How to Generate Great Micro SaaS Ideas
Tags: microsaas, ideas, planning, tips
Published: 2023-02-11 18:30:00

The best Micro SaaS ideas solve specific problems for a specific niche user group. These problems will likely be costing the target users time and/or money.

Therefore, the key to generating solid Micro SaaS ideas revolves around simply being able to identify these problems and come up with a solution that fixes them.

Your users should be able to see your app as a no-brainer solution in terms of the value it brings vs the cost of the subscription.

In this article, I’ll cover the following topics so you know how to come up with great Micro SaaS ideas:

```
- Types of Problems That Suit Micro SaaS Apps
- Questions To Ask Yourself
- Finding Specific Problems
- Thinking Of Possible Solutions
- Scoring Your Problems & Solutions
- Micro SaaS Idea Examples & Case Studies
```

---

## Types of Problems That Suit Micro SaaS Apps
**Micro SaaS apps are great at fixing many common “problem” scenarios, for example:**

- Automating repetitive and/or tedious tasks.
- Performing calculations that are currently calculated manually.
- Connecting disparate systems.
- Replacing Excel spreadsheet workarounds.
- Plugging in gaps of missing functionality in host ecosystems
- Enhancing reporting

**Ask yourself these questions when you go searching for problems:**

- How could software help with this?
- Could I automate this tedious process?
- Is it possible to surface more data to improve the user’s experience?
- Could I make this easier/less painful?
- Would I be able to create an app that streamlines this lengthy multi-step manual process?
- How could I provide an integration between these systems?

---

## Finding Specific Problems
You’ll want to compile a list of problems that you could fix. Don’t pass judgement on these as you add them, instead just focus on listing them out.

The majority of [Micro SaaS ideas](https://rickblyth.com/micro-saas-ideas?ref=DevTo) form apps that are designed to overcome a problem that you (as the founder) are experiencing. It makes sense that if you’re experiencing this pain then it’s likely that others are too.

List out all the problems or even just inefficiencies that you’re frustrated with now - focus on tedious things to do or actions you wish were less time consuming. The second most popular reason to create a Micro SaaS app is to fix a problem that your clients/customers are experiencing. It could be that in your full-time job or freelance work you see a common problem for which there isn’t a viable solution yet.

Add them to your list of identified problems which we’ll use later on to figure out which problems are genuinely worth fixing. The third way to find problems is to research the issues your potential users of your previously identified niche/market are complaining about.

How do you find these problems? By finding and where your target users hang out and joining their community spaces. These communities could be in the form of forums, Facebook Groups, Subreddits, Slacks, Discords, etc. Immerse yourselves in these communities, and you’ll see certain complaints cropping up repeatedly. Add these to your list of potential problems to solve.

Also, don’t be afraid to post asking users if they could wave a magic wand and fix a problem in that niche’s domain, what would it be?

Another way to generate [Micro SaaS idea](https://rickblyth.com/micro-saas-ideas?ref=DevTo) is to ask about your friends & family and see if they’re frustrated with any of the sites/software they use. A great example of this is the Closet Tools chrome extension, created by Jordan O’Connor to help his wife automate some of the tedious tasks on Poshmark. It started off life as just a simple script, just to help out his wife with some mundane tasks on Poshmark. He’d shared this script within the community and received great feedback, so much so that he made it into a [chrome extension](https://rickblyth.com/chrome-extensions?ref=DevTo) and the rest is history!

**What started off as a script to solve his wife’s problem, evolved into a great Micro SaaS product that fixed a common problem Poshmark sellers experienced, which in turn led him to scale his app up to $32k MRR as a solo founder!**

![Closet Tools](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/s0j17gv8638cdxqbk5ex.png)

---
Brainstorming Possible Solutions
Once you’ve completed your list of problems, the next thing to do is to go through the list and figure out what the high level solution would look like to solve each of the problems.

Is it a web app that would fix this problem? Maybe it’s a desktop automation app or maybe even a [chrome extension](https://rickblyth.com/chrome-extensions?ref=DevTo)? Think about all the possible tools that could be used to form a great solution for the user.

Ask yourself, is it something you could build yourself (or with a micro team) in a reasonable timeframe? Is the solution within your (attainable) skillset? If not, then strike it off the list.

**Rinse and repeat** until you have a list of viable solutions for the problems you’ve previously listed.

![Plan](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/8vz67ux9b0cp5nx4h1uv.png)

---

## Scoring Your Problems & Solutions
Now you’ll have a completed list containing your identified niches, their problems, and high level app ideas that are within your attainable skillset.

You’re now ready to work through your list of Micro SaaS ideas and pass judgement!

Work through your list and score each opportunity based on the niche, the problem and the proposed solution. 

_FYI, I am working on an idea scoring template which I'll share here when it's ready._

![Template](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/bhs4a42o4ykgbs46ewln.png)

---

In case you landed on this page directly from a search engine, then you’re reading chapter 6 of my **12 part guide to Micro SaaS**.

**Download the entire 12 chapter guide** as a PDF eBook for **free** so you can read it **where you want, when you want**.

---

## Can I Just Start Coding Already?
**In short, no.**

Please don’t take the top scoring app idea and start coding (with your head buried deep in the sand) for the next 6 months. No matter how “certain” you are that it’d be a hit, you’re likely to be setting yourself up for a delayed failure.

I suggest taking your time to pick your top 3 app ideas and then mulling them over even more. 

As you revisit them each day, you’ll have different thoughts, feelings, and perspectives on them. These could lead to finding yourself falling in or out of love with the ideas as you go. 

It’s better to get these mixed feelings out in the open before you start building anything. 

---

## Final Thoughts
Whilst it's tempting to Google for "micro saas ideas", nobody is going to give you an exclusive idea for you to develop and monetise. At best, you'll be able to find some inspiration or jumping off points to start from. 

The key to coming up with Micro SaaS ideas is to find genuine, evergreen, PITA problems that a niche's users are experiencing. Get all these listed out and evaluate what you can do to solve these problems for them.

At this point, you should have a variety of potential app ideas to consider and you'll want to pick your favourite(s) for validation. 

Next, let's take a look at how you can validate your Micro SaaS idea ...

[Validating Your Micro SaaS App Idea](https://rickblyth.com/validating-micro-saas-ideas?ref=DevTo)

---
![Rick](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/5wh6egukbycwl2guibrt.png)

<center>Hi, my name is Rick and I help unfulfilled software developers quit their 9-5 jobs, with minimal risk by creating their own cash-flowing Micro SaaS businesses.

I have been on the journey myself, starting as a nobody; finding a niche; establishing credibility; building up multiple Micro SaaS apps to the point that I could quit my (well paid) Technical Director job and work on my apps full time.

I then scaled the apps up and eventually sold and exited them for a life changing amount of money. You can read my full story on my about page.

I am passionate about sharing the knowledge I’ve gained from this journey … welcome to my site 👋 </center>