From SaaS to Selling My Expertise

This article chronicles my transition from startup founder to independent consultant. After leaving my startup, I initially wanted to build a SaaS product but struggled identifying problems worth solving. A mentor suggested an alternative: start by selling my expertise through consulting.

Initial Challenges

I first attempted selling expertise to accountants but didn't truly understand the real problems accountants faced daily. This led to failed outreach attempts.

Strategic Pivot

Upon reflection, I identified genuine expertise areas:

• IT and infrastructure management in small companies
• Building reporting tools and integrations
• Improving refurbishment operations at Swappie

Market Selection

Rather than pursue general software development, I chose smartphone refurbishment operations—targeting small-to-mid-sized European refurbishers (10-20 employees, €2-20M revenue) facing operational pain points.

Sales Approach

Two strategies emerged: abstract "optimization audits" failed, while practical, tangible workshops on operational improvements succeeded. The lesson: clients prefer clear, tangible solutions over vague audits.

Personal Reflection

I candidly address sales anxiety here. Rejection sensitivity and lack of team support made independent selling emotionally challenging. Selling has been really hard for me.

In future posts, I'll share specific sales tactics and lead-generation tools I used.