If you’re trying to build a SaaS, you’re wasting your time. You should be building a TEAM. A team of talented developers, marketers, customer success agents and salespeople… Then that team will build your SaaS. It’s a huge paradigm shift, but it’s damn important. Elon Musk didn’t hand-build Tesla cars himself, Richard Branson never piloted a Virgin aircraft, and Steve Jobs didn’t assemble the electrical components in the first Apple iPhone. No, these entrepreneurs were visionaries and managers. Your ability to inspire and MANAGE a team is going to be the driving force of your success. So… what are you doing to be a better leader and manager? This is SUCH a high point of leverage that I’m proud to introduce my latest guest to the Escape Velocity Podcast, Aydin Mirzaee. Aydin is the CEO and co-founder of Fellow.app, a management application for businesses that have raised over $6.5M in capital. His software is 100% dedicated to helping managers run more effective teams. He’s an expert at it. ...Which is why if you’re ever going to scale your business, you’re going to need to listen to this awesome interview. Fellow.app wasn’t Aydin’s first success. His previous company, Fluidware, grew to $10M+ ARR before being successfully acquired by SurveyMonkey for a lucrative exit. In this episode, Aydin and I get chatting about: - Why “star performers” are always the result of a team - The ONLY thing a manager should worry about - How to spot a failing manager - The Fellow.app freemium pricing model - The value of upflowing feedback - Why he hires teams... not people - How he bootstrapped Fluidware to $10M ARR with zero funding Fellow.app is built on concrete management principles that have been proven to work time and time again. To build an application like that, Aydin and his team HAVE to know and live these management principles. And I hate to say it… But so do you. The best SaaS idea won’t find success if you don’t have the right team to carry it. I’m telling you… this interview is not something to shrug off. It’s LOADED with insights that you should be leveraging to grow and manage a better team throughout 2021. Listen to the episode here and drop me a comment with your favourite key insight. Looking forward to hearing from you. -- Dan Martell is a serial entrepreneur, an investor in 40+ startups like Intercom, Udemy, and Unbounce and the creator of SaaS Academy, helping over 500 B2B SaaS founders scale faster. He’s founded five SaaS companies and successfully exited three of them. If you want to scale faster without hitting the usual roadblocks, make sure to follow him on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn & Twitter. Join his exclusive Scaling SaaS Founders Facebook Group. 

Escape Velocity - with Dan Martell

The Driving Force of a Startup's Success with Aydin Mirzaee @ Fellow.app - Escape Velocity Show #50

Paid ads… or publicity? Choose. For a bootstrapped startup with little-to-no cash in the bank trying to find their first thousand customers, this question should be a no-brainer. Publicity. PR doesn’t cost. There’s no PPC or ad spend behind good PR. Every dollar returned is profit and the only upfront cost is time. Yet a good PR campaign can explode in virality and skyrocket your traffic. Why? Because instead of paying to get your product featured on valuable marketing channels, publicity means you ARE the valuable marketing channel. Publicity means interviews, featured guest posts, public appearances, podcast interviews and more. You and your product become the valuable content that others want to consume. It means getting attention… for free. But you HAVE to have a story that sells your product before you can get that free PR. Want to know how to do that? Let’s hear from a PR expert, Adrian Salamunovic, entrepreneur and co-author of Free PR. Trust me… if you want your SaaS to grow quickly, you don’t want to miss this interview. Adrian was the co-founder of CanvasPop and DNA 11, both companies that he grew organically generating millions in revenue through free PR channels. But he became a PR expert out of necessity. In this kickass interview, we get chatting about: - How he did over $1M in revenue in 14 months with zero funding - Why any product can be sold through story - How marketing channels have multiplied - Utilizing multi-channel marketing for startups - How to write your brand story - Finding your ‘remarkable angle’ - The keys to good PR - Becoming a branded thought-leader in your industry The value bombs that Adrian drops in this interview are insane. You’re crazy not to listen in. Doesn’t matter if your startup is fresh out the gate or if you’re already scaling towards millions... Story. Matters. Period. If you’ve EVER wanted the ultimate SaaS growth hack… this is it: create organic publicity. Get your headphones in, and PLEASE don’t miss out on this interview. --  Dan Martell is a serial entrepreneur, an investor in 40+ startups like Intercom, Udemy, and Unbounce and the creator of SaaS Academy, helping over 500 B2B SaaS founders scale faster. He’s founded five SaaS companies and successfully exited three of them. If you want to scale faster without hitting the usual roadblocks, make sure to follow him on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn & Twitter. Join his exclusive Scaling SaaS Founders Facebook Group.  

