In this week’s Niche Pursuit Podcast, Dominik Sobe and I delved into his journey, a SaaS product he developed to transform the concept into a powerful help center platform.
With over 400 customers and re-growing recurring revenue each month, Dominik shares his insights on launching SaaS products, finding product market fit, navigating pricing and understanding your customer base. This episode is full of tactical advice for anyone looking to build or grow their own SaaS business.
Watch the entire episode
Getting started with helpkit
Dominik’s HelpKit path is far from tradition. Dominik, who was originally from Austria, started his career in business and economics but stumbled upon the world of coding. It was initially a hobby – building a mobile app for personal use – making him realize that he could create his own software products.
His early entrepreneurial efforts were diverse but unsuccessful until a critical moment when he needed a better center of help. That was when he turned to concepts and had the idea to turn it into a platform for creating professional help centers.
- The birth of HelpKit: Dominik wanted to provide a better help center for his app, which led him to use Intion’s edit.
- Simplify the process: HelpKit is designed to be a backbone basis, making creating a help center easy, accessible and professional.
Now, HelpKit is a thriving business with 400 clients across industries, from universities to large enterprises. HelpKit allows users to create a Help Center website using concepts, making the process easy and easy for businesses of all sizes. Dominik’s decision to build a self-service SaaS tool focused on simplicity is a key factor in its success.
The first customer struggle
One of the toughest challenges for any SaaS founder is finding the first batch of customers. Dominik shared that this stage was a wear and tear, requiring him to manually contact dozens of potential customers.
Cold email, direct messaging and engagement feedback are all part of the early hustle and bustle. For HelpKit, it’s not just about building a product, it’s about fighting for every customer from the beginning.
- Cold Email and Direct Promotion: Dominik sent personalized emails to people he had previously interacted with, providing them with products and seeking feedback.
- Construction in public places: Sharing his journey and product updates on platforms like Twitter helps build visibility and create word of mouth marketing.
- Participate in the launch platform: HelpKit is also listed on platforms such as Product Hunt, which helps improve its initial traction.
Dominik emphasizes the importance of doing things that don’t scale in the first place, acknowledging that no one will be able to get into your product if they build relationships and gain trust.
Find product market fit
Implementing product market fitting is crucial for SaaS products, Dominik explains that HelpKit found its best place in the early days, mainly because it solved the real problem for concept users. He learned that businesses need a simple, effective way to manage help centers without relying on clumsy, complex software.
- Simple and value: The product resonates because it simplifies the help center management of customers using the platform.
- Continuous feedback: Based on feedback from early users, the product evolved over time, which allowed it to better align with customer needs.
- Customer-centric development: Hellskit improves by constantly listening to customer feedback, such as adding refining features like analysis and refining robots.
The evolution of HelpKit is largely shaped by feedback from early customers. Dominik reflects small changes, such as adding analytics to track knowledge base performance, and is essential to adding products to meet customer needs. Early on, it wasn’t about creating the perfect product, it was about being consistent with what the customer wanted.
Pricing strategies and lessons learned
Pricing is often one of the toughest decisions for any SaaS founder. Dominik takes a very data-driven but instinctive approach to pricing help. Initially, the pricing was low, but as the assistant grew, Dominik realized that the value it offered was worth more. After receiving feedback from customers, he eventually raised the price, and the tool underestimated the value it offers.
- Start at a low level and adjust as you grow: Dominik starts with a low-priced plan, but once the value becomes clearer, the price increases.
- Value-based pricing: Adjusts to the perceived value of HelpKit, not just its operating cost.
- Discounts for annual payments: HelpKit offers discounts for annual payments, providing customers with pre-submitted rewards.
Dominik’s journey in HelpKit shows that pricing is not a one-time decision. It requires continuous adjustments as you understand more about the value your customers and products offer.
- Avoid free value-added models: Dominik recommends offering freemium pricing models for bootloader founders as it prevents early profits.
- Probation period: HelpKit offers a free 7-day trial, and Dominik feels good because it allows customers to fully experience the product before committing to it.
Submitted projects and failed courses
Although HelpKit is Dominik’s main focus now, he also works on various side projects, including FilmTypes, a niche site specifically targeting Photoghitic Analog Film. Although it successfully attracted a large audience and spread risks on platforms like Hacker News and Product Hunt, Filmtypes has never achieved currency success.
- Filmtypes’ success: The site gained great appeal, spread and gained the functionality of major photographic publications.
- Monetization Struggle: Despite its popularity, Dominik still cannot find an effective monetization strategy. This highlights the difference between a virus project and a sustainable business.
This experience is in sharp contrast to HelpBit’s stable and sustainable growth. Dominik’s story highlights the important lessons of entrepreneurship: Not every project needs a virus to succeed.
Although Filmtypes is shocked by its community, it lacks a clear monetization strategy, and HelpKit’s ongoing success stems from solving practical problems and providing consistent value to its customers.
The final thought
Dominic’s story proves the power of durability, adaptability and understanding your market. From initial failure to HelpKit’s success, he learned that building a sustainable SaaS product is a journey that requires continuous learning and iteration.
The key is not only having a great product, but also understanding the audience, making the necessary adjustments and always being open to feedback.
For aspiring SaaS founders, the course is clear:
- Focus on solving a real problem: Find a niche that already has demand and build products that offer obvious value.
- Even if it’s hard to do this job: In the early stages, you need to be busy. Cold publicity, building relationships and sharing your journey are all part of the process.
- Iterate quickly and learn from feedback: Your first product may not be perfect, but it is important to listen to your customers and make improvements.
- Pricing is an ongoing process: Don’t be afraid to adjust your pricing, as you can get a deeper understanding of the value the product offers.
- Embrace failure as part of the journey: Every failed project is an opportunity to learn and grow for your next career.
Ultimately, Dominik’s experience reminds us that success doesn’t always come from viral moments or quick wins – it comes from consistent efforts, wise decisions and willingness to learn from success and failure.
Whether you’re just starting out or trying to refine your existing products, the insights shared in this episode can serve as a blueprint for building a successful SaaS business.
