On Building A Cloud-Based Architecture SaaS
Hi! My name is Tengiz, and I’m a founder of Archipeg - Cloud-based Digital Architecture Software. Founded in late 2020, Archipeg aims to make Enterprise and Solution Architecture accessible to everybody, simplify knowledge collection and sharing, and drive change. While these statements may be too fancy, simply speaking, we want to become the “JIRA of architecture.”
Archipeg is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) that operates via a subscription model. Archipeg is not limited to technical users, although they will see most benefits initially since the tool allows designing and diagramming software solutions and systems. Among the supported approaches and paradigms are the well-known C4 model and Domain-Driven Design. In the grand schema of things, everybody within a company could join a single Archipeg account and start consuming and contributing to the knowledge, all-things architecture, and high-level systems thinking.
In today’s world, companies of all sizes go digital, they build software solutions and integrate systems to deliver business value. Knowledge is complex and everywhere, entangled in legacy organization structures and ivory towers. We want to put the power into everybody’s hands by centralizing the architecture knowledge repository and providing easy-to-use tools to collect and share information across an entire enterprise. This approach results in highly informed decisions, improved collaboration, teamwork, and a company-wide alignment on vision and strategy.
Archipeg has just started the growth. We have early adopters, paid customers, and many positive feedback and opportunities for future partnerships. We seem to be on the right track to transform and revolutionize the digital architecture industry.
What's your backstory and how did you get into entrepreneurship?
I come from a small eastern-European country called Georgia (not state, my accent can prove), where I received my Bachelor's degree in computer science. I have two decades of experience working in an industry where my product, Archipeg, operates. I am fortunate enough to have worked in 3 different countries, on a contract, full-time, and self-employment basis; in outsourced, offshore, onshore, and onsite locations; in companies of all sizes (from startups to Dell and UBS investment bank); held various roles (from Software Engineer to Enterprise Architect). This diversity of experience eventually helped me discover the problems I am trying to solve today. In a way, I am building a product that I always wish I had. This is how I know Archipeg will work!
Besides my own beliefs, I work with various professionals and prospects in the industry to gather unbiased feedback about Archipeg. I frequently hear that my product has potential, and people can't wait to use it. I know both strengths and weaknesses of Archipeg as we do about ourselves and our children.
Right from the idea's inception, I started with the vision statement. I always knew what pain points I was solving, and I often reminded myself about them. For example, Archipeg is about simplicity, globally accessible shared knowledge, and real-life digital transformations. We realize these promises from multiple angles: lower prices that let the customers grow, comprehensive documentation, and friendly and knowledgeable support. We put customers and their problems in the center of what we do! Knowing my niche is what makes me unique.
To all other entrepreneurs, here is one piece of advice I would give about the product hypothesis and validation: never assume that you know, be ready to receive not such good feedback, and pivot when necessary. It would be best if you balanced what others want and your vision, satisfying both and staying faithful to them.
Career-wise, I am fully dedicated to Archipeg, and I know the length I can go (I am not disclosing here, but I am emphasizing it because we all should have it). Numbers and mileage are not significant; knowing them is. I am happy to do what I do, and I know it is the right thing to do for the industry.
Take us through your entrepreneurial journey. How did you go from day 1 to today?
I once wrote a book, and it went public in 2020. As any author will tell you, you do not write a book in one go and publish it immediately afterward. You do it in iterations - each piece goes through the stages of ideation, first draft, editorial work (several cycles), final read, final fixes, and then maybe you are ready to publish it. It is a good exercise of concentration and willpower because you have to deal with a lot of mechanical work besides the writing itself.
The same is true about entrepreneurship. It is hard work and not a quick and easy decision-making and building process. The path is not straight, and it has ups and downs and a huge learning curve. That is how my entrepreneurial journey looks on a high level. I do many things I couldn’t even imagine in the past, and it takes both the hard work and the focus on the goals at all times. There is also joy from learning, which I always had, but entrepreneurship is way more than what one might expect from the learning standpoint.