Growth Through Publicity (Not Paid Ads) with Adrian Salamunovic @ CanvasPop - Escape Velocity Show #49

I have an exclusive interview for you... No matter how far I looked, I haven’t been able to find ANY other interviews anywhere with my latest Escape Velocity guest, Justin Shimoon. He just… doesn’t do them. But for me, he generously opened up about the massive success of his company, AffinityClick. ...And how he grew them to be one of the biggest players in the enterprise VOIP market. Justin is the founder and CEO of AffinityClick and the creator of Hushed, one of the world’s most popular mobile calling apps. This is a guy whose software has over 500,000+ monthly active users (MAUs) and makes millions from both B2C and B2B enterprise-level VOIP services. He made it possible for anyone to buy new phone numbers and use them alongside your real number. To launch AffinityClick, Justin didn’t build new infrastructure. Like any great SaaS that scales quickly, his product simply connected the dots between pre-existing technology and services. But knowing how to do that? Yeah, that’s the challenge. Check out the latest episode below and let’s hear how he grew his VOIP tech empire. This is an AWESOME interview. Handling enterprise-level SaaS growth is a whole different ball game, and Justin has mastered it. We’re chatting about: - Making a MASSIVE pivot to an entire company - The sunk cost fallacy - How to create OTT tech that leverages existing tech - How AffinityClick almost ran out of money after $900k personal investment - Getting to the top of the Apple App Store - Creating a Freemium model that converts 65% of users - The pains of growth - Buying ads to protect your brand - Scaling a SaaS with SEO Justin is a talented guy. He’s been an entrepreneur for over 20 years, which means he’s seen tech revolutions rise and fall countless times. Yet he’s still managed to remain successful despite the shifting trends. I really believe that’s what makes a great CEO and founder. It’s not your ability to get lucky with one business decision… It’s your ability to play your cards right again and again and again. In the end, it’s not luck. It’s entrepreneurial wisdom. Tune in to the latest episode to hear from Justin Shimoon’s impressive tech knowledge. -- Dan Martell is a serial entrepreneur, an investor in 40+ startups like Intercom, Udemy, and Unbounce and the creator of SaaS Academy, helping over 500 B2B SaaS founders scale faster. He’s founded five SaaS companies and successfully exited three of them. If you want to scale faster without hitting the usual roadblocks, make sure to follow him on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn & Twitter. 

Master Enterprise-Level SaaS Growth with Justin Shimoon @ AffinityClick - Escape Velocity Show #48

