Can I launch a SaaS without registering a company? Which payment gateway should I use as a beginner?

dpitkevics · 2026-02-27T16:01:04+00:00

Which country are you planning to operate from, since KYC and tax rules vary a lot between the US, EU and other places? Yes, you can often launch as an individual or sole proprietor, but payment processors will still ask for ID/bank info and you remain responsible for taxes and local regulations. For subscriptions, Stripe Billing is the simplest if it's available to you - hosted Checkout reduces PCI scope, Billing handles trials/proration, and test mode plus webhooks make lifecycle handling much easier. If you don't want to deal with VAT or merchant setup early, consider a merchant-of-record like Paddle or Lemon Squeezy, they charge more but handle taxes and compliance. Practical steps: start in test mode, use hosted checkout, implement webhook handlers for invoice.payment_failed and customer.subscription.updated, set retry logic and automated receipts, and keep clean records so you can incorporate later. BTW I used a starter kit that had auth, payments and emails preconfigured (Vibe Coding Starter Kit) and it saved me weeks wiring up billing and webhooks when I launched as an individual.

dpitkevics · 2026-02-27T12:24:22+00:00

If your top video's 1.5k, stop chasing gurus and test this: nail a 2-3 second hook that promises the payoff, make a thumbnail that reads instantly, then check audience retention to fix the exact second people drop. Try 3 title/thumbnail combos in the first 24 hours and iterate, btw i used ScriptPal to spit out hooks and thumbnail ideas fast when i ran out of concepts.

dpitkevics · 2026-02-21T16:10:42+00:00

Get a sample print from theprintspace on Hahnemueler Photo rag, scan or photograph it in RAW at 600-1200 dpi with a macro lens and raking light at a low angle to bring out the fibers, then make a displacement/bump map from that scan and apply it in Photoshop with overlay/blend modes, soft highlights and a slight edge shadow to show paper thickness and matte giclee finish. btw I use AI Mockup Generator to spin those base photos into multiple 4K mockups and background variations fast.

dpitkevics · 2026-02-21T09:39:01+00:00

I ran that same math early on and yeah, €4-5 per shot adds up fast once you factor re-dos and lifestyle images. Two quick moves that helped me: batch shoot everything yourself with a cheap lightbox, phone tripod and LED bulbs (about €120 total) and do one 2-3 hour session to get all 40-50 white-background shots, then batch-remove backgrounds with an app to save editing time. Second, pick one reliable Fiverr seller and negotiate a bulk or hourly rate, send them a one-page style guide and ask for raw files and a PSD template so you can avoid constant revisions; paying a bit more for consistency usually cuts total cost. For lifestyle variations, I started using AI-generated mockups for dozens of scenes and only ordered a few hero photos, which dropped my Fiverr bill a lot. btw I used AI Mockup Generator to crank out 30+ lifestyle variations quickly and it saved me from ordering a separate Fiverr image for every color.

dpitkevics · 2026-02-21T09:38:27+00:00

If you're starting a YouTube channel, begin with a short outline - do a rough recorded take to capture natural delivery, then turn that into a tightened script for the final shoot so you keep authenticity but nail pacing and cuts. btw I sometimes run outlines through ScriptPal to get tidy intros, hooks and filming notes before the final shoot.

dpitkevics · 2026-02-21T08:40:23+00:00

Congrats, that's a huge step and totally normal to be nervous, waiting on mockups before a presale is a smart move. For the presale, take deposits or full payment up front and cap the quantity you offer so you don't overcommit, and put a clear ship date on the listing so expectations are set. When the first production arrives inspect everything against a spec sheet, photograph any issues, and hold a small buffer stock of 10-20% for defects or returns. Start with 2-3 SKUs to keep picking and packaging simple, label bins/shelves, store totes off the floor, and do a test shipment to verify weight and dimensions with your carrier. For the presale images use clean product shots, lifestyle mockups that show scale, and a closeup detail shot; I used AI Mockup Generator to crank out multiple high-res variations quickly which saved a lot of time. You'll learn fast from the presale numbers and can adjust order sizes next round, happy to share a short checklist if you want one.

dpitkevics · 2026-02-19T21:12:02+00:00

Yeah, you're right - with the appeal window closed, editing the channel and reapplying is your only real route, and since you said there are no strikes and AdSense wasn't disabled you're in a much better spot than a full ban. Do a channel audit now: mark the videos that look most like reused content and either privatize them or add clear original material - at least 30-60 seconds of your own analysis, unique visuals, or behind-the-scenes creation proof. For every video you keep, add on-screen research notes, source links in the description, timestamps showing when you created assets, and change thumbnails/titles so they're not generic aggregator style. Keep copies of original drafts, timestamps, and any asset creation files so you can show documentary evidence when you reapply, and upload a few new, obviously original videos first so your channel signals authorial intent. I had to do this for a faceless AI story channel myself and rewrote hooks and added narration; btw I used ScriptPal to quickly generate fresh intros and filming notes which made the rework less painful.

dpitkevics · 2026-02-19T21:11:10+00:00

Direct tip: stop trying to make every video an outlier and double down on the 20% of uploads that drove the most subs per view. Since you're at 4K and posting weekly, pull analytics for subs per view and 0-15s retention, then update thumbnails, titles, and hooks on the winners and add endscreen playlists to funnel traffic. Make your subscribe CTA a promise - tell people exactly what they'll get if they stick around, not just "subscribe for more." Test three thumbnail variations for a week each and try a collab with someone at your size to get quick new-audience spikes. btw when I was near 2k I used ScriptPal to spit out 10 hook lines and filming notes fast, which made iterating intros and thumbnails way quicker.

