How I built and launched my first SaaS in 10 days

When I started this 12-in-12 challenge, I knew time would be my biggest constraint. So for my first SaaS project, I set myself a strict 10-day deadline from concept to launch. Here's how it went:

Day 1-2: Ideation and Planning

I began by listing problems I personally faced as a developer. One stood out: the need for quick website generation for small projects. I sketched out the core functionality, created user stories, and set up my development environment.

Day 3-5: Core Development

I chose Next.js and Tailwind CSS for the frontend, with Supabase handling the backend. The first three days were intense coding sessions to build the core template engine and website generator.

Day 6-7: User Testing

I shared an early version with friends and fellow developers, collecting feedback and making adjustments. Several usability issues emerged that I hadn't considered!

Day 8-9: Refinement and Polish

Based on feedback, I redesigned the template selection interface and added a preview feature that became one of the most loved aspects of the tool.

Day 10: Launch Day

After a final round of testing, I deployed to production, set up analytics, and launched on Product Hunt. The response exceeded my expectations, with over 500 users in the first 24 hours.

Key Takeaways

• Setting a tight deadline forced me to focus on core functionality first
• Getting early feedback was invaluable - users found issues I was blind to
• Launching is just the beginning - the first week post-launch required many fixes

For my next project, I'll be aiming for a 2-week timeline to allow for more polish before launch, but I'm thrilled with what I accomplished in just 10 days!