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  • SaaS Origin Stories: Season Finale

    SaaS Origin Stories: Season Finale
    2023/07/13
    In this special episode of SaaS Origin Stories, Phil brings you the season finale of the season. Dan Martell, Mark Stouse, Dani Grant, Brandon Metcalf, Ajay Goel, Geoff Roberts, Chris Frantz, Rand Fishkin, Jason Radisson, and Rex Kurzius share their experiences and insights on various topics in the startup world. They discuss their journeys as founders, the challenges they faced, and the strategies they used to build successful companies. They also touch on topics such as fundraising, product development, marketing strategies, and the importance of understanding the needs of your target audience. They provide valuable insights and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.Guests at a Glance:Dan Martell on LinkedInMark Stouse on LinkedInDani Grant on LinkedInBrandon Metcalf on LinkedInAjay Goel on LinkedInGeoff Roberts on LinkedInChris Frantz on LinkedInRand Fishkin on LinkedInJason Radisson on LinkedInRex Kurzius on LinkedInLinks from the episode:SaaS AcademyBuy Back Your TimeProofMisbehavior of MarketsJam.devPlaceThe Hard Things About Hard Things by Ben HorowitzGMassOutsetaLoopsSparkToroRappi99 Uber TechnologiesAsset PandaLinks to full episodes:Building A Multimillion Dollar SaaS Company From Scratch with Dan Martell of SaaS Academy5 Things They Didn’t Teach You About Leading a SaaS Business with Mark Stouse of ProofThe SaaS Product Market Fit Toolkit with Dani Grant of Jam.dev5 Things Every SaaS Founder Should Know About Navigating The World Of Startups with Brandon Metcalf of PlaceHow To Shoestring Your SaaS with Ajay Goel of GMassWhat SaaS Companies Need To Know About Content Marketing with Geoff Roberts of OutsetaHow to Refine your SaaS Product with Chris Frantz of LoopsThe End of VC with Rand Fishkin of SparkToroExploring the SaaS Impact of AI & ChatGPT with Jason Radisson from MovoHow This SaaS Founder Fixed an Outdated Business Model with Rex Kurzius of Asset PandaTopics we cover:[01:23] - From Coding to Reading: Dan Martell's Journey of Self-Driven Education[05:37] - Mark Stouse discusses the Origin, Development, and Unique Funding Approach of Proof Analytics[09:59] - Dani Grant's Insights: Transition from VC to Founder and Navigating Fundraising[14:40] - Brandon Metcalf's Journey: From Staffing to SaaS Funding and Mastering Salesforce[19:47] - Ajay Goel on Building GMass, and Navigating Operational Costs and Monetization[24:22] - Geoff Roberts on the Journey of Outseta: Part-time Beginnings, Bootstrapping Over VC Funding, and Leveraging Unique Marketing Strategies[29:50] - Chris Frantz discusses the Art of Software Craftsmanship, Early Fundraising, and Building Loops from Scratch to Simplicity[34:35] - Independent Pathways and Rigorous Research: Rand Fishkin's Journey to Build SparkToro[41:11] - Jason Radisson’s Insights: Building a Tech-Enabled Business from Ground Up[47:40] - Identifying and Solving Market Problems: Rex Kurzius on Asset Management Evolution
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    54 分
  • The Question of Acceleration, Advice from a SaaS Founder with Jane Portmam of Userlist

    The Question of Acceleration, Advice from a SaaS Founder with Jane Portmam of Userlist
    2023/07/06

    In this episode of SaaS Origin Stories, Phil speaks with Jane Portman, Co-Founder of Userlist, an email marketing platform built with B2B Saas in mind. Together, they discuss Jane’s history of creating successful products and how they led to what Userlist is today, the experience of joining an accelerator program as an SaaS founder, and why expansion revenue is the goldmine of SaaS.

    Guest at a Glance:


    Name: Jane Portman


    About Jane: Jane Portman, Co-Founder of Userlist, an email marketing platform built with B2B Saas in mind. A UI/UX consultant, specializing in web application design, Jane also runs the UI Breakfast Podcast.


