#414 – How Dima Gutzeit rejected three markets and got to dictate the terms

A story about saying no until you're the only option.This episode is for founders who believe a horizontal product means a horizontal go-to-market.A product for everyone still needs a market of one.Dima Gutzeit, founder and CEO of LeapXpert, watched bankers in Hong Kong do their real work on WhatsApp in 2017, then spent two years building before selling anything. He wrote a large part of that first product himself.He built something that fits any industry. Then he turned down almost every industry that asked. Today he sets the terms, not only the price.And this inspired me to invite Dima to my podcast. We explore why he said no to marketing applications, CPaaS, and the contact centre business, and how that gave him the upper hand in the one category he kept in focus. You'll discover what he can ask of a customer today that he couldn't ask for in the early years.We also zoom in on two of the 10 traits that define remarkable software companies:Acknowledge you cannot please everyoneAim to be different, not just betterBoth are chapters in The Remarkable Effect.Remarkable companies decide who they are not for before the market decides for them.Here's one of Dima's quotes that captures how he thinks about what focus buys you:"In today's market, the only way to win is not the product. Anybody can create a product; it's velocity"By listening to this episode, you'll learn:Why a horizontal product and a horizontal go-to-market are separate decisionsWhat saying no protects when the market starts pulling you sidewaysWhen the bigger customer gives you more room instead of lessHow years of focus turn into the speed you need laterFor more information about the guest from this week:Guest: Dima Gutzeit, founder and CEO, LeapXpertWebsite: leapxpert.com