Building a SaaS as a Solo Developer: Month 1 Learnings

After a month of building gleam.so as a solo developer, I want to share my experience and key learnings. This journey has taught me valuable lessons about technical decisions, development processes, and overcoming challenges alone.

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The Initial Vision

When I started building gleam.so, I had a clear goal: create an OpenGraph image generator that developers would actually enjoy using. The existing solutions felt either too complex or too limiting, leaving a gap for a developer-focused tool that balanced simplicity with power.

Technical Foundation

The technical stack selection proved crucial for solo development. I chose:

// Tech Stack
const stack = {
  framework: 'Next.js 14',
  styling: 'Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui',
  database: 'Supabase',
  deployment: 'Vercel',
  image_processing: {
    primary: '@vercel/og',
    optimization: 'sharp'
  }
};

This combination offered several advantages for solo development:

First, Next.js 14 with the App Router provided a robust foundation for rapid development. The built-in optimizations and edge runtime support meant I could focus on features rather than infrastructure.

The decision to use shadcn/ui with Tailwind CSS significantly accelerated UI development. Instead of spending days designing components, I could compose interfaces quickly while maintaining a professional look:

// Component-driven development
const ImagePreview = () => {
  return (
    <Card className="p-4">
      <CardHeader>
        <CardTitle>Preview</CardTitle>
        <CardDescription>
          See how your image will appear on social media
        </CardDescription>
      </CardHeader>
      <CardContent>
        <PreviewRenderer />
      </CardContent>
    </Card>
  );
};

Development Process

Working alone required a disciplined approach to development. I established a simple but effective process:

// Daily development cycle
interface DevelopmentCycle {
  morning: {
    review: 'Previous day\'s work',
    plan: 'Top 3 priorities',
    setup: 'Development environment'
  },
  development: {
    focus: '90-minute blocks',
    breaks: 'Every 90 minutes',
    documentation: 'As you code'
  },
  evening: {
    review: 'Day\'s progress',
    testing: 'New features',
    planning: 'Next day\'s goals'
  }
}

This structure helped maintain momentum while ensuring code quality didn't suffer from working solo.

Major Challenges

1. Feature Scope Control

The biggest challenge was managing feature scope. Without a team to provide perspective, it's easy to overcomplicate things. I implemented a simple rule:

// Feature evaluation framework
const evaluateFeature = (feature: Feature): boolean => {
  return (
    feature.implementationTime <= 1 day &&
    feature.solvesCriticalProblem &&
    feature.maintainableByOne
  );
};

2. Technical Debt Management

Working alone meant being extra careful about technical debt. I adopted a "pay as you go" approach:

// Technical debt management
interface TechDebtPolicy {
  immediate: 'Critical bugs, Security issues',
  weekly: 'Code refactoring, Performance optimization',
  monthly: 'Architecture review, Dependency updates'
}

3. Quality Assurance

Testing became crucial when working alone. I implemented an automated testing strategy:

// Test-driven development approach
describe('OG Image Generation', () => {
  test('generates correct dimensions', async () => {
    const image = await generateOGImage({
      title: 'Test Image',
      template: 'default'
    });
    expect(image.width).toBe(1200);
    expect(image.height).toBe(630);
  });

  test('handles errors gracefully', async () => {
    const result = await generateOGImage({
      title: null // Invalid input
    });
    expect(result.fallback).toBeDefined();
  });
});

Key Learnings

Technical Decisions Matter More Solo

When working alone, every technical decision has amplified impact. I learned to:

1. Choose mature, well-documented technologies
2. Prioritize developer experience for solo productivity
3. Implement automation early
4. Focus on maintainable code

Time Management is Critical

I developed a focused approach to time management:

interface TimeAllocation {
  development: '70% of time',
  planning: '15% of time',
  maintenance: '10% of time',
  exploration: '5% of time'
}

Community Support is Invaluable

The dev community provided crucial support through:

1. Technical feedback on architecture decisions
2. Early testing and bug reports
3. Feature suggestions and use cases
4. Moral support and encouragement

Moving Forward

After one month, gleam.so has evolved from an idea to a working product with real users. The focus now is on:

1. Expanding the template library based on user needs
2. Improving generation performance
3. Adding API access for automation
4. Building a sustainable revenue model

For Fellow Solo Developers

If you're considering the solo developer path, here are my recommendations:

1. Start with a clear, focused problem
2. Choose boring technology that lets you move fast
3. Build in public to get early feedback
4. Automate everything you can
5. Stay close to your users

Let's connect and share experiences! Drop your questions or share your solo development story in the comments.

Building gleam.so in public. Follow along as we make OpenGraph images less painful for developers!