If you want to start a software business, watch this | Lisbon, July 15

Summary

El video discute la diferencia entre las empresas de software y las de software como servicio (SaaS), enfatizando que requieren habilidades distintas. El creador, con experiencia en ambas, destaca los desafíos de encontrar el adecuado ajuste del mercado para un producto SaaS y la importancia del enfoque en el marketing. Expone las ventajas de una agencia de servicios, como el flujo de caja inmediato y la facilidad de inicio, frente a la valoración más alta y potencial de salida de un producto SaaS, pero con un flujo de caja inicial limitado. El mensaje principal es que la elección entre estos modelos debe basarse en la viabilidad y los recursos disponibles, y que el éxito en cualquiera requiere habilidades de negocio más allá de las técnicas de programación.

Takeaways

• 😀 La habilidad para desarrollar software no es la misma que la habilidad para crear un negocio de software, son habilidades fundamentalmente diferentes.
• 🔍 Antes de iniciar un negocio de software, es crucial elegir entre crear un producto tecnológico o una empresa de servicios de software.
• 🏭 Un producto tecnológico, como un software como servicio (SaaS), es un tipo de negocio que construye un producto para ser vendido, a diferencia de una empresa de servicios que ofrece trabajo de desarrollo en comisión.
• 💰 Los productos tecnológicos, especialmente los SaaS, pueden tener un valor de salida muy alto, con múltiplos de valor empresarial de 8 a 10.
• 📈 La ventaja de un SaaS es que una vez que se construye, puede valer mucho dinero y generar ingresos de manera continua con poco mantenimiento.
• 🛠 Una empresa de servicios de software tiene un valor empresarial más bajo y su crecimiento depende de la contratación de más recursos humanos, lo que implica un mayor costo marginal de replicación.
• 🤔 Encontrar el equilibrio del mercado para un nuevo producto SaaS es difícil y requiere una inversión significativa en marketing y desarrollo.
• 💡 La decisión de iniciar un negocio de SaaS o de servicios depende de la fase y recursos disponibles, así como de la factibilidad y el enfoque de tiempo a largo plazo.
• 💼 La gestión de un negocio de software implica habilidades empresariales adicionales, como la obtención de clientes, la gestión de proyectos y el manejo de recursos humanos y financieros.
• 🚀 El crecimiento y éxito de un negocio de software, ya sea de productos o servicios, requieren un fuerte enfoque en el marketing y la comunicación con los clientes.
• 💡 El creador del video sugiere que, dado el costo y la complejidad de iniciar un negocio de SaaS, una empresa de servicios de software puede ser una opción más viable y menos riesgosa para los desarrolladores.
• 🔑 El conocimiento de ambas opciones (producto y servicios) y la evaluación de las necesidades y recursos propios es fundamental para tomar una decisión informada sobre el tipo de negocio de software a iniciar.

Q & A

¿Qué diferencia hay entre una empresa de software y una empresa de servicios SAS?

Una empresa de software se enfoca en desarrollar productos tecnológicos, como una plataforma o un servicio en la nube (SaaS), mientras que una empresa de servicios SAS ofrece servicios de desarrollo de software a otros negocios, actuando como agencia.

¿Por qué es importante elegir entre crear un producto tecnológico o un negocio de servicios de software?

Es importante elegir porque requieren habilidades y enfoques diferentes. El producto tecnológico se enfoca en la creación y venta de un bien, mientras que el negocio de servicios implica la prestación de servicios de desarrollo de software a otros clientes.

¿Cuál es la ventaja de crear una empresa de productos tecnológicos SaaS?

La ventaja principal es el valor de salida alto, ya que las empresas SaaS suelen tener múltiplos de negocio altos, lo que significa que si decides vender la empresa, el valor de salida puede ser significativamente mayor que los ingresos anuales.

¿Por qué es difícil encontrar el equilibrio del mercado para un nuevo producto SaaS?

Es difícil porque requiere la identificación de una necesidad única que no haya sido cubierta antes y la creación de un producto que cumpla con esa necesidad, lo que es un desafío debido a la competencia y la innovación constante en el mercado.

