SaaS Launch Planner

Purpose

Transform validated ideas into concrete, executable plans for building SaaS products in 3-4 weeks. Ensures subscription-first design, prevents scope creep, and prioritizes shipping fast to validate with paying customers.

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Core Principles

1. Ship Fast, Validate with Paying Users - 3-4 weeks to working product that users can pay for
2. Subscription-First Mindset - SaaS = recurring revenue, build for retention not just acquisition
3. No Feature Creep - Only core loop features in MVP, "nice to have" goes post-MVP
4. Next.js + Supabase + Stripe Optimized - Use proven stack's strengths, don't reinvent
5. Revenue-Focused Building - Every feature must answer "Who will pay?" and "What problem does this solve?"

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Planning Workflow

Phase 1: Problem & Market Definition

Required Information:

• Problem: One sentence describing what problem you're solving
• Current Solution: How people solve this today (and why it sucks)
• Willingness to Pay: Evidence people would pay for better solution
• Target Customer: Precise description with pain level (1-10) and budget
• Market Size: >10k potential customers minimum

Validation Checklist:

• Talked to 10+ potential customers
• They currently pay for similar solutions
• This is a painkiller (must-have) not vitamin (nice-to-have)
• You can reach customers within budget
• Market size is large enough

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Phase 2: Pricing Strategy Selection

Decision Tree:

IF product requires teams → Per-Seat Pricing ($X/user/month)
ELSE IF usage varies greatly → Usage-Based Pricing ($base + $per-use)
ELSE IF clear feature differentiation → Tiered Pricing (Starter/Pro/Enterprise)
ELSE IF need viral growth → Freemium (free + paid)

MVP Recommendation: Tiered Pricing (2-3 tiers maximum)

Standard MVP Pricing:

• Starter: $29/month - Core features, single user, email support
• Pro: $79/month - All features, multiple users, priority support
• Enterprise: Custom - Post-MVP

Trial Strategy:

• Recommended: 14-day free trial (no credit card required)
• Alternative: 7-day trial (credit card required)
• Goal: 10-15% trial-to-paid conversion

See references/PRICING_STRATEGIES.md for complete pricing models and optimization tactics.

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Phase 3: Core User Loop Definition

Template:

Discovery & Signup:
1. User lands on landing page → Sees value proposition
2. User starts free trial → Creates account
3. User completes onboarding → First value within 5 minutes

Core Value Loop:
4. User [action 1] → System [response 1]
5. User [action 2] → System [response 2]
→ Value Delivered: [What user achieves]

Subscription Conversion:
7. Trial ending reminder → Upgrade prompt
8. User adds payment → Stripe Checkout
9. Subscription activated → Full access granted
10. User continues using → Retention tracked

Success Metrics:
- Activation: 60%+ users complete key action within 24h
- Conversion: 10-15% trial users become paying
- Retention: 85%+ paid users stay active monthly

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Phase 4: MVP Scope Definition

Must Have Criteria:

• ✅ Essential for core functionality
• ✅ Users can't get value without it
• ✅ Can be implemented in 3-5 days
• ✅ No complex 3rd party integrations
• ✅ Directly impacts conversion or retention

SaaS-Specific Must Haves:

• User authentication (email + social login)
• Basic subscription management
• Stripe payment integration
• Core feature set (2-3 main features only)
• User dashboard
• Basic settings page

Post-MVP Features (Not Now):

• Advanced analytics
• Team collaboration
• Mobile apps
• API access
• Integrations (Zapier, Slack)
• Custom branding
• Advanced automation

Anti-Feature-Creep Rules:

1. One-Sentence Test: If you can't explain why this feature is essential in one sentence, it doesn't go in MVP
2. Manual Alternative Test: If this can be done manually for first 100 users, defer it
3. Value-Per-Day Test: Does value added justify X days of development before having paying customers?

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Phase 5: Technical Architecture

Fixed Tech Stack:

• Frontend: Next.js 15 (App Router), TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, shadcn/ui
• Backend: Next.js API Routes, Supabase (PostgreSQL)
• Auth: Supabase Auth (email + OAuth)
• Payments: Stripe Checkout + Billing + Webhooks
• Email: Resend or SendGrid
• Hosting: Vercel + Supabase

Database Tables (Standard):

profiles         -- User profiles (extends auth.users)
customers        -- Stripe customer mapping
subscriptions    -- Subscription status & plan info
[feature_tables] -- Your core feature data

Key API Routes:

POST /api/stripe/create-checkout-session  -- Start subscription
POST /api/stripe/customer-portal          -- Manage subscription
POST /api/webhooks/stripe                 -- Handle Stripe events
GET/POST/PUT/DELETE /api/[resource]      -- Core features

See references/TECHNICAL_ARCHITECTURE.md for complete schemas, app structure, and Stripe integration code.

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Phase 6: Development Roadmap

Week 1: Foundation + Core Feature

• Days 1-2: Project setup + Authentication
• Days 3-5: Core feature implementation (1-2 key features)
• Weekend: Testing + polish

Week 2: Payments + Subscription

• Days 1-2: Stripe integration (checkout + webhooks)
• Days 3-4: Subscription management + billing page
• Day 5: Essential features (settings, emails)
• Weekend: End-to-end testing

Week 3: Polish + Launch

• Days 1-2: Landing page + pricing page
• Days 3-4: Final polish (onboarding, error handling, empty states)
• Day 5: Deploy + monitor + 🚀 LAUNCH

Week 4: Validation + Iteration (Optional)

• Get first users, gather feedback, monitor metrics, quick bug fixes

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Output Format - PRD Template

When user requests complete planning, generate PRD using structure from references/PRD_TEMPLATE.md.

