From idea to SaaS: a 30-day plan for an Arab developer
This is a plan I follow. It is opinion and experience, not a guaranteed recipe. The idea: a small product built by one person, with payment asked for early. The proof that an idea deserves your time is not what people say about it, but that they pay for it.
Principles
- Start with a problem you know, and people you talk to every day.
- Boring, simple tech that you can maintain alone.
- Ask for payment early. It is the most honest test.
- Support Arabic and RTL from day one. It is your edge over general products.
- Launch small and improve in public.
The plan in four weeks
| Week | Goal | Success signal |
|---|---|---|
| 1: The problem | Choose and test the problem: ten conversations with potential users and a one-sentence promise | Three people say they would pay |
| 2: Smallest version | One path that works end to end | Someone finishes it without your help |
| 3: Payment | A payment link, a price and a terms page | Your first real payment |
| 4: Launch | A landing page, a public announcement and follow-up | Five people pay, or a clear decision to continue or stop |
Week 1: choose the problem
- Write down three problems you know from your work or the people around you.
- For each, ask: do people pay to solve it today, even badly? Can I build a first version in days?
- Talk to ten people and listen instead of selling. Write your promise in one sentence: “I help [who] do [what] without [the obstacle].”
Week 2: build the smallest version
- One path only. Every extra feature waits.
- A simple stack you already know. For example, a static site on Cloudflare Pages with GitHub, and Supabase for the database and sign-in if you need them.
- Make the interface Arabic and RTL from the start, and read our guide: How to build a proper Arabic (RTL) website.
- Use a coding agent and review everything it writes. See: The best free and open-source AI coding tools.
Week 3: add payment
- Start with a simple payment link before you build a full billing system.
- Pick a gateway that supports your customers' country and local payment methods. Check it yourself before relying on any gateway; the Arab Dev Toolkit on the site lists examples.
- Show the price, refund policy and terms page clearly.
Week 4: launch
- A landing page with your promise, your price and one button.
- Announce on your account with a short video showing the product working.
- Follow up with everyone who tried it and ask what stopped them paying.
- At the end of the month decide: continue, change direction, or stop.
Common mistakes
- Building for two months without mentioning a price.
- Many features before anyone uses the first one.
- Leaving Arabic and RTL to the end.
- Waiting for perfection before launching.
- Not recording what happens: who visited, who tried it, who paid.
From the site's library
- Next.js Learn to build a full web app.
- Supabase for the database and sign-in.
- Cloudflare for hosting and your domain.
- Stripe Docs as a reference for subscriptions and billing.
FAQ
Do I need a partner?
Not for the first version. What matters is that the product is small enough for you to build and maintain alone.
How much should I spend at first?
Start with free or cheap tools, and postpone any large spending until your first user pays.
What if nobody pays?
That is a useful result. Change the promise, the problem or the audience, and repeat the cycle with a smaller product.
A new tool every day
I post a free AI tool on X every day, and all sources and paths live in the library.