Ideas possess colossal power, enough to change the world. Democracy was an idea that traveled from ancient Greece and reached almost every nook and cranny of the world. Similarly, Facebook – one of the world’s largest social networking platforms – was basically an idea baked inside a few youngsters’ minds. There’s an unending list of such ideas that have shaped the world we live in, and it just keeps expanding.
Undoubtedly, we all want our names and ideas to be on that list but often lack the motivation or opportunity to go for it… but maybe not anymore.
Software as a Service, or SAAS, is here to accommodate you in translating your ideas into reality if you have the required amount of passion, patience, and willingness to learn. Patrick Parker, a serial entrepreneur who has created many software products and assisted numerous clients in developing their ideas into reality, shares a few tips on how to come up with successful SAAS ideas.
SAAS is a technology that allows its users to interact with web or mobile applications that are hosted in the cloud. Common examples would be Calendly, Canva, Office 365, Dropbox, Netflix, and plenty of others. The advantages of SaaS are far-reaching, and it’s not only limited to businesses, as commonly perceived.
“The SAAS technology has opened new vistas for tech enthusiasts to explore and capitalize on. However, in order to do so, you need to come up with a successful SAAS idea,” says Patrick.
According to Patrick, a successful SAAS idea is simply one that solves a particular problem. “If we run through all the successful SAAS ventures, we would find that each one has comprehensively addressed customers’ pain points and has attempted to provide an easy-to-use solution – that’s the key!” says Patrick.
And that’s the way as well to come up with the best idea. Patrick says that all you need to do is to sit and table the swarm of ideas that are simmering in your mind. After that, you will need to research all the niches/industries that pertain to your idea and see what solutions already exist, their performance indicators, customer feedback, and how you can make a difference in that area. That should give you a cursory idea of what is available and what is being sold, and how your product can fit into the landscape and benefit your future customers.
After that, says Patrick, conduct surveys or interviews of the potential customers that will be using your product to understand their expectations and what features they are looking for in a product. Once you have all these checkboxes ticked, you have everything you need to drop something unique and shape the world in your own way.
Patrick summarizes everything perfectly in this way, “if you can save people time, money, or convenience, then you’re onto something.” Are you looking for a regular dose of advice from Patrick? Follow him on Instagram at @patrickbparker.
