There’s no way to build domain knowledge like working in the field you want to target. This could be a reusable model for people looking to serve a well-targeted vertical with one’s own software company for that vertical.
I wanted to build vertical SaaS for pest control, so I took a technician job
181–190 of 201 posts
Re: I wanted to build vertical SaaS for pest control, so I took a technician job
#182That's wild. I literally just launched https://pestpro.app and find this extremely fascinating.
AI slop - you've sent me the same message on linkedin and you vibe coded that two minutes ago.
I wasn't sure you'd see the comment here (didn't know you posted it yourself). Was just trying to connect to learn from you.
Re: I wanted to build vertical SaaS for pest control, so I took a technician job
#183Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hey! I have no absolutely no clue who OP (BigBalli) is. I checked this guy's profile out. He's a member since 2012, I don't think he meant bad at all. I'm personally anti-AI. I checked out his app, and whether vibe-coded or not, it looks very well done. And the app actually has both offline mobile apps + web apps. And it's free? And FWIW, pestpro.app was registered ~1 month ago.
On top of the app store link not working, the privacy and terms links also 404. Also why is it free? Presumably the data is the product.
yeah, apple still has to review it... hence the broken link
Re: I wanted to build vertical SaaS for pest control, so I took a technician job
#184Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hey! I have no absolutely no clue who OP (BigBalli) is. I checked this guy's profile out. He's a member since 2012, I don't think he meant bad at all. I'm personally anti-AI. I checked out his app, and whether vibe-coded or not, it looks very well done. And the app actually has both offline mobile apps + web apps. And it's free? And FWIW, pestpro.app was registered ~1 month ago.
Agreed, reaction from OP is concerning to say the least
thanks
FWIW didn't mean to hurt/insult(?)
Re: I wanted to build vertical SaaS for pest control, so I took a technician job
#185Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hey! I have no absolutely no clue who OP (BigBalli) is. I checked this guy's profile out. He's a member since 2012, I don't think he meant bad at all. I'm personally anti-AI. I checked out his app, and whether vibe-coded or not, it looks very well done. And the app actually has both offline mobile apps + web apps. And it's free? And FWIW, pestpro.app was registered ~1 month ago.
If you click on "download button" which should open the link to the App Store you will notice that is a broken link. This is why is ai slop. Spinning a web like that today is 30 minutes of Claude Code prompting. But like it or not, the gatekeeping of Apple and Google means that pushing an app to their stores is days work and wait time. So yeah, reeks of ai slop.
apple still needs to review it. That's why I said "literally just now".
Re: I wanted to build vertical SaaS for pest control, so I took a technician job
#186There’s no way to build domain knowledge like working in the field you want to target. This could be a reusable model for people looking to serve a well-targeted vertical with one’s own software company for that vertical.
Yes, and the other way around is increasing now. Industry insiders building their own tools to solve specific problems.
Re: I wanted to build vertical SaaS for pest control, so I took a technician job
#187Earlier quoted context omitted.
AI slop - you've sent me the same message on linkedin and you vibe coded that two minutes ago.
I wasn't sure you'd see the comment here (didn't know you posted it yourself). Was just trying to connect to learn from you.
Really quite disturbing that you can now generate this kind of slop in minutes.
Let's be honest here, why did you generate this just now, are you hoping for work building mobile apps, or are you sincerely expecting to run a pest control SaaS business with AI generated blog posts and a download link that doesn't work?
You've done the incredibly easy bit (making a prototype), do you intend to do the hard work of building a business over 10+ years?
Re: I wanted to build vertical SaaS for pest control, so I took a technician job
#188Earlier quoted context omitted.
On "venture or nothing" - This will be my second company and this time round I have stripped right back to the problem, which is actually quite basic - pest control is a big, good business to be in and it's possible to build a very big, profitable business by doing the simple things right, consistently. It will compound over time if the basics are done right (which is harder to do than I thought before this experimen…
I think there is the potential for a beautiful correction here; the general narrative over the last 5-10 years is PE buying up good businesses, enshittifying them and loading up debt to improve margins, and driving down quality. But this leaves an opportunity for anyone that cares to build a business that is higher quality (and even better if it’s possible to build it efficiently too). I think with AI lowering the ba…
I like the story, I struggle to see how to outplay PE.
Yes, PE enshittifies the experience. You can be a better human and win customers that way.
The headwinds are the usual david-v-goliath going up against scale/consolidation stories:
- consolidation gives more purchasing power. When all the PE-controlled pest control vendors in the state are negotiating as one, they get bigger cost breaks
- PE has a bigger war chest. They'll enshittify eventually, but they'll undercut you longer than you can stay solvent. At that point, they'll happily buy you for pennies.
- The end-game is always monopolization. A PE firm bought up something like all the concrete mills in Georgia or one of the southern state. Any building or municipal project in the state effectively buys from that one company, even though it looks like a bunch of different local concrete mills.
- Any AI you throw at the problem presumably PE can handle more efficiently at scale.
What's the strategy that outcompetes?
Re: I wanted to build vertical SaaS for pest control, so I took a technician job
#189I like this idea of building your own software to run your own business rather than trying to sell software. My wife and I run a small chain of second-hand clothing stores that buy from the public, and we run it on our own custom software built on top of a rails e-commerce engine. (Solidus) We don't do anything online, but instead use the engine to run our point-of-sale and credit system. We have one part-time develo…
It's only going to get easier, cheaper and faster to build these things for yourself. Thanks for sharing.
Re: I wanted to build vertical SaaS for pest control, so I took a technician job
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