Turning custom demand into a scalable SaaS platform.
I recognized the same enterprise problems appearing across one-off engagements, then changed the model: catalog the demand, build the reusable core, and sell the value again.
- My role
- Acting Director of Custom Software
- Scope
- Product strategy, business model, delivery, and P&L
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Custom requests
Individual client needs produced one-off enterprise solutions.
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Recurring needs
Patterns emerged across warehouse and enterprise customers.
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Reusable applets
Common features became configurable components built for reuse.
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Licensed platform
Applets were bundled into a SaaS platform sold through licensed deployments.
- Revenue
- $12M → $18MTotal portfolio revenue across custom services and SaaS
- Organization
- 25 peopleUX, engineering, and project management
- Ownership
- Direct P&LSales targets, expenses, profit, and margin
- Result
- Renewing customersEarly proof that the model created durable value
Custom projects earned revenue once. Reusable software could earn it again.
Each engagement solved a real client problem, but similar needs kept returning under different statements of work. The team was repeatedly rebuilding valuable capabilities instead of turning that demand into reusable intellectual property.
Before
Revenue began again with every engagement.Customer-specific work created value once, then required another custom sale and another custom delivery cycle.
After
Each engagement could strengthen the platform.Common capabilities became reusable applets that could be licensed, configured, and deployed across customers.
The shift required a new product, pricing, sales, and delivery model.
Moving from services to software meant changing what the organization recognized, funded, built, and sold.
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Leadership approval
Make the business case for reuse.
I cataloged recurring feature requests, researched the market, and brought the opportunity to the SVP of Hardware. The proposal connected observed demand to a model that could grow without adding equivalent delivery effort.
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Product judgment
Standardize the repeatable core.
The central product challenge was deciding which needs belonged in the platform and which should remain customer-specific. We preserved room for integration and deployment while turning the common layer into configurable applets.
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Commercial proof
Help sales close the first deals.
I created the pricing model with sales, supported the initial customer conversations, and used those early deployments to prove the platform could earn renewals—not just interest.
I built the leadership structure around the model.
The work required a multidisciplinary organization that could keep delivering client commitments while building a more scalable future.
Delegated design leadership and product experience.
Hired to lead technical delivery and team execution.
Reported directly to me across the services portfolio.
25 people, one operating model. UX, engineering, and project management were aligned around both the immediate client commitment and the longer-term product opportunity.
Reusable applets created a recurring revenue path.
The SaaS platform contributed to a broader portfolio that grew from $12M in annual revenue when I took over to $18M when I left. The result came from both custom work and the product shift; it should not be read as SaaS revenue alone.
Customer value
Reusable capabilities reduced onboarding effort and gave customers a clearer path from configuration to deployment.
Business value
Per-seat and annual licensing created a recurring revenue path alongside the existing custom-services business.
Organizational value
The platform improved how professional services integrated with sales and other Zebra departments.
Market proof
Customers renewed in subsequent years, showing that the product model continued to create value after launch.