What is the worst part of fundraising?
Answer by Jason M. Lemkin: I'll give 3 answers from the 3 different perspectives I've had — founder, VC, and VC-raising-money-from LPs. Worst as Founder: It seems like the worst is not getting an answer, or a no, or whatever
What is the worst part of fundraising?
Answer by Jason M. Lemkin: I'll give 3 answers from the 3 different perspectives I've had — founder, VC, and VC-raising-money-from LPs. Worst as Founder: It seems like the worst is not getting an answer, or a no, or whatever
The Most Important SaaS Sales Metric for Start-Up CEOs: Your “Peak MRR”
I talked a little while ago about the #1 most important overall SaaS metric IMHO being your Lead Velocity Rate, and that the problem with most sales metrics is that they are backwards looking, not forwards looking. But there’s one
The Most Important SaaS Sales Metric for Start-Up CEOs: Your “Peak MRR”
I talked a little while ago about the #1 most important overall SaaS metric IMHO being your Lead Velocity Rate, and that the problem with most sales metrics is that they are backwards looking, not forwards looking. But there’s one
The Second-Timers: Kris Duggan of Betterworks: “This Time, I Generated Leads Before We Even Launched”
Our new Second Timers series has proven to be pretty popular on SaaStr. You can see our first post on an overview of what the Second Timers are doing here, and a pretty epic post with Nick Mehta, CEO of
The Second-Timers: Kris Duggan of Betterworks: “This Time, I Generated Leads Before We Even Launched”
Our new Second Timers series has proven to be pretty popular on SaaStr. You can see our first post on an overview of what the Second Timers are doing here, and a pretty epic post with Nick Mehta, CEO of
How to Grow 25% Faster Than Plan in ’15: The Salesforce Live Video with SaaStr, Aaron Ross and Parker Conrad, CEO of Zenefits
The other day Aaron Ross (my co-author of the next volume of Predictable Revenue), Parker Conrad (CEO of Zenefits) and I had a ton of fun talking about Doing Even Better in ’15 on Salesforce Live. It’s very well produced and
How to Grow 25% Faster Than Plan in ’15: The Salesforce Live Video with SaaStr, Aaron Ross and Parker Conrad, CEO of Zenefits
The other day Aaron Ross (my co-author of the next volume of Predictable Revenue), Parker Conrad (CEO of Zenefits) and I had a ton of fun talking about Doing Even Better in ’15 on Salesforce Live. It’s very well produced and
If You’re Looking for a New York Insta-Office — Apply to Work-Bench
Last summer, the team at Work-Bench in Union Square was kind enough to give me space to work out of it. We did a great SaaStr event on How to Hire a Great VP of Product there with the Greenhouse.io founders,
If You’re Looking for a New York Insta-Office — Apply to Work-Bench
Last summer, the team at Work-Bench in Union Square was kind enough to give me space to work out of it. We did a great SaaStr event on How to Hire a Great VP of Product there with the Greenhouse.io founders,
How the VPs of Sales of Talkdesk, Zenefits, Showpad and GuideSpark all Doubled Sales in One Sales Cycle
Just about a year ago, we did a post that proved, at the time, to be somewhat controversial. That in Just 30 Days, or at least, just one full sales cycle — you’ll know if your VP Sales isn’t going to
How the VPs of Sales of Talkdesk, Zenefits, Showpad and GuideSpark all Doubled Sales in One Sales Cycle
Just about a year ago, we did a post that proved, at the time, to be somewhat controversial. That in Just 30 Days, or at least, just one full sales cycle — you’ll know if your VP Sales isn’t going to
Don’t Forget the Services Revenue
If you’re doing SaaS for the first time (or even the second), the whole idea of charging for “Services” may seem an anathema. It sure did to me. If your product is so easy to use that you barely need sales
Don’t Forget the Services Revenue
If you’re doing SaaS for the first time (or even the second), the whole idea of charging for “Services” may seem an anathema. It sure did to me. If your product is so easy to use that you barely need sales
Your Variable Comp Plans for ’15. You Probably Need More of Them.
