Introduction
I am running a SaaS on my own. This newsletter will discuss a decade of challenges, failures and successes
I have been running a software as a service (SaaS) company since 2013 from Melbourne, Australia. It is an online quiz maker used by 150,000 active users every year. I am the only director and employee. I don't hire contractors for programming or marketing.
Why this, why now
My startup celebrates its ten years in 2023. This series of newsletters will discuss a decade of experience in many aspects of a startup: features implementation, growth strategy, cyber-attacks, support requests, etc. Running a company is hard. Running one on your own is more challenging and more manageable at the same time.
Regardless of size, owning a startup is frustrating, sometimes traumatic, but rewarding. These articles will be a venting outlet and therapy for me.
What you will read
Most posts will be about challenges, as startup life is rarely mundane.
They will usually fall into four categories:
Product-based technical (e.g. bugs, cyber-attacks)
Product-based non-technical (e.g. growth, support requests)
People-based mental health (e.g. anxiety)
People-based physical (e.g. back pain, body shutdown)
Luckily, none of the difficulties I encountered was unsurmountable. There were a few black swans events that came close, though.
I have found that successes also present challenges. A good problem to have is still a problem.
I currently have more than 100 potential subjects for the newsletter and will send one every Monday afternoon (AEDT). Their publication won't be chronological; what I want to get out of my chest will come first.
Please be vocal and comment. This newsletter is also a startup, and the first thing I learned about running one is that criticism improves your product. Praises help me recover from criticism and tone down the imposter syndrome many programmers, including me, feel.
Comments also help me prioritise certain subjects by understanding the readership profile.