Build a Micro SaaS is an online course that teaches how to create and launch a SaaS (software as a service) product without hiring anyone. It covers how to find ideas, validate them, publish your app on popular platforms, and market your app. It doesn’t go in-depth into how to actually program and build software - Build a Micro SaaS Academy is for people who already know how to do this.
There are currently no real reviews for this SaaS academy outside their sales page. This is likely because the course is relatively new, and it has a smaller target audience (programmers) compared to other online courses. However, Jamie Tam gets several nice comments on his YouTube channel, with people praising the ideas and production of his videos.
In this Build a Micro SaaS Academy review, we’ll go over what exactly Micro SaaS is and how it works, give you the pros and cons of the course, check what’s included inside, take a look at some student success stories, do a thorough background check on Jamie Tam, and then take a look at some alternative courses and business models you should consider.
Jamie Tam's Build A Micro SaaS Academy Review: Pros and Cons
Pros
Cheap course
Goes in-depth into the ideas and marketing stage
Legit coach (runs a real SaaS product)
Cons
No community for the course
Made for people who already know how to build apps
Jamie only has one successful SaaS product on his resume
No third-party student reviews
Tough business to succeed in
Price
Build a Micro SaaS Academy costs $29 for the course and the 10 freebies (you may also purchase a Jumpstart Resource pack with 5 extra resources for an additional $19)
Refund Policy
Build a Micro SaaS Academy has a 90-day 100% money-back guarantee. You can also keep the 10 freebies after refunding the course
Origin
Build a Micro SaaS launched in May 2023
Reputation
Jamie has a decent reputation on his YouTube channel (where he usually posts micro SaaS ideas) and on Indie Hackers (a forum for solo programmers). He built one successful micro SaaS product (Profit Calc) and is a solo entrepreneur, so expect a simple course that may not offer a high level of support
What is Micro SaaS?
A micro SaaS is a subscription-based software launched by a single developer typically without outside funding. Aside from being bootstrapped, a micro SaaS app typically solves a very specific problem for a niche market. Some examples of micro SaaS would be things like an AI-support bot for small e-commerce stores, a gamified email collection for websites relying on email marketing, or a B-roll generator for YouTube creators (all of these are Jamie Tam's ideas).
SaaS stands for software as a service, which is online software that is sold as a subscription rather than a one-time purchase. Traditional SaaS applications can solve multiple problems for all kinds of businesses. Traditional SaaS applications include Dropbox, Canva, Microsoft Office, and any other subscription-based software. Building a traditional SaaS program often requires a team of full-stack developers, which is why many solo devs choose to go for micro SaaS instead.
Despite the smaller target audience, a micro SaaS solution can still generate plenty of income. Because SaaS is subscription-based, every new user adds to the monthly recurring revenue (MRR), which can snowball into five figures a month. According to Preetam Nath, micro SaaS products typically generate $1,000 - $10,000 a month.
What Do You Get With Build A Micro SaaS Academy?
Build a Micro SaaS Academy gives you 8 modules and over 70 videos from Jamie. These modules go into generating ideas, an overview of building an app, advice on pricing, how to market your app, tips on running your business, and mindset lessons. Jamie also says that he plans to add more lessons to the course in the future.