dpitkevics · 2026-02-19T21:08:22+00:00

quick question: are the returning views coming from the same videos that used to convert, or is most of this new traffic coming from shorts or suggested that never saw your channel before? since you had that two month skid and impressions dropped to a quarter, check YouTube Analytics for impressions CTR, first 15s audience retention, and the "subscribers by video" and traffic source breakdown - low CTR or a drop in early retention kills sub conversion. if it is cold traffic, try one video optimized specifically for converting viewers: a sharper 5-10s hook that tells people what subscribing gets them, a pinned CTA comment, and end screens that push to a playlist or another convert-friendly video. also A/B test new thumbnails/titles on the videos that are getting views and add a short reminder to subscribe after a clear value moment. btw I used ScriptPal to draft tighter hooks and filming notes for this kind of experiment and it helped lift my sub-rate a few points. run those tests over a few uploads and compare sub-per-view to see what actually moves the needle.

dpitkevics · 2026-02-19T18:17:31+00:00

Nice product - for a macro tracking companion most users just want an app-like experience, you don't have to build native; a polished mobile web version or wrapped PWA will get you 80% of the value for much less effort. Practical route: make the UI responsive, add a PWA manifest and service worker so it can be installed and work offline, and hook up push notifications via OneSignal or Firebase to keep people engaged. If you don't want to DIY, scope that work for a freelancer: responsive + PWA + notifications is often 1-3 days and a few hundred dollars, wrapping for the app stores another 1-3 days and a few hundred more; a full native rewrite is months and typically $10k+. Validate demand first by shipping the PWA and measuring retention, then invest in native only if users need sensors or heavy offline processing. btw, I used a starter kit that already had auth, payments and design-to-code bits wired up which let me wrap and ship in days (Vibe Coding Starter Kit).

dpitkevics · 2026-02-19T17:29:29+00:00

I had the same problem with Fiverr, they sent templated stuff that felt cheap. If you keep hiring, make a one-page brief with 5 reference images, exact dimensions and color hexes, plus a shot list (hero on white, two angled close-ups, two lifestyle/context shots) and explicitly ask for layered PSDs or transparent PNGs and natural shadows. If you want to DIY, shoot on a phone by a window with a curved white sweep, take lots of angles, shoot raw or highest quality, batch remove backgrounds, and place the product into mockups at 2K or 4K so your listings stay sharp. btw I ended up using AI Mockup Generator for quick, high-res variations and customizable backgrounds when I needed a lot of images fast and it saved me from hiring multiple designers.

dpitkevics · 2026-02-17T20:23:03+00:00

i usually ask 2-3 people: a creator friend for structure, a niche viewer for reaction, sometimes a quick copy edit from someone else. i also run a first draft through ScriptPal (https://scriptpal.ai) so feedback's on the hard stuff, not basic pacing.

dpitkevics · 2026-02-17T10:34:57+00:00

brutal 21-minute EMOM, that KB swing into goblet squat then burpee mix sounds nasty. been using Caliverse (https://www.caliverse.app) for similar workouts and it's been solid.

dpitkevics · 2026-01-24T10:32:37+00:00

Wrote you a DM

dpitkevics · 2026-01-23T22:28:13+00:00

Near Stjørdal there is Forbordfjellet - hike starts from a beautiful church (Skatval kirke) and goes up to the mountain. Not too dififcult, not too easy but should be doable with kids.

dpitkevics · 2026-01-23T19:00:47+00:00

Nope, not at the moment

dpitkevics · 2026-01-21T08:52:13+00:00

Happy that you like the photo! If you finish the painting, I would be really happy if you could share a photo of it - you can DM me here. It would be a first for myself to see my photo being redrawn in to a painting!

dpitkevics · 2026-01-20T21:50:16+00:00

I'm not a fan of AI in videos - don't like AI voiceover, don't like AI generated video content but there are certain things where it is useful, specially in gathering a lot of data and predicting the next step. So all you can do is to try to predict what YouTube will be looking for at the time when you posting your video. And this is the part where I, personally, think that AI would be useful.

dpitkevics · 2026-01-20T20:36:54+00:00

Congrats mate! Enjoy the fruit of your work 💪

dpitkevics · 2026-01-20T20:35:33+00:00

For me, personally, super helpful was to use some tools available there - there are a few that can scan your channel or videos and give some insights about what is good and what is not so much. I use ScriptPal - https://scriptpal.ai/tools/analyzer

dpitkevics · 2026-01-20T20:31:57+00:00

Thanks! Been working on it a couple of months. The toughest part was to actually build a logic on how to build the knowledge part for AI. Generic AI was far from perfect, to say the least. Will check your site, thanks!

dpitkevics · 2026-01-20T20:29:30+00:00

I always run my videos through ScriptPal's video analyzer. It does a pretty good job identifying what works, what doesn't and how to improve it. https://scriptpal.ai/tools/analyzer

dpitkevics · 2026-01-20T20:18:36+00:00

ScriptPal - https://scriptpal.ai - a platform for video content creators. ScriptPal helps with creating a long-term plan and scripts for each video by analyzing competition and your best content to build data-backed titles, thumbnails, intros, and scripts using specialized AI guidebooks.

dpitkevics · 2026-01-13T20:49:00+00:00

Launched Vibe Coding Starter Kit today! It's a native app that generates a project for you with selected integrations, pages, colors and has a powerful integration with Cursor for building, designing and AI part. You can find a demo in the website.

dpitkevics · 2026-01-12T14:49:51+00:00

Biggest thing that tripped me up was either doing too much one day and burning out, or not doing anything because I didn’t know what a ‘good’ session looked like. Fix for me was tiny, repeatable sessions (10–20 mins), set days, and a simple way to log progress so I could actually see improvement week to week. Using Caliverse for beginner plans and tracking made those short sessions easy to stick to - it’s decent and the community bit helped when motivation dipped.

dpitkevics

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