What I learned running a tiny SaaS for a year

By Dana Whitfield · · 7 minute read

A laptop on a wooden desk beside a notebook
Where most of the work happened. Click to enlarge.

A year ago I launched a small tool that turns CSV exports into readable reports. Today it has 340 paying customers. Here is what mattered, and what didn't.

Charge from day one

My free beta taught me almost nothing. The week I added a price, people started telling me what was missing.

Free users give you compliments. Paying users give you feedback.

Something a friend told me, far too late

Boring technology wins

The whole app is one server, one database, and a cron job. The deploy script fits on a postcard:

git pull
npm ci --omit=dev
systemctl restart reports

The numbers

QuarterCustomersRevenueChurn
Q142$1,2609%
Q2118$3,5406%
Q3226$6,7805%
Q4340$10,2004%
Click a column header to sort.

What's next

I'm hiring my first part-time support person, and I'm still not adding a free plan.