Example engagement
What an engagement looks like
An anonymized example from a recent engagement: the research and go-to-market plan for a B2B SaaS in a crowded vertical. Company and competitor names are removed. Prices and market data come from public sources, checked in October 2026.
Company profile (anonymized)
| Category | Job costing software for small trade contractors |
| Target user | Owner-operators of residential hardscaping businesses, 1 to 5 people |
| Stage | Early. Product works, very few users |
| Engagement | Market research and a 90-day go-to-market plan |
Starting point
The product wasn't the problem. It was the only tool I found offering small contractors unlimited job costing for free. Every competitor charged for it, from $59 to $648 a month.
The problem was distribution. Very few small contractors knew it existed. And the places they now go to decide what to use, including ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI answers, were being shaped by its competitors.
What I found
- A price gap nobody was using. The cheapest plan with job costing, per competitor: $59, $199, $199, $199.99 and $648 a month. The client: free. That's the headline, and it wasn't on the homepage.
- The real rival wins on content, not product. The market leader publishes its own "best software for hardscaping" lists and ranks itself first. Those are the pages AI engines read when an owner asks what to use. Out-publishing them is expensive. Showing up where they don't control the story is not: reviews, trade forums, podcasts and dealers.
- The buyer is specific. A 1 to 5 person crew doing $8,000 to $15,000 patios, quoting by gut feel and tracking money in a spreadsheet. Estimates already build in 5% to 10% for material waste, and anything past that comes out of margin. Most find out they lost money when the bookkeeper closes the quarter.
- They learn in a few, reachable places. YouTube, trade podcasts, Facebook groups, trade shows, the local stone yard they visit almost daily, and now AI answers.
Where they can win first
Not "best job costing software". One clear lane: job costing for small hardscaping crews, free to start, where the crew never costs a seat.
| Channel | Why it works |
|---|---|
| AI answers | Where owners ask "what should I use?" and get a short list of names |
| Trade directory | A free, national list of hardscaping companies to contact |
| Trade podcast | Weekly show for hardscaping owners that features guests |
| Niche subreddit and Facebook groups | Where owners talk pricing, margins and software |
| Review sites | Buyers and AI engines both check them before recommending |
| Bookkeepers and local dealers | Each one reaches dozens of contractors |
The plan
Days 1 to 30: Get the house ready. Check what AI engines say today. New homepage message. Pages for free job costing and for crews. Comparison pages. A patio profit guide. Review profiles.
Days 31 to 60: Start conversations. 150 contractors from the trade directory, 10 emails a day. Weekly answers in the subreddit and Facebook groups. A podcast pitch. Five calls to local dealers.
Days 61 to 90: Turn users into customers. First five reviews. Personal account setup for early users. First paying customers and a first case study. Re-check AI answers and double down on the best channel.
Who does what: I handle the research, pages, drafts, outreach lists and AI answer checks. The founder approves, sends from his own account and takes the calls, about 1 to 2 hours a week, because owners trust the person who built the product.
Targets for day 90: 150 owners contacted, 10 active users, 5 published reviews, 3 paying customers.