Right off the bat, I started with our public website and marketing. Today, our email marketing keeps our existing and future customers in the loop about the new features, helpful tips, and changes that can positively impact their success. I know that many take these steps at the end, but I wanted to test the market first. Sharing the vision with the readers and allowing them to sign up for the email newsletter gave me the first signal, indicating a market fit for my idea.
Building the product is a chapter with no end, although it has a clear storyline. Companies fail for two primary reasons: wrong products or giving up too early. Did you notice I did not blame it on “not believing in what you do” or “bad idea” or other commonly circulated trends? That is because there is no bad idea. There are problems, and they need solutions. I see no reason for you to fail if you have a good product.
A good product is about quality, ease of use, viability, usefulness, and value to your customers. You should spend most of the time building a good product, which is what we do here at Archipeg. We make a product that we think is one of the best on the market. Archipeg grows with new features frequently, and we plan to win our customers’ hearts every day.
Other things I would highlight from our journey are listening, hearing what our prospects need, and deciding how Archipeg could help solve those pain points. We still have a long way to go, but a customer-centric approach is what we believe is the winning recipe.
How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
Today we have a mix of paying and evaluating customers, prospects interested in the future state, and the growing community of followers. We are present on social media platforms and continue to gather feedback and seek opportunities to increase the visibility around our product.
The most incredible power starts from appreciating what you have, seeing and noticing what happens around you, realizing that the best things are free. After you have gone through such thoughts, then you are the winner.
We have figured out how to optimize our gross margins while staying true to our vision of getting Archipeg into everybody’s hands. To reach this objective, we chose to offer lower prices than potential competitors and a subset of functionality we think is essential to most organizations.
We are a lean company with one founder and a team of professionals who cover various areas such as marketing, support, etc. As our product matures and more organizations start using it, we expect to grow further. As any pragmatic business, we are committed to serving customers, and for that, we constantly adjust our cost model under our revenue.
Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?
As I mentioned earlier, entrepreneurship is an endless learning experience, and you will succeed if you look at it accordingly. I learned multiple things that I would like to share with other entrepreneurs on this journey.
Don’t give up too early
Results are not immediate. It takes time to see the outcomes. So, don’t give up too early. Most new startups fail not because they have a terrible idea but because they don’t try long enough. Success can be one step further only. However, avoid being delusional, too.
Know your industry, inside out
If you decide to build a product, do your research about the industry. Be the master of what you do, and solve the problem you know exists in the industry. If you don’t know what you are getting into, perhaps you will give up too early or lose to your competition.
Kindness is your power
I think about kindness frequently. Kindness may be hard to apply directly in a business environment, but it is possible. For example, I always put what the customers want ahead of what I have to give them. If my customers don’t feel I am here to help them, I will fail, and so will my products, too.
What platform/tools do you use for your business?
We custom-built Archipeg, and hence, our primary tools are for software development: Visual Studio, .NET Core, C# programming language, angular, etc.
We use AWS, MailChimp for email marketing, Stripe for payments, and SmartSupp for live support from third-party tools and technologies.
What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?
I get inspiration from LinkedIn, especially from posts about kindness and care. Perhaps now you understand why I have put these factors behind my business model. I care about the problems I solve, which drives me forward.
As for the business-related insights and hints, I once read a book that impacted me positively: Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman. I would also recommend the Lean Startup by Eric Ries to get into the mindset of the Build-Measure-Learn cycle.
Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?
The first piece of advice: don’t start the business only because you want to be an entrepreneur or want more money. Steve Jobs said, “don’t do it for the money.” If you have a more important mission than that, maybe to change the world or the life of somebody who has a pain point, then you have a chance.
The second piece of advice will be contradictory, but: appreciate what you have. If you start a business, you may need to settle for less for an extended time, and it may or may not work out. Are you ready to give up what you have? The most incredible power starts from appreciating what you have, seeing and noticing what happens around you, realizing that the best things are free. After you have gone through such thoughts, then you are the winner.
Where can we go to learn more?
Learn more about Archipeg, engage, and join our fantastic community of technical professionals and all architecture enthusiasts:
- On Archipeg’s official website
- On LinkedIn
- On Twitter
- On YouTube
- On Email
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
