370: Airplane: The Importance of Founder-Market Fit in SaaS - with Josh Ma
Oct 5, 2023
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Josh Ma, Co-founder and CEO of Airplane, discusses the importance of founder-market fit in the SaaS industry. They also cover topics like customer acquisition, word-of-mouth in startups, iterating on the product, content marketing, intentional design of Airplane for developers, and insights for entrepreneurs.
Founder-market fit and passion for the space drove the focus on building internal tools.
Targeting specific verticals allowed Airplane to reach new customers and learn from different industries.
Airplane differentiated itself by focusing on developers' workflow and offering advanced capabilities for complex applications.
Deep dives
Committing to the Internal Tools Market
Josh and his co-founder initially explored various startup ideas before realizing their passion for building internal tools. Despite the crowded competition in the market, they decided to focus on this idea due to their founder-market fit and passion for the space. They conducted extensive customer interviews and shipped their MVP of Airplane within four months.
Targeting Specific Verticals Outside of Silicon Valley
After facing challenges in targeting tech startups, the Airplane team shifted their focus to specific verticals such as FinTech and health tech. They found success by solving the problems faced by non-tech companies and companies based outside of traditional tech hubs. This approach allowed them to reach new customers and learn from different industries.
Building a Developer-Focused Solution
Airplane differentiated itself by focusing on developers and their workflow. Unlike competitors that focused on UI building, Airplane took a task-based approach, simplifying the core tasks for developers and handling the UI aspects. They also offered advanced capabilities for deployment and infrastructure, catering to the needs of more complex applications.
Using Content Marketing and Word of Mouth
Airplane leveraged content marketing to build awareness and establish thought leadership. By creating blog posts on topics related to internal tooling and adjacent problems, they provided valuable insights and solutions to potential customers. Word of mouth played a crucial role in Airplane's growth, as satisfied customers recommended the platform to their colleagues and friends.
Experimenting with Growth Channels
Airplane tried various growth channels, including outbound sales, ads, and cold emails. While outbound sales and cold emails didn't yield significant results initially, ads helped acquire initial customers and generate awareness. They emphasized the importance of experimentation, iterating on messaging, and continuously learning from customer feedback.