Is your technology working FOR your business or against it? As a services-based business, there are unique ways you’re enabled to grow your operations using custom software. Learn how building custom software for your service-based business is the #1 action you can take to increase the value of your business. In this slide deck from our webinar in April 2023, we review: - Ladders of wealth creation and how you can build more wealth faster - Do’s and don’ts of software development - How to keep your costs low, but chance of success high This content is for non-technical business owners, CEOs, presidents and execs and will help you feel comfortable moving forward with custom software options.

1. Scaling your service-based
business with software

2. Confidential
Intro + Ladders of Wealth Creation
Agenda
1
2
3
4
5
Signs your current tech is holding back your business
Benefits of building + owning your own custom software
Common considerations + watchouts
Q & A

3. Confidential
A custom software development
company in the Twin Cities with deep
entrepreneurial experience.
Hi! We’re Cloudburst.

4. Confidential
We’re passionate about
helping non-technical owners
+ founders build tech
companies that succeed;
Because we’ve been there.

5. Confidential
Elyse Ash
Growth Manager @
Cloudburst SBC

6. Confidential
Zack Steven
Founder + CEO @
Cloudburst SBC

7. Confidential
The Ladders of
Wealth Creation
Salary working for a
company
Hourly job working for a
company
Managing a team to do
service work
Charging by the project
Hourly work for clients
Recurring productized
services
Recurring services
provided by employees
Selling consulting
packages
Fixed scope for a fixed
price
Marketplaces & Social
Networks
SaaS
(Software as a Service)
Subscription software
launched with consulting services
Physical products &
ecommerce
Products sold in an
existing ecosystem
Digital products
(ebooks, courses, downloadables)
https://nathanbarry.com/wealth-creation/

8. Confidential
Owning software is the next-level of company ownership
Operate at max efficiency
+ earn max revenue
Make decisions that
impact you, your
employees + customers
Create features made
just for you + reduce
operational costs

9. Confidential
● Your employees and/or customers are
complaining about your tech
● Many internal process are multi-step
and manual
● You’re worried about security
concerns
● Your competitors are offering a more
tech-savvy service/solution
Signs your tech is holding your business back
● You’re using a number of different
SaaS services and integrations
● There are syncing mistakes or missing
data between multiple systems
● You are the only one who knows all the
different software components and
how they work (or don’t) together

10. Confidential
What out-of-the-box software are you currently using?
Calculators
Dashboard + analytics trackers
Spreadsheets
Client intake + custom forms
Audits

11. Confidential
● Create features and functions made just for you
● Differentiate your company in the sales process
● Not at the whim of app updates or others’ product
roadmaps
● Secure your data (and your formulas)
● Reduce operational costs by leveraging automations
● Earn additional subscription revenue from your clients
● Sell your software to other companies like yours
● Create scalable systems and build enterprise value
Benefits of building your own software

12. Confidential
● Start using out-of-the-box solutions to test
○ Ask yourself what works, what doesn’t, what do you wish you could do
● Create a budget and timeline in advance
○ MVP-mindset + develop in phases
○ Think long-term
● Make sure there is a clear and empowered owner for the project
● Move fast; try to ship something in 6 months
○ Done is better than perfect
Common considerations + watchouts

13. Confidential
● Technology is an accelerator; it won’t fix parts of your business that are broken
● Prioritize what is most important to you
○ Whether it’s budget, timeline, technology, quality, etc.
○ Know what is most important to you
● Vet any possible software development shops
○ Hire a partner, not just a coder
○ Consider time zone + language barriers
● Ship, even if your product isn’t perfect
More considerations + watchouts

14. Confidential
Real world examples
● Railroad Safety Training Software
● Legal Document Review Software
● Art Appraisal Software
● Digital marketing Share of Voice

15. Confidential
● Building your own software is the next step towards company ownership
○ Incredibly opportunity to create additional revenue stream(s)
● If you can build software that benefits your own business, that benefit that will pay off
● With custom software, you control the features that are built and how they work
● Increased efficiency for you and your employees
Summary

16. Confidential
Q & A

17. Confidential
Additional Questions?
elyse.ash@cloudburststudio.com