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?
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?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?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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