Why 90 Days?
Three months is the optimal timeframe for building a SaaS MVP. Shorter — you risk launching an incomplete product. Longer — the market may shift and you lose momentum. The Devs.lv team has helped build 15+ SaaS products, and this is the process that works.
Phase 1: Validation (Weeks 1–2)
Before writing code, validate the idea. This saves months and thousands of euros.
- Problem definition — would your target audience actually pay for this solution? Interview at least 10 potential customers.
- Competitor analysis — what already exists? What's your unique value proposition?
- Simple landing page — create a single page with your value proposition and an email collection form. If you can't attract 50+ emails per week, the idea needs rethinking.
- Pricing model — define 2-3 plans now. This affects architectural decisions.
Phase 2: Design (Weeks 3–4)
This is where you make critical technology decisions that will affect the product for years.
Technology Stack Selection
Our recommended SaaS stack for 2025/2026:
- Frontend: Next.js + TypeScript + Tailwind CSS — fastest path from code to UI
- Backend: Node.js or Go API — depending on performance requirements
- Database: PostgreSQL (universal) + Redis (caching, sessions)
- Authentication: NextAuth.js or Clerk — don't build auth from scratch
- Payments: Stripe — subscription billing, invoicing, customer portal
- Infrastructure: Docker + Railway or Vercel + managed PostgreSQL
Database Schema
Design multi-tenant architecture from the start. Even if you have one customer now, tenant isolation is much easier to implement at project start than to retrofit later.
Phase 3: Coding (Weeks 5–10)
Six weeks of active development. Focus on the core loop — the minimum functionality that solves the main problem.
- Week 1: Auth + onboarding + dashboard skeleton
- Weeks 2–3: Core functionality (the main value)
- Week 4: Stripe integration + subscription management
- Week 5: Admin panel + analytics + email notifications
- Week 6: Testing, bug fixing, performance optimization
Important: deploy to staging every week. This lets customers (and you) test early and often.
Phase 4: Launch (Weeks 11–12)
The final two weeks are about launch preparation:
- Security audit — OWASP Top 10 check, CSP headers, rate limiting
- Monitoring — uptime checks, error tracking (Sentry), performance (Vercel Analytics)
- SEO and landing page — final landing page with real screenshots, pricing, FAQ
- Beta users — invite 10-20 users from the validation phase. Their feedback is gold.
- Product Hunt / Hacker News — prepare launch materials
Budget and Team
Realistic SaaS MVP budget:
- Solo founder + outsourcing: €15,000–25,000 (1 full-stack developer, 3 months)
- Small team (2-3 devs): €30,000–50,000 (faster, better quality)
- Infrastructure: €50–200/month in the first year
Devs.lv offers fixed-price SaaS MVP packages — from idea to launch with a clear budget and timeline.
Common Mistakes
- Too many features in MVP — if you can't describe the product in one sentence, it's not an MVP
- Building auth from scratch — use ready-made solutions instead of spending 2 weeks on a login form
- No analytics — if you don't know what users do, you can't improve the product
- Ignoring mobile — at least 40% of SaaS traffic comes from mobile devices
Conclusion
90 days, a clear process, a focused team — that's all it takes to go from idea to first paying customers. The key is discipline: validate before coding, code only core functionality, and launch early.
Have a SaaS idea? Devs.lv offers a free 45-minute consultation to assess your idea's technical feasibility and budget.