Freemium? Free trial with a credit card? Or premium only? If you’re asking these questions about your pricing model, then - according to Wes Bush - you’d already be on the wrong path. Wes Bush is the founder and CEO of ProductLed and the bestselling author of Product-Led Growth: How To Build a Product That Sells Itself. Product-led growth is a methodology that attracts the right customer, gives them a reason to use your tech, and then turns them into a raving fan of your business. It’s extremely important for a cutting edge SaaS to know how to do this.  Why? Because 40% - 60% of users that sign up for a SaaS are NOT coming back.  Ever. Product-led growth means giving them a reason to return, a hook that makes them WANT to stay. Meaning… It’s the antidote to churn! It is an absolute pleasure to have one of the world-leading experts on this topic at the microphone for the latest episode of the Escape Velocity podcast. If sales are low, churn rates are high, or your pricing model doesn’t feel right… then sink your teeth into this episode, where we discuss: - Why a free trial is NOT necessarily a product-led approach - How to test product-led business structures without sacrificing your bottom line - The A/B split testing trick to minimize your profit loss - Why customers buy results, not tools. - The Super Mario experience - How a product-led support team doubles as your sales team - Why product-led is necessary for saturated markets - How the ultimate lead magnet will always be your product I believe in this value-driven methodology wholeheartedly. It’s why I’ve always worked in support in the early days of every one of my companies.  You get direct customer insights, understand their pains, and get to tailor the product to their needs. But hearing this quantified by an expert like Wes might be just the deal-breaker you need to revitalize your SaaS business model and bring you into 2021 ahead of the game. Earphones in. Listen in here.

How To Retain Loyal Customers with Wes Bush @ Product-Led - Escape Velocity Show #47

Don’t let anyone tell you it’s too late to change your direction. Emily Walsh went from being a ballet dancer… to a lead investor at Georgian, a VC firm that has raised $1.2B across 4 funds and recently added another $850M in early 2020. Georgian focuses on investing in software and fin-tech. According to Emily, Georgian typically invests $20M - $40M at a time. Being a lead investor, Emily has to be right at the forefront of making the decisions of how to spend that money and who to give it to. If you’ve ever thought about attracting your first or next round of funding, then it’s vital to know how investors like Emily think. ...especially because Georgian are a minority investor. Minority investors don’t expect to change your company’s direction. They want to see that you already know where you are going. If they like the direction, they’ll strap $20M+ rocket-boosters (aka: investments) to the back of your SaaS engine to get you there quicker. But, how does a firm like Georgian qualify SaaS businesses and evaluate if they’re worth the investment? AI. Georgian has an internal model that allows them to input data about a business and validate if the investment will meet their return criteria. Clever, right? Let’s hear from Emily in the latest interview on the Escape Velocity podcast. Emily has a heart for growing SaaS businesses and in our chat, we talk about: - How Georgian grew from 17 to 60 people - What got Emily into investing - How dancing taught her discipline and focus - Why Georgian structures themselves like a software company - The 2 questions Emily will ask of any potential software investment - The future of Conversational AI in SaaS sales pipelines I love speaking with decision makers at VC firms about the SaaS industry. Investors get exclusive views of company roadmaps, timelines and P&L sheets. They see the behind-the-scenes that most companies prefer to keep secret… and although investors respect the business privacy of their portfolio clients, they still have the wisdom for picking market winners well in advance. I’m telling you… If you EVER want to attract some serious big-cash investors, you HAVE to think the way they think. And it’s priceless interviews like this one that will help you. Turn up the volume, and listen to the episode here. -- Dan Martell is a serial entrepreneur, an investor in 40+ startups like Intercom, Udemy, and Unbounce and the creator of SaaS Academy, helping over 500 B2B SaaS founders scale faster. He’s founded five SaaS companies and successfully exited three of them. If you want to scale faster without hitting the usual roadblocks, make sure to follow him on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn & Twitter. 

From Ballet Dancer to Lead Investor with Emily Walsh @ Georgian Partners - Escape Velocity Show #46

