#2 Planning a Large-Scale Excel SaaS – Part 1: Business Strategy & Market

You know what you want to build. You have the vision. Now what?

Should you just start hammering away at the keyboard, unleashing a glorious flood of code like there’s no tomorrow?

For a massive solo project like this, structure is everything. You need a roadmap—one that lets you move fast without losing control. In this post, I’ll break down how I approached planning the business side of ACED BI, an Excel-based SaaS that Reddit swears can’t be done.

Let’s talk strategy—how I plan to sell an Excel-based SaaS, who would actually pay for it, and why I’m ignoring the skeptics.

By the way, this isn’t a how-to guide, but simply my own thought process—an account of the decisions and considerations I’ve had while figuring out how to turn this idea into reality.

The Game Plan

Before diving into development, I wanted to map out a high-level plan—not some formal business document, just something for myself. It’s interesting how, once you start writing a plan, you begin thinking about aspects of the project that seemed insignificant when everything was just in your head. I wanted to clarify who I would sell the product to, how I would sell it, and what limitations I needed to keep in mind.

Why the SaaS Model?

The easiest model to set up, technically, is the one-time purchase model—buy once, use forever. This is how every Excel-based template and app I’ve come across operates. But realistically, I don’t see potential customers being eager to drop hundreds of dollars on an Excel workbook that might or might not suit their needs.

Sure, you could offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, but that would get messy real fast. Refunds, customer doubts, and the inevitable requests for “just one more feature” would pile up. On top of that, this model makes tiered pricing difficult—how do you sell different levels of access without overcomplicating the product?

That’s why I decided to go with a SaaS model. Users get a trial period, pay per month, and if they’re not happy, they can cancel anytime.

This is how most software is consumed today. But when it comes to Excel-based SaaS, I don’t think there’s a single successful example—and for good reason:

It’s really damn difficult to pull off.

When I presented my idea on Reddit’s VBA forums, the response was overwhelmingly negative. Nobody believed it could be done. The general consensus was "It's impossible."

• "There's no way to protect your code. Someone will just steal it and resell it cheaper."
• "Nobody will pay a monthly fee for an Excel workbook."
• "VBA isn't a real development language for a commercial product."
• "Power BI and Tableau already exist—why would anyone pick this?"

Most people assumed it would be too easy to crack. They argued that since VBA can be brute-force unlocked, anyone with moderate experience (or help of AI) could just copy the code and bypass any licensing checks. Some claimed a Python-based server validation wouldn’t be enough, since the hash-checking functions could simply be removed. Others doubted a B2B audience would ever trust an independent developer when they have corporate-backed alternatives like Power BI and Tableau.

And yet, I wasn’t convinced by their skepticism.

Yes, any software can be cracked—whether it's a small VBA project or a billion-dollar game from a major studio. But the real business reality is that most legitimate companies don’t want to run pirated Excel software hacked together by some anonymous coder in moms basement. They want a stable, trusted solution, with support, updates, and reliability.

So, instead of letting Reddit discourage me, I dug even deeper into the challenges ahead. I started refining my security strategy, making sure that even if someone wanted to reverse-engineer my code, they’d have to navigate a maze of obfuscation, class dependencies, and dynamic licensing checks—all while ensuring that legitimate users wouldn’t feel burdened by unnecessary restrictions.

In fact, once I feel like I’m running out of blog post ideas, I’ll probably do an entire deep dive on this security strategy—from technical preventative measures to legal protection and post-hack actions. Because security isn’t just about locking things down—it’s also about creating legitimacy.

Even writing this blog is one of those security measures. By publicly documenting my process, I’m not just building an audience—I’m establishing credibility and positioning myself as a thought leader in this niche.

Business Model

Similar to some of the other platforms out there, I was thinking to have at least two different tiers:

• BASIC License – For users who primarily need to view and interact with dashboards but do not want to create or edit them.
• PRO License – For those who want full control, allowing them to create, modify, and customize dashboards to fit their specific needs.

In most organizations, there are usually one or a few individuals with the skills to build and manage dashboards, while the majority of users are simply consumers of the data. In practice, this means that a business would typically only need one or a few PRO licenses, while the rest of the users can operate with the much cheaper BASIC licenses. This structure keeps costs manageable for companies while ensuring that those who need full customization have the tools to do so.

Beyond Just Software: Building an Ecosystem

The real long-term vision isn’t just selling an Excel-based BI tool—it’s about creating an ecosystem where users can build, customize, and even sell their own dashboards.

