When Digs achieved a 41.4% stickiness ratio – nearly triple the “world-class” benchmark of 16% – they didn’t follow the typical construction software playbook. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, founder Ryan Fink revealed the go-to-market strategies that drove their rapid adoption, offering valuable lessons for B2B founders targeting traditional industries.
- Start with Deep Customer Research
Before writing any code, Digs took an unconventional approach to product development. “We interviewed 25 or more builders before writing even a single line of code, just to get like our prototype out in front of them, have them test it, use it, and then we would iterate,” Ryan explains. This intensive research revealed an overlooked opportunity – while competitors focused solely on builder pain points, Digs identified the value of addressing both builder and homeowner needs simultaneously.
- Invest Early in Marketing Strategy
Unlike many technical founders who delay marketing hires, Digs prioritized strategic marketing from day one. “One of our first hires was VP of marketing… and her mission was to come on from day one and help us create our go to market strategy and really deeply understand our core target audience,” Ryan shares. This early investment helped shape both product development and market positioning.
- Maintain Ruthless Focus
Despite pressure to expand features, Digs maintained strict boundaries around their core offering. “Digs is not a project management software. There’s great companies out there like builder trend who have really captured that part of the market,” Ryan emphasizes. “We’re focused on the client experience layer for pre-construction design, handoff and warranty.” This focus required systematic evaluation of feature requests against company vision.
- Build Through Relationships
Rather than pursuing broad market penetration, Digs developed a relationship-focused approach that’s driving organic growth. “We’re seeing about 20% of our users are coming into Digs by just word of mouth referrals,” Ryan notes. Their strategy includes targeted industry events and strategic partnerships with influential figures like Mike Rowe, whose mission aligns with their vision for the construction industry.
- Demonstrate Concrete Value
Instead of making vague promises about efficiency, Digs focuses on specific business outcomes. Ryan cites clear examples: “We have builders like Masarosa out of Oklahoma who he sold ten more homes this year because of Digs.” This approach to value demonstration has helped overcome traditional resistance to new technology.
- Align Product Strategy with Industry Evolution
While solving immediate pain points, Digs maintains a clear vision for industry evolution. “In three to five years, we hope that every new home in the US is generating a digital twin for the homeowner,” Ryan shares. This vision extends to creating “the API of the home” where “brands that homeowners love, whether it’s a retail brand, furniture, et cetera, or products or services, can plug into the home and provide new experiences that we haven’t even imagined today.”
This approach has driven remarkable results. Within their first year, Digs has onboarded over 5,000 homes across all 50 states and several Canadian provinces. Their success demonstrates that even traditional industries are open to innovation when solutions are built on deep market understanding and delivered through trusted relationships.
For B2B founders, these lessons suggest a different approach to entering traditional markets:
- Invest in customer research before product development
- Make marketing strategy a day-one priority
- Maintain focus even when tempted by feature requests
- Build growth through industry relationships
- Demonstrate specific, measurable value
- Connect immediate solutions to long-term industry evolution
The construction industry’s supposed resistance to technology may be less about conservatism and more about how solutions are developed and presented. Digs’ experience shows that even the most traditional industries will embrace innovation when it’s built on genuine understanding and delivered with clear value.
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