How We Built a SaaS Tool in 30 Days with Shipfa.st
And How You Can Too!
Table of Contents
Introduction
Why ShipFast is the Perfect Starting Point
Tech Stack Breakdown
Why We Chose These Technologies
Week 1: Planning and Initial Setup
Day 1-3: Defining the Product and Setting Up the Environment
Week 2: Building Core Features
Day 4-7: Implementing User Authentication and Basic UI
Day 8-14: Developing the Email Verification Engine
Week 3: Enhancing the User Experience
Day 15-17: Building the User Dashboard
Day 18-21: Implementing Payment and Subscription Handling
Week 4: Testing, Launching, and Marketing
Day 22-24: Testing and Final Preparations
Day 25-27: Launch and Post-Launch Activities
Moving Forward
1. Introduction
Building a SaaS product from scratch in 30 days is an ambitious goal, but with the right tools and strategy, it’s entirely achievable. Whether you’re a solo founder or an indie hacker, this guide will walk you through our process of building AlwaysLander, a powerful email verification tool for sales teams. By leveraging the ShipFast boilerplate, we were able to fast-track our development process and deliver a high-quality product in just one month. This guide will show you how to do the same.
2. Why ShipFast is the Perfect Starting Point
Before we dive into the technical details, let’s talk about why we chose ShipFast as the foundation for AlwaysLander.
Key Features of ShipFast:
Authentication: Secure, built-in user authentication with NextAuth, supporting multiple login methods including social logins.
Subscription Management: Pre-configured integration with Stripe for managing payments, subscriptions, and billing.
UI Components: A collection of reusable UI components using Tailwind CSS, enabling rapid development and ensuring a consistent design.
Next.js Integration: Built on Next.js, ShipFast provides server-side rendering (SSR) and static site generation (SSG) for improved performance and SEO.
These features allowed us to focus on building our unique value proposition—AlwaysLander—without getting bogged down in the basics of setting up authentication, payments, and UI design.
3. Tech Stack Breakdown
Choosing the right tech stack is crucial for the success of any SaaS project. Here’s a breakdown of the technologies we used to build AlwaysLander and why we chose them.
1. Next.js
Why: Next.js is a powerful React framework that offers server-side rendering (SSR) and static site generation (SSG). These features are essential for improving the performance of your application and ensuring good SEO, which is crucial for attracting organic traffic. Next.js also has built-in support for API routes, making it easier to manage backend operations without needing a separate server.
How It Helped: We used Next.js to build both the frontend and backend of AlwaysLander, allowing us to create a seamless, full-stack application.
2. Tailwind CSS
Why: Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework that allows for rapid UI development. It provides a wide range of utility classes that can be combined to create complex designs without writing custom CSS. Tailwind ensures a consistent design language across the application, which is important for maintaining a professional look and feel.
How It Helped: Tailwind CSS enabled us to quickly design and iterate on the UI of AlwaysLander, ensuring that our application was not only functional but also visually appealing.
3. MongoDB Atlas
Why: MongoDB Atlas is a fully managed NoSQL database service. It’s highly scalable and flexible, making it ideal for handling large datasets like the email lists AlwaysLander processes. MongoDB’s document-oriented structure also allowed us to store and retrieve complex data types without needing to worry about schema constraints.
How It Helped: MongoDB Atlas handled the storage and management of our email verification data, allowing us to focus on building the features rather than worrying about database scaling or management.
4. Mongoose
Why: Mongoose is an Object Data Modeling (ODM) library for MongoDB. It provides a straightforward way to model data, enforce schemas, and manage relationships within a MongoDB database. Mongoose also simplifies the interaction between our application and MongoDB, ensuring data integrity and consistency.
How It Helped: We used Mongoose to define the schema for our email verification data, which ensured that all records were stored in a structured and consistent manner.
5. NextAuth
Why: NextAuth is a complete open-source authentication solution for Next.js applications. It supports multiple authentication providers, including email and social logins, and handles complex authentication workflows with ease.
How It Helped: NextAuth allowed us to implement a secure authentication system quickly, enabling users to sign up and log in using their preferred method without compromising on security.
6. Stripe
Why: Stripe is the leading payment processing platform for SaaS businesses. It offers a robust API for handling payments, subscriptions, invoicing, and more. Stripe’s ease of use and comprehensive feature set make it the go-to choice for handling financial transactions.
How It Helped: We integrated Stripe with AlwaysLander to manage subscription tiers and process payments, allowing us to monetize the platform from day one.
7. Vercel
Why: Vercel is a cloud platform for static sites and serverless functions, built for optimal Next.js performance. It offers seamless integration with GitHub, automatic deployments, and built-in performance optimization features.
How It Helped: Vercel’s integration with Next.js allowed us to deploy AlwaysLander quickly and efficiently, ensuring our site was fast, reliable, and always up to date.
4. Week 1: Planning and Initial Setup
Day 1-3: Defining the Product and Setting Up the Environment
Before writing any code, it’s essential to have a clear understanding of your product’s goals and target audience. For AlwaysLander, the primary objective was to provide an accurate and reliable email verification tool that sales teams could trust to clean their email lists and improve deliverability.
