SaaS Secrets: The Hidden Strategies Behind Software Success

Welcome to SaaS Secrets! I’m about to share how I saved thousands of dollars when running my software startup and how you can too (and how you can too), and 3 essential pieces of software that will set you up for long term success. No time wasting, let’s jump straight in!

AWS Credits: A $1k Head Start

AWS credits are a form of virtual currency provided by Amazon, where you can apply for credits and use them towards servers and other technical costs.

Their free tier gives you a 12 month subscription to over 100 products on the AWS platform 🤯

But check this out - their startup tier tier is even juicer. If you successfully apply for their “AWS Activate” program, you’ll earn $1,000 in credits for some of the best cloud services on the market. Whether it’s databases, authentication or photo storage… you name it, they got it.

I actually used this for my own startup. We’ve paid ZERO for our servers and database over the last 8 months and we’ve generated over $100k in revenue. That’s $100k for $0 server costs.

ou should get your AWS credits through Stripe instead of applying directly to AWS, as it actually gives you more credits.

Quick tip: get your AWS credits through Stripe instead of applying directly to AWS, it actually gives you more credits.

So what are you waiting for? This is the closest thing to free money you’ll ever get. Start your free trial today and apply for those credits.

Azure Credits: More Free Money?

Microsoft Azure offers a similar opportunity with a slightly different flavor. This time, they’re offered by Microsoft and can give you access to a ton of Microsoft tools & cloud services.

But Azure doesn't just offer a measly $1,000 in credits… this time it’s $2,500 AND credits for OpenAI! 😳

Now, I have to admit it’s a tad harder to get approved… but the rewards make it worth the effort. After all, why wouldn’t you want your next venture funded for free?! Apply here.

Stripe Atlas: The Easy Way to Start a Company

Stripe Atlas streamlines the process of forming your company in the US. I used this for my startup, and I can tell you firsthand this is an absolute essential.

They have a stupidly long list of 35+ perks for signing up (which I won’t list out now), so you can check out the full list here {hyperlink with PDF attached}

Remember: if you want to set up Stripe Atlas, you should get your AWS credits through Stripe instead of applying directly to AWS, as it actually gives you more credits.

Y Combinator Cofounder Match: The Easy Way to Find a Business Partner

SaaS beginners: this is BY FAR the fastest way to level up. Your cofounder is the single most important decision you will ever make in business. It determines whether you partner with an absolute genius, or whether an idiot will own half your company.

But searching on your own feels impossible.

Thankfully, Y Combinator Cofounder Match makes it (almost) impossible to screw up.

All you have to do is complete the short registration process and it instantly starts connecting you with like-minded individuals. This massively streamlines the search for your perfect match, and can wipe months of stress & unnecessary hard wok off your plate. You are truly one click away from finding a business partner you could have for the next 10 years.

And that’s all for today! Thank you for reading.

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Catch you next week for a deep dive into the platform EVERY SaaS should start from - it will surprise you 👀

Making SaaS less of a pain in the aaS, one step at a time.