Build vs. Buy: The SME Decision Framework You Need Right Now
The Departure
SaaS stocks tanked this week. Intuit, Salesforce, HubSpot - all down double digits. Wall Street is finally catching up to what SMEs have felt for months: subscription fatigue is real, and the tools we're paying for might not be the tools we need. Last week, I showed you how to defend your AI spend. This week, I'm helping you decide what's actually worth defending - and what you might be able to build yourself.
The Co-Pilot
Tool: Claude
The Use Case: Evaluate any tool in your tech stack against the build-vs-buy decision in under 5 minutes.
The Prompt: "I'm evaluating whether to keep paying for [TOOL NAME] at $[MONTHLY COST]/month or potentially build a replacement. Help me assess this with the Build vs. Buy Framework.
Here's what I use this tool for:
- [PRIMARY USE CASE - e.g., automated follow-up sequences]
- [SECONDARY USE CASE - e.g., contact enrichment]
Answer these 3 questions:
Data Criticality - Does this tool hold proprietary data that would be painful to migrate? Rate 1-10 and explain.
Build Feasibility - Could I replicate 80% of this functionality using Claude, Zapier, Airtable, or similar no-code tools? Estimate the build time for someone non-technical.
Vendor Risk - What happens if this company gets acquired, raises prices 40%, or shuts down? How replaceable is it?
Then give me a clear recommendation: KEEP, REPLACE, or EVALUATE FURTHER - with one sentence explaining why."
The Upgrade
Topic: The 15-Minute Tech Stack Audit
List your monthly SaaS spend - Open your credit card statement or accounting software. List every recurring subscription over $20/month. Most SMEs find 8-12 tools. Write down what each one actually does for your business, not what the marketing page says.
Apply the 3-question filter - For each tool, ask: Is my data locked in? Could I build 80% of this myself? What's my exposure if the vendor changes terms? Any tool that scores low on all three is a replacement candidate.
Pick one to test - Choose your lowest-stakes subscription and run it through the Co-Pilot prompt. If the recommendation is REPLACE, block 2 hours this weekend to prototype an alternative. Claude Code and no-code tools like Make or Airtable can replicate more than you think.
The Landing
Your task today: Pull up your recurring charges and count your active SaaS subscriptions. Just count them. Most people are surprised by the number. That awareness is step one - the audit comes next.
Safe Travels,
Marcellus