Why "Competing Against Clunky Incumbents" Is Still the Fastest Way to Launch a Successful SaaS

A few months ago, while looking to hire for a remote role, our team stumbled onto a common operational hurdle: legacy job platforms were growing more expensive, bloated with non-essential features and with application flows that funneled candidates through three different third-party applicant tracking systems (ATS), requiring the same candidate to continue the hiring process entirely separately on another platform.

Instead of building something up against a wall, we found an opportunity in what was already there: creating a new solution to unhappy workarounds in an existing one.

We built Online.jobs to fix this exact pain point by eliminating the context switches between platforms for job listings, applicant tracking, candidate profiles, and conversations between employers and candidates. Instead of acting as a directory, Online.jobs offers the entire hiring lifecycle in one space. Candidates apply to the jobs they find, and employers review and contact the ones they've applied to, all within Online.jobs.

If you're a solo founder or developer looking to build the next big thing, the value proposition doesn't lie in thinking up some audacious, unprecedented idea. Observe the software you already use, find the parts of the user experience that are unpleasant, and build something that serves them better.

Lessons from Building Against Market Incumbents

Price hikes often mask feature bloat: New features that incumbents add and then price hikes to match can create room for a more focused alternative focused on core utilities.

Don't require context switches: Making your users jump through hoops and switch platforms to perform any essential function will destroy your conversion and credibility.

Focus on the essential workflow: Early adopters will not come to your product to use legacy tabs. They'll adopt you to remove them. Streamline the core, then defend and scale that deftness against encroaching complexity.

What is a product or software platform you currently use that has grown so bloated or expensive that you'd switch to a simple alternative today?

If you've built a product competing with an incumbent, how did you convince your first 100 users to make the switch?

Let's compare notes in the comments!