Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible, but no warranty of fitness is implied. The information provided is on an “as is” basis. The author and the publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising from the information contained in this book.
Dedication
To all my former bosses and teachers. Thank you for showing me some of the best (and worst) ways of developing a business and a practice.
And to Scott, the best friend a human could ask for, and Dixie, my white witch. This project would have never been possible without your love, support, compassion, and magic.
Introduction
Napoleon Hill, arguably one of the earliest producers of personal success literature and the author of Think and Grow Rich, once said, “First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.” This quote aligns perfectly with the idea and mission of this book and the overarching mission of the SaaS Field Manual project.
Software as a Service (SaaS) has completely changed the way we ideate, build, deploy, and maintain software. Gartner predicts the worldwide public cloud services market will grow to over $287 billion in 2018 and over $332 billion in 2019. Not since the industrial revolution has the opportunity presented itself for anyone, regardless of the money in your bank account, to become a millionaire with a single great idea and access to a software developer. These visionaries sit among us every day going about their business just waiting for the right opportunity to bring their idea to life. In fact, if you’re reading this book, you may be one of those visionaries. If so, you’re exactly the reason it was written.
For nearly twenty years I have been helping businesses bring their ideas to life or helping polish ideas whose edges still needed a bit of sanding. It was only after recognizing that most of my clients tend to make the same mistakes over and over again, that I realized many of those mistakes could have been prevented. How you might ask? Unfortunately, the requirements are high.
Founders could magically gain 20 years of practical experience, they could hire a high-priced consultant, or they could find the time to read and listen to hundreds of blogs, business books and podcasts. All of which come with their own costs. In the end, I found hard-working founder/CEOs collecting and organize all their own information—essentially reinventing the wheel for each new idea. It would be so much easier if that wasn’t a requirement for success.
As I began to recognize the patterns, each founder’s ideas became a destination. It was clear that no one had ever offered an easy-to-follow roadmap for visionaries to take on their journey. Thus was born the SaaS Field Manual (SFM) project. With my vision firmly fixed on a goal to “Share wisdom and best practices for software companies and the humans that build them,” I began documenting the map. A map to help founders stop making the mistakes that so many before them had made; and without self-curating hundreds of blog posts, podcasts, and business books. A map undoubtedly filled with detours, derailments and diversions, but one that can act as a north star to keep you pointed in the right direction.
This framework is not intended to teach you how to build your company (we’re recording podcasts, writing additional content, and providing resources to help with that). But it will tell you what you will need on your journey, why you’ll need it, and when things should happen. This journey will be long, difficult, and often times very lonely. Unlike most books that teach you about building a piece of software or growing your business, the SaaS Field Manual project also places importance on self-care. If you don’t take care of your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies during this journey it will make your trip even more arduous and painful. You will lose (or gain) weight, you will lay awake at night wishing you could turn your brain off, your stress levels will be higher than they ever have been before. It will also make your teammates, family members, and friends much less likely to enjoy your company and leadership. The SFM Framework will challenge you to spend one hour in self-care for every four hours you spend working. Rather than trying to achieve some sort of work-life balance, simply abandon the idea of work hard, play hard and replace it with a new construct; one of work gentle, play gentle. You (and everyone around you) will appreciate the result.
If you are a visionary with an idea and you’re ready to start trudging the road of happy destiny then I invite you to keep reading. May your mantra, like ours, be to cultivate joy and reduce suffering; including your own. It’s time to turn a visionary into a founder.
Foundation
Before you start your journey it’s important to do some serious planning. Determining your destination, deciding on your mode of travel, and packing all the supplies you’re going to need are all important steps to take before you begin. Without the proper planning it’s easy to get lost. And when you’re lost you wander aimlessly while wasting precious fuel, energy, and patience. If you run out of energy too early, then all your work will be for nothing. This is why starting with a proper foundation is incredibly important. The SaaS Field Manual Framework contains three components to include in your design for the foundation of your journey: Mantra, Mission, and Vision. You may consider skipping these in favor of jumping into the driver’s seat but I’m telling you now that without these firmly in place, every decision you make—right turn, left turn, or u-turn—will become much more difficult.
MANTRA
Before beginning your journey you need to develop a mantra for your company. Your mantra is “why” you’re starting this project and it should be something that keeps you moving forward and focused throughout your journey. How will your project change the lives of your customers? What feelings will your customers have after they’ve used your product? How will your team members feel building your product? At the root of all these feelings lies your mantra. Keep it short, powerful, easy to remember, and full of feeling. It should drive everything you do and build!
Use the following space to draw a mind map and document your mantra.
MISSION
Your mission focuses on “what” you’re building and may also contain who you’re building it for. This can be one or two sentences and will act as guide rails for everything you’ll build in the next one to three years. Your mission should be the driving force behind your current product efforts and should solve a problem that your customers are facing.
Use the following space to draw a mind map and document your mission.
VISION
Your mission focuses on “what” you’re building and may also contain who you’re building it for. This can be one or two sentences and will act as guide rails for everything you’ll build in the next one to three years. Your mission should be the driving force behind your current product efforts and should solve a problem that your customers are facing.
Use the following space to draw a mind map and document your vision.
Core
After you’ve packed your supplies it’s time to decide on some rules of the road. Maybe you’re starting your journey with companions in the car or you’re planning to make a few friends along the way. In either case, setting some expectations about how everyone will behave, whether you’re following posted speed limits, or what kind of music you’re going to play could make the difference between a pleasant journey or a cross-country nightmare. The SaaS Field Manual Framework addresses these rules in the Core section. Your core is made up of Values, Culture, Strategy and Concepts.
VALUES
Your core values determine how you’re going to build your product and your company. The core values inside your company should align with the core values you use in your life. Are you honest, trustworthy, intense? Your core values