Is there a good book on SAAS idea generation?

[mav55339]

I've noticed a lot of SAAS books start after the idea stage. I'm looking for one that starts with how to find SAAS ideas. What books fit this category?

 

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[Ramius]

dupe post - sorry

 

[Ramius]

Good place to start:

https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Areddit.com+"why+isn%27t+there+an+app"

There are plenty of ideas here that are basically the start point for a SaaS. (Granted, they are apps... but these are easily developed and give you a step to a SaaS.)

Better yet, use a Chrome extension like these to download all of these results and ask ChatGPT to analyse it as a text file or CSV. Here's one I did: Why isn't there an app - Pastebin.com

ChatGPT 4 Prompt:

Act as an analyst and business consultant with 20 years experience in building and scaling SaaS and multi-platform application development. Examine this list of questions from consumers and potential app users. What would be the best idea(s) to move forward with, and what costs would be involved in starting it/them? Which have the most potential and could be scaled quickly?

Based on the titles of the Reddit posts, here are a few app ideas that users are expressing interest in or querying about:

1. App for Real-time Collaboration: Apps that help people connect and collaborate in real time, possibly for social or professional purposes.
2. Personalized Grocery Shopping App: An app where users can make a grocery list and perhaps even see the availability of items in stores nearby or receive best prices.
3. Finance Management App: An application that assists users with managing their personal finances, which could include budgeting, tracking expenses, or investment advice.
4. Localized Service Finder: An app that helps users find local services or resources, like gas prices, restaurant deals, or even polling stations during elections.
5. Community Apps for Specific Groups: Apps that cater to specific community needs, such as platforms for religious groups, hobbyists (like knitters), or specific consumer interests (like a specific fast food chain's order system).

To move forward, here's the strategy:

Potential and Scalability​

• Finance Management App: Financial apps have a broad potential audience and are highly scalable with integrations for banking services, investment platforms, and real-time financial advice.
• Personalized Grocery Shopping App: Highly scalable due to the universal need for grocery shopping, potential to integrate with local businesses and delivery services.
• Community Apps for Specific Groups: These can start with niche markets and expand by adding more features or broadening their community focus.

Costs and Starting Points​

• Development: Initial development costs can range from $50,000 to $200,000 depending on the complexity of the app, platform (iOS, Android, web), and the country in which the development team is located.
• Maintenance: Ongoing maintenance and server costs can range from $1,000 to $5,000 a month depending on user base size and functionality.
• Marketing: Initial marketing costs should be around 20% of the total budget to ensure good market penetration, with ongoing costs based on performance.

Recommendations​

1. Conduct Market Research: Validate the need through surveys or potential user interviews.
2. Develop an MVP (Minimum Viable Product): Start with core features that meet the most critical user needs and iterate based on user feedback.
3. Focus on User Acquisition and Retention: Utilize strategies like SEO, social media marketing, and partnerships with relevant stakeholders (like grocery stores for the grocery app).

These recommendations can help in deciding which app ideas to pursue based on potential market impact, user base growth, and revenue generation opportunities.

 

[Andy Black]

Rob Whalling has a nice little book. Named something like "Start Small, Stay Small". I can't remember how much time he spent on coming up with ideas.

EDIT: Just found his website:

Home - Rob Walling - Serial Entrepreneur

robwalling.com

 

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[Kevin88660]

https://m.youtube.com/@MicroConf/videos

This channel