
Ask HN: Any SaaS idea to share? - Im_a_throw_away
Recently we got 2 ask HN related to SaaS business [0] [1].<p>This time I&#x27;m curious if you have any SaaS business idea that you don&#x27;t plan to pursue? And if so, feel free to share it here.<p>[0]: https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=11924009<p>[1]: https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=11937132
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adiian
An idea is useless. What it matters, especially in SAAS is to identify a need
of an heterogeneous group of people. A painful one for which they would pay a
certain amount.

So instead looking for an idea try looking for a community and try to
understand it. Study it, see what they do, how they do and what they really
need. Don't ask them what they need, or if they have an idea because they
might not know.

Once you understand them you can start crystallizing an idea. It might be bad,
you start (in)validating assumptions, pivotating and iterating through those
steps until you reach to the good "idea".

An idea you get from somebody else is in the best case scenario one which
identifies a need. You still have to validate it, which is the hard part. And
you still have to understand your customers which is even harder.

The successful one man side-projects are successful because they are started
by passion by people who follow those steps sometimes without even knowing it.
They are annoyed by something or they need something which does not exist.
They create it first for them and for people like them.

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going_to_800
I want an email service that sends each week 10 saas ideas and also see who
started working on which.

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skiltz
[http://nugget.one](http://nugget.one)

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wmcneil
I am also interested in hearing ideas. It has been too long since I've last
had a good side project and not just small one off things that go unfinished.

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bbcbasic
With YNAB moving to the cloud, a good old fashioned desktop budget app.

Write it natively for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android and Windows Phone so
it performs well.

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stephenr
I think one of us is confused, you want a Software-as-a-Service desktop app?

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bbcbasic
Being SaaS doesn't dictate web delivery. Desktop apps can be rented and auto
updated. Case in point: Office 365

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stephenr
Being subscription based doesn't make it SaaS.

Emphasis mine:

\- Wikipedia: Software as a service is a software licensing and delivery model
in which software is licensed on a subscription basis _and is centrally
hosted._

\- Dictionary.com: Software as a Service: a software distribution method in
which a service provider gives customers _access through the Internet to
applications_ , usually ones developed and owned by the provider

\- techterms.com: Stands for "Software as a Service." SaaS is software that is
_deployed over the Internet rather than installed on a computer_. It is often
used for enterprise applications that are distributed to multiple users. SaaS
applications typically run within a Web browser, which means users only need a
compatible browser in order to access the software.

\- Salesforce.com: Software as a service (or SaaS) is a way of _delivering
applications over the Internet—as a service. Instead of installing and
maintaining software, you simply access it via the Internet_ , freeing
yourself from complex software and hardware management.

Sure, desktop apps _can_ be subscription based, but that isn't the same as
SaaS. The second S in SaaS is "service" as in, you are providing something
more than just the software. With your example of Office365, there is a web
based component, and the accompanying storage to go with it.

So given that the post I replied to, was suggesting a desktop app because a
previous solution had "moved to the cloud", I maintain that there is confusion
about what SaaS means.

~~~
bbcbasic
Well you got be bang to rights there.

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smilingtom
I would like to get rich from working on an easy software project that will
make me a lot of money for not a lot of effort.

Does anyone have an idea like that? Thank you.

~~~
lj3
Fart apps. You're welcome.