    • Jane on LinkedIn
    • Userlist on LinkedIn
    • Userlist Website
    • UI Breakfast Website


    Links from the episode:


    • Jane on LinkedIn
    • Userlist on LinkedIn
    • Userlist Website


    Topics we cover:


    • [00:07] - The Problem that Userlist Solves and How Jane Discovered It
    • [01:26] - Jane’s History of Trial and Error in Creating Successful Products
    • [06:41] - Making the Decision to Join an Accelerator
    • [09:54] - Business Growth after Joining an Accelerator
    • [13:35] - Finding Your First Customers
    • [19:38] - Dealing with Surprising Customer and Non-Customer Feedback
    • [24:25] - Learning the Limit of Resources
    • [26:04] - Expansion Revenue as the Goldmine of SaaS
    • [27:44] - Tiered vs. Metered Pricing Models
    • [31:54] - The Problem with Pricing Too Low

    [33:02] - A Look into the Current and Future Picture of Userlist
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    36 分
  • Why You Need to Approach Your SaaS Business Like a Game of Chess with Artem Korem at Sembly AI

    Why You Need to Approach Your SaaS Business Like a Game of Chess with Artem Korem at Sembly AI
    2023/06/29

    In this episode of SaaS Origin Stories, Phil speaks with Artem Koren, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Sembly AI, an SaaS platform that uses proprietary AI algorithms to transcribe and analyze meetings. Together, they discuss making smart decisions in the early stages of a startup, as well as how to recover from blunders, insights into building out an AI engine, and how Artem found and filled a gap in the technology market.


    Guest at a Glance:


    Name: Artem Koren


    About Artem: Artem Koren, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Sembly AI, an SaaS platform that uses proprietary AI algorithms to transcribe and analyze meetings, making them a more effective experience for teams. Previously he was the Senior Vice President at UMT Consulting, which was acquired by EY Advisory in 2015, and the Co-Founder of Neusana.


    • Artem on LinkedIn
    • Sembly AI on LinkedIn
    • Sembly AI Website


    Links from the episode:


    • Artem on LinkedIn
    • Artem on Twitter
    • Artem’s article on the Major Pitfalls of Generative AI
    • Artem’s Website
    • Artem’s book Untethered
    • Sembly AI on LinkedIn
    • Sembly AI Website
    • Sembly AI Blog
    • Sembly AI on Twitter


    Topics we cover:


    • [00:14] - Artem’s Journey from Consulting to Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer
    • [03:48] - Sembly AI as a Problem Solver
    • [08:39] - Insights into Building Out an AI Engine
    • [20:58] - The Importance of Focussing on Individual User Experiences when Approaching Big Organizations
    • [27:54] - Finding and Filling a Gap in the Technology Market
    • [34:23] - Dealing with ‘Hype’ when Building a New Product
    • [37:39] - Making Smart Decisions in the Early Days of a Startup
    • [45:52] - How to Deal with Early Mistakes and a Lack of Predictability
    • [51:46] - Why You Should Approach Customers Earlier Rather Than Later
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    50 分
  • Exploring the SaaS Impact of AI & ChatGPT with Jason Radisson from Movo

    Exploring the SaaS Impact of AI & ChatGPT with Jason Radisson from Movo
    2023/06/22

    In this episode of SaaS Origin Stories, Phil speaks with Jason Radisson, CEO of Movo, a platform that helps businesses build, run, and upskill their workforces. On top of that, he is also an Investor & Growth Advisor at Rappi! Together, they delve into Jason’s history as a serial entrepreneur, how Movo acquired online giant Amazon as a client, and why bootstrapping can be both a risky and effective method of funding a startup. They also discuss whether entry-level jobs will be automated away by the likes of ChatGPT and AI.

    So make sure you stick around for this one; you don’t want to miss out!!

    Guest at a Glance:


    Name: Jason Radisson


    About Jason: Jason Radisson, CEO of Movo, a platform that helps businesses build, run, and upskill their workforces! On top of that, he is also an Investor & Growth Advisor at Rappi! Previously, he was Chief Operating Officer at 99-Taxis, General Manager at Uber Technologies, and Founder and CEO of Echtzeit GmbH.


