Indie hacker, solopreneur, SaaS builder... There are many ways to call them, but I call this new breed of entrepreneurs Saaspreneurs.

This is my definition:

Doers who dip their toes into every aspect of a SaaS business, independently building SaaS products and launching them publicly.

I'm personally just starting on this Saaspreneur journey: after trying to build a startup the "normal" way, with each person having a clearly defined role, I want to start building multiple SaaS businesses by myself, alongside my day job.

But what exactly does it mean to be a Saaspreneur, and what sets us apart?

A new kind of Entrepreneurship

For a long time, entrepreneurship meant quitting your job (or dropping out of university), building an MVP in a garage with your friends, raising money, building a team, and scaling.

But in 2024, entrepreneurship comes in many forms: the creator economy made it easier for anyone to become an entrepreneur.

And with the democratization of technology, the rise of no-code and low-code platforms, and a flourishing ecosystem of tools and resources, it has become increasingly easy to launch a SaaS business independently.

The Jack-of-all-Trades: Key Skills of a Saaspreneur

But unlike creators, influencers, ghost-writers or other kinds of solo entrepreneurs, saaspreneurs have a unique set of skills:

1. They are very technical: they can build things by themselves. Whether it's using a no-code or low-code platform or actually coding, saaspreneurs are not waiting for someone else to do the job for them - they know how to get their hands dirty
2. They have a business-oriented mindset: it's not enough to be a builder. To build a business out of something you've created, you need to know how to make money out of it
3. They are good with people: whether it's finding out what people really need, empathizing with their problems or hearing them out when they complain about the product, saaspreneurs need to deal with people a lot. I'm not saying they should be charismatic leaders anyone would listen to for hours, but they should definitely have good people skills.

Benefits and Challenges of Being a Saaspreneur

Being a saaspreneur is not all sunshine and software; it’s a rollercoaster of highs and lows.

On the upside, you've got the freedom to innovate, the agility to adapt, and the satisfaction of watching your SaaS baby grow.

But let's not sugarcoat it – wearing all the hats can get heavy.

There’s the constant juggling, the steep learning curves, and the never-ending to-do list.

You might be by yourself as well - not necessarily, but if you're building SaaS products on your own, it can get lonely. It can be hard to know if you're moving in the right direction or not. That's actually why I decided to launch this community!

Saaspreneurship: Is it for you?

I guess the question you need to ask yourself is: do you want to build a SaaS product and learn everything there is to know about launching it by yourself, or with a small team?

You would need to be:

• Incredibly curious
• Ready to learn anything, and fast
• Humble and willing to question everything you think you know - as some would like to call it, you would need to have a "growth mindset"
• Passionate about at least a few of the areas you would need to upskill in - it's okay and expected to hate some parts of it but if you don't like anything about building a SaaS and you're doing it just for the money, maybe there are other things better suited for you!

Being a saaspreneur can be challenging yet incredibly rewarding.

If you succeed, you can have a lucrative side-hustle or even a main job where you're completely free from constraints and you can follow your own vision.

If you don't, you'll still have learned way more things than you could at your daily job, and this could open up more opportunities in the future.

Either way, you'll do something meaningful, and that is the best way to spend your time!