Is your current software business the best use of the next 5-10 years of your life?
When do you know your current SaaS business is a lost cause and you’d be better off creating a different one?
Most SaaS businesses with revenue, customers, and employees get stuck and stall out.
Very few software businesses grow steadily every year and continue to thrive.
Chris Brisson is the CEO and co-founder of Salesmsg, a conversational two-way texting platform that enables businesses to engage with their customers through opt-in SMS.
When his first texting software company struggled and stalled, he shut it down and developed the Salesmsg product for a different SMS use case that served his previous customers.
Salesmsg now provides secure SMS texting across all departments in the company, integrated directly with Hubspot CRM.
It includes voice calling, sophisticated SMS automation, opt-in management, analytics, and deep CRM integration. It’s a far better product for a different use case.
Salesmsg has grown rapidly, exceeding $10 million in revenue with 65 employees, leveraging its deep integration with HubSpot and promoting through agency and affiliate partners.
The company is independent and has no outside investors.
“In 2015, I wrote this post to our email list of 36,000 called The Death of Call Loop. I shared the story of how I created a business I secretly despised. We were shackled and couldn’t innovate.
“I wanted to create a better company and reinvent the business from the ground up. My second chance startup became Salesmsg.
“When you start a company and it stalls, at what point do you say, It’s not the horse to ride? I’ve been there. At what point do you say, Enough is enough? Because you’re only going to get older.
“I’ve always gone after solving problems, but some problems were worthy of the adventure, others not so much. Make sure you’re choosing the right opportunity because it will take seven years of your life. And you can pivot along the way, but man, you want to find out early if it’s worthy of the adventure.”
This scenario is more common with first-time founders. Their first opportunity got them going, but they eventually learn there are better ideas and approaches than the one they chose to get started.
It’s also happening now, with AI advancing rapidly. A new frontier is emerging, creating exciting opportunities for entrepreneurs.
A failed software business is easier to put behind you than one that is stalled but still alive.
Is what you are working on right now the best use of the next 5-10 years of your life? A worthy adventure?
Check out this revealing interview with Chris Brisson on the Practical Founders Podcast.