¿Qué riesgos se enfrentan al iniciar una empresa de productos SaaS?

Se enfrentan dos tipos de riesgos: el riesgo de idea, que es si la idea del producto es útil y tiene demanda en el mercado, y el riesgo de ejecución, que es la capacidad de llevar a cabo la idea y convertirla en un producto viable.

¿Por qué es difícil competir en el mercado SaaS sin financiamiento inicial?

Sin financiamiento inicial, es difícil invertir en marketing y desarrollo, lo que es esencial para alcanzar el equilibrio del mercado y crecer rápidamente, especialmente cuando se compite con empresas establecidas que ya tienen una base de usuarios y recursos.

¿Qué ventaja ofrece una empresa de servicios de software en términos de flujo de caja?

Una empresa de servicios de software ofrece un flujo de caja inmediato, ya que se recibe dinero por los servicios prestados, lo que permite reinvertir en el negocio y crecer sin depender de inversionistas.

¿Cuál es el desafío principal al decidir entre un negocio de productos o servicios de software?

El desafío principal es la elección entre el flujo de caja inmediato pero con un valor de salida potencialmente menor en el negocio de servicios, y el flujo de caja restringido pero con un valor de salida potencialmente mayor en el negocio de productos.

¿Qué lecciones aprendió el hablante sobre la importancia de habilidades de negocios al crear una empresa de software?

El hablante aprendió que las habilidades de negocios, como la gestión de clientes, la comunicación, la planificación de proyectos y la contabilidad, son igual de importantes que las habilidades técnicas de programación para el éxito de una empresa de software.

¿Por qué el hablante considera que la mayoría de los desarrolladores subestiman la importancia de la marketing para un producto SaaS?

Porque la marketing es crucial para llegar a los clientes potenciales y hacer crecer el negocio. Muchos desarrolladores se enfocan en la creación del producto y no comprenden la dificultad y la inversión requerida para marketing exitoso.

¿Cómo ayuda el haber una agencia de servicios de software a observar y aprender sobre el éxito en el negocio de productos SaaS?

Al trabajar con diferentes clientes y proyectos de software, se pueden observar y aprender estrategias y prácticas exitosas que otros productos SaaS utilizan para crecer y mantener su éxito en el mercado.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 Diferencia entre compañías de software y SAS

El primer párrafo destaca la distinción entre compañías de software y de SAS. El hablante, con experiencia en desarrollo y negocios, enfatiza que crear software y gestionar un negocio de software son habilidades distintas. Aborda la elección entre iniciar una compañía de productos tecnológicos (como SAS) o de servicios de software, y señala que intentar hacer ambas simultáneamente puede ser contraproducente debido a la importancia de la concentración en un solo modelo de negocio. Además, menciona las ventajas de los productos SAS en términos de valor de salida y rentabilidad potencial, pero también los desafíos asociados con la falta de flujo de caja inicial y la necesidad de inversión.

05:00

💡 Desafíos y estrategias en el lanzamiento de un SAS

En el segundo párrafo, el hablante profundiza en los retos de encontrar el acomodo en el mercado para un nuevo SAS, destacando la importancia de la adaptación y la innovación para superar el riesgo de idea y la ejecución. Comparte su experiencia personal con un negocio educativo y cómo las compañías de tecnología a menudo requieren una inversión significativa en marketing y distribución, lo que puede resultar en un flujo de caja limitado en las etapas iniciales. También menciona la diferencia en la valoración de las compañías de servicios de software, que suelen tener un flujo de caja más inmediato pero un valor de empresa más bajo en comparación con los productos SAS.

10:01

🛠 Habilidades necesarias más allá de la programación

El tercer párrafo enfatiza que el éxito en el negocio de software no se limita a las habilidades técnicas de programación. El hablante comparte su experiencia al almostar el quiebre de su agencia de software debido a la falta de conocimientos en aspectos comerciales y de gestión de negocios, como la obtención de clientes, la comunicación, la administración de proyectos y el manejo de recursos. Destaca la importancia de la observación y el aprendizaje de las estrategias de marketing exitosas de otros productos de software a través de su agencia, lo que le ha permitido adquirir una perspectiva más holística del ámbito empresarial.