Build a Micro SaaS Academy Lesson Plan
Section Intro [0:24]
4 Key Zones to Build For [6:43]
Idea Generation Frameworks [4:45]
Idea Generation Techniques [6:10]
Idea Inspiration [2:03]
Choosing a Niche and Audience [4:18]
You Don't Need to Change the World [1:46]
Cherry Pick Ideas from Communities [3:09]
Should you build a B2B vs. B2C SaaS? [5:30]
Section Intro [0:34]
What Is Idea Validation [1:19]
How to Do Keyword Validation [3:09]
How to Do Form Validation [4:05]
How to Do Payment Validation [2:41]
Get Traffic for Idea Validation [3:46]
Idea Validation Walkthrough [26:37]
Section Intro [0:18]
Why You Should Build Yourself [3:19]
Building In Public, Going Open Source, and Stealth Mode [4:46]
What Tech Stack Should You Choose? [1:44]
Building Addicting Products With The Habit Loop [2:30]
MVP (Minimum Viable Product) Launch Framework [4:06]
Effective Product Onboarding [3:04]
Setting Up Recurring Subscriptions [3:25]
Setting Up Our Skeleton Micro SaaS [3:51]
Creating Our Frontend [6:27]
Styling Our Idea Generator [4:14]
Styling Our AI Responses [3:16]
Creating Our Backend [9:30]
Connecting Our Frontend and Backend [6:04]
Connecting Our Frontend and Backend [Part 2] [8:39]
Building Our Navigation [8:20]
Creating Our Landing Page [16:23]
How to Host Micro SaaS [6:22]
Section Intro [0:18]
Pricing for Profitability [3:52]
Bulletproof Tiered Pricing [2:29]
Offering Free Trials [3:03]
The Dangers of Lifetime Deals [3:25]
Requiring Credit Cards Up Front [3:12]
The Importance of Annual Plans [2:05]
Don't Offer a Free Plan [2:41]
Section Intro [0:30]
How to Build an Audience [6:29]
Choosing a Marketing Strategy [7:19]
Free Vs. Paid Marketing [4:00]
Headline Copywriting [3:12]
Product Hunt Launch [4:51]
Reddit Launch [4:08]
Mastering Instagram Organic [7:20]
Mastering YouTube Organic Content [6:05]
Mastering TikTok Organic Content [2:46]
Setting Up a Blog [3:24]
Picking a Paid Ads Platform [6:33]
Cold Traffic Ad Strategies [4:39]
How to Create Any Marketing Material Needed [5:41]
Free Marketing Images [0:41]
Step by Step - How to Set Up an Effective Google Search Ads Campaign [11:32]
Creating Reddit Ads [7:01]
How to Create High-Converting YouTube Placement Campaigns [6:51]
SaaS Metrics Fundamentals [3:18]
Customer Tracking & Analytics [4:21]
Section Intro [0:18]
How To Run Customer Service for Maximum Happiness [6:45]
Reduced Stripe Fees [1:03]
Conquering User Churn [8:49]
The Feature Request Framework [4:18]
Save $$$ On Currency Conversion Fees [1:42]
When there is Smoke There is Fire [1:17]
Automating Back Your Time [4:57]
Buying Back Your Time [4:16]
When to Issue Refunds [2:28]
Be Mindful Of Power Users [2:50]
Section Intro [0:21]
Do Things That Don't Scale [3:20]
Why You Shouldn't Quit Your Job (Yet) [3:00]
Don't Reinvent the Wheel [2:54]
It's all About Perseverance [3:19]
You Are Not Your MRR [1:42]
Why You Don't Need to Raise Money [2:52]
Build a Micro SaaS Academy also comes with 10 bonuses which Jamie says are worth $500.
Idea Generation AI
Buyer Persona AI Tool
15 In Depth Micro SaaS Ideas
50 Idea Validation Questions
10 Landing Page Conversion Tips
Social Media Prompt Cheat Sheet
SaaS Metrics Cheat Sheet
No Code Crash Course [21:46]
Let's Build an AI Chatbot With No Code [19:25]
25 Micro SaaS Success Stories 28 [20:29]
Reddit Threads to Launch Your SaaS
For an additional $19, you can get 5 extra resources from Build a Micro SaaS Academy
75+ Page Ebook Covering 25 SaaS Ideas You Can Steal
Meta Ads Masterclass
Simplified Income Statement Template
Plug and Play Email Sequence
66 Sites to Launch Your Micro SaaS
Who Is Build A Micro SaaS Academy For?
Build a Micro SaaS is for programmers who are looking to build and launch a SaaS product on their own.
Build a Micro SaaS Academy is not for people who are completely new to programming and software development. While Jamie goes over ways to build an app without coding in one of his bonus lessons, the course is fundamentally for people who already know a coding language.
Are Students of Build A Micro SaaS Academy Successful?
No, while people praise the course, no student has a detailed success story from studying the course. This is due to the course being new, and the fact that people don't like sharing their micro SaaS ideas.
The sales page includes several screenshots and quotes from students who praise Jamie’s teaching, and say the course material is “solid,” helpful, and well worth the price. Nguyen Van Duc even says that the course gave him a roadmap for planning micro SaaS apps, and changed his mindset into an entrepreneurial one. None of the sales page testimonials include stories of how much money the students made after taking the course.
Build A Micro SaaS Academy Reviews
Build a Micro SaaS Academy currently has a 4.8 rating on Facebook based on 75 reviews. However, most of the reviews are from fake Facebook accounts saying your account will be deactivated unless you click on their spam link. Aside from that, Build a Micro SaaS Academy has no reviews on third-party websites.
Is Build A Micro SaaS Academy Worth It?
