Why 90% of Developer Tools Fail and How Honeybadger Thrived

SaaS business tips for web app development, product strategy, and founders' journey lessons for scaling and thriving in SaaS life. In this episode of SaaS That App: Building B2B Web Applications, Ben Curtis, co-founder of Honeybadger, joins Aaron Marchbanks to share how Honeybadger went from a scrappy side project to a beloved tool for developers.


What You’ll Learn:



• Why usage-based billing models work better than project-based pricing for monitoring services
• Evaluating whether remote work suits your development team and company culture
• How to assess potential hires for remote positions beyond technical skills
• Why balancing AI tools with fundamental development practices prevents skill atrophy
• Choosing between in-house development teams and agencies
• How to maintain product quality while scaling from MVP to a mature application

Ben Curtis is the co-founder of Honeybadger, a leading application monitoring service, and the President of Tesly, where he helps business owners develop custom web and mobile applications. With over two decades of experience in technology entrepreneurship, Ben has established himself as an expert in transforming ideas into successful tech products, including founding Catch the Best, a recruitment process optimization platform. As a self-taught developer with a business background, he combines technical expertise with practical business acumen to help entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of building and scaling tech-enabled businesses.


This podcast is brought to you by Delta Systems, your one-stop shop for front-end, back-end, and full-stack software development. At Delta, Justin and Aaron share the same philosophy when it comes to clients: they treat people like colleagues, not just customers. Maybe that’s why Delta typically spends years working with the same companies: how many software engineering firms can you say that about? So, if you’ve got a big SaaS project in mind but have no idea where to start, come and get a free scope and estimate from Delta Systems on their website (https://deltasystems.com/) .


Highlights:

• [00:00] Introduction
• [01:49] How a TRS-80 Sparked a Lifelong Dev Journey
• [03:36] Why Honeybadger Was Born Out of Frustration
• [06:16] What They Got Wrong (and Fixed Fast) with Pricing
• [08:46] Building a Full Dev Monitoring Suite
• [10:47] Ben’s Thoughtful Approach to AI in Dev Tools
• [11:51] GDPR, Data Privacy, and Lessons from Launching in the EU
• [13:47] How to Help Founders Go From Idea to Execution
• [16:24] Why Founders Should Focus on Experience, Not Tech Stacks
• [17:52] Coaching Entrepreneurs on Product vs. Tech Tradeoffs
• [20:09] The One Piece of Advice Ben Always Gives Founders
• [21:04] When to Hire In-House vs. Use an Agency
• [22:51] The Honest Truth About Remote Work
• [25:09] How Honeybadger Screens for Remote Culture Fit
• [28:26] Are Devs Becoming AI-Dependent?
• [33:12] What’s Next for Honeybadger?

Episode Resources:

• Ben Curtis on LinkedIn (  / bencurtis  )
• Honeybadger Website (https://www.honeybadger.io/)
• Aaron Marchbanks on LinkedIn (  / aaronmarchbanks  )
• Justin Edwards on LinkedIn (  / iterative-justin-edwards  )
• Delta Systems Website (https://deltasys.com/)
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