As a SaaS CTO, you’re no stranger to challenges. From scaling infrastructure to managing teams and staying ahead of the technology curve, our plates are always full. But something important I’ve learned during my career is this: you don’t have to face these challenges alone. One of the most valuable resources at your disposal might just be the collective wisdom of your peers.
You don’t have to face these challenges alone Photo by Headway on Unsplash
The power of community
Throughout my career I’ve prioritised being involved in communities of practice. I’ve actively sought out groups of like-minded individuals, people with similar interests and challenges, to learn from and grow with.
Events like DevOpsDays and Scale Summit provided me with a platform to learn what technologies and solutions other practitioners were trying, what worked for them, and perhaps more importantly, what didn’t. This kind of practical, experience-based knowledge is so much more valuable than textbooks or online courses.
Sharing stories is a deeply human activity, allowing us to connect with others. To this day I stay in touch with many of the people I’ve met through these communities, all over the world.
The SaaS CTO Network
It’s because of these experiences that I created The SaaS CTO Network. Originally called “BreakfastOps”, back in 2016, it’s grown to over 600 members since then. The events I run are designed to challenge attendees to think differently, expose them to new ideas, and provide much-needed support and encouragement.
Most of us in the SaaS world aren’t dealing with entirely unique technical or business challenges. While our specific contexts may differ, the core issues we face are often similar. If this is your first time as CTO, connecting with those who are further along in their journey can provide valuable insights, lighting the way forward, and helping to avoid costly or painful mistakes.
If you already have a lot of experience under your belt, learning from others can still help provide fresh perspectives on problems you’re too close to. When you’re in the trenches day after day, it’s easy to develop tunnel vision, and peer learning can break you out of that mindset, exposing you to new ideas and approaches you might never have considered on your own.
As CTOs, we’re often the ones providing guidance and direction to our teams. But who guides the guide? Who challenges us to grow and improve? This is where peer learning becomes invaluable. By surrounding ourselves with other CTOs, we create a support network that pushes us to be better, think bigger, and lead more effectively.
The SaaS CTO Conference
This year, we’re running our first SaaS CTO Conference. This full-day event, in London on 12 September, aims to bring together around 150 SaaS CTOs from businesses of all shapes, sizes, and sectors.
The conference is structured to provide maximum value to attendees: we’ll kick off with expert speakers providing a shared foundation of knowledge, then the remainder of the day will be dedicated to round table discussions, across a broad range of topics, facilitating connections between like-minded individuals. This format allows for both broad learning and deep, specific discussions tailored to your unique challenges and interests.
But beyond the structured learning, the real magic of these events often happens in the spaces between: the coffee breaks, the lunch conversations, the post-event networking. It’s in these moments that relationships are formed, and ideas are sparked.
So, I invite you to embrace the power of peer learning. Join us at The SaaS CTO Conference this September. Come ready to share your experiences, learn from others, and connect with a community of CTOs who understand your challenges and aspirations. Let’s learn together.
Register for the SaaS CTO Conference now, and get the best possible price.
This blog is written exclusively by The Scale Factory team. We do not accept external contributions.