Hopefully, sometime over the next few weeks, you’ll finish up your 2015 model and planning. If not, please try to do it before 12/31 … 🙂 I’m working on this with several companies I am involved with. My #1 suggestion is
Your Variable Comp Plans for ’15. You Probably Need More of Them.
Hopefully, sometime over the next few weeks, you’ll finish up your 2015 model and planning. If not, please try to do it before 12/31 … 🙂 I’m working on this with several companies I am involved with. My #1 suggestion is
The Second-Timers: Nick Mehta, CEO of Gainsight – “Never Stop Hiring Reps”
One of the most popular posts we did on SaaStr in the past 12 months was “What The Second Time SaaS CEOs Are All Doing.” What folks who are on their second successful SaaS company are doing better this time.
The Second-Timers: Nick Mehta, CEO of Gainsight – “Never Stop Hiring Reps”
One of the most popular posts we did on SaaStr in the past 12 months was “What The Second Time SaaS CEOs Are All Doing.” What folks who are on their second successful SaaS company are doing better this time.
Download Part 4 of “Predictable Revenue Guide to Tripling Your Sales” with Aaron Ross+SaaStr Today!
It’s getting there. The fourth and final part of the 1.0 version of the “Predictable Revenue Guide to Tripling Your Sales“, the Aaron Ross + SaaStr sequel to the original Predictable Revenue, is out today. You can download it here. The
Download Part 4 of “Predictable Revenue Guide to Tripling Your Sales” with Aaron Ross+SaaStr Today!
It’s getting there. The fourth and final part of the 1.0 version of the “Predictable Revenue Guide to Tripling Your Sales“, the Aaron Ross + SaaStr sequel to the original Predictable Revenue, is out today. You can download it here. The
SaaStr Crosses 5.5 Million Views on Quora, Named Top Writer for 2014
It turns out there are two distinct SaaStr audiences. Those that read SaaStr’s pieces on SaaStr.com. And those that read SaaStr on Quora. SaaStr-on-Quora has most of the longer-form content on SaaStr.com — plus over 1,000 shorter answers and pieces.
SaaStr Crosses 5.5 Million Views on Quora, Named Top Writer for 2014
It turns out there are two distinct SaaStr audiences. Those that read SaaStr’s pieces on SaaStr.com. And those that read SaaStr on Quora. SaaStr-on-Quora has most of the longer-form content on SaaStr.com — plus over 1,000 shorter answers and pieces.
If You Don’t Think You Need a VP of Product, VP of Marketing, Etc. — Then You Haven’t Worked With a Great One
I’ve read quite a few blog posts over the years. One of the very best though is this one from Joe Kraus, founder and CEO of Excite — “If You Don’t Think You Need It — You Haven’t Seen Greatness.”
If You Don’t Think You Need a VP of Product, VP of Marketing, Etc. — Then You Haven’t Worked With a Great One
I’ve read quite a few blog posts over the years. One of the very best though is this one from Joe Kraus, founder and CEO of Excite — “If You Don’t Think You Need It — You Haven’t Seen Greatness.”
Turns Out, 85% of the World Likes “Contact Me”. Even Though You Don’t.
I know you are probably like me. You go to a web service. What do you do? Free trial. Sign Up Now. The very, very last thing I am going to click is “Contact Me.” The last thing I want, as a
Turns Out, 85% of the World Likes “Contact Me”. Even Though You Don’t.
I know you are probably like me. You go to a web service. What do you do? Free trial. Sign Up Now. The very, very last thing I am going to click is “Contact Me.” The last thing I want, as a
Ok, It’s A Go. The SaaStr Annual. Feb 5. With the CEOs of Box, MobileIron, GuideSpark, OpenDNS, Zenefits, Talkdesk, BetterWorks, and More. Does It Get Any Better?
