If I had to build a SaaS from $0 today, I wouldn't start by writing code. I'd start by talking to the market.
Imagine you have an idea you're convinced will work. You spend 3 months building it, make the UI beautiful, add 20 features, launch it… and then nothing happens. No users. No customers.
That's when you realize: building the product wasn't the hardest part. Distribution was.
I'd follow a simple rule: roughly 20% of my effort goes into building, and 80% goes into understanding customers and distribution.
First, I'd study the market. Who has this problem? How are they solving it today? What competitors exist? What do customers hate about the existing solutions? And most importantly, is this problem painful enough that people will actually pay to solve it?
That's actually the approach I'm taking while building Nodott.com.
I'm not trying to spend months building a huge product and then hoping people show up. I'm trying to build the smallest version that solves the actual problem, get it in front of people, talk to users, collect feedback, and iterate.
With AI tools, I'd try to get the MVP working in days, not months. No unnecessary animations. No 50 features. No obsession with perfect UI.
Just solve the core problem and deliver value.
Then I'd put it in front of real users.
I wouldn't act like a salesman. I'd act like a problem solver.
I'd ask what they're struggling with, how they solve it today, what they expected from the product, and what would make them pay.
Then I'd build again based on what they actually told me.
For marketing, I'd start with $0 in ads.
I'd post useful things on X, share what I'm learning, explain problems, answer questions, and give value.
Someone sees the post → visits the website → signs up → becomes a beta user.
Now you have something far more valuable than a follower: someone actually using your product.
And if they don't pay?
I'd ask:
“Why aren't you paying?”
That answer could completely change the future of the SaaS.
Maybe the problem isn't painful enough. Maybe the product isn't solving the right problem. Maybe the value isn't clear. Maybe the pricing is wrong.
Whatever the answer is, iterate.
Build → Talk → Learn → Improve → Distribute → Repeat.
I'd also find my ICP before my competitors do.
If my competitor has thousands of followers, I'd study those followers. Find the people already talking about the problem. Follow them. Understand them. Comment. Give value.
Don't immediately DM them:
“Hey, check out my SaaS.”
Build the relationship first.
Because marketing isn't just about getting attention.
It's about becoming the person people trust when they finally need the solution.
That's the mindset I'm trying to follow while building Nodott.com.
You can build the best product in the world.
But if nobody knows it exists, it doesn't matter.
Build fast. Talk to users. Give value. Distribute. Iterate. Repeat.