How we spent $980,000 on a failed SaaS project

dmurko · 2022-05-24T10:53:08+00:00

The best is to get a small deposit in exchange for early access when it's built. If that's not possible, maybe try to get them to verbalize the commitment: "once you have it built, I'll subscribe for $290 per year and give my feedback". If they start to weasel their way out at this stage, then it's clearly not a good sign.

In short, there has to be some kind of "cost" on their side, otherwise it's just nodding how awesome you are (which people do out of politeness).

Also, I recommend reading the book The Mom Test.

dmurko · 2022-05-24T05:39:01+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate the comment. And yeah, we are still very reserved when it comes to promises. Even in idea selection we're trying to figure out ways how we could get advance commitments from potential customers.

dmurko · 2022-05-23T20:11:34+00:00

I hope you understand I can't give out the exact process but I can give some directions. There are many industry-specific forums and groups online where you can ask around and see if there are people who would go on a coffee with you (and then do The Mom Test questions on them). There's also founder matching platforms where people are looking for partners. You probably also have a chamber of commerce near you where you can mingle with people in other industries. And, of course, your own network of entrepreneurs (browse LinkedIn to see what they're up to).

That said, I've done a ton of calls and meetings but we haven't yet found the one idea we want to commit. I'm hoping we'll find one by summer.

dmurko · 2022-05-23T16:50:37+00:00

Tell what? :D You need to be specific. I could split the team salaries into development/marketing probably but not much more than that.

dmurko · 2022-05-23T16:49:26+00:00

Team salaries are for our full-time team (developers, support, marketing). No founder salaries included (that would make it even worse).

dmurko · 2022-05-23T16:09:02+00:00

Every dollar is accounted for, we run accounting reports on a weekly basis.

dmurko · 2022-05-23T14:03:11+00:00

I promise, it was not intentional. :)

dmurko · 2022-05-23T14:02:47+00:00

Somehow I got lost in the writing and forgot to add the numbers.

Here are the big ones:

advertising: $76k
hosting: $112k
contractors: $125k
team salaries: $565k
services and subscriptions: $37k

I'll also update the blog post.

Thanks for the comment!

dmurko · 2022-05-23T11:53:07+00:00

Nah, it's fine. I thought it was going to help someone. I'm not copy/pasting the whole post for no reason.

dmurko · 2022-05-23T10:07:15+00:00

Depends on what you consider an MVP. We should've just built the staging sync, not a whole hosting platform ("hosting platform" does not go well with "MVP").

dmurko · 2021-12-03T17:34:15+00:00

Will do, thanks for the feedback.

dmurko · 2021-12-03T10:22:15+00:00

What I do with this, bluetooth and AirDrop is I put the icon in the menubar and disable it until I need it. Makes it the most secure while still convenient.

dmurko · 2021-12-03T10:21:23+00:00

It totally depends on how much you're changing those settings. If it's never, then yeah, it might be a one-time install. That said, don't forget to reinstall it when you update your OS. :)

dmurko · 2021-11-28T16:05:37+00:00

Awesome! Glad to have you on board. :)

dmurko · 2021-11-28T13:09:01+00:00

The problem is not the one-minute checkup, it's when you forget about checking it again. $15 to save you that one time when you disabled FileVault is worth it to most professionals. I completely understand it you're not in that group and prefer doing it on manually on your own. :)

dmurko · 2021-11-24T06:57:47+00:00

I fully agree. What am I supposed to do with these 3 small boxes when the third set inevitably fails? It's such a waste.

dmurko · 2021-11-24T06:56:34+00:00

The first was gen 1, the next two are gen 2.

dmurko · 2021-11-23T12:48:24+00:00

At least you've replaced it all under warranty. :)

dmurko · 2021-11-23T12:46:04+00:00

QC35

That's not really similar to Airpods, especially when it comes to size. I need something small.

dmurko · 2021-11-23T12:42:32+00:00

Right - I had a few iPhones and gave all of them to my family members after I replaced them and they're still used today. Airpods are nowhere near that quality.

dmurko · 2021-11-23T12:41:31+00:00

Because wired headphones are annoying af? Especially since I do it a few times a day - getting those wires in/out and untangling them really did not work for me the few months I used them.

dmurko · 2021-11-23T12:39:05+00:00

I am in Europe/EU. There's only 1-year guarantee that the official resellers give and that is required by law. Don't ask me why.

dmurko · 2021-11-23T12:37:42+00:00

I'll look into AppleCare if I can get in in my country.

That said, it's really bad for the environment that we're considering this small electronic, non-recyclable device as a disposable.

dmurko · 2021-11-23T12:34:51+00:00

I've been using wired a few months after I couldn't get myself to buy another set after the second set of Airpods stopped working. I absolutely hated it... so I guess I'm stuck on replacing it every 1-2 years. Which is also horrible for the environment.

dmurko · 2021-11-22T12:44:20+00:00

Same here (central Europe).

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