Why Vertical SaaS Makes Sense

When I started getting deeper into software, one thing became obvious pretty quickly:

A lot of businesses are using products that were never really built for them.

I’ve seen it firsthand in merchant services.

I know what it’s like to deal with angry customers who were sold equipment that simply did not fit their business.

There are plenty of companies that sell one product and try to make it work for everybody.

The problem is, not everything fits everybody.

And I think that same lesson applies to software.

Build around the business

That’s what got me interested in vertical SaaS.

Instead of trying to build one platform for every type of business, you build around the actual needs of a specific customer.

A barbershop does not operate like an auto repair shop.

An auto repair shop does not operate like a retail store.

Their workflows are different. Their priorities are different. The software should reflect that.

That’s a big part of how I’ve been thinking about projects like CutX, StoreMatrix, and ShopTorque.

The technology underneath may share some similarities, but the experience should feel like it was built specifically for the person using it.

One product is not for everyone

Even PayVella is not for everybody.

Our SoftPOS approach makes a lot of sense for certain businesses, but that does not mean every merchant should be using it.

That’s important to me.

I would rather understand what a customer actually needs than try to force them into a product just because it is the product we sell.

The goal should always be to put the customer first.

They should understand what they are using.

It should fit the way they operate.

And the experience should be as simple and smooth as we can make it.

Better software starts with listening

I think the best products come from paying attention to where customers are frustrated.

What are they doing manually?

What software are they fighting with every day?

What were they sold that never really worked for them?

Those problems usually tell you exactly what needs to be built.

That is where I think vertical software has such a big advantage.

You are not trying to solve every problem for every business.

You are trying to solve the right problems for the right customer.

That is the opportunity

Once I started looking at businesses this way, I started seeing opportunities everywhere.

Old workflows. Disconnected systems. Products that try to do too much.

And businesses adapting themselves around software instead of the software adapting to them.

That is what interests me.

You do not always need to invent something completely new.

Sometimes you just need to understand the customer better.