HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Mine Spreadsheets and Side Gigs for Product Gaps

Mine Spreadsheets and Side Gigs for Product Gaps is a first users & traction tactic for getting your first users: A reliable way to find a real opportunity is to watch how people improvise around broken workflows today, because every duct-taped spreadsheet or repeated manual job is a product waiting to be built.

It's a strong fit for B2B SaaS teams, and works especially well for B2B SaaS, vertical software, micro-SaaS. As a first users & traction play, plan for medium effort and expect results to build gradually over time, all grounded in 3 linked primary sources.

First users & tractionMedium effortSlow

Why does first users & traction work for this?

Workarounds are unfiltered evidence of demand: people only build elaborate manual systems for problems they genuinely care about solving.

The exact steps (5)

The full step-by-step this founder ran, what they posted, where, and in what order, plus the watch-outs, is part of the library.

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Sources

Works for
B2B SaaS

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Mine Spreadsheets and Side Gigs for Product Gaps" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for B2B SaaS — pick it when your product looks like that, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "Mine Spreadsheets and Side Gigs for Product Gaps" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 3 primary sources — real founder write-ups and interviews, not generic advice. They are linked in the Sources section above so you can read the original accounts yourself.
How much effort is it and how fast are results?
It is medium effort, and results tend to be slow.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via How to Start a SaaS From Scratch and Developer to Crore MicroSaaS Founder, is in the paid library.

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