Pitch Me Podcast: The $3,000 SaaS Trap Nobody Talks About

Host: Kayvon Kay
Guest: Ken Cox, founder of InLink.com
Air Date: August 20, 2025

Overview

This episode dives deep into the realities and hidden pitfalls of SaaS (“Software as a Service”) costs for small business owners and solopreneurs. Ken Cox, founder of InLink, steps up to pitch his comprehensive CRM and office suite solution, designed to help businesses streamline their tech stack, gain back valuable time, and avoid the trap of ballooning SaaS expenses. Host Kayvon Kay breaks down the approach, relentlessly seeks clarity, and ultimately exposes how consolidating tools and leveraging AI is changing the game for Main Street America.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ken Cox’s Background & InLink’s Mission

• Ken started in hosting in the late ‘90s/early 2000s with Hosterian, serving big corporate clients (Fortune 500s, data centers, colocation).
• InLink.com was created to bring robust, affordable, and privacy-focused software tools—originally built for large enterprises—to small businesses and solopreneurs.
• Focused on being a privately held, data-privacy-forward company:

  “I don't have to sell [your data]... I'm a big privacy buff.” [02:06, Ken Cox]

2. What InLink Offers

• Target Audience: Solopreneurs, small/medium businesses (SMBs), but scalable to larger enterprises.
• Industries Served: Wide-ranging, from auto glass repair, construction, and yoga studios to gyms, podcasts, and real estate.
• Product Details:
  • CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tailored for specific industries (67 industry “snapshots” available for instant setup).
  • Features: Handles bookings, AI phone answering, course creation, all-in-one business management.
  • Bundled office suite: Like Google Drive, but maintained entirely within InLink’s infrastructure—emphasizing security, compliance (HIPAA, SOC 2), and data control.

Notable Quote:

“We took everything that we've ever done and put it under one hood and we're giving it away at $97 a month.”
[03:57, Ken Cox]

3. White-Labeling & Differentiators

• InLink is a white-labeled version of Go High Level (GHL) CRM, fortified by Hosterian’s hosting and InLink’s own support team.
• Major differentiator: Direct, user-focused support (not just resellers), plus office tools and managed hosting.
• Competes on support, transparency, and integration of privacy-first office products.

Notable Quote:

“Nlink is here to cut the agency out. I believe that a small business owner should own their marketing strategy and be able to deploy it.”
[04:31, Ken Cox]

4. Why Not Just Use GoHighLevel or Other Tools Directly?

• GoHighLevel’s support is reseller-focused; InLink’s is end-user-focused.
• InLink assists with web hosting, WordPress updates, YAKT, and other integrations agencies/DIYers usually must handle alone.
• InLink bundles multiple SaaS functionalities under one subscription and one support team.

Timestamps for Key Comparison Discussion:

• Direct vs InLink – [05:43 - 06:20]
• Centralizing tools – [07:12 - 08:24]
• Email/office suite explanation – [08:32 - 10:13]

5. The All-in-One Stack & Practical Impact

• Consolidates disparate subscriptions (ActiveCampaign, ClickFunnels, Typeform, Calendly, Zapier, BI tools, etc.) into a single platform.
• Reduces SaaS costs (which often creep up to $3,000/month for small businesses) and simplifies tech management.
• Office suite replaces Google/Amazon email and drive, emphasizing privacy and cost savings:

  “It saves a company with… 2000 emails… about a half million dollars a year over Google or Amazon.”
  [08:48, Ken Cox]

6. AI Employee: 24/7 Answering & Automation

• InLink offers AI-powered phone answering, follow up (SMS/email), and review response.
• Removes human bottlenecks and coverage gaps:

  “65% of all calls go unanswered.” [11:22, Ken Cox]

• AI can quickly learn and deploy business processes (training from websites, etc.):

  “We can train these now in like 20 or 30 minutes with your website data.” [13:33, Ken Cox]

Memorable Analogy:

“Let's have the front desk person stop… being the first person to answer the phone and let's let an AI employee answer that phone.”
[11:58, Ken Cox]

7. Implementation and Pricing

• $97/mo “SoHo” package: 5 email accounts, drive (like Google Drive), CRM, onboarding.
• $500/mo “Unlimited AI Employee”: Two hours of one-on-one setup, unlimited AI agents, phone, Google review monitoring, and more. Discounts offered via webinars.

