Has anyone sold a SaaS business based on AwareIM?

MichaelQ

There are two main sources of income for a SaaS business and one should obviously optimise for both:

Recurring income/profit.
Value of the business for eventual sale. This can range from zero to multiples of annual profit and amount to a substantial lump sum.

In this excellent guide for budding SaaS entrepreneurs there are some interesting points regarding optimising for each:
https://startingandsustaining.com/chapters/valuation/

A factor for #1 includes costs of the individual required to do support and basic maintenance.
Possible AwareIM advantages: Easier support & maintenance?
Possible AwareIM disadvantages: A very small pool of expertise than a mainstream tool? Much costlier?

A factor for #2 includes code quality:
"Code quality is a more subtle but still key factor that affects your multiple. High quality code, good test coverage, static analysis tools, and well-defined processes signal that the codebase is healthy. A healthy codebase hides fewer secrets and means fewer risks. It also means a quicker transition and less dependence on you or your team. Take care of your code. Document it. Test it. And remember, it’s much easier to do this as you go than try to circle back after the fact and try to clean things up before you sell."

Possible AwareIM advantages: There is minimal "code" so the codebase is by definition "healthier"?
Possible AwareIM disadvantages: Difficult to implement test coverage and prove "health"?

Would anyone care to comment on these aspects of AwareIM and on optimising for #2?
I'd be grateful for other user's experiences, observations and tips.

Thanks,

Michael

aware_support

The article seems to talk about SaaS implementation using traditional programming languages rather than a RAD tool like Aware IM. This is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. Still if you compare the two approaches (RAD vs traditional programming languages) there are obvious advantages/disadvantages of using either of them. They apply whether you use SaaS model or not and they apply to any other RAD tool, not just Aware IM.

Advantages of using RAD:
1) Much faster development speed (in Aware IM case REALLY MUCH faster)
2) Much less risk
3) Upgrade and maintenance costs are much lower, since a lot of the code has been tested by a RAD vendor already
4) Code "healthiness" is higher again because of much of the code is tested by a RAD vendor
5) Much less knowledge required

Disadvantages of using RAD:
1) Much smaller development community than a traditional language
2) Less flexibility - in terms of development and in terms of "fixing" things
3) Performance may be not as good as you can achieve with traditional languages

kklosson

I have deployed a multi-tenant SaaS application to local and federal law enforcement. I have also deployed one runtime version of the app to a client that preferred to self-host. It's kind of an applicant processing systems. About 30,000 applicants have passed through the system. I have 32 subscribers. Business is growing.

johntalbott

kklosson wrote
I have deployed a multi-tenant SaaS application to local and federal law enforcement. I have also deployed one runtime version of the app to a client that preferred to self-host. It's kind of an applicant processing systems. About 30,000 applicants have passed through the system. I have 32 subscribers. Business is growing.

I love this. Congratulations!

customaware

Great to hear Kingsley.

One question....

Have you deployed using a Single Business Space (SBS) or Multiple Business Spaces (MBS)?