“How many mermaid tails do you think are sold every year globally?” It wasn’t a question I expected to be asked by a SaaS founder. I guessed 50 million. But I was short… by 450 million. Liam Martin, one of my SaaS Academy coaching clients, asked me this question in the latest episode of Escape Velocity. Liam is the co-founder of both Time Doctor, time tracking software for remote workers, and Running Remote, the world’s largest remote work conference. I’ve been coaching Liam and his co-founder Rob for years now. Liam is an open book, happy to share anything about his business, life and relationships. His partner, Marielle, is the CEO and founder of Aqua Mermaid, a site that sells mermaids tails and teaches you how to swim like one too. ...Which explains the unusual question. It never ceases to amaze me how much money can be made in a unique niche. And although Liam has some unexpected insights into the mermaid niche, his strength is in his knowledge of remote work. Amidst a global pandemic, the topic of remote work has gone from interesting to necessary, and many myths around remote work are being quickly shattered. “When you take someone remote, they increase their productivity by 40%.” Your ability to assemble a flexible, efficient remote workforce may be an essential step to getting your SaaS off the ground without the upfront costs of office space. If you want to know more about scaling your business with a remote workforce, then tune in to this awesome interview with Liam. Although most of my interviews are business focussed, this one gets personal quite quickly, where we touch on topics including: - The high rates of depression amongst entrepreneurs - The value of therapy for high-performers - How Time Doctor went down for 2 days… losing $1M in ARR - Why VCs are skeptical of remote workforces - How your remote workforce can be a competitive edge - What to do when life deals you a tough hand - The need for empathy in business - Self-sabotaging and why entrepreneurs can be their own worst enemy - How to help someone course correct And by the way... I think it's a good thing not to talk only about business. As entrepreneurs we're human. We all have good days and not so good days.  What helps us through those times is having a good feedback loop from entrepreneurs that have been through what we're going through and come out the end of the tunnel alive. The Escape Velocity podcast is my way of having those conversations and giving you another perspective. Tune in and hang out with us. -- Dan Martell is a serial entrepreneur, an investor in 40+ startups like Intercom, Udemy, and Unbounce and the creator of SaaS Academy, helping over 500 B2B SaaS founders scale faster. He’s founded five SaaS companies and successfully exited three of them. If you want to scale faster without hitting the usual roadblocks, make sure to follow him on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn & Twitter. 

How To Scale a Remote Business with Liam Martin @ Time Doctor - Escape Velocity Show #45

When I launched my company Clarity.fm in 2010, I gave a live demo to an audience showing how the service works. It was my Steve Jobs moment. From stage, I demonstrated how Clarity enabled me to call high-profile, successful entrepreneurs and get business advice from them over the phone instantly. For the live demo, I had to call someone notable… someone the audience couldn’t reach. I called Mike McDerment, the CEO of FreshBooks, a super successful accounting SaaS. Mike was my example of a successful CEO. He’s smart, committed to growth, and has scaled FreshBooks from humble beginnings in his parent’s basement back in 2004… ...to a team of over 300+ employees, raising over $75M in funding and earning over $50M+ annual recurring revenue. Now it’s a pleasure to hand him the microphone once again by inviting him on the Escape Velocity podcast to share his infinite wisdom about leadership and growth in the SaaS space. If you’ve ever wondered what kind of a CEO you are (or could be), then you need to hear this interview. In this episode, we’re discussing: - The 3 types of CEOs (which one are you?) - The 3 core functions of a CEO - The 3 stages of leadership growth in a scaling SaaS - Why Mike hired an external COO with shared responsibilities - Dealing with inevitable growth - Scaling a remarkable culture - How a CEO’s gut instinct is your best weapon… if you train it! - Building an executive board - Why Freshbooks resisted VC investors for over 10 years - How to train and sharpen your CEO mind - Pattern recognition as a method of business intuition - Why he thinks Freshbooks, at 16 years old, is still in its infancy Even now, there is still glorification of the struggling startup. “Dude, I’m launching a startup, then I’ll be my own boss and escape the 9-to-5!” But as any business achieves the success it sets out for, many founders struggle to morph into the person they need to be to lead a growing business at scale. That’s why I think it’s incredibly important that you hear the experiences of CEOs like Mike and the inevitable steps that they had to take as their companies grew. It’s better to learn this in advance before you back your business into a corner. So I encourage you: put your earphones in and fire up the episode. It’s eye-opening. -- Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. (Get the free 3 videos to grow your business here.) He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome. + Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell + Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell + Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell   

