SaaS Development 101: From Idea to $10K MRR

Building a SaaS isn't just about code—it's about building a machine that generates recurring revenue. This guide covers the technical decisions that determine whether your SaaS scales or stalls.

The SaaS Technical Stack in 2026

After building 50+ SaaS products, we've converged on a stack that balances developer velocity with enterprise-grade reliability:

• Frontend: Next.js 15 with React 19 Server Components
• Backend: tRPC for type-safe APIs, edge functions for global performance
• Database: PostgreSQL with Drizzle ORM for type safety
• Auth: Better-Auth for enterprise SSO and multi-tenant support
• Payments: Stripe Billing with usage-based pricing support

Multi-Tenancy: The Make-or-Break Decision

The single most important architectural decision for B2B SaaS is your multi-tenancy strategy. Get this wrong and you'll spend months refactoring instead of growing.

We recommend schema-per-tenant for enterprise SaaS (better isolation) and row-level security for SMB products (simpler operations). The middle ground—database-per-tenant—rarely makes sense except for specific compliance requirements.

"The best SaaS products make money while you sleep. The architecture should reflect that."

The Path to $10K MRR

Based on our portfolio companies, the typical path looks like:

1. Month 1-2: Launch MVP, acquire first 10 paying customers through outbound
2. Month 3-4: Product-market fit iteration, churn reduction
3. Month 5-6: Content marketing + SEO ramp, 50 customers
4. Month 7-8: Add enterprise features, raise prices, 100 customers
5. Month 9-12: Scale acquisition, hit $10K MRR milestone