Carlos Hernandez, founder of Quaderno built one of the very first SaaS businesses in Spain, back in 2004.
As he did, three myths about building a successful SaaS company kept nagging him, which he never seemed to fall for. He debunks all three of them in this session, recorded at SaaStock on Tour in Barcelona.
Myth Number 1 – You have to be based in a big city to succeed with your SaaS
Not really. Carlos spends his winters in Gran Canaria and the rest of the year does the whole Digital Nomad thing (he will be in Dublin, September 18-20). With 850 customers from 38 countries, his company Quaderno does not seem to need big city lights to operate. That said, the location did determine how he designed his business, bootstrapping being a key prerequisite (no investors on Gran Canaria yet). As he puts it “Nothing is better than living in the place that makes you happy.”
Myth Number 2 – You have to get funded
Not really. Especially if you are the kind of company Quaderno is – a SaaS company that is growing smart, not fast. With a 100% customer focus and minimal idea how to fundraise, Carlos opted for the bootstrapping way and became profitable a year after starting up.
Myth 3 – You have to work as much as possible
Not really. Carlos and everyone else in Quaderno work for five hours a day, 25 hours a week. No meetings, phone calls, coffee breaks or distraction during that time, just focus. It has worked out just fine for the past ten years. And has included a lot of after work surfing.
Watch the full video to find out how he attains this dream:
