4 Simple Steps to Launch Profitable Software or SaaS in 2025
You want to start a software company but you don’t know how? I’ve got your back!
In this article, I’ll walk you through the entire process of building and launching a profitable software product in the simplest way possible. I’ll break it down into four easy steps that I call IBAR: Ideate, Build, Acquire, and Retain.
This is the exact system I used to successfully launch my latest marketing automation tools, SocialInsight and Opesta, and it’s the same process we use with our clients.
By the end of this article, you’ll have everything you need to come up with a software idea, validate it, build it without coding experience, and attract your first customers.
So, let’s dive in!
Ideate
The first and most crucial step in your tech startup journey is finding the right software idea. But here’s the good news — you don’t need a completely original or unique idea. Most successful startups don’t start with one.
Here’s a simple strategy: Go to acquire.com, filter for software companies making over $10,000 in MRR, and then check out their G2 reviews. Look for common complaints and build your version of that software but with those issues solved.
Make sure that your software is for businesses. Also, look for ideas that make those businesses more money. Something in the sales and marketing space.
Business owners ALWAYS want to make more money. If your software does that with a good sales argument, it’s an easy sell.
Build
When it comes to building your software product, you have a few options, and the best choice depends entirely on your current situation. Ask yourself: Do you have more time or more money?
If you have time, consider learning a no-code platform like Bubble.io and build the MVP version of your product yourself. No-code tools are a great way to get started quickly without knowing how to code.
If you have money but limited time, your focus should be on sales. In this case, hiring a software development agency or freelancer to build the product for you is the way to go.
For my first software, I built it myself after learning to code. But for my latest SaaS, Opesta, I hired developers to do the heavy lifting.
I highly recommend getting your MVP up and running as quickly and affordably as possible—speed is crucial in this game
Acquire Users
To get your first paying users, start by leveraging your existing contacts. Reach out to everyone in your network — this is your quickest path to the first 10 customers.
Once you’ve tapped out your phone book, it’s time to dive into cold emailing and cold calling. These methods are highly effective for acquiring new users from scratch. LinkedIn is also an excellent resource for quickly finding B2B clients.
After you’ve secured your first 30-50 paying users, you can shift your focus to content marketing to scale further. For a deeper dive into strategies for acquiring your first 10, 100, and 1,000 paying SaaS users, check out my other articles on this topic!
Retain Users
Once you start gaining customers, it’s crucial to collect their feedback and ensure they’re satisfied, so they stay with you for the long term.
Acquiring new users is far more expensive than retaining existing ones, which is why it’s essential to focus on increasing your customers’ lifetime value (LTV) and monitoring their month-over-month churn rate.
The higher your LTV, the more you can afford to spend on acquiring new customers as you scale.
If you find yourself short on time to support your users, consider hiring a customer success manager for as little as $500/month. They can conduct regular check-ins with users and gather valuable feedback.
So, this is the most simplistic way I can explain building a SaaS product.
If you want more in-depth instructions, check out my other articles on this topic! There, I’ve got detailed guides on every aspect of building a software company.
If you are interested in having my in-house developers build your SaaS product or in having me as a mentor, please fill out the application form!