Don’t Build an Island
In the US software ecosystem, no tool lives in isolation. Your SaaS must talk to high-value hubs like Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zapier. **API-First Design** means building your API *before* your UI.
Why API-First?
If you build the UI first, the API becomes an afterthought—clunky and incomplete. By designing the API first, you ensure that every function of your platform is programmatic. Your own frontend becomes just the first consumer of your API.
Developer Experience (DX)
For US developers, your API documentation *is* your marketing. Stripe grew to billions not just because of payments, but because their API docs were beautiful and easy to use. Investing in Swagger/OpenAPI documentation is non-negotiable.
The Ecosystem Play
An open API allows third-party developers to build plugins and integrations for your platform. This creates a moat; customers won’t leave because they rely on the ecosystem you’ve built.
