I'm currently building a SaaS product and, like many founders, I've discovered that building the product is only a small part of the challenge. I am still very much in the early stages, and have built around a problem i was repeatedly running into at work. now i have a web app, that essentially shows the core features of the product, and is a very early version.
but i am tunnel visioned, the only feedback i have had is from myself and someone on my team at work. I've had some success getting traffic and conversations Via LinkedIn, and people in planning positions seem to like the concept/idea as it could be useful to them, but finding people willing to consistently test an early product has been much harder than I expected.
Most people are supportive, but turning that into actual usage, and then solid feedback has been a massive pain in the arse. like i had one dude who said he would test for me for a free lifetime account if it ever went anywhere and i said id let him know by Friday, and that's about as far as i have got, which is a bit frustrating.
just looking for some advice on the following:
How did you find your first testers?
Did you offer anything in return?
At what point did you start seeing consistent engagement and feedback?
Would love to hear some real experiences from founders who have been through it.