Notes on killing SaaS, one product at a time.
Writing on custom software economics, ownership, and why renting the workflow your firm runs on stopped being the smart call.
A 50-person company doesn't need a data lake to use AI
AI agents need to know what a record means, how it relates to others, who may see it and whether it's current. A small company can provide that without copying all of its data into one place.
Why we replace one tool at a time
Clearloom replaces roughly one SaaS product per quarter for each client. Here's how that keeps the business running and gives every new app a clear test to pass.
What happens to your data when your SaaS vendor is acquired
Software vendors change hands regularly. Here are public examples of what changed for customers after a deal, and what owning your software changes about that risk.
The feature war in business software is over
AI agents now build working software in weeks, so a long feature list is no longer a reason to rent a platform. Here's what a 20-to-250-person company should compare.
Why Custom Practice-Ops Software Beats Bolted-On AI
When AI lives inside someone else's platform, you rent the assistant. When it lives in your GitHub, you own the workflow. Here's how Clearloom builds practice software firms actually keep.
Own Your Workflow Automation: Conditional Triggers Without the SaaS Ratchet
Professional services firms waste $8k-$15k annually on overlapping SaaS tools for conditional automation. Clearloom replaces that stack with custom software you own, on your schedule, without per-execution billing or vendor lock-in.
Building Your Own Payroll-to-Operations Integration Instead of Leasing Two
Why firms stop gluing practice management and payroll vendors together and build a unified system they own instead.
Why Generic Workspace Tools Don't Scale with Your Firm
Professional services firms spend thousands per month on workspace and task management tools that were designed for every company, which means they're optimized for none. We're shipping custom applications built around the exact workflows your firm uses.
Building Agentic Workflows Inside Your Own Cloud
Clearloom Agents replace vendor-hosted AI tools with custom agentic workflows you own and control. No per-seat pricing, no API call tax, no vendor risk.
Your SaaS Stack Charges You More Every Time You Hire. Here's the Exit Math.
Per-seat pricing feels reasonable the first time you sign a contract. It stops feeling reasonable around year three, when your headcount has grown 40 percent and your software bill has grown right along with it.
We Audited a 50-Person Firm's SaaS Stack. The Number Was $238,000. Nobody at the Firm Knew.
Somewhere between the COVID-era scramble to go remote and this morning's credit card statement, your firm quietly became a SaaS company that also does professional services. The math, when you finally run it, is almost always worse than you expect.
The SaaS Ratchet: Why Professional Services Firms Keep Paying More for Software That Does Less
The average 50-person professional services firm is spending somewhere between $180,000 and $240,000 a year on software. Most of that spend is not a deliberate choice; it is an accumulation of decisions nobody made together.
Your SaaS Stack Is Costing You $150,000 a Year. AI Just Made It Optional.
For most professional services firms, the monthly SaaS bill is not a line item; it is a slow leak no one has ever bothered to measure. That changes when you do the math.
Build vs. Buy in the Age of AI: Why the Old Rules Are Wrong
The classic build-vs-buy matrix was written when building took a year and buying took a week. Both numbers have changed. So has the right answer.
The Renewal Shakedown: How SaaS Companies Double Your Bill
Year one is a promo. Year two is the bill. Year three is the negotiation. Year four you've doubled. Here's the playbook, and how to refuse it.
Law Firms Are Paying $60k/yr for Clio. Here's What Replaces It.
A 40-attorney firm spends more on matter management each year than it does on its junior-most associate. There's a better trade.
The Hidden Costs of SaaS: Integrations, Seats, Training, Switching
The sticker price is a fraction of what SaaS actually costs you. Here's the full ledger — and where most firms are being quietly billed twice.
Custom Software Used to Cost $500k. Now It Costs $8k a Month.
The economics of building software have collapsed by an order of magnitude in 24 months. Most firms haven't updated their mental model. Doing so is the alpha.
Why Your Firm's CTO Isn't Coming
A real CTO costs $350k. A real head of engineering costs $250k. Most firms between $5M and $75M in revenue can't clear that bar — and don't need to.
The 12-Week Build vs. The 12-Month Implementation
Most enterprise software takes longer to implement than it takes to build from scratch. That's the inflection point.
What 'You Own the Code' Actually Means
Vendors promise 'exportability' and 'data portability.' They almost never mean what you think they mean. Here's the real test.
Per-Seat Pricing Is a Tax on Growth
Every hire at your firm triggers another $2–5k in annual software fees before they've written their first email. That's not a pricing model — it's a tax.
The $180k Problem: SaaS Sprawl Is Eating Your Margin
The average lower-mid-market firm spends $180k a year on software it doesn't use, can't extend, and will pay more for next year. The math has become indefensible.
Want the real numbers for your stack?
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