#405 – Burak Karakan, CEO of Bruin - On the cost of trying to please everyone

A story about an opinionated founder, the customers he turns away, and the ones who stay. This episode is for SaaS founders quietly wondering whether trying to be a fit for every buyer is what's slowing them down. Most founders think the goal is to be a fit for as many buyers as possible. Burak Karakan, Co-founder and CEO of Bruin, runs his company on the opposite belief. A former engineering manager at HelloFresh, he built an opinionated product — and he's at peace with the buyers who walk away because of it. And this inspired me to invite Burak to my podcast. We explore why being opinionated on purpose creates focus, speed, and the right kind of customer base. Burak shares his thinking on the question that qualifies a buyer in five minutes, why he hires juniors over seniors right now, and what happened when his team stopped tracking competitors altogether. You'll discover why he turns down deals that other founders would take. We also zoom in on three of the 10 traits that define remarkable software companies: – Acknowledge you cannot please everyone – Aim to be different, not just better – Master the art of curiosity Burak's journey proves that remarkable companies don't try to be a fit for everyone — they hold their position, and the right customers find them because of it. Here's one of Burak's quotes that captures his thinking: "It's unbelievable to me that engineers think they are there just to build stuff. No, you're there to solve problems, and sometimes solving that problem will especially require you to not build something." By listening to this episode, you'll learn: Why opinionated products attract better customers than agreeable onesWhat question reveals whether a buyer is a real fit in five minutesWhen ignoring your competitors becomes your sharpest strategic moveWhy hiring juniors right now beats hiring seniorsFor more information about the guest from this week: Guest: Burak Karakan, Co-founder & CEO of Bruin Website: https://getbruin.com