Keywords

💡Software Companies

Se refiere a empresas que desarrollan y venden software. En el video, el hablante contrasta dos tipos principales de compañías de software: las que ofrecen productos tecnológicos (como SaaS) y las que ofrecen servicios de software, como agencias. Este término es central para entender el tema del video, que es la diferencia entre estos dos modelos de negocio en el sector de la tecnología.

💡SaaS (Software as a Service)

Es un modelo de negocio en el que el software se alquila a los clientes en lugar de venderse de forma tradicional. En el video, el SaaS se menciona como un tipo de producto tecnológico que puede tener un valor de salida muy alto, lo que significa que puede ser muy valioso en términos de múltiples de ingresos si la empresa decide venderse.

💡Tech Product

Un producto tecnológico es un bien que utiliza la tecnología y a menudo se vende como un servicio. En el video, el término se usa para describir un tipo de negocio de software que el hablante ha intentado construir, destacando la diferencia entre construir un producto y ofrecer servicios.

💡Product Market Fit

Es la armonía entre un producto y el mercado que lo necesita. En el video, el hablante enfatiza lo difícil que es encontrar el product market fit, ya que es fundamental para el éxito de un producto SaaS o de cualquier producto tecnológico.

💡Exit Value

Es el valor que se obtiene al vender una empresa. El video destaca que los productos tecnológicos, especialmente el SaaS, tienen múltiples de ingresos altos, lo que hace que el valor de salida sea muy atractivo para los empresarios.

💡Software Services

Se refiere a la prestación de servicios de software, como la creación de aplicaciones personalizadas para otros. En el video, el hablante comparte su experiencia al intentar construir una empresa de servicios de software y las diferencias con una empresa de productos tecnológicos.

💡Agencia de Software

Es una empresa que ofrece servicios de desarrollo de software para otros. En el video, el hablante describe su experiencia al dirigir una agencia de software y cómo se enfocó en el flujo de caja y en la facilidad de inicio en comparación con una empresa de productos tecnológicos.

💡Flujo de caja

Es el efectivo que entra y sale de una empresa. El video resalta la importancia del flujo de caja en las empresas de servicios de software, donde el ingreso se genera de manera más inmediata en comparación con los productos tecnológicos.

💡Investment

El dinero que se invierte en una empresa con la esperanza de obtener ganancias. En el video, el hablante discute cómo los productos tecnológicos, especialmente los SaaS, a menudo requieren inversiones para crecer y competir en el mercado.

💡Ejecución del negocio

La capacidad de llevar a cabo y administrar una empresa exitosamente. En el video, el hablante menciona que, además de las habilidades técnicas, es crucial tener habilidades de negocio para ejecutar y tener éxito en el ámbito de las empresas de software.

💡Mercadeo

El proceso de promocionar y vender productos o servicios. El video enfatiza la importancia del marketing en el éxito de un producto tecnológico, ya que es esencial para atraer y retener a los clientes.

Highlights

Difference between software product and software service companies

Software product companies build and sell a product, while software service companies provide coding services for clients

SaaS products have high exit values due to high business multiples

Software service companies are typically valued at a lower multiple and build lower enterprise value

Focus is crucial for moving faster in any endeavor

The difficulty of finding product-market fit for a new SaaS product

The importance of eliminating idea risk when building a SaaS company

The challenges of competing in a market with existing SaaS products

The high cost of playing the SaaS game and the need for significant upfront investment

The cash flow advantages of a software service business model

The feasibility of starting a software service business with limited resources

The risks of taking on investors and the potential for underpayment as a founder

The necessity of business skills beyond software development for running a successful company

The underestimated importance of marketing in the success of a SaaS product

Observations from running a software service agency and learning from other software companies

The benefits of starting a software service business to learn and prepare for a future SaaS product

Reflection on the decision to focus on a services business and its impact on business growth

