“Don’t build shitty products for problems that don’t exist.” This brutal advice from Maksim hit different. After spinning off from his first AEC tech company Kreo, he’s now building PVFarm – solar design software that’s pulling in $40K average revenue per customer. In today’s episode of Bricks & Bytes, we had Maksim and we got to learn about why distribution beats product in AEC, how he cracked the $150M solar design market, and why most startup marketing tactics fail in construction tech… and many more! Tune in to find out about: ✅ Why relationship-based sales trump amazing products in AEC ✅ The two pathways to selling enterprise software in construction ✅ Why LinkedIn outreach and email marketing don’t work for AEC startups ✅ How vertical integration beats horizontal CAD tools for specific building types Listen now on Spotify to hear how Maksim went from building multiple failed products to finding product-market fit with a 40-hour learning curve software that customers love. ———– Our Sponsor: Archdesk – “The #1 Construction Management Software for Growing Companies – Manage your projects from Tender to Handover” check archdesk.com BuildVision – streamlining the construction supply chain with a unified platform – http://www.buildvision.io 4M Analytics – Instant, reliable utility data you can trust and verify – https://www.4manalytics.com/ —————– Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Maxim and His Journey in AEC Tech 03:02 Lessons Learned from Creo: Market Understanding and Sales Strategies 05:58 The Relationship Between Sunbeam and PVFarm 09:12 Understanding Sunbeam’s Focus and Product Offerings 11:57 The Importance of Collaboration in Design 14:54 Navigating the Competitive Landscape of Solar Design Software 17:57 Market Size and Growth Potential in Solar PV 20:56 Go-to-Market Strategies and Customer Engagement 23:58 Building Value Through Education and Relationships 26:55 Webinars as a Tool for Engagement and Education 33:28 The Value of Community Engagement 33:56 Marketing Strategies That Fail 36:00 Leveraging AI for Usability 39:26 Navigating the AI Landscape 41:14 Building Robust Tools in a Competitive Market 43:52 The Go-Kill Framework for Product Ideas 46:22 The Role of a CEO in a Tech Startup 51:53 Balancing Discipline and Flexibility in Teams 52:41 Successful Products in AEC 54:51 Building in Different Markets 57:12 The Importance of Community in Tech 59:20 Managing Remote Teams 01:01:08 The Intersection of Jiu-Jitsu and Business