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Why you should use a SaaS bootstrap

· 10 min read
Iain Cambridge

While I consider Parthenon a Business Application framework, lots of people just consider it a SaaS bootstrap. But the thing is, I also think that most people should be using SaaS bootstraps to start their SaaS/Business software both on side projects and in day jobs. I've seen quite a few objections or people not really understanding the value they bring, so I thought I would explain fully. There are different reasons depending on if you're technical or non-technical, so I'll go through the reasoning for both separately.

And I understand there are 100% cases where you shouldn't use these. But for a lot of super early startups or side projects, I really think they would benefit from not reinventing the wheel.

For the purpose of this blog post, I will talk in the context of the three major SaaS bootstraps, which I'll list out at the bottom.

Why Technical People should use a SaaS bootstrap​

You can't do it yourself in a few days​

I'll start off by dealing with probably the most obvious objection. And that is you can build it yourself in a matter of days. While you can build it yourself since you're technical, this is clearly an option, and you will not be able to do it within a matter of days. We all know that estimations are often wrong and when we estimate bigger tasks the amount we're wrong increases. We've all estimated a task that ended up taking weeks would last a few days because you didn't really realise the scope of the task. And I think if you think you can build something that has taken other people months in days, you do not really realise what the task at hand is.

Simply, a SaaS bootstrap took months of development because there are lots of features, and there are lots of cases that have been thought of that you haven't thought of yet. It would take you months to reach the same point.

It's not just open-source things wrapped​

The next objection is often that it's just open-source code repackaged and that people would rather support open-source developers. I'll skip over the fact that people often aren't supporting open-source developers in any way, so it feels like that part is a complete falsehood. While open-source frameworks and libraries are used, the majority of the value and features aren't coming from open-source libraries. For example, regarding payments and subscription handling, there are no open-source libraries to use. In the case of Parthenon, one of the reasons I built it was I was unhappy with what the open-source packages were providing. For example, I disliked that Sonata Admin was so coupled to Doctrine and was unable to handle scale. so I built Athena which is completely developed by myself to handle using any data source and has pagination that can scale using last key instead of the page number.

A good SaaS bootstrap will have months of development that is not open-source, and it will have features that aren't available via open source.

You have limited time​

If you're anything like myself, you've probably had an array of side projects that ended up abandoned. One of the main causes for us giving up on projects is that we lack time. We often end up spending time building basic generic things. We bog ourselves down with the foundation of the project. It's fun to do, but we also know the importance of a solid foundation since we've often, at some point, had to work with a legacy system where they didn't have a solid foundation. If you spend weeks or months working on your solid foundation, you can end up feeling like you're not making progress and that the project will take forever. Getting a solid foundation to use can let you work on your actual idea and not the basics that need but aren't anything to do with your idea.

A SaaS bootstrap will let you skip over the generic stuff and let you get to building the core of your idea fast.

We use Frameworks for a reason​

One of the battles that have already been won is if you use frameworks. We now have good solid frameworks for lots of things. In web development, it's almost unheard of that someone to build a web application and didn't use a web framework. It feels like we've all agreed that frameworks are good and that it makes sense not to build the generic basic things ourselves. Frameworks provide us not only with the basics, but it provides us with documentation, and we can learn the framework and build multiple projects of the framework and each time we'll get faster and better at making them. We can switch jobs and know how lots of things work because the framework is the same. I think that the same is true if we start using frameworks that had the extra functionality that is outside the scope of a web framework but is still generic and basic and not something we should want to build ourselves.

A good SaaS bootstrap will provide you solid documentation to help developers when you hand off the project or when you add more people.

It will save you time​

For technical people, the value of a SaaS bootstrap is simple. It will save you time. For me, there is no ifs, buts or maybes. It will save you time. It'll save you time at the start of the project, it'll save you time as you progress with the project, and it'll save you time when you add people to the project.

