Mustafa Senhaji @Lodago. How to successfully pivot your SaaS

saas.unbound is a podcast for and about founders who are working on scaling inspiring products that people love brought to you by https://saas.group/. In this episode #49, we are talking with Mustafa Senhaji, Co-Founder of Lodago, a meeting scheduling platform that streamlines your day-to-day operations and B2B in-person events and removes all the friction when scheduling appointments. Mustafa talks about his experience moving from a programming job into business world and founding Lodago together with his 2 co-founders. We discuss the most challenging parts of the founder’s journey, how it affects all aspects of life, the learning curve involved, and all the roles a founder has to learn in the company. We also touch upon the customer communication, building the core product vision, and not being afraid of pivoting.

(0:00:05) – From Geek to Founder 

Mustafa Senhaji, co-founder of Lodago, a meeting scheduling platform, shares his journey from IT consultant to entrepreneur. He and his friend got started on the platform by building something to help his friend reach his prospects. Mustafa also discusses how the name Lodago came to be, and how his experience working in IT has helped shape and inform his current business.

(0:14:13) – Navigating Customer Feedback for Startup Success 

Mustafa Senhaji leveraged an incubator program to help him find his co-founders and build his meeting scheduling platform, Lodago. He and his friend got started, but he soon realized that he needed someone with a business mindset and someone who was more customer-oriented. He found a potential co-founder in Gabriela, who had the financial background and customer-oriented mindset that he was looking for. Mustafa needed to adjust his mindset to be more customer-focused, and his co-founder Ivan was able to find opportunities by recognizing the customer’s pain points.

(0:29:33) – Entrepreneurship and Personal Growth Journey 

We explore Mustafa Senhaji’s transition from IT consultant to business-minded leader, how he shifted his mindset to become customer-centric, and the advice he has for others on how to make the same transition. Mustafa explains the importance of pain and suffering in the journey, and the need to trust your gut feeling about people. We also discuss the role of networking and incubator programs in helping entrepreneurs to become successful and the importance of trusting yourself and your skills. Mustafa advises tech founders to stop hanging out with other coders and instead build relationships with people who can help them grow your business.