The Pequity Playbook: Building Enterprise Software with B2C Design Principles

Enterprise software has a reputation problem. Ask any employee about their company’s internal tools, and you’ll likely hear complaints about clunky interfaces, confusing workflows, and frustrating user experiences. But in a recent episode of Category Visionaries, Pequity co-founder Warren Lebovics shared a different vision for enterprise software – one that brings consumer-grade design to B2B products.

The Enterprise Software Design Problem

“B to C feels amazing. You cannot launch a B to C product that doesn’t just feel incredible and have all these delight factors, but for a very long time with B to B, you can launch something that kind of feels like crap and it was okay,” Warren explains. This observation captures a fundamental problem in enterprise software: the acceptance of poor user experience.

The issue becomes more striking when you consider the context. As Warren points out, “Most of the time, they do want a product that feels really good because what they’re used to is Netflix and Instagram and all these wonderful experiences. So why should it be that when they’re spending eight or more hours at work, it just feels like crap and it’s clunky?”

Starting with User Experience

Pequity’s approach to product development starts with user experience rather than feature lists. “Really what it comes down to is focusing on what the customer really needs and what’s going to absolve their pain points,” Warren notes. This user-centric approach shapes everything from their product decisions to their market positioning.

The company’s focus on design isn’t just aesthetic – it’s strategic. “We attract like minded people to join the team who really want to blow customers away with the product,” Warren shares. This dedication to product excellence has helped them stand out in the crowded HR tech space.

The Business Case for Better Design

While some might view consumer-grade design as a nice-to-have, Pequity’s growth suggests otherwise. Their approach has proven particularly effective at winning customers who initially chose cheaper alternatives. “They’ve come to Pequity at the end, like, they churn off of the competitor and come to us,” Warren explains.

This pattern reveals an important truth about enterprise software: while companies might initially choose products based on features or price, they often switch to better-designed alternatives when poor user experience impacts adoption and effectiveness.

Building for Different User Types

One of the unique challenges in enterprise software is designing for various user types. Pequity’s compensation platform needs to work for compensation specialists, HR professionals, and hiring managers. Each group has different needs and levels of expertise.

This complexity is where consumer-grade design principles become particularly valuable. As Warren notes, “We want to make sure that we just wildly exceed their expectations.” This means creating interfaces that are intuitive enough for occasional users while providing the depth needed by power users.

The Future of Enterprise Software

Pequity’s success suggests a broader shift in enterprise software design. They’re proving that B2B products can – and should – offer experiences that match or exceed what users get from consumer apps. As Warren puts it, “Why should it be that when they’re spending eight or more hours at work, it just feels like crap and it’s clunky and it doesn’t do exactly what they want to do, but they’re paying way more money than they do for their other tools?”

For B2B founders, the message is clear: the bar for enterprise software design is rising. Users expect the same level of polish and intuitive design they get from consumer apps, and they’re willing to switch products to get it. In a market where feature parity is increasingly common, user experience might be the most sustainable competitive advantage.

The formula is simple but demanding: build enterprise software that solves complex problems while delivering consumer-grade experiences. As Pequity shows, it’s possible to combine deep functionality with delightful user experience – and the market rewards companies that do.