Transcripts

in this video I wanted to talk about

software companies both software

agencies unlike the SAS companies

because I see so many people talk about

them and I've been running a software

company for the last two and a half

years before that like I tried to build

a SAS type of company I'm a developer

myself I've been interested in business

and development since I was 13 like this

is the thing that I've done for the past

you know seven or so years of my life

and I wanted to make this because I see

a lot of people conflate the ability to

make software and the ability to make a

software business which I use to confuse

as well those are fundamentally

different skill sets if you want to make

any kind of software business the first

thing is you must choose the kind of

business that you want to make so the

first option is like a tech product and

so that might take the shape of a SAS I

mean a tech product nowadays everybody

calls a SAS but any any platform that

you build or whatever is ultimately some

kind of tech product now it is important

to call a SAS or a platform a tech

product because it highlights the game

that you're playing and that is the

product game you are building a product

company not a Services Company the other

side of that coin is you can also build

a software services company which is

what I have also tried building a

software product company that is that is

a completely different game to play and

you know I'll in this video I I'll talk

a little bit about the pros and cons

because I think I've seen a lot of

people kind of divided I think the one

thing you should not do is try to do

both because like focus is the the most

important thing I think in moving faster

in any Endeavor that that you have and

so Focus like I don't I I've never seen

anybody actually pull it off like people

you know will try to build like three

businesses at once when they haven't

even built one successfully before I

think it makes no sense but

fundamentally you know you you have

those two options so I want to start by

just looking into those two so what's

the difference in a software product

versus software service software service

is basically you know a kind of agency

model where other companies hire you to

build stuff out for them so my clients

hire me to build software for them for

their teams for their companies for

their clients for their users whatever

it is that is what we do so we get paid

to write code a software product you

basically write code to build something

and then you sell that thing that you

built now in the case of a tech product

specifically a SAS the benefit is that

once you build something it's worth a

lot of money like the exit the exit

value is very very high they have

multiples of 8 to 10 they have some of

the highest business multiples what that

means is when you if you ever decide to

sell the business when you sell the

business people will take the revenue

and multiply that number by let's say 8

to 10 which is a huge multiplier so if

you if your business does a million

dollar a year you will exit for maybe 8

to 10 million so it's very very valuable

you build what's called Enterprise Value

whereas you know in the opposite of that

if you build a software services company

like mine you are typically valued at a

much lower multiple so for example maybe

1 to three times your revenue or your

profit depends you know there's lots of

ways to calculate it but the the point

is you tend to build lower Enterprise

Value because the SAS product you know

you've built a product that will keep on

selling itself and and if and if people

are subscribed to something and the turn

is relatively low and you've built a

good product you know that product will

continue to make money with relatively

little upkeep whereas a software Service

Company obviously you have employees to

take care of you know and you you to in

order to scale your marginal cost of

replication is very very high what that

means is if I build a software product I

can replicate it infinite times at no

marginal cost of replication so I write

code today I can reproduce that same I

can run my application that I coded one

time I can I can run that application on

10,000 100,000 million laptops right

whereas for my software service business

you know the resources that I use to

build one application you know my

development time my employees whatever I

cannot use that 10,000 times over I will

need 10,000 more hours if it takes me 1

hour to make an app and I want to make

10,000 different apps I need 10,000

hours whereas if I make a software

product one time I can use it 10,000

times so that is why sass is so valuable

and and you know everybody jumps into it

whatever and at this point you might be

wondering okay well if SAS is so good

why don't I run a SAS company or a

software Product Company why am I doing

a service thing the problem is getting a

product right is really hard it's really

hard to find to build a new product is

not easy it is not easy to find

something with product Market fit

immediately a matter of fact that is

that is you know the entire like Silicon

Valley accelerator YC combinator like

all of that stuff the the the whole like

startup scene and Tech startup scene

it's basically just everybody trying to

find product Market fit that is the

thing that everybody struggles with

because it is not easy to actually

cohesively you know solve a unique

problem that has not been solved before

and I want to expand on this because

basically in a in a business that does

something new that does innovation you

have two risks idea risk and execution

risk execution risk is always there it's

basically are you competent enough to do