Required PRD Sections:

1. Executive Summary
2. Problem & Solution
3. Business Model (with pricing tiers)
4. Core User Journey
5. Success Metrics
6. MVP Scope (Must Have vs Post-MVP)
7. Technical Architecture
8. Development Roadmap (week-by-week)
9. Marketing & Launch Plan
10. Risk Assessment
11. Success Criteria

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Questions to Ask Before Building

Product Questions:

• Who will pay for this? (specific customer segment)
• What ONE problem does this solve? (single, clear problem)
• How do we measure success? (specific metrics)
• Why would they pay monthly? (ongoing value proposition)
• What's the alternative? (current solution)
• Why switch to us? (key differentiator)

Pricing Questions:

• What can customers afford? (price range research)
• What are competitors charging? (competitive analysis)
• What's our cost per user? (CAC, hosting, support)
• How will we handle trials? (credit card required or not)

Scope Questions:

• What can be manual initially? (MVP shortcuts)
• What features can wait? (post-MVP backlog)
• Where's the biggest risk? (technical unknowns)
• What's the critical path? (must-have sequence)

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Common SaaS Mistakes to Avoid

Top 10 Mistakes:

1. ❌ Building too many features → ✅ Focus on ONE thing
2. ❌ Complex pricing (5+ tiers) → ✅ 2-3 clear tiers
3. ❌ Ignoring churn → ✅ Build retention features day 1
4. ❌ Over-engineering → ✅ Use Next.js + Supabase (proven stack)
5. ❌ Building in isolation → ✅ Share progress, get feedback
6. ❌ Poor trial strategy → ✅ Email sequence + onboarding
7. ❌ Not testing payments → ✅ Test all Stripe scenarios
8. ❌ Ignoring failed payments → ✅ Dunning emails + retry logic
9. ❌ No onboarding → ✅ 3-step onboarding flow
10. ❌ Underpricing → ✅ Match market rates ($29+ minimum)

See references/COMMON_MISTAKES.md for detailed explanations and solutions.

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Usage Examples

Basic Request

I want to build a SaaS project management tool for freelancers.

Use saas-launch-planner to create complete PRD with:
- Pricing strategy
- Technical architecture
- 3-week roadmap

Detailed Request

Use saas-launch-planner:

SaaS Idea: AI-powered invoice generator for freelancers
Target: Freelancers earning $50k-$150k annually
Pricing: Tiered (Basic/Pro)
Key Differentiator: AI auto-fills invoice details from past data

Create complete plan including:
- PRD with subscription model
- Next.js + Supabase + Stripe architecture
- Week-by-week development roadmap
- Claude Code starter prompt

Update Existing Plan

We completed Week 1 of the SaaS roadmap.

Use saas-launch-planner to:
- Review progress
- Adjust Week 2 plan based on learnings
- Re-prioritize features if needed

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Claude Code Integration

When generating PRD, include optimized Claude Code starter prompt:

## Claude Code Starter Prompt

Create Next.js 15 SaaS application with subscription billing:

Project: [Name] Core Value: [One sentence]

Tech Stack:

• Next.js 15 (App Router) + TypeScript
• Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui
• Supabase (Auth + Database)
• Stripe (Checkout + Billing + Webhooks)

Core Features:

1. [Feature 1 with acceptance criteria]
2. [Feature 2 with acceptance criteria]
3. Stripe subscription integration
4. User dashboard
5. Subscription management

Pricing:

• Starter: $29/month - [features]
• Pro: $79/month - [features]
• 14-day free trial (no credit card)

Database Schema: [SQL from technical architecture]

Stripe Integration:

• Create checkout session for subscription
• Handle webhooks (subscription created/updated/deleted)
• Customer Portal for self-service
• Trial countdown in UI
• Access control based on plan

Start with project setup and authentication flow.

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Integration with Other Skills

Recommended Workflow:

1. idea-validator-pro → Validate market demand
2. saas-launch-planner (this skill) → Create complete PRD
3. Claude Code → Build the product
4. Ship in 3-4 weeks 🚀

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Key Success Metrics

Week 1 (MVP Launch):

• 50+ trial signups
• 10+ activated users
• 3+ paying customers

Month 1:

• 200+ trial signups
• 15+ paying customers ($1,000+ MRR)
• 10%+ trial-to-paid conversion

Month 3:

• 600+ trial signups
• 40+ paying customers ($3,000+ MRR)
• 12%+ trial-to-paid conversion
• <8% monthly churn

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Critical Reminders

DO ✅:

• Start with pricing model first (it influences architecture)
• Talk to customers about pricing before building
• Keep pricing simple (2-3 tiers max)
• Set up Stripe webhooks early
• Test payment flows thoroughly (success + failure)
• Implement trial countdown prominently
• Monitor trial-to-paid conversion obsessively
• Track churn reasons

DON'T ❌:

• Build 5+ pricing tiers
• Defer billing integration
• Forget to test webhook failures
• Ignore trial expiration edge cases
• Make cancellation hard
• Ignore failed payments
• Hardcode pricing (use Stripe products)
• Skip webhook verification

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💡 Key Insight: SaaS success = Build fast, charge early, retain relentlessly. Every decision should optimize for one of these three goals.

🎯 Goal: Not a perfect product, but a profitable one. Not every feature, but the right features. Not someday, but within 3-4 weeks.

🚀 Remember: Your first 10 paying customers teach you more than 1000 hours of planning. Ship, learn, iterate.