Why My First SaaS Project Never Went Live – And What I Learned From It

The Idea That Immediately Hooked Me

In July 2024, I was sitting at my desk, full of motivation, working on my first SaaS project: NextCookies.io.

The idea was simple and clear – a GDPR-compliant cookie consent banner, built specifically for Next.js developers. A few lines of code, done. Simple, performant, flexible. As someone who works with Next.js daily, I knew exactly how annoying the existing solutions often are.

I was convinced: The community needs this.

An MVP in One Month

I started coding right away. No long planning phases, no overthinking spirals – just build.

And it worked: Within one month, I had a functioning MVP. The banner displayed, settings were saved, integration was simple. Technically, it worked.

I was proud. Finally something of my own that was taking shape.

Then Reality Hit

The deeper I dove into the subject, the more the scope expanded. What initially looked like a manageable project suddenly turned into a monster.

A professional consent tool isn't just a few buttons for "Accept" or "Decline". There's so much more attached to it:

• Legal nuances that differ by country
• International requirements (GDPR, CCPA, ePrivacy...)
• Privacy logs and audit trails
• Granular user preferences
• Accessibility (a11y)
• Flexible API interfaces for various use cases
• Dynamic script blockers
• Regular updates when laws change

I realized: This isn't a side project. This is a full-time job – requiring legal expertise I didn't have.

The Difficult Decision

At some point, I had to be honest with myself: NextCookies.io was simply too big for me at that time.

I had little experience with SaaS development back then – especially when it came to planning, scope management, and prioritization. I wanted to solve too much at once and overwhelmed myself in the process.

In the summer of 2024, I made the decision not to launch the project.

That was damn hard. Not releasing a month's worth of work? Feels like failure.

But looking back, it was exactly the right call.

What I Learned From This

1. Scope Is Everything

An MVP should really be minimal. Not "minimal, but with all the features I think are cool." I learned to ask with brutal honesty: What is the absolute minimum that delivers real value?

2. Some Markets Are Harder Than Others

The consent tool market is saturated, heavily regulated, and dominated by big players. Competing against Cookiebot, OneTrust, or Usercentrics as a solo developer – without a legal team backing you – is an uphill battle.

3. Not Launching Is Also a Decision

We always talk about "Ship it!" and "Done is better than perfect." But sometimes the smarter decision is not to launch. Recognizing when a project exceeds your capacity isn't failure – it's self-awareness.

4. Every Project Teaches You Something

NextCookies.io taught me more than some courses or jobs: about technical complexity, about my own limits, and about the question of which problems I really want to solve.

Conclusion

NextCookies.io never went live. And that's okay.

The project was an important milestone on my journey as a solopreneur. It showed me that not every idea is right for every moment – and that self-reflection is sometimes more important than productivity.

Maybe I'll try again someday. With more experience, better planning, and clearer focus.

Or I'll build something completely different – something that fits me better.

Because the most important thing I learned: It's not about finishing every project. It's about coming out of every project smarter.