If you're building a side project, your time is your time and very limited. You'll have a million and one things to do with that time. It's also a battle against time to get your side project in a state that you can share it and keep motivation. If you take too long you will lose motivation and you'll have another dead side project and a domain to go with it.

If you're building something at your day job, you'll have a list of tasks that you want to get to. You'll have tons of technical debt you want to fix. You'll have people asking you for this and that. You'll have better things to be doing than building the generic stuff. These will help you get there quickly and look really efficient at the same time.

Why Non-Technical People should use a SaaS bootstrap​

It's cheaper to buy it than to build it​

The classic decision in business is to buy it or build it. In this case, it's cheaper to buy it. If you look over the points for technical people the value for them is time. They'll be able to do it quicker. This translates to non-technical people as in you'll get it done for cheaper. Time is money, especially if you're paying someone to do something. The longer it takes them to do it, the more it's going to cost you.

A SaaS bootstrap will provide you code that took months to develop for an extremely low price in comparison paying a developer months to build.

It gives you the stuff you know you need but don't care about​

There are many features a SaaS or any business application has that you'll know you'll need but you don't want to spend time worrying about. For example, you know you need a user system. But for the majority of applications, you don't really care much other than the user can sign up, confirm their email, log in, and recover their passwords. You don't want to have to spend hours detailing this out for a developer to do. In reality, you just want to have these things and not worry about them.

A SaaS Bootstrap will allow you to have all the basic stuff you need without you needing to worry about them. This will allow you to focus on your idea. Letting your

It'll let you have your product faster​

If your developers need to spend less time building it and you're getting lots of functionality out of the box. This means it takes less time to build your product. And if you're creating a new startup, you don't want to spend lots of time before going to market. You want to move quickly.

A SaaS Bootstrap will allow you to get to market faster. This will allow you to either succeed or fail quickly.

Freelancers and software consultants sell software development​

One thing is if you're non-technical, you often have to rely on the people you to hire to guide you in the correct direction. However, one thing you should remember is their business is to sell you software development and technical work. This means it's open in their interests to build the generic stuff for you as that is more work for them and, therefore, more money for them. Also, developers like to develop. It's often the reason they got into software development in the first place. It's fun to build stuff. Plus, sometimes they don't think of the other business aspects. They just think of pure technical things, and sometimes it's easier for them to just build everything even if it takes them longer.

If you're outsourcing a project completely, it is a good idea to have a SaaS Bootstrap you want them to use as part of your requirements.

Become less reliant on a single developer/development team​

The same logic for why a company should use a framework also applies to using a SaaS Bootstrap. With frameworks, libraries, and SaaS Bootstraps comes documentation. When you have code written in-house, documentation is often neglected. It's either non-existent, out of date, or just poorly written. Documentation is not something people often like doing so it makes sense it is neglected. It's also hard to keep up with the changes.

It's also possible to find developers who already have experience with the SaaS Bootstrap. Since other developers have worked with it, there will be some developers who have used it previously for other companies/customers.

With a SaaS Bootstrap comes the ability to find developers who have already used it as well as, documentation for new developers who haven't used it.

It will save you time and money​

A SaaS Bootstrap will save you time by providing you a solid foundation to build your application on. When you save time, you also save money. Any SaaS bootstrap will cost less.

The Major SaaS Bootstraps​

For me, after researching the market, due to basically being in the market, I've noticed there are three major bootstraps that have people working full-time on them, one of which is mines - Parthenon.

If you're a technical person, then choosing one based on what programming language/framework you like the most makes sense.

For non-technical people, have a look at the features, maybe reach out to them and ask questions. They're all friendly folks. And find the one you think is the way forward for you.

Shameless Self Promotion​

I read somewhere that every blog post should have a call to action. So here is a shameless call to action. Get Parthenon now using a 50% off lifetime voucher IGOTFIRED (story here). The voucher expires on the 7th of May, and it'll never be so cheap again. So if you're still at the thinking and planning stage, it may be worth your time locking in this sweet price. Buy now!