everything idea risk is Is My Idea

fundamentally useful so basically a risk

is do I have product Market fit or not

the thing with a new SAS product or

whatever is that finding product Market

fit is hard and once you find it like if

you want to eliminate idea risk right so

let's say I want to build a SAS company

and I eliminate idea risk that means

basically I'm I'm just building

something I'm building some kind of tool

that does what's already on the market

and so I'm just going to compete with

the existing Market players then you are

playing a marketing and distribution

game it's not actually about software if

like if you want to build something

that's already been tested before and

you know users want so for example a

cold emailing app right you know this

exists you know there are companies that

do it you can you could replicate their

software and then just try and beat them

on marketing that's the other option you

have but it's very very very hard

because you have no money upfront to

play with that is one of the big

downsides of SAS that is why Tech gets

so much investment from Venture

capitalists it's because it's a game

that's very hard to play it's like you

get a lot of money on the back end if

you sell the company but it's upfront

it's very expensive it's a very

expensive game into play because you

know Netflix makes billions of dollars

but they make you know a 10 20 $30

subscription per user and so when they

were starting out let's say you have a

100 users paying let's call it $10 each

that's $1,000 a month with $1,000 a

month you don't even pay one salary in

the US right for an engineer for

whatever so you need a bunch of money to

supplement that and and to spend on

marketing and whatever and you end up

playing a game of basically who's got

more money to burn to burn into funding

the whole startup life because tech

companies tend to lose money for a very

long time and then they make money at

the end and so you have to be able to

afford to lose a lot of money and this

was something I did not understand when

I started my uh first kind of real tech

company when I was 16 it was like an

edtech thing edtech is also a very hard

space to succeed in but yeah so I I

learned that basally made no money on it

whatever but you have to be able to have

the resources to either put in a lot of

capital yourself to fund the marketing

and whatever or get VC investment that's

going to fund that marketing for you

it's very hard to compete bootstrapped

you can but it's very very hard and you

have to find product Market fit in

something and grow really fast so that

is one of the key drawbacks on the flip

side of that if you're on a Services

business it's cash flow first so you

know when I started the agency like I

have no cost to fulfill if I fulfill it

myself I'm a developer so I just find a

client and then they pay me and that's

profit and you know they have it and and

you can start the agency there and then

you hire other people and you scale that

operation and you know now I have a team

and I have more clients and projects are

more complex and I don't do a project by

myself and you know I run bigger margins

and I make more money and it's a bigger

business and you know things things go

from there but fundamentally it's it's

easier to kind of like kick off and you

you basically you get more cash flow

that you can then reinvest into into

growing the business whereas with a SAS

you basically do you you are starved for

cash flow for a very long time before

then then you make copious amounts of

money at the tail end of that but the

thing that like I realiz is for the

stage that I am at the software Services

thing is a lot more feasible for me it

was about feasibility like I wasn't

going to be able to get investment and

whatever and so what can I do with the

resources that I have at hand that was

that was a key question that I asked

myself yeah and you know like is the

exit multiple the same absolutely not

but you make like you make more cash

flow up front overall though you will

you'll probably make less than maybe a

tech software product right but with a

tech software product let's say let's

say I built like a a SAS company for 10

years I will get a huge exit at the

10-year Mark but until then you

typically don't get a bunch of money

because you have to go find investors

and if you take on investors then

investors are going to sit on your cap

table and you can't be taking it a you

can't be taking a ridiculous salary

because they know and so like you you

can't just pay yourself a stupid amount

because you have to be reinvesting in

the business because you're making

everybody else some money and stuff like

that and you have to then put everything

in the only thing you can take out is a

regular employee salary and this is one

of the things that I identified which

which I saw as a huge risk which is if

you take on investors and you basically

get a salary and you are the founder and

your thing eventually fails I mean it

was an awesome Journey but you basically

got like violently underpaid because you

know a salary doesn't cost do does not

cover the stress of a founder and CEO

like from Ground Zero like it is it is

very stressful to think about everything

and and you know like that salary is

just what you will have to live on for a

very long time until you exit the

business and then you make you know

ridiculous amounts of money unless you

know unless you're able to do it without

investors on the flip side of that a

Services business will get you more cash

flow up front but the exit will not get

you that much money right compared to

the SAS product and whatever and and so

it is about the timeline that you have

that that influences your decision and

