One thing I’ve noticed building things is that tools and platforms grow very differently.
Tools can start with just a few people because they solve a specific problem. Platforms are harder because they need activity from both sides before they’re useful.
What I’ve seen work is starting with something that behaves more like a tool first, even if the long-term goal is a platform. If a small group gets value right away, they create the first bit of activity that makes the platform useful later.
I ran into this while building a product recently — feature requests coming from email, support chats, random messages, etc. It got messy fast, so I ended up building a simple system to collect feedback and share a roadmap.
Curious how other people here have dealt with the early chicken-and-egg phase.
I built Base25 for startup SaaS teams that want one simple place to collect feedback, prioritize what matters, share a roadmap, and publish updates without enterprise-heavy tooling.
What it does:
- Feedback board (internal + customer input)
- Roadmap view
- Changelog publishing
- Flat pricing: $30/month (no tiers/add-ons)
Would love blunt feedback on:
1. onboarding clarity
2. anything confusing or missing
3. whether the pricing/value feels right vs alternatives like Canny/Featurebase/Productboard
Tools can start with just a few people because they solve a specific problem. Platforms are harder because they need activity from both sides before they’re useful.
What I’ve seen work is starting with something that behaves more like a tool first, even if the long-term goal is a platform. If a small group gets value right away, they create the first bit of activity that makes the platform useful later.
I ran into this while building a product recently — feature requests coming from email, support chats, random messages, etc. It got messy fast, so I ended up building a simple system to collect feedback and share a roadmap.
Curious how other people here have dealt with the early chicken-and-egg phase.