The start of a new year is a great time to reflect and think about the previous one. Two years ago, I started publishing my thoughts about my personal year. With 2018 just starting off, it’s time for me to look back at 2017.
Feel free to go back to my reviews of 2015 and 2016 for additional context.
Building a SaaS (or any software product, really) takes a lot of time and money. It’s hard to stay focused on the things that actually produce value for your customers. In the following, I’ll show you a few things that you can easily skip until after launching. This way, you’ll launch earlier, and maybe even learn that you don’t need some of the features you thought everyone wants.
A year ago, I published my first Year in Review post. I did not publish anything since that review and therefore was a little hesitant about writing one for 2016. It was a tweet by Jamie Lawrence that convinced me to write this review:
“Year in review” posts are great way of rewriting history, and a terrible way to compare yourself with others – Jamie Lawrence
However, my intention isn’t to rewrite history. Instead, I want to preserve the things (both good and bad) that happened this year.
This is the first time I’m writing a “Year in Review” post. In the past, I wasn’t sure about the value of me writing a post like this. However, I always liked to read similar posts by people I know. I hope there’s something in this post that is of value to you, or at least inspires you in some way or another.
Today, I launched Stage, a content management system, designed for band websites. As of today, it’s out there for everyone to see and use. It’s already making 307€ in monthly recurring revenue and hosting the websites of five bands, including those of internationally known bands like Nightwish, Epica, and Sonata Arctica.