Imagine a marketplace where independent developers and power users can design and sell their own dashboard templates. With the right structure, ACED BI could become a Layer 1 framework, allowing others to build Layer 2 solutions on top of it. Users could export their custom dashboards, package them up, and sell them to others, creating a network effect where every new contributor adds value to the platform.

To make this work, the app will have built-in export/import functionality for dashboard settings and logic. This means users can share or sell their creations without giving away their raw data. And since every user needs at least a BASIC license to use these templates, this model naturally expands the user base over time.

Now, at this point, you’re probably thinking, what the hell is this guy smoking exactly? And, yeah, maybe this is a bit too ambitious. Maybe I won’t be able to set up everything exactly as I’ve imagined. But you gotta have ambitious dreams, right? If you don’t aim high, you’ll never build anything worth remembering.

By enabling customization at every level, this isn’t just an Excel dashboard tool—it’s a BI platform with unlimited creative potential. And whether or not it all works out exactly as planned… well, that’s the fun part.

Target Market: Who will use this?

When you build a product, you’re supposed to say, “I have found this specific little niche…” But with ACED BI, that’s not exactly the case.

This tool is going to be extremely versatile—its customization capabilities mean that almost anything is possible. Just like Excel itself, you can’t simply say, “This is only for accountants”—because people use Excel for thousands of different things, from financial modeling to inventory management to tracking their gym workouts.

That being said, I can break down the core user groups into four categories:

1. Corporations

Big corporations are the juiciest customers. They’re already using one or multiple BI tools, but they also deal with the pain points that come with existing solutions. If ACED BI can solve those problems, they will buy in.

• They would likely purchase several PRO licenses for developers and managers.
• They might need dozens or even hundreds of BASIC licenses for employees who just need to view dashboards.
• Convincing them to switch isn’t easy, but if they see a clear advantage, cost savings, or better usability, they’ll listen.

2. Small Business Owners

Most small business owners aren’t tracking their metrics properly—or if they are, they’re doing it in a messy, inefficient way. They need plug-and-play solutions that don’t require them to become BI experts.

• This group would happily buy ready-made dashboards that they can just drop in and start using.
• It would be worth offering a few free templates to hook them in—like a P&L dashboard, sales tracker, or warehouse management system.

The easier it is for them to get insights into their business without technical knowledge, the more appealing the tool becomes.

3. Private BI Developers & Freelancers

BI freelancers and consultants are always looking for tools that help them deliver better results faster.

• If ACED BI can save them time and effort while maintaining high-quality output, they will use it in their workflow.
• Since their clients will also need BASIC licenses to interact with the dashboards, every freelancer who adopts the tool naturally expands the user base.

They don’t need to be convinced to switch platforms—they just need to see that this tool makes their job easier while allowing them to customize dashboards beyond what Tableau or Power BI can offer.

4. App & Template Developers

This is where things get really interesting.

ACED BI isn’t just a tool—it’s a platform. That means third-party developers will be able to create custom apps and templates on top of it.

• A fitness expert could design a workout tracker dashboard.
• A financial analyst could build a personal finance dashboard.
• A sales manager could create an advanced sales funnel dashboard.

Just like Excel isn’t just a spreadsheet program, this won’t be just a dashboard builder—it will be a framework for creating all kinds of mini-apps.

There would be a marketplace on the website where developers can sell their creations. And to encourage adoption, anyone who brings in a new user could receive a commission from the first-year subscription fees.

Why this matters?

Each of these user groups feeds into the growth of the platform.

✔ Corporations buy licenses in bulk.
✔ Small businesses need done-for-you dashboards.
✔ Freelancers use it to provide services, bringing in more users.
✔ Developers create templates, making the ecosystem more valuable.

The more users who create and share their work, the more the platform expands organically—without relying purely on traditional marketing.

The vision isn’t just to sell a dashboard tool—it’s to create a self-sustaining ecosystem where people build, share, and profit within the ACED BI platform.

Closing Marks

Originally, I planned to cover the entire planning process in one post—both the business and the technical side. But as I started writing, it quickly became clear that there was too much to fit into a single post without turning it into a novel.

So, I’m splitting it into two parts. This post focused on the business model, target market, and overall vision. Next time, I’ll dive into the technical planning—how I structured the codebase, designed the different engines, and made sure the whole thing wouldn’t collapse under its own weight.

See you in Part 2.