Assembled initially replaced a manual spreadsheet process. Their success came from understanding the spreadsheet was a symptom of deeper pains like headcount planning, real-time dashboards, and agent utilization. The real value was in solving these complex operational problems, not just digitizing a spreadsheet.
Instead of broad marketing, Assembled focused on the 'Support Driven' Slack community, where their ideal customers congregated. They actively participated and encouraged happy customers to share experiences in relevant threads. This concentrated effort created a powerful flywheel, making them the default choice within that influential audience.
Assembled launched with usage-based pricing and no minimums. When the pandemic hit, customers scaled usage to zero, and revenue flatlined. The team initially blamed their product, only later realizing their pricing model made them vulnerable to customers' cost-cutting measures, independent of product value.
Assembled knew they had a real business when they discovered that Stripe, Casper, and Grammarly—all unaware of each other's efforts—had independently built the same color-coded spreadsheet to solve workforce management. This pattern of convergent, homegrown solutions signals a powerful, unmet market need.
The founders, having come from Stripe, were unconsciously operating with the playbook of a large, successful company. An executive search firm's blunt feedback—"You're not Stripe"—served as a crucial reminder to stop mimicking their former employer and adopt the scrappy, focused mindset required for their current stage.
Faced with a large deal from Robinhood requiring custom work, Assembled's engineering team was hesitant. They created a detailed document analyzing if the custom requests were generalizable blueprints for future enterprise clients or a one-off distraction. This framework helped them decide which deals would accelerate growth.
Instead of theorizing about their Ideal Customer Profile, Assembled's first GTM hire created a list of all existing customers. By looking for patterns and creating groups based on traits like tech stack (Zendesk), agent count (20-200), and channel complexity, a data-driven, highly specific ICP emerged organically.
The founding team's ethos was to meet early customers in person, which built deep relationships and product insights. This hands-on approach was crucial for the first 10 customers but proved unscalable. Hitting 50 customers forced them to hire their first designer specifically to automate and systematize the onboarding process.