SaaS and MVP: a first version with real users

From idea to something people pay for: the core loop first, accounts and billing when they are needed, and real users before the budget is gone.

An MVP is the smallest version that lets real users do the most important thing, so you learn whether it is worth building more. I build the first version of your own software, on an architecture that won't need rewriting at customer ten.

Who it is for

You have an idea for a product of your own, a SaaS that customers will pay for, and want to see it in front of real users before the budget goes. What matters is that the core loop can be completed, from start to finish.

A product build can be a web app, a native iOS app or a first version of your own software, with the core loop working and real users on it.

What belongs in the first version

• The core loop. The one thing the user comes for, from start to finish. If it cannot be completed, it is not an MVP.
• Accounts, if they are needed. If users should come back to their own information, sign-in is needed from the start.
• Payments, if the question is willingness to pay. If you want to know whether people pay, they have to be able to pay.
• Simple admin. Someone on your side must be able to fix mistakes, help a user and remove what went wrong.
• Measurement. Without it you know what users said, not what they did.

What can wait is settings only a few ask for, several user roles, integrations that can be handled by hand at first, several platforms and a polished introduction for new users. How to choose, based on the question you want answered, is in What is an MVP, and what should the first version contain?.

What is included

A first version is built as a product build:

• Discovery and architecture. Which question the version should answer, and what can wait.
• Build, test and deploy. On your accounts, with analytics and admin from day one.
• TestFlight and App Store submission. If the product is an iOS app.
• Post-launch fixes. 30 days of fixes after launch are included.

How it works

A free call first, then the scope and a fixed price in writing. A first version of your own software typically takes four to eight weeks, and you get a fixed scope and a date before anything starts. The whole way of working is on the home page.

Choose the question that decides whether the rest is worth building: a first version that tries to answer every question at once rarely gets finished. Common pitfalls are building what users might want before what they certainly need works, skipping measurement, and neglecting admin so that every mistake needs a developer.

Price

The product build has a from price, because products differ a great deal in scope. You get a fixed price in writing after the call, before anything is built.

Common questions

Should the first version be a web app or an app?

Start where your users are, or with a web app that works on every device. Building a native app before the workflow is proven is one of the most common pitfalls. More under Web apps and iOS apps.

Who owns the code?

You do. Everything is delivered into your repository with documentation, and it runs on your accounts and infrastructure. I work under an NDA by default when data is involved. More in Who owns the code?.

What happens after the first version?

An MVP is the beginning, not the goal, so plan for the version after. When there is more to build, the ongoing partner gives an agreed amount of capacity each month, with priority response and 30 days' notice. A change to the scope means a new proposal and a new fixed price before it is built.

What does it cost to build an app?

That depends on how much the product should do for the user: accounts and roles, data, flows with exceptions, integrations and admin. What drives the price is in What does it cost to build an app?.