Bootstrapped SaaS for freelance designers: prioritizing MVP features and first payin

[EmmaLR]

My co-founder and I are in the early stages of bootstrapping a startup focused on a niche SaaS tool for freelance designers, and we're determined to grow organically without outside funding. Our immediate challenge is prioritizing which features to build into our MVP while simultaneously trying to attract our first paying customers on a shoestring marketing budget. For other founders who have successfully navigated this phase, what were your most effective, low-cost strategies for validating your product with real users and generating those crucial initial sales to fund further development?