The 3 Types of CEOs with Mike McDerment @ Freshbooks - Escape Velocity Show #44

“Talent is everywhere, opportunity is not”. This is a quote from my latest Escape Velocity Podcast guest, Marvin Liao, formerly a partner at 500 Startups. 500 Startups is a venture capital fund that runs an accelerator in San Francisco and invests in seed rounds for tech startups. At the time of recording this interview, they backed a lot more than 500 tech companies as their name suggests... How many? 2300+ and counting. Investing in seed-stage startups is risky, too.  When many startups first ask for funding, they’ve often only just assembled their MVP.  They may have a handful of customers, but they’re still testing their product-market fit and hoping to grow. This is where investors like Marvin have to evaluate the SaaS and decide: “Is the risk of investing worth it?” Securing a great round of seed financing can help turn your rough idea into a polished, growth-ready business. I sat down with Marvin to ask how he picks which startups are worth that risk - and which aren’t. Check it out. Although Marvin has moved on from 500 Startups, the company still flourishes with an ever-expanding portfolio.   They are proudly considered the most active early-stage investment fund in the world, with over 5000+ entrepreneurs from 75+ countries on their portfolio. In our interview, Marvin reveals: - The structure of their accelerator program   - Which investment risks paid off the fastest (and which didn’t)   - The 500 Startups investment thesis   - Why they are seed only… and won’t invest in your series A   - How to let your SaaS “die honourably”   - How the HBO show Silicon Valley is surprisingly accurate   - The necessity for executive coaching   - The entrepreneurial business of investing This is an eye-opening interview. I’ve met many SaaS founders that hold investors on a pedestal, treating them like the gods of success. It helps to realize that investment funds are run by living, breathing humans with interests, questions and faults just like everyone else. If you’re interested in accelerator programs and seed financing, make sure you tune in to this episode here. -- Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. (Get the free 3 videos to grow your business here.) He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome. + Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell + Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell + Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell   

Investing in 250+ SaaS Startups with Marvin Liao, Partner @ 500 Startups - Escape Velocity Show #43

Your website is polished. Facebook ads retargeting, Google ads pushing your domain to the top of the results page. Traffic trickles through… starting with a sign-up for a free trial. All your PPC ad spend is balancing on a knife’s edge. But here’s the question: Will the prospect convert from a free trial to a paid customer? If yes, you can wipe away the sweat and enjoy a profitable growth funnel.    If not, you’re pouring money into Zuckerberg’s pocket without anything to show for it. This is why maximizing your trial-to-customer conversion rate is essential to scaling your SaaS.  I consider it low hanging fruit. You already have the prospect interacting with your product, now you want them to trust you with their credit card. Fortunately, I’m good mates with one of the leading trial conversion experts in the SaaS space: Aaron Krall. In the past, I’ve hired Aaron to educate my SaaS Academy clients. He seriously knows his stuff! So it’s a pleasure to invite him to be a guest on the Escape Velocity podcast and hear what he has to say about onboarding trials that maximize conversions. Not only is Aaron a highly sought-after conversion expert...  But he also started the biggest SaaS-only Facebook group, now with over 21,000 members. In this interview, we talk about: - Impressive onboarding strategies - Companies who are doing it right - How I first met Aaron (and gave him the 5-start treatment) - How Aaron went from food stamps to growth hacking - Getting fired from L’Oréal - The power of niching down (but not staying there) I’ve now released 40+ episodes of the Escape Velocity podcast, but never have I laughed THIS hard during a recording session. Aaron is hilarious. Wait until you hear him impersonate scammy SaaS founders. Tune in with us for a laugh right here.