Defining the Product:
Identify the Problem: Sales teams often struggle with high bounce rates, spam traps, and poor email deliverability. AlwaysLander was created to address these issues by providing a comprehensive email verification service.
Target Audience: Our target audience was sales professionals and teams who rely heavily on email for lead generation and outreach. These users value tools that can save them time and increase their success rates.
Core Features:
Accurate email verification with a 99.9% success rate.
Batch processing for large email lists.
Detailed analytics and reporting on verification results.
Setting Up the Environment with ShipFast:
Clone the ShipFast Repository: We began by cloning the ShipFast boilerplate into our development environment.
Configure Environment Variables: We set up environment variables for MongoDB, Stripe, and NextAuth to ensure smooth integration and deployment.
Deploy to Vercel: We deployed our initial setup to Vercel, which allowed us to see changes live in real-time and ensure continuous deployment throughout the project.
By the end of these three days, we had a working environment with basic authentication and a placeholder homepage, providing a solid foundation for the rest of the development process.
5. Week 2: Building Core Features
Day 4-7: Implementing User Authentication and Basic UI
With the environment set up, the next step was to implement user authentication and design the basic user interface. Thanks to ShipFast, we were able to implement a secure authentication system right out of the box, allowing us to focus on the more unique aspects of AlwaysLander.
User Authentication:
Social and Email Logins: We integrated both social logins (e.g., Google) and traditional email/password authentication using NextAuth, providing users with a flexible and secure way to sign up and log in.
Secure Password Storage: Passwords were securely stored using bcrypt, ensuring that user data remained protected.
Basic UI Setup:
Customizing the Landing Page: We adapted the default ShipFast landing page to match the branding and messaging of AlwaysLander. Our headline, “Boost Your Sales Team's Efficiency with 99.9% Accurate Email Verification,” was designed to immediately communicate the value of the product.
Responsive Design: Using Tailwind CSS, we ensured that the design was fully responsive, providing a seamless experience across different devices and screen sizes.
By the end of the first week, AlwaysLander had a fully functioning authentication system and a basic UI in place, ready to be expanded upon in the following weeks.
Day 8-14: Developing the Email Verification Engine
The email verification engine is the core of AlwaysLander, designed to ensure that sales teams can trust the accuracy of their email lists.
Building the Internal Email Verification Engine:
CSV Upload and Processing:
We developed a robust file upload system capable of handling large CSV files, allowing users to upload their email lists easily.
The CSV files are parsed and prepared for verification using a custom parser we built to handle different file formats and structures.
Email Verification Process:
Syntax Validation: Our system checks each email address to ensure it adheres to standard formatting rules.
Domain Validation: The engine verifies the DNS records for each domain, ensuring they are properly configured and active.
Deliverability Checks: We implemented algorithms to assess whether an email is likely to reach an inbox, considering factors like spam traps, blacklisted domains, and role-based addresses.
Storing and Displaying Results:
The results of these checks are stored in MongoDB, allowing users to view, sort, filter, and export their verification data at any time.
A dynamic table built with React displays the results in a user-friendly manner, making it easy to manage large datasets.
By the end of the second week, the core functionality of AlwaysLander was fully operational, with the email verification engine ready to process large lists of emails.
6. Week 3: Enhancing the User Experience
Day 15-17: Building the User Dashboard
The user dashboard is a critical component of any SaaS product, providing users with an overview of their activities and access to various features.
Creating the Dashboard:
Account Overview: We designed the dashboard to give users a clear view of their remaining email verifications, subscription status, and other essential metrics.
Verification History: Users can access a detailed list of all previous verification tasks, complete with links to view individual task results and export data.
User Experience Enhancements:
Real-Time Updates: To enhance the user experience, we implemented a progress bar for ongoing tasks and real-time updates that keep users informed of their email verification jobs.
Responsive and Intuitive Design: The dashboard was designed to be responsive, ensuring that it functions well on all devices, from desktops to smartphones.
By the end of this period, the dashboard was fully functional, offering users easy access to their account information and verification history.
Day 18-21: Implementing Payment and Subscription Handling
With the core features in place, the next step was to set up payment processing and subscription management using Stripe.
Stripe Integration:
Subscription Tiers: We implemented multiple pricing tiers within Stripe, each offering different levels of service, such as the number of email verifications available per month.
Billing Management: Users can manage their subscriptions directly from the dashboard, including options to upgrade, downgrade, or cancel their plans as needed.
Incentives for Sign-Ups:
Free Trials: We offered a 14-day free trial to encourage sign-ups, giving users a risk-free way to test the service.
Discount Codes: We implemented a system for discount codes, allowing us to offer promotional discounts that users can apply during checkout.
By the end of week three, AlwaysLander was not only fully functional but also ready to start generating revenue through its subscription plans.
7. Week 4: Testing, Launching, and Marketing
Day 22-24: Testing and Final Preparations
Before launching any product, it’s crucial to conduct thorough testing to ensure that everything works as expected. We dedicated these days to rigorous testing and final preparations.
Final Preparations:
Performance Optimization: We optimized the application for speed, ensuring fast load times and smooth performance across all devices.
