Academy · 13 modules · 26 lessons
Zero to SaaS: The Founder Operating System
A text-based course that takes a SaaS idea from nothing to a launched product with customers. Thirteen modules follow the seven stages in order: idea, validation, planning, building, launch, customers, growth.
Who it is for
- First-time founders with a SaaS idea and no clear starting point.
- Builders who can make things with AI tools but have not launched or sold one.
- People from sales, marketing or a trade who understand a customer and want to build for them.
What you finish with
- A validated problem and a written customer profile.
- An MVP scope and spec small enough to actually ship.
- A repeatable way of building with AI tools without losing control of the product.
- A beta, a first price and a positioning statement.
- A process for finding first customers and keeping them.
- A weekly operating rhythm you keep after the course ends.
Text lessons with exercises, templates, checklists and an implementation assignment in every lesson. The course describes a process and the work to do at each stage. It does not guarantee customers, revenue or a successful product.
Curriculum
Thirteen modules, seven stages.
Module 0Idea
Founder mindset and the SaaS journey
What you are actually signing up for, the seven stages every product goes through, and the weekly rhythm that keeps you moving.
You finish with: A one-page founder brief and a weekly operating rhythm you can keep.
Open to read · Working draft
Module 1Idea → Validation
Finding and validating ideas
Where good SaaS ideas come from, how to write one down so it can be tested, and how to test it before you build.
You finish with: A written problem statement and a validation result you can defend.
Free with sign-in · Working draft
Module 2Validation
Customer and market research
How to interview customers so they tell you the truth, and how to judge whether the market is big enough to bother.
You finish with: Interview notes, a customer profile and a bottom-up market estimate.
Free with sign-in · Working draft
Module 3Planning
Product strategy and MVP definition
Decide the one job the product does, then cut the first version down to it.
You finish with: A core job statement and a one-page MVP scope with a ship date.
Free with sign-in · Working draft
Module 4Planning → Building
Planning and AI-assisted development
Turn the scope into a written spec, then build it with AI tools in small steps you can test and undo.
You finish with: A one-page product spec and a working first slice of the product.
Free with sign-in · Working draft
Module 5Launch
Testing and beta launches
Break the product yourself before anyone else does, then put it in front of a small group of real users.
You finish with: A tested critical path and a running beta with a feedback loop.
Free with sign-in · Working draft
Module 6Launch
Pricing and monetization
Choose how you charge, set a first price you can defend, and learn quickly whether it is wrong.
You finish with: A pricing model, a first price and a plan to test it.
Free with sign-in · Working draft
Module 7Launch
Positioning and branding
Say who the product is for and why it is different, in words a stranger understands in five seconds.
You finish with: A positioning statement, a one-line description and a landing page outline.
Free with sign-in · Working draft
Module 8Customers
Marketing and content
Pick one channel where your customers already are, and publish content that leads somewhere.
You finish with: A chosen channel, a four-week content plan and a path from content to signup.
Free with sign-in · Working draft
Module 9Customers
Customer acquisition and sales
Get the first ten customers by hand, then turn what worked into a simple, repeatable sales process.
You finish with: A prospect list, an outreach message and a tracked pipeline.
Free with sign-in · Working draft
Module 10Customers → Growth
Onboarding and retention
Get new customers to the outcome fast, and find out why the ones who leave are leaving.
You finish with: A defined activation moment, an onboarding checklist and a churn log.
Free with sign-in · Working draft
Module 11Growth
Operations and systems
The minimum set of systems that stop the business depending on your memory, and the handful of numbers worth watching.
You finish with: A one-page operations sheet and a weekly metrics review.
Free with sign-in · Working draft
Module 12Growth
Growth and scaling
Find the one thing limiting growth, fix it, and repeat — and know when adding more would only break what works.
You finish with: A named constraint, a ninety-day plan and a rule for what to scale next.
Free with sign-in · Working draft
Want Andrew working through it with you?
Coaching applies this process to your product, one decision at a time. Partnerships go further, for a small number of projects.