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The Startup Players Handbook: A Roadmap to Building SaaS and Software Companies
Modern startups are on an assembly line from seed to later-stage series financing. As they make that journey, founders need to have a working knowledge of dozens of fields if they’re going to scale a company. SaaS is a unique set of skills across those disciplines. This book focuses on gaining a working understanding of what specialists will do in those fields as an organization grows and how founders can leverage the basics to get those capabilities started so once professionals are hired in each, they can hit the ground running with authentic materials. Founders will be pulled in a lot of directions as they find success, so the book looks at what to do with each discipline at each stage of growth. The hardest part to creating a startup is to just start the thing. This book covers when to bootstrap, apply to accelerators, seek seed capital – and where to do those things. It also covers some of the earlier questions like how to write a mission statement, where to find investors, what technical stacks to use, how to HR, how to sell, and more importantly, when a founder should spend time on each discipline. A way to look at the tech stack and the ever-changing landscape to keep technical debt low and the ability to respond to ever-changing market forces high. What You'll Learn Who This Book Is For
People thinking of or starting a software/SaaS company. Could be useful for first timers or those on their third startup.
People thinking of or starting a software/SaaS company. Could be useful for first timers or those on their third startup.
700 pages, Paperback
Published May 20, 2023
3 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
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April 5, 2025
What the heck was that?
This 700-page book is about everything except how to bootstrap a SaaS project.
Instead of concrete, actionable advice on starting and scaling a tech business, you'll find surface-level content on running webinars, making YouTube videos, and recording podcasts. Yes, it even dives into microphone recommendations - for studio-quality sound, no less. But not a single word on critical legal decisions like choosing between an LLC, C Corp, or S Corp. Nothing about naming and protecting your brand, trademarks, or slogan. No substance on financial metrics, value propositions, building sales funnels, or actual marketing strategy. Just fluff.
This book reads more like a lazy compilation of shallow blog posts from a third-rate digital agency - designed to lure in first-time dreamers, not help real founders get to work.
If you're completely new to the world of entrepreneurship, tech, or marketing and just want a vague idea of what the journey might look like, sure - use this as a lightweight reference.
But if you're serious about building a successful SaaS business? Avoid this book at all costs. It’s not just a waste of time - it actively misleads and distracts from what actually matters.
If you want real insight into what it takes to succeed as a SaaS founder, I recommend the following books instead:
Books on running a tech business:
1. The Complete Guide to Software as a Service: Everything you need to know about SaaS
2. The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers―Straight Talk on the Challenges of Entrepreneurship
3. The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book that Will Change the Way You Do Business
Finances::
1. Hacking SaaS: An Insider's Guide to Managing Software Business Success
2. Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist
Marketing and Sales:
1. Marketing Made Simple: A Step-By-Step Storybrand Guide for Any Business
2. Building a StoryBrand 2.0: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen
3. The 1-Page Marketing Plan: Get New Customers, Make More Money, And Stand out From The Crowd
4. Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers
5. Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers
Value proposition:
1. Product Demos That Sell: How to Deliver Winning SaaS Demos
Leadership:
1. Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams
Other:
1. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
2. Why Startups Fail: A New Roadmap for Entrepreneurial Success
There are lots more books I'd suggest. I just don't have time to list all of them here (PM if you really want more).
This 700-page book is about everything except how to bootstrap a SaaS project.
Instead of concrete, actionable advice on starting and scaling a tech business, you'll find surface-level content on running webinars, making YouTube videos, and recording podcasts. Yes, it even dives into microphone recommendations - for studio-quality sound, no less. But not a single word on critical legal decisions like choosing between an LLC, C Corp, or S Corp. Nothing about naming and protecting your brand, trademarks, or slogan. No substance on financial metrics, value propositions, building sales funnels, or actual marketing strategy. Just fluff.
This book reads more like a lazy compilation of shallow blog posts from a third-rate digital agency - designed to lure in first-time dreamers, not help real founders get to work.
If you're completely new to the world of entrepreneurship, tech, or marketing and just want a vague idea of what the journey might look like, sure - use this as a lightweight reference.
But if you're serious about building a successful SaaS business? Avoid this book at all costs. It’s not just a waste of time - it actively misleads and distracts from what actually matters.
If you want real insight into what it takes to succeed as a SaaS founder, I recommend the following books instead:
Books on running a tech business:
1. The Complete Guide to Software as a Service: Everything you need to know about SaaS
2. The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers―Straight Talk on the Challenges of Entrepreneurship
3. The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book that Will Change the Way You Do Business
Finances::
1. Hacking SaaS: An Insider's Guide to Managing Software Business Success
2. Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist
Marketing and Sales:
1. Marketing Made Simple: A Step-By-Step Storybrand Guide for Any Business
2. Building a StoryBrand 2.0: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen
3. The 1-Page Marketing Plan: Get New Customers, Make More Money, And Stand out From The Crowd
4. Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers
5. Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers
Value proposition:
1. Product Demos That Sell: How to Deliver Winning SaaS Demos
Leadership:
1. Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams
Other:
1. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
2. Why Startups Fail: A New Roadmap for Entrepreneurial Success
There are lots more books I'd suggest. I just don't have time to list all of them here (PM if you really want more).
Displaying 1 of 1 review