6 Actions To Take Today To Avoid Being Held Hostage By Your Software Developers

Did you know that there’s a multibillion dollar industry dedicated to doomsday prepping?

Even crazier…

Reid Hoffman was quoted in the New Yorker, estimating that about 50% of Silicon Valley billionaires have acquired some level of “apocalypse insurance”.

Now whether you buy into that idea or not, there is a type of doomsday in the software world you absolutely NEED to be prepared for.

It’s this:

What would happen to your product (and company) if your developer disappeared overnight?

Or put more bleakly, would your company pass the “bus” test?

Meaning… if your entire dev team got hit by a bus tomorrow, would you have the systems, processes, documentation, and contingency plans to keep on ticking?

Or would the doomsday clock hit midnight on your entire SaaS company?

Putting too much power into the hands of a single developer (or even an entire dev team) is a dangerous place to be.

Especially for a non-technical founder.

And unless you’ve taken clear steps to “prep” for that possibility, you’re essentially letting a small handful of people hold your entire company hostage.

… if they jump ship to another company

… if they run into an illness or life crisis of any kind

… if they win the lotto max

You’re done.

This is me going on record to say that 100% of SaaS companies need some form of development apocalypse insurance.

And I recorded this week’s video to show you the 6 steps I take to safeguard the companies I advise.

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At a high level, the 6 step “prepper’s guide” comes down to:

  1. Cloudbase Repository
  2. Centralized Access Control
  3. Documentation Reviews
  4. Pay for Code Reviews
  5. Succession Planning
  6. Continuous Integration

It’s not sexy — and will take some upfront time and cash investment…

But won’t you feel SO much more confident building your product knowing that nothing short of an actual apocalypse can shut you down?

I think so. I bet your team and investors will as well 😉

Give the video a watch, and then let me know in the comments what you plan on implementing to safeguard one of your company’s most important assets.

Here’s that episode link one more time.

 

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Dan Martell

Dan Martell is the bestselling author of “Buy Back Your Time” and the #1 executive coach for founders and CEO’s in the world. He was named Forbes Top 10 Business People to Follow on Social Media and is a highly sought-after speaker, including events by Tony Robbins and John Maxwell. He’s a husband and dad of two boys, and when he’s not in family mode, he’s competing in Ironman races and supporting troubled youth.