Jason White Of KitelyTech On The 5 Things You Need To Know To Create a Successful App, SaaS or Software Business

Invest time at the project’s inception. Consider viability workshops, pilot programs, and beta scenarios. A strong start lays the foundation for a successful outcome, and the more effort you put into planning and understanding the project’s nuances, the better the final output will be.

As a part of our series about the “5 Things You Need To Know To Create a Successful App or SaaS,” I had the pleasure of interviewing Jason White.

Jason White is the CEO of KitelyTech, an award-winning technology design, development, and implementation firm based in Detroit. A serial entrepreneur whose resume includes founding a luxury e-commerce platform and a series of consumer-facing mobile apps, White established KitelyTech in 2009. Under his leadership, the company has achieved remarkable growth, received national accolades, and consistently ranks among the top 1% globally in its field.

Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

Growing up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, I always had an entrepreneurial spirit. By 10 years old, I was already mowing lawns and coming up with ways to create a business for practically anything I could dream up.

As I got older, I began working in our family’s construction business where I learned invaluable lessons from my father — he taught me about work ethic, managing people, scaling and growing a business and more. I was hungry to build my own company from the ground up, just like my father did. My passion has always been in the tech space, so it made sense for me to play in that arena.

In my late 20’s, I embarked on the journey of creating a luxury e-goods platform. The endeavor didn’t go as planned, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The hard lessons I learned as a young entrepreneur led to the creation of everything from consumer-facing mobile apps to a tech-enabled, fast-casual restaurant in Chicago, where I lived at the time.

Companies then began to hire me for their projects — I worked with startups developing their websites, mobile apps, and did consulting for international investment groups. This ultimately gave birth to what is now known as KitelyTech.

Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?

When I was in my late 20s and running my first startup, I hired a development team that overpromised but underdelivered, all while exceeding our budget. This left me with a significant financial liability. Needless to say, it was an alarming situation for someone who had just relocated from Detroit to Chicago and transitioned from a lucrative career in our family construction business to pursue an entrepreneurial dream. It was a challenging period, but I kept hustling — quitting wasn’t an option. I utilized online resources to train myself on tasks I could no longer pay others to do.

In general, a recurring challenge on my journey has been finding the right people. I was often convinced I had assembled the ideal team, only to discover that it wasn’t the case. It felt like there was a revolving door of personnel, which made hiring and building a team arduous and frustrating.

So, how are things going today? How did your grit and resilience lead to your eventual success?

I’ve never settled. I’ve never allowed situations or individuals to push me away from my beliefs and my pursuit of perfection. Hundreds of industry awards and other accolades have come our way — not because we aimed for them, but because they validate our perseverance and successful client relationships.

We are true partners to our clients. We offer more than just the experience of a serial entrepreneur; our team boasts a deep consulting background. For example, we never blindly accept a technology stack suggestion. Instead, we challenge our clients, present pros and cons, and give them the tools they need for success. We work to preempt potential issues and are more than just note-takers — we listen, provide thought leadership, and collaborate with our clients to understand their needs and goals.

It has been said that our mistakes are our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?

In my early entrepreneurial days, one of my biggest blunders was getting overly enthusiastic about a company before it had truly materialized. We were developing social media campaigns and throwing launch parties before the platform was fully built. I was celebrating and investing in the idea of a solid working, tested, and viable platform — before we actually had one!

Today, I use the lessons I learned from that experience to guide clients. Whether it’s a fledgling startup or a massive enterprise, there’s a structured process to follow. Think of it like creating a blueprint for a house: You need to understand the house’s footprint, the number of stories it will have, and the purposes of different areas both for now and in the future. By clearly defining what is necessary and feasible, breaking down tasks into step-by-step processes and prioritizing features and functionality, you can prevent any given project from becoming a burden for both the client and the end user.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

At our core, KitelyTech is a boutique technology-design, development, and implementation firm — but with red carpet service and the horsepower and capabilities of a larger agency. While it sounds obvious, we’re committed to tailoring the most innovative solutions, providing exceptional customer service, and creating long term partnerships with our clients ranging from mid-market SMBs to Fortune 100s.