Build a Micro SaaS Academy is worth it for programmers who want a roadmap on how and where to publish their first application. With a lower price point and a 90-day money-back guarantee, the course has little room for complaints. That said, it is an indie course built by a solo programmer, and it certainly feels that way. Jamie doesn’t make big promises you’ll make six figures with the course, just that you’ll have a guide on how the business works.
Who Is Jamie Tam?
James “Jamie” Tam is a self-taught programmer from Halifax, Nova Scotia, who currently lives in Toronto. He graduated from Dalhousie University in 2018 as an accounting major before moving to Vancouver to work as an auditor for KPMG. While studying at Dalhousie, Jamie started several businesses with varying levels of success.
Scotian Storage - A storage service for Dalhousie students who were leaving for the summer. Jamie only ran this business for one year and says it made around $3,000 ($1,000 profit)
My Stoodent - A nonprofit website where students could exchange textbooks, view school events and use a question-and-answer form. Jamie discontinued My Stoodent sometime around 2017.
Halifornia Apparel - A local Halifax apparel brand. In a YouTube video published in 2017, Jamie said he was solo running the company and was making around $500/week. Jamie sold Halifornia Apparel to Philip Dufenais in January 2018.
Road to Man - A dropshipping website selling men’s accessories and jewelry. In the same 2017 YouTube video, Jamie said the company was making around $700/week. He eventually began hiring freelancers for the company and later sold Road to Man in 2020.
What is Jamie Tam’s Micro SaaS Application?
Jamie Tam is the founder of Profit Calc, a Shopify app that allows eCommerce sellers to get one-click profit calculations with detailed analytics and breakdowns. Profit Calc gets rid of spreadsheets and helps Shopify sellers make better financial decisions with better charts and graphs.
Profit Calc launched in December 2019, and when Jamie appeared in The Indie Worldwide Podcast in October 2021, he said it was making around $10,000 in monthly recurring revenue (MRR). His marketing strategy at that time involved paid ads, and he also mentioned that his goal was to create another micro SaaS app to reach $50,000 MRR.
Jamie has dabbled with creating an app to help collect positive reviews and filter out bad ones (Gated Reviews), and an app that sends personalized thank you videos to customers’ emails (Thank You Reels). However, it appears both didn’t pass the idea stage, and it’s unclear if Jamie launched another successful micro SaaS app since Profit Calc.
What Is Jamie Tam's Claim?
Jamie Tam claims that it’s possible to build a profitable micro SaaS product in just 60 days, even without ideas or experience. He says you can think up, validate, build, launch, and market your app without ever hiring someone for help. He constantly posts micro SaaS ideas on his social media and YouTube, showing success stories of solo programmers.
Debunking Jamie Tam's Claim
While building a profitable micro SaaS product in 60 days without ideas or experience may be possible, it’s not something you can just follow a step-by-step formula for. Success in micro SaaS lies in finding a great idea that nobody else has thought of yet. It not only requires a deep understanding of your potential customer, but it also requires luck and timing. Finally, you’ll also need great programming skills, and good social proof or a strong grasp of marketing for customer acquisition. That’s why Jamie himself says that 98% of micro SaaS products fail.
Jamie also hasn’t accomplished his claim himself. He built Profit Calc in 2.5 months, got his brilliant idea from working on his Shopify store (he was his own target audience), and Jamie already knew several online marketing methods when he launched his app. There’s also no evidence he’s launched another successful micro SaaS app despite saying it was his goal in the Indie Worldwide Podcast - more proof that there’s no formula that’s guaranteed to work in micro SaaS.
How Does Micro SaaS Work? 6 Steps for Success
The process of creating a micro SaaS product differs from traditional SaaS programs. Since only one person is involved, there is a lot more emphasis on the idea and marketing stage.
Because micro SaaS products are for niche markets, finding a good niche is a crucial step. The best niche to go for is one that you already understand or have contacts in. This way, you’ll already know the problems people in that industry have, and you’ll have more ideas on how to fix them. If you aren’t involved in one, there are a few pointers for finding a good micro SaaS niche.
Accessibility: While you can create software for offline businesses, it’s a lot easier to find SaaS customers for people who operate on the internet. It’s especially helpful if you can host your SaaS on a platform that your target audience already uses (ex: building a WordPress plugin for website owners).
Lower Competition: If possible, you’ll want to find a niche where there aren’t a gazillion micro SaaS products already. For example, getting into a niche like “email marketing” will be difficult because there are already dozens of apps catering to email marketers’ every need.