On Setup & Support:

• Onboarding includes “done with you” sessions. Additional custom work is extra.
• 24/7 support team, proactive deliverability setup, ongoing technical help.

8. Why Businesses Churn, and Who Shouldn’t Use InLink

• Churn is extremely low (2% overall):

  “It's not expense, it's. They gave up like they stopped doing it... Or [their] marketing firm needs to take it all under their belt.”
  [21:03, Ken Cox]

• Those seeking accounting software integration will need to use QuickBooks/etc.

9. The $3,000 SaaS Trap

• Kayvon frames the trap perfectly:

  "My systems costs... just my SaaS cost alone is $3,000 a month to run everything. You’re coming in—what's the elevator pitch?" [18:47, Kayvon Kay]

• Ken’s answer focuses on centralizing, automating, and scaling down costs:

  “You're missing 65% of your calls. We need to get those answered... We've dropped the price. It's such a commodity price... AI is going to drop the price of software across the board.”
  [19:03, Ken Cox]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Privacy and Old-School Internet Values:

  “I’m an old-school Internet guy. Right. I grew up before we could target you with ads. So I like that kind of ecosystem and that’s the kind of ecosystem that I built for my clients.”
  [11:04, Ken Cox]

• On the business advantage of AI employees:

  “You don’t have to worry about Susan and having a bad day and you don’t have to worry about what happens on the weekends. There’s a 24/7 AI employee working your CRM.”
  [14:36, Kayvon Kay]

• On the pitch’s core value:

  “As a result of 70% of your phones being not answered, we’re going to build you a full AI 24/7 answering and email machine. That’s all that really matters, right?”
  [20:01, Kayvon Kay]

• On accountability:

  "We want to be one throat to choke... For your Internet stuff, you come to me."
  [15:52, Ken Cox]

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment Description | Timestamps | |-------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------| | Ken’s journey, privacy mission | 01:27 - 02:38 | | Industry focus, industry snapshots | 03:11 - 03:51 | | Product walkthrough, key features | 03:57 - 05:06 | | White-label setup & unique support | 04:29 - 05:19 | | InLink vs GoHighLevel and agency nuances | 05:43 - 06:20 | | Centralizing all business tools | 07:12 - 08:24 | | Office product vs mass email, cost savings | 08:32 - 10:13 | | Privacy & office suite details | 10:13 - 11:09 | | AI employee and automation explained | 12:37 - 14:15 | | Clear business scenario: auto glass shop example | 14:30 - 15:37 | | Setup, onboarding, pricing explained | 16:05 - 17:37 | | AI review response, ethics of AI use | 17:40 - 18:07 | | Elevator pitch: The SaaS trap summed up | 18:47 - 20:23 | | Churn, onboarding, offboarding processes | 20:38 - 21:54 | | Support, tech setup, ongoing help | 21:54 - 23:34 |

Conclusion & Call to Action

Kayvon’s Recap:
If you are a solopreneur or small business owner drowning in different SaaS tools and spiraling monthly costs—or simply want to empower your team with AI solutions that ensure you never miss a lead—InLink offers an all-in-one, privacy-focused stack with real human support, 24/7 coverage, and a promise of simplicity for Main Street.

Ken Cox’s Parting Advice:

“Get to work.”
[24:05, Ken Cox]

Where to Find InLink:

• inlink.com – for product info
• Ken’s personal page: pencox.com

This episode delivers a rare look at the practical mechanics of SaaS consolidation, AI empowerment for small businesses, and the tangible ROI of simplicity and support. If you’re tired of “the $3,000 SaaS trap,” this conversation is for you.