Build a no-code SaaS with Bubble

What is it:

We are a software ending with one-size-fits-all employee experience by helping companies to build the work environment each employee expects, in the office or remotely. Essentially Think Confluent is an app to help team management and HR management.

Maker Insight:

Think simple, iterate fast. No need to build something extremely complex at the beginning just build your core algorithm/feature :)

What did I learn:

1. Early access takes the pressure off and provides a way for early users to shape the product how they like it. How did they structure this so to maximize their chances to work with the right customers?

Below I break down their sign up flow:

step 1: on landing page > link to get free early access (fantastic incentive)

step 2: Break up the data points you need into smaller sections so the list does not seem daunting. First page: collect three data points to removes friction. email, first and last name

step 2b: Confluent sent a welcome email before I finished the entire process. This is really well done. What is happening behind the scenes is they are creating a user id within their system. And every data point gets saved to a data collection. They also have triggers created to send the email as soon as possible to keep the lead warm and active. Every minute counts.

step 3: second page: company name and company size - this is insanely important to collect that helps Nicolas and Sarah qualify their leads. I can't stress this enough how important this is. They are developing a SaaS and need to qualify who they are making their product for so that they make it for customers who would pay money. So often we focus on just our user's goals when creating a product. No-one talks about what are your goals or your business goals? You'll never finish your product if you aren't marching towards those. You'll lost motivation and burn out if you aren't capturing value in return. A good way to set yourself up for success is making sure you are prioritizing and qualifying your first customers. Don't be in such a rush to help everyone. Otherwise you run the risk of creating a product for no-one.

step 4: Setting expectations. The next question is asking what the user expects from their product. This helps twoways - really clarifies for the user what value they might receive. Allows Nicolas and Sarah to see what is the most important feature that users want from their product?

step 5: How did you. hear from us? Obvoius great question so that they can see how their customers found them. Once Sarah and Nicolas fully launch they can then turn up the volume on that growth channel by customizing an experience and content to drive more people down to purchase their product.

step 6: final page, that displays what # you are on the waitlist (creates fomo), then a way for the user to skip the waitlist. This is great motivation to then schedule a call with the CEO to start using Think Confluent early. Great way to find out who are your super motivated potential customers. Provide them a way to show you and so that you can talk to them to better understand what they are looking for. Sarah and Nicolas also provided two more ways to skip the line by referring Think Confluent to your friends for 3 free months. Finally sharing the word within your network, but only if you believe in their mission. Great way to see if people are aligned with you and this is a fantastic ask because you aren't lazily asking them to
just share to share. there is purpose behind it tapping into the WHY behind the product.

2. What was learned from private beta?
"Well we had quite a lot of pre registered companies (around 200 in 6 months) for our private beta. We learned a lot about B2B processes and that made us rethink the product to be more accessible and more simple. That's why we are developing a plan made for teams so it's easier to jump in than onboard the whole company on day 1. "

When I first started making and launching I had a misconception that a launch was a singular event. Only once after I studied Makers creating products that I realized the more launches you can do the better you can get exposure but all gradually build into bigger and bigger launches.

Nicolas and Sarah are planning on public beta launch on December 1. And then planning a Product Hunt launch later. This is smart so that you can gradually build your customer base and validate your solution. You'll gain confidence with each launch, iterating on the feedback. This is a lean practice towards launching that maximizes your growth in the beginning.

Launching should not be a one time thing. It is a gradual unveiling from starting small to progressively larger audiences.

3. On making a well designed landing page with Bubble
"Im using Bubble for everything, I just have some 3rd party software integrations for payment / mailing list. My advice would be to plan the whole navigation and website organization and get inspiration for design on websites such as Dribbble for example. Using Figma to sketch mockups can be great too!"

This is great advice. As a solo Maker you'll need to maximize your time. You cannot do it all. My recommendation is to model parts of your app in places that are not your strengths. For example, I am not a designer. It is not my strength. So I modeled my landing page after a world class designer who had a digital product, like my current one, The Lean Side Project. It saved me time from having to think about how best to layout the information on the page. Using other concepts as inspiration is the best way to reduce your drag when making and give you confidence in areas you don't have the experience at. The problem with making is you have to do it all, and you are a one person band. You have to put your pride aside and focus on delivering outsized value with what your strengths are. Model your landing page after examples of people who are having success. This is the greatest way to decrease the risk in that part of your project.