SAAS Operators Podcast E09: Do you need Business Relationship Advice? Call 1-800...
Punch Me in the Face, Don’t Stab Me in the Back — Trust, SaaS, and Survival
This episode was about two things: trust and tradeoffs. We opened with Rishabh describing a business betrayal that cost millions and then casually saying he got dinner with the guy a few days later. It sounds nuts, but it makes sense. As founders, we get punched in the face constantly. The only way to keep going is to accept it, process it, and move on. Not forget. Just… recalibrate.
The Founder Amnesia Effect
Rishabh said it best, we forget how painful things are so we’ll do them again. Call it founder amnesia. Because if we remembered every setback in detail, we’d never wake up excited to build.
Jeremiah shared a moment where he broke someone’s trust, apologized, and carried on. Not because it didn’t matter but because that’s what the job demands. Same for Rishabh, who got burned hard by a partner, called it out in real time, then moved forward. Trust isn’t binary. It’s contextual. You lose trust in some domains, not all of them. And the game continues.
The key is clarity. Rishabh said it best, “Just don’t stab me in the back, punch me in the face.”
I loved that. Because it’s not about keeping things friendly. It’s about making the cost of decisions visible—and being honest when you trade trust for pressure. If someone hurts you in silence, you can’t play the game again. But if they hurt you honestly, there might still be a way forward.
Shopify vs. Everything Else
We pivoted to platform strategy. And the question was simple: should you build on Shopify?
Zach’s app doesn’t live on Shopify. Never has. His distribution is Chrome-based, and it works. Jeremiah has built both Shopify and WooCommerce integrations and said it plainly: the app store isn’t always worth it unless your product fits the platform perfectly.
Rishabh pointed out the irony, Shopify brands are often the least willing to pay, while everyone else is practically begging to write big checks.
That's because Shopify’s massive TAM attracts a buyer mindset obsessed with price efficiency. The further you get from that world, the more grateful people seem to be that you even exist.
So what’s the right move? It depends. If your product requires heavy integration, you’ll drown in maintenance. But if it’s light-touch and your CAC is efficient, the app store might give you leverage. Maybe.
The Cost of Distribution
We talked through the reality: distribution isn’t free. Whether it’s the App Store cut, paid acquisition, or sales team overhead, every business pays. The only question is whether the cost brings incremental revenue. If it doesn’t, it’s just tax.
Same story in ecom. Selling on Amazon, running discounts, taking margin hits on promotions—it’s all a way to buy access to demand. And like Jack said in the episode, if the squeeze isn’t worth the juice, stop squeezing.
The Software Tightening Begins
The back half of the episode turned toward macro conditions. Tariffs are here and they’re affecting everything. Not just merchants but SaaS companies too. Brands are freezing spend. Churn is up. Deals are delayed. Everyone’s asking for discounts.
Operators are adapting. Some are cutting software. Others are getting scrappier. Zach talked about shaving $17k off Intercom by cutting one line item no one used. Rishabh nailed it, the smartest brands aren’t trying to grow this year—they’re trying not to shrink.
And that’s the founder mindset. Play the long game. Cut waste. Keep your powder dry. Then strike when the fog clears.
Final Thought: One Ad Can Change Everything
Zach told a wild story. A single piece of wall art from his first business, interpreted differently by different audiences, became their best seller. Gay couples saw gay representation. Interracial couples saw themselves. Others saw love. One image, infinite interpretations, and massive sales.
He got everyone on his team to come up with an ad idea on how to sell it but the thing that consistently worked best was a single image ad of the product.
It’s a great reminder: most things fail. But a few things. ads, products, ideas, pop. And when they do, it changes everything. Not because you planned it perfectly. But because you were in the game long enough to notice.