Perfecting Onboarding & Activation with Aaron Krall @ SaaS Growth Hacks - Escape Velocity Show #42

Back in 2012, when I raised $1.6M in funding for Clarity.fm, I insisted on squeezing more out of my investors.   When I put together the final cap table, I made it clear that I also wanted introductions with other investors and businesses on their portfolio.    They told me, “Dan, you’re asking a lot here…”   But I put my foot down.   I knew you couldn’t put a price on leveraging contacts and networking. Every minute I’ve spent growing my network has paid dividends tenfold.   Since then I’ve realized that investors aren’t just a source of capital…    They are a gateway to the entire SaaS industry.   Which is why I love interviewing investors for their unique view of the market.   My latest Escape Velocity podcast guest, Christoph Janz, is the co-founder of Point Nine Capital, a very successful venture capital firm with over $75M of investments.   Christoph loves investing in SaaS. If you want to attract rockstar funding, then check out this eye-opening interview.   In this episode, you’re going to learn about:   Why investors have to hustle too How Point Nine Capital was the first to invest in Zendesk How European investment firms are booming The bottleneck of Silicon Valley talent If freemium is right for you How to think critically about your pricing model Creating a built-in SaaS referral system What investors are looking for   Point Nine Capital has invested in big names in tech, such as Typeform, Algolia, Contentful, Geckboard, Delivery Hero, Revolut and more.   Christoph was even one the first investors of Zendesk back when it was a team of 4 people making only $7K MRR (now valued at over $2.1 billion).   His story of cold-emailing Zendesk with an offer is… just crazy.    You’ve got to hear it! Tune in to the episode here.   --   Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. (Get the free 3 videos to grow your business here.) He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.   + Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell + Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell  + Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell 

Investing In SaaS Enabled Marketplaces with Christoph @ PointNine.com - Escape Velocity Show #41

If you want consistent, predictable revenue for your SaaS then there’s one thing you’re going to need to build: A killer sales team. Don’t roll your eyes yet… Let me set the record straight. In 2008, when I moved to silicon valley, sales teams were considered evil. Tech companies pursued the unicorn: A product that would “sell itself”. (Yes, I’m using sarcastic air quotes). The likes of Facebook and Instagram fed false hope that you could build a platform with non-existent revenue, burn through rounds of funding and monetize it later for billions. The idea of hiring people to sell for you (aka: a sales team) wasn’t cool. Times have changed. People have woken up from the myth and discovered - surprise, surprise - that you have to work damn hard to make a buck! Today I want you to meet Aaron Ross, co-CEO of Predictable Revenue, author of the book by the same title, and co-author of ‘From Impossible to Inevitable’. Aaron trains sales teams and tech companies on outbound prospecting. He knows the inner workings of a high-performing sales team, and he knows that they ARE necessary. “Build it and they will come” doesn’t cut it. I gave him the microphone on the latest episode of the Escape Velocity podcast and asked him to dispel sales myths and talk through every stage of building a sales team that grows with your SaaS. Whether you love the idea of a sales team or you still feel like it’s evil, this is a great episode where you will learn: Why even introverted founders MUST work sales Why good sales teams don’t just sell How to minimize translation in a sales message How to handle lead nurturing Working teams for a common goal How buyers need help from sales teams Working up from phase zero (non-existent sales teams) The scary side of success The dream of a unicorn tech company still exists today. But as a SaaS coach, it’s my job to help founders grow their business and increase zeroes on their balance sheet. Which means I help you through the hard truth: You need to sell. Tune in the episode here and let Aaron Ross, a master of sales strategy, convince you why it’s what you need to do. -- Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. (Get the free 3 videos to grow your business here.) He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome. + Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell + Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell  + Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell   

The Right Way to Build an Outbound Sales Team with Aaron @ PredictableRevenue.com - Escape Velocity Show #40

