Finite, observable, dated
Indie SaaS pre-launch checklists.
Diagnostic-grade checklists for pre-revenue indie SaaS founders. Each step has an observable done-condition. No aspirational items, no padding, no fabricated benchmarks — the same Brunson Hard-Rule discipline that powers the live diagnostic.
Pre-launch indie SaaS checklist
Run before: Public launch (the first cold-traffic visitor)
The pre-launch checklist names the ten things every indie SaaS must verify before sending a single visitor to the site. Each step has a done-condition that is observable, not aspirational. Skipping any of the ten is what turns a launch into a learning experience instead of a customer.
Before-you-charge-money checklist
Run before: First real (live-mode) Stripe charge
Before you accept the first dollar from the first paying customer, eight things must be verifiable end-to-end. Each item is something that, if broken, becomes a refund trigger. Run this checklist on the same day you turn Stripe live mode on.
First-paying-customer checklist
Run before: Adding the customer to the Verified Builders directory
The first paying customer is a one-time event. The 48 hours after the charge clears decide whether you have a customer or a refund. The seven steps below sequence the work — onboarding, follow-up, testimonial collection, and Stripe verification — into a single visible path.
Landing-page publish checklist
Run before: Sharing the landing page URL publicly
The publish checklist names the eight things every indie SaaS landing page must pass before you tell anyone the URL. None are aspirational — each step has a done-condition you can verify with a tool in under two minutes.
First email broadcast checklist
Run before: First broadcast send
The first broadcast to a real email list is the moment your sender reputation is born or burned. The seven steps below verify domain authentication, list health, content discipline, and the Brunson voice before any send button is pushed.
Tripwire launch checklist
Run before: Sending paid or organic traffic to the tripwire offer
A tripwire is not a discounted product — it is an intent-verification mechanism with a specific funnel structure around it. The nine steps below ship the front-end, the OTO, the 14-day follow-up, the refund mechanism, and the attribution path that turns a tripwire into a working funnel.
Checkout conversion checklist
Run before: Sending any optimized traffic to the checkout
Checkout abandonment is the highest-impact, lowest-cost surface to fix in indie SaaS. The seven items below name the elements proven to hold or lose the buyer at the moment of payment.
Cold-outreach message checklist
Run before: Sending the first cold outreach message
Cold outreach for indie SaaS is one of the highest-leverage pre-revenue motions. The eight items below name the elements that distinguish a working cold message from a spam-looking one.
Pair a checklist with the diagnostic
Run the diagnostic on your live URL first — it labels which Brunson failure mode your page hits. Then run the matching checklist to close the failure. Diagnostic plus checklist beats either one alone.