125 Hours, 3 Winners
Over the last two and a half years, I have spoken with almost 250 founders through Inscaler and my business.
If my CRM could talk, it would show roughly 125 hours of discovery calls, each lasting at least 30 minutes.
That is a lot of coffee and even more lessons.
Last week, while listening to a podcast, I heard the CRO of Owner.com explain how they grew from $2 million to $40 million in ARR in under two years by helping restaurants in the US marketing and sell better.
I know the U.S. is not Italy, yet the question hit me: why hasn’t a single founder in my 125 hours of calls pitched something like that for our market?
I work with several Italian startups that sell to restaurants and other small business owners.
Every one of them is cash‑flow positive, with small annual contract values (ACVs) and sales cycles under ten days.
So today, I’m sharing a quick brain dump of three ideas that keep showing up as clear winners based on what I’ve seen first‑hand.
I’ll skip the pivots, the bankruptcies, and the heartbreak; the goal is to inspire, not to hammer you down.
1. Bring AI to Slow‑Moving Industries
There are still armies of lawyers, insurers, accountants, and even barbers who run on pen, paper, and good luck.
They know AI is out there but have no clue where to start.
Build them a co‑pilot that makes or saves money, price it at €1–2 K ACV, and keep the sales cycle short:
Start with cold calls (they still work).
Follow up with simple search or Meta ads - no need for LinkedIn ad budgets here.
A year in, stack extra modules and upsell at renewal.
If you make adoption painless, you’ll own a niche long before the big vendors wake up.
2. An Operating System for Traditional SMBs
Walk into a family-run factory or a private clinic, and you will find software that looks like it shipped with Windows 95.
Different tools do not communicate with each other, and the owners pay custom development fees every time they need a new feature.
Build a modern, all‑in‑one operating system - think MacBook or iPad OS simplicity.
Charge €3–5 K ACV, aim for a 30‑ to 60‑day close, and focus on integrations they can set up without an IT degree.
Investors (myself included) love businesses that replace complex workflows with a single, clean dashboard.
3. The All‑in‑One Marketing Hub for Local Retail
This is my personal favourite, and it's still wide open.
Restaurants, salons, gyms, and padel clubs juggle websites, gift cards, bookings, point-of-sale systems, and Instagram - all with little to no time to spare.
They need a single console that covers the following:
Website and online ordering
CRM and repeat‑buyer campaigns
POS and simple inventory
Basic performance reports that they can understand before the lunch rush
The market is vast and easily accessible.
These owners answer their phones, reply to WhatsApp, and sign when they see clear ROI. No BS, no complicated buying process. Quick and dirty.
You can land with a starter package, then expand into payments, loyalty, or whatever pain you uncover next.
My Two Cents
Building a product is hard; I haven’t shipped one myself yet.
But after hundreds of founder chats and dozens of hands‑on projects, I see the same pattern in every winner:
They tackle work that is painful or obviously broken.
They keep ACV small and sales cycles fast.
They stay close to the customer and iterate at renewal.
If that sounds simple, good. Simple wins.
See you next week, folks!