High Profit: Building software for children or students is often unprofitable since they don’t have a lot of money to spend. But going after online businesses is a great idea, especially if your SaaS can help them make more money.
Scalability: Micro SaaS products always start small. But it’s still a good idea to find a niche where you can eventually expand and create more products if things go well!
The only way to validate your idea before launching your SaaS business is to get involved with your target audience. You can find communities where they hang out - like Facebook groups, forums, or Reddit subreddits - or interview business owners to find out what exactly they’re looking for. By doing these, you may even find a handful of people waiting for your app to launch so you can solve their problems right away.
Once you know what you’re going to build, you’ll need to find hosting for your software. There are plenty of places to host your SaaS, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, or Microsoft Azure. If your target audience uses a specific platform, it’s also a good idea to launch your SaaS as a plugin for said platform (ex: WordPress plugins, Shopify apps)
With everything in place, it’s now time to build the app! The time to complete this step varies with the complexity of the task. Micro SaaS products are typically simpler than traditional SaaS, but since there’s only one developer involved, it can sometimes take months to finish. You can use whatever programming language you prefer (or not use code at all) and integrate different APIs to improve your software. Just make sure there are no bugs before publishing!
Launching your SaaS is not as simple as clicking a button. Aside from uploading your program to a cloud server, you also have to come up with a pricing model and recurring payment system, as well as set up a customer feedback system to catch bugs and handle complaints.
Since micro SaaS is a one-man show, you’ll also have to learn how to market your app once you launch. You can do this by posting in the community group, forum, or subreddit you used to validate your ideas, getting into paid advertising, doing email marketing, or creating a blog and growing organically. If your product solves a big frustration in your niche, you may even get word-of-mouth referrals.
Is a Micro SaaS Business Worth It in 2024?
No, building a micro SaaS is not worth it if your goal is to make passive income without hiring anyone. Creating a micro SaaS business requires lots of skill, hard work, and luck to succeed. Unless you’re very passionate about software development, going for another online business that requires less work, makes more profit, and still allows you to work solo is a better idea. There are several reasons to avoid micro SaaS in 2024.
Building a SaaS alone is also extremely difficult. Jamie encourages people to go solo since he says it is less complex, gives you a bigger profit share, and you won’t have to answer to anyone. However, having a team allows you to churn up more ideas, get work done a lot faster, take care of any gaps you might miss, and, ultimately, allow you to build a SaaS company that can generate a lot more money than a micro SaaS can. Having a team to create the best user experience, listen to user feedback, and handle customer support also frees up your time tremendously.
The idea of creating your own SaaS can be very exciting. But once you launch, you’ll find that there are a lot of problems that pop up. You’ll find that you have to deal with churn rates (customers canceling their recurring subscriptions), CAC vs LTV ratios (customer acquisition cost vs lifetime value), and even things like data security, because customers won’t want their confidential details getting hacked.
With 3,200,000+ new software developers entering the workforce in the past 4 years, competition in this space is at an all-time high. Finding ideas that nobody else has thought of is now rare. And even if you find an untapped idea, you’ll find dozens of copycats if your idea is a hit (and you may even find yourself up against big companies).
What Is the Online Business Success Rate of SaaS?
The online business success rate of SaaS is 10% based on information from Only SaaS Founder. There is an estimate of around 30,000 SaaS businesses today. Experts expect the SaaS market to reach $232 billion this year. However, traditional SaaS companies dominate the market, with companies like Salesforce making around $31 billion in 2023. Micro SaaS products only take a tiny piece of the SaaS market pie. Most people consider a micro SaaS provider “successful” if it makes $1,000 - $10,000 MRR, which is a lot lower compared to other online businesses (such as local lead generation) while being considerably more difficult.
Why Local Lead Generation is Easier to Start, Build, and Scale then Micro SaaS
Local lead generation works by creating websites, ranking them, and then renting them out to local businesses like tree trimming, plumbing, or towing services. Unlike building a micro SaaS, you don’t have to come up with a brilliant idea for this business to work. There are also 41,704 ZIP codes in America, and hundreds of different services to choose from, which is why there are very few competitors for this business model. You also don’t have to worry about bugs, customer service, and app improvements - local lead generation is completely passive once you rent your website out.
Local lead gen is also very easy to scale. You don’t have to find another brilliant SaaS idea, you just have to create another website. Because it’s passive, you can create and rent out as many websites as you want, each earning $500 - $3,000 a month!