Here’s a word that either makes you cringe… or sigh with relief: “Networking”. If you’ve had a bad experience of it, you’ll get that icky feeling of trying to schmooze through fake smiles for business. But if you’ve had a great experience, you’ll think of life-long friends sharing war stories about their businesses and helping each other out. Networking done right is invaluable. You might have heard me say it before: Investors don’t want to meet you… they want to be introduced to you.  That means you’ve got to get out there and network. And the easiest and best way to do that… is at conferences made for SaaS founders. So, for this week’s episode of Escape Velocity Show, I’ve interviewed Alex Theuma, the founder of SaaStock, easily one of my favorite SaaS Conferences in the world.  (In fact, Alex quotes me on his website… and I’m not getting paid to say that!) In this podcast episode, Alex and I chat all about: How SaaStock has grown in record time High-profile founders that have talked at past events The process for starting a networking event The audience-first model of marketing (true for all business types!) Why SaaStock is a great place for startups The afterparties I love conferences. I regularly attend them, I’m often speaking at them, and I’ve made some life-long friends at them. Starting a business shouldn’t be a lonely venture, and that’s why my SaaS Academy includes multiple live events every year. If you find networking difficult, Conferences are like shooting fish in a barrel: It’s impossible not to make valuable connections and learn something new. This episode was a pleasure to record. Alex is one of those guys that’s super easy to talk to and once you tune in here, you’ll get his vibe and see why SaaStock is worth checking out. -- Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. (Get the free 3 videos to grow your business here.) He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome. + Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell + Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell  + Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell   

Business Networking Success with Alex Theuma @ SaaStock - Escape Velocity Show #39

CEOs have it tough. It’s not enough to grow your company into healthy profit margins and then coast along “because it’s working”. I know it’s tempting to kick back and pour the martinis, but comfort is a dangerous position to be in. A great CEO knows this and doesn’t want to be comfortable.  They’ll stay on the bow on the ship, in the storm, telescope in hand, watching the changes in the waves and looking out for even the slightest hint of an iceberg in the distance. Today I want to introduce you to a great CEO and one of my good buddies, Michael Litt. Michael isn’t just the CEO and co-founder of Vidyard, a video hosting platform for businesses… He’s also the co-founder of Garage Capital, a VC firm with over $40M invested in 80+ businesses. A lot of SaaS businesses try to move upmarket over time to higher-paying enterprise customers. Vidyard did almost the opposite, creating a freemium model with a $0 pricing tier and partnering with brands like Adobe, Marketo and Hubspot. As a CEO, steering the ship into a freemium model is… scary.  If it goes wrong, your customers downgrade and you’ve just donated your profit margins. So sitting down with Michael, I wanted to unpack exactly how and why he did this. I’ve got to say… it was executed brilliantly. I’ve known Michael now for nearly 10 years. Being good buds means as soon as I hit record, we got straight to the good stuff chatting about: How Vidyard scaled rapidly as a startup The value of TIME in a commoditized landscape The freemium “land-and-expand” model When to go freemium Getting 2500 PQLs on launch day Building a culture that attracts talent Firing staff if they aren’t a cultural fit The difference in being a founder vs a CEO Leadership is discipline.  The more you can hear from great leaders, the more I believe you’ll embody that discipline and become a great leader yourself. As Jim Rohn said: “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with”. So get your headphones, tune in and spend some time hanging out with us. -- Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. (Get the free 3 videos to grow your business here.) He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome. + Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell + Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell  + Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell 

The Big Bet: Going From Paid to Freemium with Michael Litt, Co-Founder & CEO @ Vidyard.com - Escape Velocity Show #38

