrations and UX opinions became magnets for users who felt the same. Many converted before…

  • Win the Market with Clear Positioning Against the Leader

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    awesaas
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    Tactic Description:Derrick didn’t try to hide from Calendly – he leaned into it. His entire positioning framed SavvyCal as a respectful alternative to rigid, impersonal scheduling tools. Priority: Mid-termDifficulty: MediumBest Stage: Early Growth Example / Use Case:Their homepage ran direct comparisons like “Why switch from Calendly?” and featured influencer endorsements from people who made the…

  • Focus on “Calm SaaS” – Profit Over Hype

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    Tactic Description:Justin explains that Transistor’s growth came from sustainable, profitable choices – not raising money or chasing hyper-growth. They focused on quality customers, pricing discipline, and long-term retention. Priority: Mid-termDifficulty: MediumBest Stage: Growth Example / Use Case:They rejected VC, stuck with indie-friendly pricing, and grew via word-of-mouth and partnerships – not ads or discounts. Founder…

  • Build an Audience Before You Build the Product

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    Tactic Description:Justin emphasizes the idea of “audience-first SaaS” — building trust, insight, and email lists before writing a single line of code. By the time Transistor launched, they already had fans asking to pay. Priority: Short-termDifficulty: MediumBest Stage: Pre-product Example / Use Case:Justin co-hosted podcasts, ran newsletters, and shared indie founder stories years before Transistor.…

  • Use Public Wins and Transparency to Build Credibility Without Paid Ads

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    Tactic Description:Courtland explains that many successful SaaS founders grow by sharing their journey — revenue, traffic, product challenges — which attracts likeminded customers and builds organic trust. Priority: Long-termDifficulty: MediumBest Stage: Growth Example / Use Case:Many Indie Hackers stories cite “open startup” dashboards, Twitter revenue threads, or transparent milestone sharing as major lead drivers. Founder…

  • Start With a Real Community, Not a Hypothetical Market

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    Tactic Description:Courtland emphasizes building for a real group of people you already know – not a made-up persona. By embedding yourself in that community, you build deep empathy and get direct access to real problems. Priority: Short-termDifficulty: MediumBest Stage: Idea to MVP Example / Use Case:Indie Hackers started as a content site serving bootstrapped founders.…

  • Use Micro-Communities to Get Hyper-Targeted Traction

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    Tactic Description:Instead of blasting ads or content everywhere, Ankit focused on micro-communities – niche Slack groups, subreddits, and Discord servers where his ICP already hung out. He joined, contributed, and softly introduced the product. Priority: Mid-termDifficulty: MediumBest Stage: Early Growth Example / Use Case:He posted helpful comments in podcasting forums (his audience), then DM’d members…

  • Launch Before You’re Ready – Then Iterate in Public

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    Tactic Description:Ankit emphasizes the power of launching early and refining in the open. Instead of perfecting the product, he shipped a functional MVP, gathered user feedback publicly, and used that visibility to build both trust and traction. Priority: Short-termDifficulty: MediumBest Stage: MVP to Early Growth Example / Use Case:He launched Aola on Twitter and Indie…

  • Build a SaaS That Solves an Obsession, Not Just a Pain

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    Tactic Description:Daniel explains that Hack Chinese succeeded because it served a deep obsession – not just a surface-level frustration. Language learners aren’t just solving a problem, they’re chasing mastery. That emotional pull created loyal, daily users. Priority: Short-termDifficulty: MediumBest Stage: Early Growth Example / Use Case:Rather than pitch “learn Chinese,” Daniel framed Hack Chinese as…

  • Focus Your Marketing on One Job, One Promise, One Channel

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    Tactic Description:Asia warns against spreading efforts too thin across features, personas, and channels. Instead, she recommends focusing on one job your product solves, one core promise you fulfill, and one channel that brings consistent ROI. Priority: Long-termDifficulty: HighBest Stage: Growth to Scaling Example / Use Case:A project management tool trimmed its messaging to focus only…