Zero to Traction
Zero to Traction
Service-as-a-Software
0:00
-32:54

Service-as-a-Software

This one’s for all the founders whose startup is secretly a freelance gig in a SaaS costume.

This week, JDM and Cam unpack the sneaky trap of building custom solutions for every pilot customer and slapping a UI on top.

The result?

A startup that looks scalable on the outside but cries into its roadmap every night.

To illustrate the difference between scalable platforms and barely-automated service businesses, the guys introduce a new game: Platform or Project? Also known (unofficially) as “SaaS or SaaSquatch,” this game is our attempt to expose founders building “custom-for-every-client” Frankenstein products… and maybe hurt a few feelings along the way.

In This Episode

  • The slippery slope from MVP to unpaid consulting firm

  • Why repeatability is the key ingredient to any theory of scale

  • When white-glove onboarding becomes founder quicksand

  • How to tell if you’re building a company or just duct-taping a feature

  • Why “means to an end” doesn’t work if you’ve forgotten what the end even is

Game: Platform or Project?

  1. Customer Success Automation for SaaS Teams
    Manual CRM mapping, Python scripts, custom onboarding copy
    Verdict: Could be scrappy… or could be a disguised service business
    Key Question: Is there a repeatable customer type behind this?

  2. Inventory Optimization for Boutique Cafés
    Weekly texts + spreadsheets = email orders
    Verdict: Clever early validation—but definitely a feature, not a platform
    Key Question: What survives after you stop being the concierge?

  3. Influencer Platform for B2B SaaS
    Manual LinkedIn scraping, Typeform homepage, Google Docs, PayPal
    Verdict: Sounds like an agency with extra steps
    Key Question: Where’s your distribution flywheel?

Frivolous Thoughts

  • Cam becomes local royalty via the Interval app, a GPS-powered territory control game for runners — Sacramento is now his fiefdom!

  • JDM finally gets his wedding ring back after a two-month saga, reclaiming his rightful status as “visibly married”.

  • Bonus: The team celebrates Cass going rogue and inventing the “SaaSturbation Index” mid-recording — yes, it’s a terrible pun, and yes, it’s staying.

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