There are a lot, lot, LOT more people trying to get to dollar #1 than any other phase of the process. It feels good to read about someone else going through the same struggles as you, especially if they're willing to share behind-the-scenes information (i.e. how many hours they worked).
Is this enough data to produce a valid scientific experiment? No, but that's a high bar that would disqualify pretty much every conversation anyone is having anywhere about anything :-D
Everyone keeps repeating that it's really hard to get to the first dollar and celebrating that as a common struggle. I rarely see SaaS products charging a dollar. And never for it to be a $1 one-time sale. That's why this makes no sense to me.
Hmm, it's not about the amount being literally $1 though. It's about going from $0 to >$0. There are a ridiculous number of people who are stuck in various early phases, trying to get over humps, and you can reach a lot of them by answering the questions they have:
- How do I come up with a decent idea? What should I work on?
- Where can I get the motivation to even start thinking of ideas? Are there inspirational stories of people like me doing this stuff?
- How do I validate my idea to ensure it's good?
- Do I need to learn how to code? If so, how can I do that?
- I have a full-time job, a family, etc. Is it possible for me to work around this? What are some tips?
- I keep starting but never finishing. What are other people doing that allow them to get to the finish line?
- Nobody is using what I've built. How to I get my first customers?
The list goes on and on. There are hundreds of questions like this, and millions of people asking them, and they're all pre-revenue. They come before the metaphorical first dollar.
The first dollar is metaphorical. Substitute first sale/income if that makes it easier for you to think about. (As an aside, I've seen many businesses frame and display a single dollar representing their first sale. http://framebiz.com/index.php?products_id=187)
Yes, I understand that it should be metaphorical but in this case it's quite literal. This story demonstrates more of a user acquisition exercise and dresses it up as a SaaS business exercise. You will have different problems charging $1 once versus $10 per month. This story is really not about SaaS products.
I really think you're missing the point of the article and why people appreciate it. It's extremely straightforward: "Hey everyone, here are some interesting stats + an entertaining story about what went into making the first sale at a SaaS business." It's not pretending to be anything more than that.
Is this enough data to produce a valid scientific experiment? No, but that's a high bar that would disqualify pretty much every conversation anyone is having anywhere about anything :-D