I'm a developer from Nepal. For the past few weeks, I've been trying to find a SaaS idea that people would actually pay for.
I didn't build anything. No code. Just landing pages and validation.
Four ideas. Zero traction. Here's what actually happened.
Idea #1: Gigfolio - Finance Dashboard for Freelancers
The pitch was simple: track your irregular income and set aside taxes automatically. As a developer who does freelance work, I thought this was a no-brainer.
I posted about it on Reddit. Got a few views. Zero signups.
Then came this comment:
"People who are surprised by income tax shouldn't freelance."
That hit different.
The problem wasn't urgent. Freelancers deal with chaotic income, sure. But they've been dealing with it for years using spreadsheets. My solution was a "nice-to-have," not a "must-have."
I tried different angles. Posted on r/EntrepreneurRideAlong about how "freelancing income is chaotic" and how I built a tool to help. One person said it sounded helpful. That's it. One person.
The posts got removed from r/upwork and r/freelance. Not a great sign when the communities you're targeting don't even want to hear about your solution.
Idea #2: Fileloop - Client File Portal
Next idea: stop sharing messy Google Drive links with clients. Give them one clean portal instead.
I built a landing page. Posted it on Reddit asking for feedback. Got a few signups this time.
But when I talked to people, the response was always the same: "Google Drive works fine."
"Messy" wasn't painful enough. People tolerate messy. They've been tolerating it for years. Unless you're solving something that actively costs them money or clients, they won't switch.
Someone on r/SaaS said the landing page looked good. Someone on r/web_design called me out for the "nonsensical story" I used to promote it. Fair enough. I was trying too hard.
I even bought a domain. fileloop.co. That's $12 I'm not getting back.
Idea #3: Fileloop Pivot - Client Onboarding Portal
Maybe the problem wasn't file sharing. Maybe it was collecting information from clients in the first place.
New pitch: stop chasing clients for project info. Send them one link with auto-reminders and auto-save.
While researching, I found Content Snare and Dubsado already doing this. More importantly, I realized something obvious: I'm not a freelancer who deals with client onboarding.
I was guessing problems I don't personally live with.
That's the trap. You read about problems on Reddit, watch YouTube videos about "underserved markets," and think you understand the pain. You don't. Not really.
One commenter on my validation post asked a question that stuck with me:
"Are your dropoffs happening during the form submission or after? That'll help you figure out if you need a form redesign or if the issue is something else."
I didn't know. Because I wasn't deep enough in the problem to know what questions to even ask.
Idea #4: Django + React Payments Boilerplate
Okay, forget B2B. Let me sell to developers. I know developers.
The pitch: drop-in Stripe + auth setup for Django + React projects. Cheaper than SaaSPegasus ($249+). Just the payments and auth part. $49-99.
I posted on r/django. The feedback was brutal.
"No because like all those so called projects is just dumb AI slop."
"Nowadays thanks to AI and automations I completely stopped looking for boilerplates. I can implement it really fast."
"Copy+paste+edit. I don't think I'm going to be changing just yet."
"I've done this so many times I just have it templated already. And AI now does this flawlessly for pennies."
That made something clear: AI changed the game. Developers don't want to pay for code anymore. ChatGPT can scaffold a Stripe integration in minutes. Why would anyone pay $49 for something they can generate for free?
This wasn't just a bad idea. It was a bad market. Developers are the hardest customers because they can build things themselves. And now they have AI doing the boring parts.
What I Actually Learned
Four failures in two weeks. Here's what stuck:
1. Validating before building saved me months
I spent $25 on domains. That's it. No weeks of coding. No "just one more feature" trap. If I had built any of these, I'd still be tweaking them, convincing myself that the next update would change everything.
2. Nice-to-have products don't sell
"It would be nice to have cleaner file sharing." "It would be nice to track my freelance income better." Nice doesn't open wallets.
People pay for must-haves. Problems that cost them money, time, or sanity every single day.
3. Developers are a terrible market
They can build anything themselves. They have strong opinions about code. And now AI does the boring parts for free. Unless you're solving a genuinely hard problem, developers will just DIY it.
4. Domain knowledge matters more than YouTube advice
I kept hunting for ideas on Reddit, YouTube, Twitter. I kept ending up in markets I don't actually understand.
The best advice I got was this:
"Pick an industry and get good at it. Be the expert. The validation that takes landing pages and surveys can all be done in 5 minutes if you really know your industry."
I was an outsider trying to guess insider problems. That rarely works.
5. Failing early is cheap if you allow it to be
Two domain purchases. Some Reddit posts. A few conversations. That's all it cost to learn that four ideas weren't worth building.
Compare that to spending months building something nobody wants. Early failure is a feature, not a bug.
The Feedback That Hit Different
When I shared this journey on r/Entrepreneur, people actually responded:
"The lessons from all of this is more valuable than the possible money you would've gained. Cause now you're in the game and you know what needs to be done."
"You definitely saved yourself a headache by testing early."
"This is the post I wish I read earlier."
Someone pointed out that posting on social media for validation is a trap because intent is so low. People scrolling Reddit aren't actively looking for solutions. That's why directories and communities where people are actively searching might work better.
Another person asked:
"How did you bridge that gap between 'seeing a problem' and genuinely feeling its urgency enough to dedicate months to solving it?"
Honestly? I haven't bridged that gap yet. That's the whole point. I was seeing problems online without feeling them myself.
What's Next
Right now, I don't have a new idea. I'm taking a break to clear my head.
Instead of hunting for ideas online, I'm trying something different: paying attention to what annoys me in my own work. The small, repetitive frustrations I've learned to tolerate.
The best ideas come from problems you personally feel. Not from Reddit threads about "underserved markets."
I'm still learning. Still exploring. Still figuring things out.
But here's what I know for sure: validating four bad ideas taught me more than planning one "perfect" idea for months ever would.
If you're stuck in the idea phase, just start testing. Make a landing page. Talk to people. Get rejected. Learn why.
$25 and two weeks. That's what it cost me to learn what doesn't work.
Not a bad deal.
