Build or subscribe? SaaS for founders
When it makes sense to turn your idea into a subscription product, and when a spreadsheet is still the right answer.
Software-as-a-service sounds like a Silicon Valley phrase, but the model is old: people pay a little every month for something that saves them a lot every day. Bangladesh is full of problems that fit that shape, from clinic appointments to school fees to wholesale orders.
Before building, ask three questions. Do the same people have the same problem every week? Are they already paying for a clumsy fix, in money or in staff hours? Can you reach a hundred of them without ads? If the answer is yes three times, you may have a product.
Version one should be smaller than you think: sign-up, one core workflow, a simple plan, and payment that works with bKash and cards. Admin panels, integrations and the mobile app can wait until real customers ask for them.
The hardest part is not the code. It is the month after launch, when you learn what people actually use. Budget for that month. The founders who succeed are the ones who keep shipping after the launch post goes quiet.