Ok we’re confirmed. Locked and loaded. February 5. 2015. The Regency Ballroom. San Francisco. California. The First SaaStr Annual. It’s all day (and night). 9am – 11pm. And if you’re flying in, a special event the evening before. No panels.
Ok, It’s A Go. The SaaStr Annual. Feb 5. With the CEOs of Box, MobileIron, GuideSpark, OpenDNS, Zenefits, Talkdesk, BetterWorks, and More. Does It Get Any Better?
Ok we’re confirmed. Locked and loaded. February 5. 2015. The Regency Ballroom. San Francisco. California. The First SaaStr Annual. It’s all day (and night). 9am – 11pm. And if you’re flying in, a special event the evening before. No panels.
Why You’ll Need Just About $3,000,000 to Build Your First Real Sales & Marketing Team
Every week, I meet with several entrepreneurs, often bootstrapped or close to it, who fit the following sort of model: Gotten to Initial Traction (~$1.5m ARR), or getting close to it, or a bit beyond; and With nice growth (>=100%
Why You’ll Need Just About $3,000,000 to Build Your First Real Sales & Marketing Team
Every week, I meet with several entrepreneurs, often bootstrapped or close to it, who fit the following sort of model: Gotten to Initial Traction (~$1.5m ARR), or getting close to it, or a bit beyond; and With nice growth (>=100%
Don’t Fire Your “Worst” Customers. Hire Them a Psychiatrist Instead.
There’s a lot of Internet advice that makes a lot of sense, but not necessarily in SaaS. Somewhat bad advice that entrepreneurs share again and again, without having really tested the ideas behind that advice. One bit of advice you
Don’t Fire Your “Worst” Customers. Hire Them a Psychiatrist Instead.
There’s a lot of Internet advice that makes a lot of sense, but not necessarily in SaaS. Somewhat bad advice that entrepreneurs share again and again, without having really tested the ideas behind that advice. One bit of advice you
Planning to Do a SaaS Startup? Don’t Forget the 20 Interview Rule.
Recently I spent some time with two seemingly similar SaaS start-ups. Both are at about $100k in MRR (congratulations!). Both have happy, enthusiastic customers. Both have really great products and are organically growing. Both have great founder CEOs. But even
Planning to Do a SaaS Startup? Don’t Forget the 20 Interview Rule.
Recently I spent some time with two seemingly similar SaaS start-ups. Both are at about $100k in MRR (congratulations!). Both have happy, enthusiastic customers. Both have really great products and are organically growing. Both have great founder CEOs. But even
The Best of SaaStr: Our Top 100 Posts, Organized by Topic (Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, etc.)
It’s time. We’ve put together the Top 100 SaaStr posts, organized by topic and stage of your SaaS startup (and reproduced below). You can visit it anytime with the “The Best of SaaStr” link above in the SaaStr.com navigation. Next
The Best of SaaStr: Our Top 100 Posts, Organized by Topic (Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, etc.)
It’s time. We’ve put together the Top 100 SaaStr posts, organized by topic and stage of your SaaS startup (and reproduced below). You can visit it anytime with the “The Best of SaaStr” link above in the SaaStr.com navigation. Next
I Never Lost a Customer I Actually Visited
There’s a lot to talk about in customer success about churn, and about upsells. Together, they are one of the most critical topics in recurring revenue business models. To all that, I wanted to add one very tactical insight: of the 1000s
I Never Lost a Customer I Actually Visited
There’s a lot to talk about in customer success about churn, and about upsells. Together, they are one of the most critical topics in recurring revenue business models. To all that, I wanted to add one very tactical insight: of the 1000s
Come to the SaaStr Sessions at Dreamforce — And Win a Free Ticket to the SaaStr Annual in February (And Other Good Stuff)
We’ve got 2 great SaaStr sessions at Dreamforce on Wednesday, October 15 at 1pm and 4:30pm. Each has about 15 seats left so add them to your Dreamforce event planner now! To make it (even more) fun, we’ll give away
Come to the SaaStr Sessions at Dreamforce — And Win a Free Ticket to the SaaStr Annual in February (And Other Good Stuff)
We’ve got 2 great SaaStr sessions at Dreamforce on Wednesday, October 15 at 1pm and 4:30pm. Each has about 15 seats left so add them to your Dreamforce event planner now! To make it (even more) fun, we’ll give away
Inc’s 50 Best Websites for Entrepreneurs. SaaStr is #36.
