From Zero to MRR: The Checklist to Launch Your First SaaS

Launching a SaaS is more than coding. It's validating, selling, measuring. Here is the checklist we wish we had before our first launch — usable as a step-by-step guide from idea to first MRR.

Phase 1: Validation (week 0-2)

• ☐ Interview 10 prospects about their actual pain point
• ☐ Build a pre-sale landing page with waitlist
• ☐ Buy the domain (.com preferred)
• ☐ Collect 50 emails minimum before writing any code
• ☐ Test the offer with 3 payment promises

Phase 2: MVP (week 2-6)

• ☐ Start with a boilerplate (not from scratch)
• ☐ Auth + payment + 1 core feature, that's it
• ☐ Brand with a simple Figma logo
• ☐ Deploy on Vercel from day 1
• ☐ Onboard 5 beta testers manually

Phase 3: Launch (week 6-8)

• ☐ Prepare a Product Hunt page + assets (demo GIF, logo, screenshots)
• ☐ Write a launch post for Twitter / LinkedIn / Reddit r/SaaS
• ☐ Enable Cloudflare Turnstile (anti-bot)
• ☐ Wire Sentry + analytics
• ☐ Configure Stripe in production + test webhook
• ☐ Issue the first invoice before public launch

Phase 4: First MRR (week 8-12)

• ☐ Optimize the conversion funnel (Stripe Checkout, urgency)
• ☐ Launch a newsletter (Brevo) with 1 send/week
• ☐ Write 2-3 targeted SEO articles (long-tail)
• ☐ Request testimonials from first customers
• ☐ Measure: MRR, churn, CAC, LTV

Phase 5: Iteration (month 3+)

• ☐ Pick 1 growth lever (SEO, ads, partnerships)
• ☐ Double down on what works, cut the rest
• ☐ Hire when you can no longer do everything solo
• ☐ Think about taxes (Lemon Squeezy vs Stripe + accountant)

Pitfalls to avoid

• Coding for 6 months with zero users
• Over-engineering foundations (microservices at 0 users)
• Doing marketing only after launch
• Forgetting international taxes

Conclusion

Launching is no mystery. It's a checklist. The discipline to execute matters more than the quality of the idea. Boilerplate-Stack gives you the technical base to move fast.