Identifying viable opportunities to start a new online business that stands a chance to succeed is harder than ever. All markets look overcrowded, and it feels like there is always someone one step ahead. What do the top in class know that you don’t? In this interview series by Website Planet, experts from the top companies in AI, SaaS, martech, and more reveal exactly how they validate gaps in their industry to develop solutions that thrive even in the most competitive markets, and what emerging trends they’re going to leverage to keep their competitive edge. A condensed playbook backed by decades of experience and expertise, concrete metrics, and real-life stories that will help you learn how to spot the right opportunity at the right time, and craft a truly-unique value proposition. Steve Taplin has over 20 years of experience in the technology industry, with a proven track record of success in both entrepreneurial and corporate roles. Before co-founding Sonatafy Technologies, he managed a $400M+ private equity firm and several operating companies as President & CEO, and served as a Sales Executive at IBM where he worked with Fortune 1000 and start-ups. He’s also an author for Entrepreneur Media and Forbes Technology Council.

What gaps or trends in your industry led to the founding of your company, and what are your biggest milestones so far in terms of customers, revenue team, etc.?

Sonatafy Technology was founded to solve a critical problem: companies needed custom software development to stand out, but offshore teams came with too many headaches—miscommunication, time zone gaps, and quality issues. 📉 In Upcity’s 2022 poll of 600 US and Canada-based small businesses, 21% of participants said that their outsourced teams were difficult to communicate with, and 14% dealt with teams that failed to meet deadlines. (source: https://upcity.com/experts/small-business-outsourcing-statistics-survey/) Our nearshore model bridges that gap by combining cost-efficiency with US-based expertise, delivering tailored, high-quality solutions without the typical offshore problems. It’s thanks to this approach that we have been named in the Inc. 5000 list for the past two years, landing both well-funded startups through Fortune 500 clients, expanding across the US and Latin America, and achieving significant revenue growth while maintaining strong customer retention. We’re the go-to partner for companies looking to innovate and scale fast, without compromising on quality.

What are currently the most pressing pain points that you solve, and what makes them more urgent now than in the past?

In today’s fast-paced tech landscape, companies are under immense pressure to differentiate through innovation. Off-the-shelf solutions just don’t cut it anymore. Our clients need custom software that gives them a competitive edge, but traditional offshore teams come with significant downsides—misaligned time zones, cultural barriers, and inconsistent quality. What makes these pain points more urgent now is the accelerating pace of digital transformation and the heightened competition in the marketplace. Businesses can’t afford delays or subpar results, especially when their software is directly tied to their ability to scale and innovate. The stakes are higher than ever, and our nearshore model offers the perfect solution. By combining the cost benefits of offshore with the quality and speed of onshore teams, our clients get the best of both worlds without compromising on growth.

How are people usually trying to fix these problems, and what’s wrong with these solutions?

Many companies attempt to fix these problems by outsourcing to traditional offshore teams in regions like India or Eastern Europe to cut costs. While this approach may seem appealing financially, it often creates more problems than it solves: Others try to bring development back in-house to maintain control and quality, but that significantly drives up costs and limits scalability. Finding and retaining top-tier talent, especially in the U.S., is both expensive and time-consuming. What’s wrong with these solutions is that they either sacrifice speed and quality for cost savings or drive up expenses while limiting flexibility. Sonatafy’s nearshore model strikes the right balance: we offer the cost-effectiveness of offshore solutions with the reliability, communication, and quality of an onshore team. This allows our clients to scale quickly and maintain competitive differentiation without the typical challenges of outsourcing or the overhead of building in-house teams.

What features or unique approaches make your way to solve them better, and how has that helped you make an impact? Can you share metrics or stories that show the difference you're making?

Sonatafy’s nearshore model delivers the cost-efficiency of offshore teams with the quality and speed of US-based talent. What sets us apart is our same-time-zone collaboration, ensuring zero communication delays and smooth execution. Our hybrid team across the US and Latin America provides the expertise clients need to innovate faster and more efficiently. As CEO, I'm directly involved when challenges arise, ensuring they’re solved quickly and with precision. Working with Sonatafy delivers these results: Being named to the Inc. 5000 for two straight years proves we’re making a serious impact in the industry.

What exciting new projects or updates are you working on right now? What made you decide to focus on them, and how are they going to benefit your customers?

We’re taking bold steps in two key areas: AI consultancy and offering free code reviews, with a twist—free proof of concept models for our AI consultancy clients. As AI reshapes industries, many companies struggle with where to begin. Our AI consultancy doesn’t just offer advice; we build tangible proof of concept models at no cost, giving clients a real glimpse into the power of AI before committing. This allows businesses to de-risk their AI initiatives and demonstrate quick wins to stakeholders. On top of that, our free code reviews—worth $10,000—identify critical issues like technical debt, performance bottlenecks, and security vulnerabilities. We don’t just hand over a report; we give clients a clear, actionable roadmap to optimize their systems and accelerate growth. These initiatives are designed to provide immediate value and build trust, helping our clients innovate faster, smarter, and with greater confidence.

What trends and technologies are you keeping an eye on? What opportunities and challenges will they bring to your industry?

I’m laser-focused on AI, automation, cloud-native development, and quantum computing. AI is transforming how businesses innovate, but the real challenge is moving from hype to real-world value, which is why our AI consultancy is crucial. Automation offers efficiency gains, but balancing it with human oversight is the key to success. Cloud-native development is speeding up how software is built, but the next big leap is quantum computing. It’s still early, but we’re keeping a close eye on it—it will revolutionize problem-solving and data processing at unimaginable scales. The companies that get ahead of these trends will dominate, and we’re ready to help our clients be at the forefront.

If there was one piece of advice you wish to leave for those starting now, what would it be?

Embrace failure and adapt quickly. In tech, things move fast, and you're going to get it wrong before you get it right. The key is to learn from those mistakes, pivot quickly, and keep pushing forward. Success isn’t about avoiding failure—it’s about how fast you can recover, learn, and improve. Stay agile, stay curious, and never be afraid to course-correct.

How can our readers connect with you?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevetaplin/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/sonatafy Original article located on WebsitePlanet.com.
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Steve Taplin

CEO of Sonatafy Technology. Forbes Technology Council member. Serial entrepreneur with 30+ companies started across three decades. Author of Fail Hard, Win Big. Host of Software Leaders Uncensored (190+ episodes).