Monthly Archives: July 2015

The Myth of “SaaS”

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Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) has taken the technology world by storm. These days, all new software companies are SaaS which simply means they are based in the cloud and have subscription pricing. With the exception of mobile applications and e-commerce, almost all new companies are following this model.

It’s not surprising. The benefits of SaaS over older models of software delivery are clear. Cloud based software can be updated and improved much more rapidly than on-premise software, with a fraction of the cost of maintenance. Subscription pricing means that revenue continues to roll in month after month for the entire life of a customer. What is not to like?

However, many founders of SaaS companies have unusual levels of stress, even more so than typical founders. Your typical SaaS startup founder will:

  • Spend a few days every month trying to follow the latest SaaS metrics fad, based on blog posts like this*. They are searching for the perfect metric to compare themselves against other SaaS businesses.
  • Try desperately to reach a mythical MRR milestone that will magically open the door to raise their Series A.
  • They spend time meeting the best “SaaS” investors, even if those investors are completely unfamiliar with their space.

The ironic reality is that there is no such thing as SaaS anymore. SaaS has become so pervasive that the term is the equivalent of “Internet” or “Web” or “Software”. There are SaaS companies across every vertical, every market. Some charge millions of dollars a year and others charge $5 per month. Some are profitable with only 5 customers, others have 500,000 customers and still are in the red.

SaaS no longer means anything because the world of SaaS has become too large.

Those SaaS founders I mentioned earlier are under abnormal stress because they are chasing the myth of a “typical” SaaS business. There is no such thing as a “typical” SaaS business and all of the fancy metrics and analytics you hear about are attempts to normalize and compare SaaS businesses that are completely different. The only ones who benefit from such normalization are investors, who want help in picking and choosing which companies to support. As a founder, you only care about one business: yours.

The good news is that the world is much simpler when you abandon this myth of the “SaaS Business”. Your business, while it might be SaaS, is not governed by complex new metrics but by the The Most Important Equation for Your Business. Your MRR does not matter, there are businesses raising Series A rounds with $0 MRR everyday. What matters most is The Only Thing That Matters, just like with any other business. Investors will look at your rate of growth first and your MRR second.

In short, you are building a business. Just because it is SaaS does not mean the rules are different, only that there might be more distractions. Do whatever is right for your business.

Then, when you are successful, don’t be surprised when another founder tries to model themselves after you. It is SaaS, after all.

* This blog post is actually very good. I only point it out since every founder I meet that reads it finds it more confusing and intimidating than helpful. 

How to Get What You Need

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I have many conversations with founders that start with “I need…”. “I need to raise money.” “I need to hire more people.” “I need to find some more customers.”

It is very easy to develop tunnel vision when building your company, as you are tackling difficult problems everyday. Your world consists of aggressive (maybe impossible) goals and you evaluate all the things you need to be able to achieve those goals. Those needs become your entire focus.

The problem with focusing on your needs is that no one else cares.

When prospective investors, employees or customers look at your company they don’t care about your needs, they care about what you can do for them. Investors don’t care that you need to raise money, they care about whether you can produce a return on their investment. Employees don’t care that you need to hire more people, they care that you offer unique and valuable opportunities. Customers don’t care that you need their business, they care about whether you help them solve a problem.

When you think about the world this way, you realize why many first time founders struggle. They focus too much on their needs and not on how to create enough value so that people will want to fulfill those needs.

Getting What You Need

In order to get what you need, you need to make the opportunity to give it to you such a great deal that no one would ever pass it by. So, if you need..

  • To Raise Funding: Make your company an amazingly attractive investment. This should be a combination of traction, team and vision (and perhaps revenue). Make the terms of investment friendly to both you and the investors so they don’t feel you are trying to take advantage of them.
  • To Hire People: Make your company an amazingly attractive place to work. Empower new hires to learn and expand their roles, giving them the freedom to be creative while holding the responsibility of delivering important parts of your strategy. Hire for passion as much as skills.
  • To Sell Customers: Make your product an amazingly attractive solution to a problem they have. Not only should your product be easy to use, it should be easy to get set up and priced to make it a clear decision for the customer.

Remember, when an investor, candidate or customer is considering whether or not to choose your company they are not deciding if you are a good company. They are deciding if you are better than the hundreds (or thousands) of other companies in the market, some of which may be in entirely different industries or businesses. You are competing with everyone to stand out, not just yourself.

So, next time you find yourself saying “I need” try to rephrase it as “Here is what I can offer”. It will greatly improve the chances that you get what you want.

You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You just might find
You get what you need

– The Rolling Stones