    • Jason on LinkedIn
    • Movo’s LinkedIn
    • Movo’s Website


    Links from the episode:


    • Jason on LinkedIn
    • Movo’s LinkedIn
    • Movo’s Website
    • Rappi
    • 99
    • Uber Technologies

    Topics we cover:

    • [00:20] - Jason’s History as a Serial Founder and Entrepreneur
    • [04:44] - What Distinguishes a Massive Online Marketplace?
    • [07:03] - How Movo Acquired Amazon as a Customer
    • [11:10] - Bootstrapping: A Risky But Effective Method of Fundraising
    • [20:20] - Helping the Bigger Corporations Onboard Your Systems
    • [24:10] - Most Founders Just Want to Help People Get Ahead
    • [34:01] - Will Entry-Level White Collar Jobs be Automated Away?
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    50 分
  • Jumping Straight Into a SaaS Startup: Brave or Stupid? With Daniel Bakh of Fullview

    Jumping Straight Into a SaaS Startup: Brave or Stupid? With Daniel Bakh of Fullview
    2023/06/15

    In this episode of SaaS Origin Stories, Phil speaks with Daniel Bakh, CEO of Fullview, a platform that enables SaaS companies to deliver delightful support that is fast, personable, and scalable. He is also the Host of the Collective Hindsight podcast where accomplished founders and investors share their stories, and was previously the Growth Manager at Contractbook and a Product Evangelist at TwentyThree.

    Join them as they delve into how Daniel turned his frustration in a customer-facing SaaS role into an entirely new business, why going full-time with Fullview straight away was a very risky but worthwhile move, and why your SaaS product needs a hook for your investors. They also discuss why listening to your customers' problems is one of the most important things you can do as a founder.

    Guest at a Glance:


    Name: Daniel Bakh


    About Daniel: Daniel Bakh is the CEO of Fullview, a platform that enables SaaS companies to deliver delightful support that is fast, personable, and scalable. He is also the Host of the Collective Hindsight podcast where accomplished founders and investors share their stories, and was previously the Growth Manager at Contractbook and a Product Evangelist at TwentyThree.


    • Daniel on LinkedIn
    • Fullview on LinkedIn
    • Fullview’s Website


    Topics we cover:


    • How Fullview saves time for B2B SaaS companies
    • Going fulltime from day one and the fundraising process
    • Jumping straight into the company: brave or stupid?
    • Pitching the idea to investors
    • Sometimes all you need is a powerpoint
    • Figuring out your North Star
    • Why you should meet with every user of your product
    • Visualizing the design of a feature before actually making it
    • Listen to the customers, but focus on their problems


    And more!
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    34 分
  • How This SaaS Founder Fixed an Outdated Business Model with Rex Kurzius of Asset Panda

    How This SaaS Founder Fixed an Outdated Business Model with Rex Kurzius of Asset Panda
    2023/06/08
    In this episode of SaaS Origin Stories, Phil speaks with Rex Kurzius, Founder of Asset Panda,a powerful cloud-based asset relationship management platform that helps you keep track of your devices and create interdependencies between them. He is also the Founder of LRK Partners, Timberhorn, and Resulte Universal. He was also the President of Virtual Village.Together, they get into how Rex’s serial entrepreneurship journey played out and whether or not first time founders should even start with SaaS, how he found (and solved) a problem within the SaaS market, why you should always mindmap your idea, and why retaining your customers means you have to keep making your product better.Guest at a Glance:Name: Rex KurziusAbout Rex: Rex Kurzius is the Founder of Asset Panda, a powerful cloud-based asset relationship management platform that helps you keep track of your devices and create interdependencies between them. He is also the Founder of LRK Partners, Timberhorn, and Resulte Universal. He was also the President of Virtual Village.Rex on LinkedInAsset Panda on LinkedInAsset Panda’s WebsiteTopics we cover:How Asset Panda helps companies understand their equipmentShould you wait before building a SaaS company?The Age of EntrepreneurshipSolving the problems of an outdated business modelMindmap your ideas for a businessFinding the gaps in the marketContent marketing: the most effective way to marketRetaining your customers means making the product betterAnd more!Key Takeaways:The Arc of a Serial EntrepreneurWhen Rex was just twenty-three years old, Rex built and sold his first company called ‘Resulte Universal,’ an IT services business. It grew to be worth about thirty million dollars! But he didn’t start off with a SaaS product, instead, he built his way up and got used to what it was like building more traditional companies. SaaS is a very complex and intimidating market, so starting off in that industry may be, whilst brave, very risky.“My background is, I did build several other types of companies before I got into SaaS, and those experiences really helped me with it. And you’re right, SaaS can be quite a bit more complex, and the runway to build these SaaS companies needs to be quite a bit longer.”Looking for a Problem to Solve: Do it Yourself!When Rex was building one of his service businesses, he continually ran into the problem of lost equipment. Despite using one of the most widely used accounting systems in the world, it seemed to be a problem that a lot of others were having. When he looked into it, he found that this was a common issue a lot of people were having and that the real problem lay within the business model. So what did he do? He took it upon himself to fix it, and thus, Asset Panda was born.“I had built up several service businesses and as I was building one of them I ran into a problem, and the problem was lost equipment. And we were using one of the most ubiquitous accounting systems in the world with Quickbooks, and it had a fixed asset ledger and that’s where we were supposed to track our fixed assets, but we continually lost equipment.”Mindmap Your IdeasWhen starting your business, before really committing to an idea, write it all down, whether that be through a mindmap or notes, get it all down on paper and try to make connections to things in the industry. Eventually, you will figure out where the gap in the market lies, and your idea for your business will come to the forefront, all the pieces falling into place.“In any business, if you stick at something long enough and you’re gritty enough, you’ll eventually overturn questions and get some answers.”
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    36 分
  • How to Find the Best Engineers for Your SaaS Product with Alex Levin of Regal.io

