4 ms·

eh I am not married to being a SaaS company and don't care about funding. I started the company to work from wherever and never once intended to raise funds! E

eh I am not married to being a SaaS company and don't care about funding. I started the company to work from wherever and never once intended to raise funds! Everyone doesn't have to go after some big VC play. I am 23 and really enjoy learning the way I am. Maybe one day I will care about a SaaS company but for now, learning and bringing in good revenue is more important. P.S. I'd argue going out of business because you are too prideful to do things that bring in revenue is worse for a SaaS company, but too each their own!

Terretta 9y ago
I’m with @jacquesm. You are not a SaaS company. You are a consultant with a hobby. If your point is to have a lifestyle, you’re doing it wrong. Consulting is a treadmill, chasing that revenue. You’re only as good as your last gig, and you’re on their time, not yours. This problem remains true even at scale. If literally everything goes perfectly for decades, you’ll eventually be a McKinsey or a BCG, the best reputation in the world, premium pricing ... yet you’ll still spend most of your time trying to get that next revenue gig. If you let up even for a moment, you’re dead. SaaS (when done well), you get recurring subscriptions to a healthy point and it’s money for free. You can take months off at a time, get inspiration, come back and make an amazing new feature, stair step your subscriptions, and go play again, or make another SaaS, etc. If you want extra revenue, only do “ProServ” to help prospects move into your subscription and become self-sustaining. Get them hooked, then get out of their day-to-day. Starting at your age, I tried both ways. On the fourth try, went from zero to seven figures liquidity before 30 using this model (utility w/ pro-serv onboarding), and because the valuation multiple on recurring billing is so much higher than on a body shop, hit nine figures of equity by 33. At the same time, I had the flexibility to “run the company” from the ski slopes for six weeks a season, tinker for months at a time on what the next SaaS could be, operate using “4 hour work weeks”, even deliberately drop in and sabbatical in different industries to look for the next personal skill-up and next idea. You do have to make a choice between funding and lifestyle. You never intended to raise funds, that’s fine. While I tried both choices twice each, and financial freedom came through funding, this is both anecdata and purely personal choice. If you want “FU” money, it’s faster through funding but you have to learn to satisfy additional masters. If you just want a revenue stream for however long that SaaS tech remains relevant, you can be content to “only” double every year till you hit six or seven figures a year of cash income, then shift to hobby mode for a decade, but be aware that you might become un-fundable after two to four years because VC will see your growth curve track record as too shallow: “If this could be a home run, why isn’t it already?” Being prideful or having purpose and focus are very different things. Write your goal on your forehead and look at yourself in the mirror every morning. Be a goal monster.

Terretta 9y ago

I’m with @jacquesm. You are not a SaaS company. You are a consultant with a hobby. If your point is to have a lifestyle, you’re doing it wrong. Consulting is a treadmill, chasing that revenue. You’re only as good as your last gig, and you’re on their time, not yours. This problem remains true even at scale. If literally everything goes perfectly for decades, you’ll eventually be a McKinsey or a BCG, the best reputation in the world, premium pricing ... yet you’ll still spend most of your time trying to get that next revenue gig. If you let up even for a moment, you’re dead. SaaS (when done well), you get recurring subscriptions to a healthy point and it’s money for free. You can take months off at a time, get inspiration, come back and make an amazing new feature, stair step your subscriptions, and go play again, or make another SaaS, etc. If you want extra revenue, only do “ProServ” to help prospects move into your subscription and become self-sustaining. Get them hooked, then get out of their day-to-day. Starting at your age, I tried both ways. On the fourth try, went from zero to seven figures liquidity before 30 using this model (utility w/ pro-serv onboarding), and because the valuation multiple on recurring billing is so much higher than on a body shop, hit nine figures of equity by 33. At the same time, I had the flexibility to “run the company” from the ski slopes for six weeks a season, tinker for months at a time on what the next SaaS could be, operate using “4 hour work weeks”, even deliberately drop in and sabbatical in different industries to look for the next personal skill-up and next idea. You do have to make a choice between funding and lifestyle. You never intended to raise funds, that’s fine. While I tried both choices twice each, and financial freedom came through funding, this is both anecdata and purely personal choice. If you want “FU” money, it’s faster through funding but you have to learn to satisfy additional masters. If you just want a revenue stream for however long that SaaS tech remains relevant, you can be content to “only” double every year till you hit six or seven figures a year of cash income, then shift to hobby mode for a decade, but be aware that you might become un-fundable after two to four years because VC will see your growth curve track record as too shallow: “If this could be a home run, why isn’t it already?” Being prideful or having purpose and focus are very different things. Write your goal on your forehead and look at yourself in the mirror every morning. Be a goal monster.