Many founders start with a vision of building a product. The dream is recurring revenue, venture capital, and a big multiple at exit. Ronan Berder was no different. He dabbled in SaaS, even earning a spot in Techstars. But at the last minute, he walked away from the accelerator, abandoned the product idea, and doubled down on services.
That bet paid off. Wiredcraft became a Shanghai-based digital product agency that helped global brands like Starbucks, Nike, Lululemon, and Burberry build and run their mobile apps and websites in China. From Ronan’s living room, he grew the company to 140 employees and ultimately sold to Publicis Groupe, who reported paying 67 million euros.
In this episode, you’ll learn how to:
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Recognize when services deserve your full focus
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Grow a consultancy beyond yourself
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Price work so enterprise clients say yes
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Retain talent without handing out equity
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Structure offers when buyers push stock and heavy earn-outs
If you’re weighing the allure of products against the reality of services, Ronan’s story shows the power of focus.
Quote of the Week
I was never in love with consulting—it was just what actually worked.
Deals
Click Management, a leading digital creator talent agency founded in Australia with a growing U.S. presence, has been acquired by GameSquare Holdings (NASDAQ: GAME) for $8.5 million plus contingent earnouts. Click Management earned $1.2 million in EBITDA last year, valuing the business at roughly 7.1x EBITDA.