    How to Find the Best Engineers for Your SaaS Product with Alex Levin of Regal.io
    2023/06/01
    In this episode of SaaS Origin Stories, Phil speaks with Alex Levin, Co-Founder and CEO of Regal.io, an outbound phone and SMS sales solution built to drive more conversations with customers and encourage growth. He is also currently a Partner at Blue Trail Partners. Previously, he was the SVP of Growth at Handy HQ and the Director of Global Sales & Marketing at Titan Steel Corporation.They delve into what it was like moving from B2C and into B2B SaaS, why raising money from outsiders may actually be a bad idea, why timing can make or break your business, and why you should not let it get to you just because things will go wrong.Guest at a Glance:Name: Alex LevinAbout Dan: Alex Levin is the Co-Founder and CEO of Regal.io, an outbound phone and SMS sales solution built to drive more conversations with customers and encourage growth. He is also currently a Partner at Blue Trail Partners. Previously he was the SVP of Growth at Handy HQ and the Director of Global Sales & Marketing at Titan Steel Corporation.Alex on LinkedInRegal.io on LinkedInRegal.io’s WebsiteTopics we cover:Moving from B2C to B2B SaaSBringing the human being back into businesses through SaaSFinding a team to build your SaaS productRaising money from outsiders: good or bad?Why timing can make or break your businessYour friends are not great customersWait until you find something that people are asking you forSometimes it’s not the wrong product, it might be the wrong customerNot everything will go right, but don’t let it put you offIt’s all about the day-to-day execution And more!Key Takeaways:From B2C to B2B SaaSAlex talks all about how he originally worked in B2C, but when he was introduced to B2B SaaS, he realized that the business model is way better and encourages more revenue growth. He says that he and his business partner enjoyed creating startups and found that, when his original B2C company grew, they didn’t enjoy it as much. Eventually, he decided he wanted to become a founder, and they got quite lucky with the transition.“Our whole career really had been B2C companies, we never really worked B2B. Eventually we had this idea for a B2B business and I wish ten years ago someone had tapped me on the shoulder and said ‘Forget B2C businesses, there’s this thing called B2B SaaS that’s the greatest business model ever,’ so I’m glad we made the switch.”Finding a Team to Build Your SaaS ProductAlex and his Co-Founder weren’t programmers; they were product managers, so it was up to them to find engineers who could build their product. This meant they needed to know what they lacked and what customers actually wanted. By the time they were hiring, they knew exactly what it was they wanted and what they needed to build. “We weren’t the ones that were going to build the product . What we found was it was our opportunity to really go and understand what we needed to build, what customers actually wanted to buy, so by the time we were hiring engineers it was very clear what we were going to build.”Raising Money From Outsiders: Good or Bad?One thing that gets overlooked when raising money for your business is this: once you’ve raised money from outsiders, it may breed some stagnation. You may find yourself stuck, or realizing that your business isn’t all what you thought it would be. This puts you in a rather tricky position, because you have to do something with that money. So, before raising money from others, make sure you’re absolutely certain your business idea is what you want.“What people forget is, the second you raise money from outsiders, you’re stuck. People think of raising money as a good thing, but it’s not, because once you’ve raised that money you’re stuck for a couple of years trying to get that thing to work. It’s much better at the beginning to spend less money and use your own funds if you can, figure out if you’re convinced.”Your Friends Are Not Good CustomersWhether you like it or not, your friends are not good early customers, because they will feel like they have to be nice to you, especially if you give them a product for free. Rather, you should aim to give your product to people who are more inclined to be honest with you. Alex argues that friends of friends are better, because you’re kind of connected to them but you don’t really know them.“Your friends are probably not great early customers. The reason is that they want to be nice to you, especially if you don't make them pay for it, then they’re not going to tell you the truth that it’s terrible or something.”
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    36 分
  • Unleashing Your Business's Unique Advantage using SaaS with Andrew Butt of Enable

