On the viability of consumer SaaS

4 points by tatsuhirosatou 8 years ago | 1 comment

Dear HN,

I have read many people strongly advice against working on consumer SaaS e.g. patio11. The main argument seems to be that companies are way more likely to open up their wallets than consumers. The other argument is that it is easier to get companies to pay up big amounts of money, so that you can get more profit from each customer. That makes marketing easier, because you need less people going through your funnel to get a reasonable amount of income. Finally, companies are less prone to churn. In spite of all of these issues, I am working away very hard at a consumer SaaS app.

Why I am working on a consumer SaaS app?

- I am building a product I want/need for myself, which turns out to be for consumers.

- I am very passionate about my product idea/industry. I could see myself dedicating the next decade or longer on working on this field/idea.

- I think know my market very well.

- I believe I have some good ideas to overcome the marketing hurdle.

What is my project/idea?

I am developing Koipun Reader (koipun.com). Koipun Reader guides you through consuming native materials in steps so that you can reach advanced Japanese.

My goal is to make a 100k a year salary for myself and work on an idea I love.

I dedicate around 50% of my time to Koipun, the rest of the time going to a project that actually pays the bills. Am I stupid to invest a massive time amount of time and energy on a consumer SaaS product? Should I instead work on some B2B idea? Is consumer SaaS viable? Any advice for me?

I am 29 years old and I am dedicating my heart and soul to this project. Above all, I want to be independent while working on something I love. I can not bear the thought of not being my own boss and getting the freedom that comes with being an entrepreneur.

For more backstory checkout: https://www.koipun.com/blog/category/follow-the-koipun-story

CyberFonic 8 years ago |

I have friends who are learning Japanese so I sent them an email with a link to your site. Hope some of them sign up.

I did a quick Google with "Learning Japanese" and "Learning Kanji" and could not find your site on the first page for either. You might want to consider buying some ad-words to steer potential users your way.

If you know your market well, then you would be aware of the many other sites that aim to teach Japanese. To be successful, you need to identify how you can differentiate your site and offer a more compelling USP. Easier said than done, unfortunately.

I can see that you are passionate. But I would suggest that you read "4 Steps to Epiphany" and peruse SteveBlank.com. You should be able to refine your business development by following his guidelines.

Good luck!