also like the resources that you have at

your disposal and that is Network that

is funding that is are you you know if

you if you have zero resources doing a

SAS product is probably not the best

idea that has been my experience and I

and I I run a thing called Dev launch

like disclosure it's it's a thing to

help people start agencies because I

have one and people have asked me how to

do it and and I've never seen anybody

else kind of like help people set up

software agencies so I started the thing

and in every single conversation I've

had with anybody who's interested you

know like it's always developers right

that's the entire point is to help

developers create agencies and and

almost every single conversation I've

had the like the people who up on the

calls are always like oh I was thinking

about the SAS thing you know I I I

started a SAS on the side but it didn't

really make any money money or it's

actually really hard it's like yeah SAS

is a really hard game to win and you

need funding and you need a lot of

things it's not just about how well you

can code there's a whole like other

skill set outside of that and I I I

guess I should have said this at the

start of the video the other thing I

want to talk about in this video is that

like one part is you know are you doing

a product or service company the other

part is what is actually needed to build

a software company and what I want to

strain and highlight there is it is not

just the software skill set what I mean

by this is when I started my software

agency I thought I know how to code so I

can just get clients code for them and

make an agency right happy days what I

didn't realize is like the whole skill

set of getting clients of managing

clients managing communication with

clients managing timelines and projects

and employees and hiring and and and

like accounting even like just business

stuff that that's admin whatever legal

documents contracts all of this stuff

that is outside the scope of software

engineering I committed the mistake of

thinking just because I can code I can

run a software business and and that was

a violent mistake that I I learned to

you know I I eventually learned from

that but in the first year of business I

almost bankrupted the company twice cuz

I I just I didn't really know what I was

doing and in many ways I'm still I'm

still learning a lot of stuff and

figuring a lot out I have learned a lot

and I have been been able to build a

little you know A Little Agency of mine

but there's still you know I still have

a ways to go and a lot to figure out and

a lot to learn but that is all on the

business skill business skill set side

like the the actual software engineering

part of it is only a very very small

component it is the Fulfillment

component but even then like knowing how

to code in in it of itself is not is not

the only skill you need it's it's about

knowing to have high standards and how

to communicate things to your clients

and keep people up to date that is a

really important part of a software

Services business and equally if you do

software product like the marketing

thing is huge and one of the reasons I

started this agency was because I

actually like my entire thought process

was I'd like to build a software product

someday but right now that seem like

given the things that I've observed

which is you need a lot of money it's

very hard to find product Market fit I

want to observe what other people are

doing well and so a software Services

Agency helps other software products and

so I get to observe what my clients are

doing well what are the most successful

clients doing and one of the things I've

observed is the most successful clients

focus a lot on marketing like you need

to Market hard and that is a big part of

the SAS game and and any business really

but marketing I think was the part that

I most underestimated and I think most

developers that I've spoken to when they

try and do SAS I think that is the

biggest thing is they underestimate how

how hard marketing is and if you have

you know with an agency at least you

start to get money to put into it

whereas with a SAS business you you

basically have to fund it yourself and

that's extremely hard or you have to do

everything yourself you have to code the

product and Market it and do everything

and and it's a really hard game to play

you know I would I genuinely would not

recommend it to I think even my worst

enemy it's a like it's a it's a losing

battle but yeah that's that's my two

cents on software companies just because

I've like I've seen a lot of of people

question what they want to do and say

that they want to start something of

their own especially developers because

I'm you know I'm a developer myself and

speak with a lot of them and and running

this thing to help other developers set

up software agencies and seeing a lot of

them kind of I've seen a lot of people

think oh I'm going to build a SAS

product AI product you can and there are

benefits to it but it's I think it's

worth knowing both sides of that and so

that's why I wanted to kind of speak on

that CU I think I've seen like through

my agency I've been exposed to a lot of

software companies a lot of developers a

lot of found

and that's giv me an interesting

perspective and I wish I had thought

like this about my services business I

wish I had started it sooner to be

honest because that probably one of the

better decisions I've made in in

everything in business it's just like

focusing on the services business

because I get to learn from other people

that are doing the thing that I think I

want to do so yeah I'm probably going to

head to sleep now and record something

again tomorrow