But for us, our partnerships go deeper and start with our leadership. We’ve been fortunate to team up with some of the world’s brightest in this space — including senior members of Microsoft who help us ideate and execute the best possible custom and tailored technology solutions for our clients using their full suite of services, specifically with AI. KitelyTech is now at the forefront of guiding enterprise level clients to use AI, and helping them understand the need to migrate and organize on-prem data to the cloud. We not only help create this process, but also guide teams on how AI can increase the velocity of their company. Through KitelyTech’s Katalyst Quickstart™, business leaders can address the top three concerns regarding AI’s influence on data governance, legal, and HR compliance in addition to identifying potential for biased algorithmic decisions-making, data privacy, and security risks.

Aside from our top-tier team — which includes industry thought leaders, published authors, alumni from the world’s top universities, and management from major consulting and financial firms — our excellence stems from continuous efforts to enhance our internal processes. We believe that a company is a living, breathing entity, and if it’s not evolving, it risks stagnation and obsolescence.

That’s why in January 2023, we made the pivotal decision to adopt EOS, the Entrepreneurial Operating System. EOS provides a structured framework for internal accountability, transparency, and regularly scheduled meetings to ensure continuous growth. EOS has changed the way we operate — from who we hire, to how we review data, to the way we run our meetings. Since we implemented EOS, we’ve achieved more in 10 months than we did in the several years prior.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

These recommendations stem from the lessons we’ve learned as a company during our significant growth phase.

1. Invest time at the project’s inception. Consider viability workshops, pilot programs, and beta scenarios. A strong start lays the foundation for a successful outcome, and the more effort you put into planning and understanding the project’s nuances, the better the final output will be.
2. During the requirements phase, spend time thoroughly fleshing out details for major features and functionality and acting as a devil’s advocate. Address potential issues up front to prevent them from escalating later. In addition, remain flexible to work together with clients in an agile framework to address and make changes as they become priorities.
3. One key component of our KitelyTech Katalyst Quickstart™ is onset engineering. We help our clients hit the ground running by together identifying goals and objectives, proving feasibility, and then delivering analyses and strategy for collaboration.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I’ve been fortunate to have two individuals who immensely impacted my life and for whom I’m profoundly grateful: Ron White, my father, and William (Bill) Haddad, a highly influential mentor.

My father, a Marine and Vietnam veteran, embodies integrity, discipline, and unwavering commitment. He started a construction business from his garage and eventually grew it into a highly successful electrical contracting company. Watching his pursuit of excellence, refusal to settle, and insistence on being a man of his word profoundly influenced me. From him, I learned that just because a wire is hidden behind a wall doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be perfect.

Another significant influence was Bill, whom I met at a gym in Chicago. Despite our age gap, our connection was instant. A highly educated, well-connected philanthropist, Bill took me under his wing and introduced me to facets of life I’d never experienced. I met some of the world’s top C-level executives, delved into the arts and sub sequentially got involved with the Art Institute of Chicago.

Bill’s guidance went beyond networking; it showed me that 90% of who you are is influenced by the company you keep. He introduced me to some of the world’s most influential people. Being surrounded by such remarkable people fueled my personal and professional growth, leading me to invaluable collaborations and partnerships.

My relationships with my father and Bill have provided me with wisdom, inspiration, and the true meaning of paying it forward. Their mentorship and support have shaped my life, and I’m profoundly thankful for the guidance and opportunities they’ve provided along the way.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

One of our goals is to launch a movement supporting veterans, a big passion of mine given my father’s experiences. Our mission will be to raise awareness around the sacrifices our veterans make and provide meaningful assistance to them. We want to ensure that these brave individuals who’ve given everything for our nation not only recover but also thrive and get the opportunities they deserve to help them build better futures.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

For more information about KitelyTech, please visit kitelytech.com — we look forward to hearing from many of you!

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!