Analytics Setup: We integrated Google Analytics and Stripe’s dashboard to monitor user behavior and financial performance from day one.
Day 25-27: Launch and Post-Launch Activities
With everything tested and optimized, it was time to launch AlwaysLander.
Launch Activities:
Go Live: On day 25, we officially launched AlwaysLander by making the site live and promoting it across various platforms.
Monitor Performance: We closely monitored user activity and performance metrics using our analytics setup, allowing us to quickly address any issues that arose.
Post-Launch Engagement:
User Feedback: We actively sought feedback from our early users, using their insights to make immediate improvements to the product.
Ongoing Marketing: Post-launch, we continued our marketing efforts through content marketing, social media campaigns, and email newsletters. We also leveraged our affiliate link with ShipFast to reach a broader audience.
8. Moving Forward: Building the Customer Base and Documenting the Journey
With AlwaysLander successfully launched, our focus now shifts to building and scaling our customer base. While developing and launching the product was a major achievement, the real challenge lies in growing a loyal user base and transforming AlwaysLander into a thriving SaaS business. Our approach will be centered around cold outreach, sales-driven growth, strategic marketing, and a robust affiliate program.
Leveraging Cold Outreach and Sales-Driven Growth
Given the nature of AlwaysLander, which is designed to optimize email campaigns for sales teams, it’s only fitting that we use sales-driven strategies to grow our customer base. Here’s how we plan to do it:
1. Cold Outreach:
Targeted Email Campaigns: We’ll be using AlwaysLander itself to manage and optimize our cold outreach efforts. By identifying and targeting potential customers—primarily sales teams and professionals—we can demonstrate the effectiveness of our tool while directly addressing their pain points.
Personalization: Each outreach email will be tailored to the recipient, addressing their specific challenges and how AlwaysLander can solve them. This personalized approach is expected to increase response rates and lead to higher conversion rates.
2. Sales-Driven Growth:
Sales Automation Tools: To scale our sales efforts, we’ll use automation tools to manage follow-ups, track leads, and measure the effectiveness of our outreach campaigns. These tools will help us maintain a high level of efficiency while reaching a larger audience.
Strategic Marketing Initiatives
Alongside our sales efforts, we’ll be implementing a series of strategic marketing initiatives designed to increase brand awareness and attract inbound leads.
1. Content Marketing:
Educational Content: We plan to produce valuable content—such as blog posts, case studies, and how-to guides—that educates our target audience on best practices in email marketing and sales outreach. This content will not only drive traffic to AlwaysLander but also position us as thought leaders in the space.
SEO Optimization: All content will be optimized for search engines to ensure that we rank well for relevant keywords, driving organic traffic over time.
2. Paid Advertising:
Targeted Ads: We’ll run targeted ads on platforms like Google Ads and LinkedIn, focusing on reaching decision-makers in sales and marketing roles. These ads will highlight the unique benefits of AlwaysLander and drive traffic to our landing pages.
Retargeting Campaigns: Retargeting will be used to re-engage visitors who have shown interest in AlwaysLander but haven’t yet converted, increasing the chances of turning them into paying customers.
Building an Affiliate Program
To further accelerate our growth, we’re developing a comprehensive affiliate program for AlwaysLander. This program will enable us to tap into new audiences through trusted recommendations and partnerships.
1. Affiliate Incentives:
Commission Structure: Affiliates will earn a competitive commission for each referral that converts into a paying customer. We aim to create an attractive incentive model that encourages widespread promotion.
Tiered Rewards: To motivate high-performing affiliates, we’ll introduce tiered rewards, offering higher commissions or bonuses for affiliates who drive significant traffic and conversions.
2. Easy-to-Use Tools:
Affiliate Dashboard: We’ll provide affiliates with a user-friendly dashboard where they can track their referrals, monitor earnings, and access marketing materials. This transparency and ease of use will help affiliates maximize their efforts.
Marketing Resources: We’ll supply our affiliates with a range of resources, including banners, email templates, and product videos, to ensure they have everything they need to promote AlwaysLander effectively.
Documenting the Journey
As we implement these strategies, we are committed to documenting every step of the process. We believe that sharing our experiences—both the successes and the challenges—will provide valuable insights for other founders and entrepreneurs.
Where We’ll Be Sharing:
This will be our primary platform for sharing in-depth articles, updates, and insights into our customer acquisition strategies, cold outreach campaigns, sales efforts, and the development of our affiliate program. We’ll dive into what works, what doesn’t, and how we’re adapting our approach to scale AlwaysLander.
Regular Updates:
We’ll provide regular updates on social media and platforms like Indie Hackers, sharing snapshots of our progress and engaging with the community. These updates will offer real-time insights into our journey.
By documenting our journey, we aim to create a resource that not only supports our growth but also helps other entrepreneurs who are on similar paths. The challenges of building a SaaS business don’t end at launch, and we’re excited to share our experiences and learnings as we navigate this next phase of growth with AlwaysLander.
Stay tuned for more updates, and follow along here and on BowTiedDingo.com as we continue to build, grow, and share our SaaS journey.