An Easy Roadmap to Create a Successful Software Startup

There has never been a better time to build a software startup — whether it is SaaS or custom software. Technology and software are becoming an integral part of our lives.

A great way to start a business is to get an idea! Millions have an idea. But they were not able to execute it because of several reasons.

The reasons are almost infinite. Either they do not have the financial capability or do not know how to proceed.

The landscape is wide open for new startups. But there is still a high failure rate for software startups. We have experienced the ups and downs of the software companies we have helped startups.

Some Practical Tips to Establish a Software Startup

We have learned a few things about what moves software companies forward. Here are our tips.

Be ready for failure the first time around

Starting a business is not a game. Quitting your job is not an excuse to party all day or travel. You can do those things if you want. But then you are not making much progress with your business.

It is a fact that most businesses fail. Yet most people think they are the exception.

Your business may not take off, and you may be running out of money. If this is the case after two years, it is time to find another job.

Start again, do it right this time

• Your team may consist of two people. Then you cannot possibly compete against companies with 100,000 employees. I mean, nothing is impossible. But the odds are really, really against you.

• You should get customers first, then build the product.

• We learned it is easier to sell to businesses than to consumers. This is because companies have more money to spend. They are easier to target. They have more defined “needs” as opposed to fuzzy “wants.”

Get a customer first. Then build the product

You can follow a strategy called Customer Development. It has been proposed in books by Jason Cohen, Rob Walling, and Steve Blank.

Find out if someone wants to buy what you want to create. After validating this hypothesis, you can proceed and develop the product.

Once you discover this unmet need, spend a couple of hours creating a landing page. 

Start a small Google AdWords campaign A few people will see the ads and click on the start trial button. When they do that, they will see a message saying the software is in development. They will get the option to join a waiting list.

You will get some evidence that some people were willing to try your prototype software.

Now do not forget what you have learned so far

Validate that there were people out there who wanted your software. Then start building the product.

NutriAdmin has been growing gradually and organically.

Their annual revenue is above £85,000 ($110,000). This is opposed to all at once with a single big event.

The software is better and better every day. They are happy to provide a valuable service to nutrition professionals.

The way they prioritize new features is almost the same as the way they got started. 

They ask users and aggregate their feedback. Then they work on the highest demand suggestions as long as they are feasible.

Conclusion

Most articles, books, and media will emphasize the most dramatic paths people have followed, like Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg.

But they will not show the most common or practical methods.

You can start an online business by following some simple steps. You can save up and give yourself plenty of room and time. Rather than the whole world, aim at a niche market.

It is still hard, but not as challenging as creating the next Google.