    Unleashing Your Business's Unique Advantage using SaaS with Andrew Butt of Enable
    2023/05/25
    In this episode of SaaS Origin Stories, Phil speaks with Andrew Butt, Founder and CEO of Enable, a software development company that helps manufacturers, distributors, and retailers take control of their rebate programs and turn them into an engine for growth. Prior to this, he was the Co-Founder & Managing Director of the E-Commerce Division at DCS Group (UK) Ltd, and the Co-Founder and Director at Enable Infomatrix.Together, they get into what it’s like going from eighty to five hundred employees and how you cope with that as a CEO, when to stop being a remote SaaS business and move to an office, the difficulties of having such a strong niche, and the differences between fundraising in the UK and the US.Guest at a Glance:Name: Andrew ButtAbout Dan: Andrew Butt is the Founder and CEO of Enable, a software development company that helps manufacturers, distributors, and retailers take control of their rebate programs and turn them into an engine for growth. Prior to this, he was the Co-Founder & Managing Director of the E-Commerce Division at DCS Group (UK) Ltd and the Co-Founder and Director at Enable Infomatrix.Andrew on LinkedInEnable on LinkedInEnable’s WebsiteTopics we cover:How Enable helps financial professionals, buyers, and sellersCustomer expectations are at an all-time highMerging different skills to solve supply chain problemsBeing profitable from day oneWord of mouth and networking in order to attain customersWhen is it time to stop being completely remote?Having a unique edge as a businessRaising forty million dollars in the first yearHow to spend fundraised money wisely and deploy it effectivelyThe difference between being a CEO of 80 employees and having 500Key Takeaways:A Brilliant Combination of SkillsAndrew and his Co-Founder both had a set of different skills that really complimented each other; Andrew was focused on the tech side while also having an interest in business, and his Co-Founder had an immense knowledge in supply chains, manufacturing, and how customers work. After noticing a technical disconnect between all three of those, they created Enable in order to make the supply chain processes easier! “So [my Co-Founder] was a supply chain expert and understood distribution and also business, and then I was really the technical programming guy and I was building applications, building software, web applications in the early days. And I also had a real passion for business as well.”Being Profitable From Day One!In the UK, the typical approach when building a SaaS business is by starting small and then growing organically. Instead of straight up looking for an angel investor like so many other businesses, they chose to go the traditional, gradual route of funding the business. Once they started to build a product rather than just provide services, they started using the money they got from previous work as the funding source.“Initially we were already providing services. We started the company together really as a service provider, and we were building custom software for companies and they were obviously paying us to do that. So, we were kind of profitable from virtually day one, which is a typical approach in the UK: start very small and grow organically.”Searching for a US InvestorEnable’s goal when they moved to the US was to find an investor that understood what they were about—someone who had a deep understanding of their particular niche. Unfortunately, they learned that a lot of people they pitched to didn’t really understand their product. Eventually, they found someone and managed to raise forty million dollars in the first year, allowing them to build a team in the US and grow organically.“It really took some visionary investors to see what we had and see through some of those strange kind of aspects and to realize this was a really good thing to invest in.”From 80 to 500 EmployeesWhen Enable made the move from the UK to the US, their team started to grow exponentially and soon went from 80 employees all the way to 500! The transitional period of this proved to be quite the challenge for Andrew. As time went on, they, fortunately, got used to it; it became much easier to manage and they quickly were able to figure out how to delegate tasks.
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    36 分