In 2011, the billionaire co-founder of PayPal, Peter Thiel, started giving $100k to young entrepreneurs under 22. …but only if they would drop out of college. $100k paid to 20 applicants per year without taking any equity at all.  There was nothing in it for him. So why did he do it?  Thiel believed talented young minds were choosing college instead of building valuable businesses, so he began paying entrepreneurs not to go. It was super controversial. Whether the idea offends you or not, one thing is clear: The Thiel Fellowship attracts talent. Like my latest guest on the Escape Velocity show, Christian Owens. Christian is the founder and CEO of Paddle, an all-in-one SaaS commerce platform that is making massive waves in the tech industry. Before we praise the Thiel fellowship for supporting Christian, let me clarify something: Christian started his first business at 14 years old and grew it to $4M ARR by 17 years old before ever applying for the fellowship.  Then he started Paddle when he was 18 (now grown to $14M+ ARR)… And has been named in Forbes top 30 under 30. Needless to say, Christian is intelligent beyond his years and shares his impressive story and perspective on business in this episode. Christian has been so deeply entrenched in the software world since he was a teenager that he speaks with long-lived wisdom. In this interview we chat about: - How he got accepted into the Thiel Fellowship - Paddle’s unique pricing structure - How they have a nearly 0% churn rate - Front-loading infrastructure for backend profit - Pivoting from apps and games to SaaS - Right revenue vs Wrong revenue - Why it’s cheaper than ever to start a SaaS - How to know when to expand focus - Why moving to Silicon Valley is a bad idea - Supporting $2k MRR up to $100M+ ARR pricing models Paddle is quite a non-traditional and forward-thinking tech company. They have huge insights into what is and is not working in the SaaS world since they have a direct view of the revenue streams of many companies. Christian even considers Paddle as a partner to the tech companies that they work with, often making strategic suggestions so it’s a win-win for everyone. This is a fresh take on innovative tech business strategy. You’re going to love this episode… lots of value! Let’s kick it off. -- Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome. + Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell + Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell + Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Don’t Chase The Wrong Revenue with Christian Owens @ Paddle.com - Escape Velocity Show #37

Take everything you think you know about sales teams… And get ready to throw it out the window. I mean it. Sales, as a concept, is still dragging a lot of dead weight from old-school sales gurus chanting “ABC – Always Be Closing!” The SaaS business model is being polluted by these old ideas that just don’t work. For decades, we’ve needed a fresh new take on sales training strategies… And I finally found that in Jacco van der Kooij. Jacco is the founder and co-CEO of Winning By Design, who provide forward-thinking sales training for tech businesses. I’ve read his books on SaaS sales strategies and loved them so much… I bought extra copies so I could give them to some of my clients to read.  Yeah, I’m an evangelist. So when I had the chance to interview him for the Escape Velocity Show, I knew I was in for a hell of a ride. Jacco, loaded up on Red Bull, drops bombshells of epic sales knowledge like effortless poetry.  He blew my mind multiple times in this episode which is why I’m telling you… you’ve got to check out this interview! This is more than just two SaaS-obsessed guys chatting about business: It’s packed with sales lessons. Tune into this episode and you’ll learn: - How anyone can use good sales techniques - Rational impact vs emotional impact - The secret to selling B2B: help them pitch their boss- Arming your internal buyer - Why B.A.N.T. is outdated and killing SaaS sales - How to change a customer’s priority with IMPACT - Don’t compete for commissions – Collaborate! - How SaaS sales success is measured in backend revenue - Why “the horse” doesn’t have the problem Jacco can drink 14 cans of Red Bull in 4 hours (I’m not even kidding). …But that’s not why I’m impressed. I’m impressed because here is a guy that truly GETS what great salesmanship for a B2B SaaS looks like, has distilled it into digestible strategies, and is just ridiculously generous with all his priceless knowledge. Get your headphones and notepad ready because this is the kind of interview you’ll be thinking about for weeks. Ready? Kick it off here. -- Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome. + Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell + Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell + Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

The Future of Sales Is No Quota with Jacco @ WinningByDesign.com - Escape Velocity Show #36

When you Escape Velocity, the perfect exit is just around the corner. Learn how to scale, grow and exit with Dan Martell and some of the top SaaS Founders in the business.

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Escape Velocity - with Dan Martell

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