I've been unemployed for about four months and have around two years of software development experience. I've tried applying, contacting recruiters, revising my résumé, and contributing to open source, but nothing has led to a job so far. I'm considering building a SaaS product to generate income, but I'm not sure how to choose a worthwhile idea or, more importantly, find customers willing to pay. Building the software itself feels like the easiest part. What practical steps would you take to start earning sooner?
3 Answers
Find the customer before writing the product. Talk to people in a specific industry, ask what repetitive or expensive problems they have, and see whether they would pay for a solution. Ideally, get a commitment or a paid pilot before spending weeks developing anything. Otherwise, you may end up with another portfolio project that nobody needs.
If you need income quickly, don’t start by building a SaaS product and hoping customers appear. Try freelance marketplaces or direct outreach first, offering services based on the work you’ve already done. Getting paid to build small tools for clients can provide cash, testimonials, and insight into problems that might eventually become a product.
Location matters a lot for both hiring and freelance work, so tailor your search to the market you’re in rather than using one generic approach. Also consider contract roles, short-term implementation work, and smaller agencies instead of limiting yourself to permanent software engineering positions. A temporary project can create income and sometimes turn into a longer engagement.
That makes sense. I’ve been treating development as the starting point, but I should probably focus on customer conversations and a small paid service first.