I tried improving QA in the payment industry

I wrote about my experience developing a testing platform.

It was supposed to be a SaaS tailored to technology providers integrating with payment gateways, acquirers, processors and banks. It failed as a business, but I’m still proud of what I created.

Takeaways:

• Identify gatekeepers for your industry niche. There could be resistance when offering a new product, a new idea or concept. Ask around, talk to people. Listen. Identify the blocking factors to sell your product or have it being accepted by the industry. We used to think that our product was the third world wonder. It would save a lot of money and improve the industry. But liability is more expensive than money. Narrow down companies and decision-making people. If it’s a corporate driven industry, consider partnerships. We took a naive approach and it made things harder.

• Technical products are hard to sell. The more technical, the harder it gets. Adoption must have the less friction as possible. That could also affect how you charge for it and your whole business model. Bottom-up selling requires creating a big community and a lot of money. Top-down selling requires strong connections. Don’t underestimate the effort.

• Don’t hide and restrict yourself. Always work first for the global market. Do not restrict yourself to the local industry. Develop a culture of early marketing. Learn to entertain and allow yourself to be entertained.

You can check the full story on my website HERE

Cheers.