From 7-Figure Agency Exit to SaaS Founder: What I Learned

The Hadley Media Story (2008-2017)

In 2008, I started Hadley Media as an experiential marketing agency focused on entertainment and media brands. The pitch was simple: we create unforgettable brand experiences at major conventions and festivals where fans actually show up.

Over 9 years, we worked with some incredible clients:

• FOX (promoting new shows at Comic-Con)
• Netflix (early content marketing campaigns)
• Marvel (fan community building)
• NBC, HBO, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network
• Dozens of indie film distributors

We specialized in Comic-Con, SXSW, CES, Cannes, and Coachella—creating activations that cut through the noise and generated real buzz. At peak, we had 30 employees and were the go-to agency for high-profile entertainment events.

In May 2017, Grandesign Media acquired Hadley Media for mid-seven figures.

The entire team joined Grandesign (no layoffs), and I became Executive VP of Sales and Strategy to help scale their entertainment division. The acquisition was announced in Variety and validated years of relationship-building and execution excellence.

That exit was a win. We built something valuable, sold it for real money, and took care of our team. But it also clarified what I didn't want: another agency. The services model—trading hours for dollars—has a ceiling. No matter how successful you get, you're always constrained by headcount.

The $400K Developer Disaster

Here's the part I don't talk about much: before the Grandesign acquisition, I tried to build software.

In 2016, I had this idea for a SaaS product (marketing analytics for indie filmmakers). Made sense— I knew the customer, understood their pain points, had industry connections.

I hired a development team through a referral. "Experienced" developers. Premium rates. Promised 4 months to MVP.

What actually happened:

• Month 1-2: Setup and planning. Lots of meetings. Wireframes. Architecture diagrams. No working software.
• Month 3-4: "We're building the backend." I couldn't see progress but trusted the process.
• Month 5-6: Finally saw a demo. It was… not what I described. Core features missing. UI looked nothing like the mockups.
• Month 7-8: Tried to course-correct. More meetings. More "we'll fix it." More bills.

Total spent: Let's just say it was enough money to make you nauseous. Product delivered: A buggy, incomplete app that didn't solve the core problem.

I pulled the plug. Wrote it off as an expensive lesson. But I was furious—not at the developers (they tried), but at the process.

The lesson: When you don't understand how the thing is made, you can't evaluate progress, spot problems early, or make smart decisions. You're just hoping and writing checks.

Learning to Code

In 2021, I decided: I'm going to learn to code.

Not "take a bootcamp and pretend I can code." Actually learn it. Deeply enough to build production software myself.

People thought I was crazy. Too old. Wrong background. Why not just hire better developers?

But I was done being the "business guy" who doesn't understand the tech. I wanted to build, not just spec.

My learning path:

1. Started with Python and JavaScript basics (free online courses, Codecademy, lots of YouTube)
2. Built terrible projects that didn't work. Calculator apps. To-do lists. I was copying tutorials and barely understanding.
3. Shifted to Next.js and React because I wanted to build web apps, not just code exercises.
4. Picked a real problem: Built a simple CRM for my equipment finance network. Forced myself to figure out databases, authentication, deployment.
5. ChatGPT launched (late 2022) and everything changed. Suddenly I had an infinitely patient tutor who could explain concepts, debug code, and suggest solutions.

By mid-2023, I could build functional web apps. Not elegant. Not optimized. But working.

Then Cursor and Claude Sonnet 4 launched. That's when I went from "can code" to "can build production SaaS at scale."

Why I Pivoted to SaaS

After Hadley Media, I could have started another agency. Or consulted. Or retired (kind of).

But I chose SaaS. Here's why:

1. Scalability

Agency revenue is linear: more clients = more people = more overhead. SaaS is exponential: the same software serves 10 customers or 10,000.

2. Ownership

Agencies are rented revenue. Clients leave, revenue disappears. SaaS compounds: customers stack, MRR grows, business value increases.

3. Leverage

With AI tools, I can build software that would have required a 10-person team. That changes the economics completely.

4. Freedom

No more client calls, scope creep, or trading hours for dollars. Build once, sell many times.

5. Intellectual Challenge

Building software is harder and more interesting than running an agency. I like learning new things. This keeps me engaged.

What's Different This Time

I've built and sold multiple businesses over 25 years. Each time, I learned something new. Here's what's different about this phase:

I can actually build the product

No more expensive developer nightmares. I write the code. I know what's possible. I can iterate in days, not months.

I'm targeting problems I deeply understand

SalesLeadAgent and PayoffAgent solve problems I've personally experienced in equipment finance. I'm not guessing—I know the pain is real.

I'm building a portfolio, not betting everything on one product

Multiple revenue streams: SaaS products, calculator sites generating referral fees, consulting. Diversification reduces risk.

I'm staying lean

Minimal overhead. No office. No employees. No runway pressure. I can be patient and build for the long term.

I'm building in public

Sharing real numbers, real wins, real failures. This attracts customers, builds trust, and holds me accountable.

The 7 Biggest Lessons from 25+ Years

1. Domain expertise is worth more than technical skill

Knowing what to build matters more than knowing how to build it. AI can write code. It can't identify which problems are worth solving.

2. Solve your own problems first

Every successful product I've built started with "I need this, so others probably do too." Don't solve hypothetical problems.

3. Speed beats perfection

Ship the MVP. Get feedback. Iterate. I wasted months "perfecting" products that customers didn't even want. Launch fast, refine later.

4. Capital efficiency creates optionality

Staying lean means you're not desperate. You can say no to bad customers, bad deals, bad partnerships. That freedom is worth more than VC money.

5. Charge based on value, not cost

If I save a lender $26K/year, I should charge $8K-10K, not $500 because "that's what my costs are." Price to the value delivered.

6. Starting over isn't failure

I've pivoted careers multiple times. Agency to SaaS. Media to finance software. Each pivot built on skills and networks from before. It's compounding, not starting from zero.

7. You're never too old to learn hard things

I learned to code later in my career. It was hard. Really hard. But possible. Don't let age (or any excuse) stop you from building the skills you need.

What's Next

Right now, I'm building:

• SalesLeadAgent: AI-powered lead generation for commercial lending brokers
• PayoffAgent: Automated loan payoff calculations for equipment lenders
• Calculator network: SBACalculators.com, EquipmentCalculators.com, etc.

Total monthly recurring revenue: Growing. Not huge yet, but profitable and compounding.

I'm also consulting with companies that need AI-powered automation built. Helping them avoid the helping companies avoid the expensive developer disaster I experienced.

The goal: Build a portfolio of small, profitable SaaS products. Each solving a real problem for a niche market. Together, they create a sustainable, scalable business.