Hot-ish on the heels of SaaStr being named to Forbes’ Top 100 Best Websites for Entrepreneurs and to Quora’s Top Writers … Inc. has named SaaStr to its 50 Best Websites for Entrepreneurs. Thank you for being a part of this
Inc’s 50 Best Websites for Entrepreneurs. SaaStr is #36.
Hot-ish on the heels of SaaStr being named to Forbes’ Top 100 Best Websites for Entrepreneurs and to Quora’s Top Writers … Inc. has named SaaStr to its 50 Best Websites for Entrepreneurs. Thank you for being a part of this
What to Do If Your Business Decelerates
A little while back, I did what turned out to be a very popular piece: If You Do Sell [Your Company] — Do it a Local Maximum. A wise friend of mine commented on it afterwards. “You’re absolutely right.
What to Do If Your Business Decelerates
A little while back, I did what turned out to be a very popular piece: If You Do Sell [Your Company] — Do it a Local Maximum. A wise friend of mine commented on it afterwards. “You’re absolutely right.
Come See 3 Epic Sessions at Dreamforce on Predictable Revenue, Benchmarking, and “The Best of SaaStr”
Salesforce has put together another pretty epic founder / entrepreneur track this year at Dreamforce. You can check out the schedule here. There are three sessions I wanted to highlight in particular, that I’ll either be at or leading. First,
Come See 3 Epic Sessions at Dreamforce on Predictable Revenue, Benchmarking, and “The Best of SaaStr”
Salesforce has put together another pretty epic founder / entrepreneur track this year at Dreamforce. You can check out the schedule here. There are three sessions I wanted to highlight in particular, that I’ll either be at or leading. First,
Money, Bonuses, “Customers That Waste My Time”, and Greed: You Get What You Pay For
There was one thing prospective sales reps would say in an interview that always chilled my spine. It would especially come from sales reps from larger companies in high-velocity in-bound environment (e.g., WebEx-type environments). They’d say this: “Those type of
Money, Bonuses, “Customers That Waste My Time”, and Greed: You Get What You Pay For
There was one thing prospective sales reps would say in an interview that always chilled my spine. It would especially come from sales reps from larger companies in high-velocity in-bound environment (e.g., WebEx-type environments). They’d say this: “Those type of
What the Second Time SaaS CEOs are All Doing
We’re in the third generation of SaaS companies by my reckoning. The first generation was Salesforce, Netsuite, Webex, morphed-into-SaaS companies like Concur, etc. The next generation came of age and often leveraged Salesforce or other web platforms or paradigms to
What the Second Time SaaS CEOs are All Doing
We’re in the third generation of SaaS companies by my reckoning. The first generation was Salesforce, Netsuite, Webex, morphed-into-SaaS companies like Concur, etc. The next generation came of age and often leveraged Salesforce or other web platforms or paradigms to
How to Hire A Great VP Sales: The Full Video (and Transcript)
Recently in New York I was invited to give the keynote at the New York Enterprise Tech Meet-Up (thank you to John Lehr and Work-Bench for setting this up). It turned out to be a great event, with the maximum
How to Hire A Great VP Sales: The Full Video (and Transcript)
Recently in New York I was invited to give the keynote at the New York Enterprise Tech Meet-Up (thank you to John Lehr and Work-Bench for setting this up). It turned out to be a great event, with the maximum
A Discussion with Jon Bischke of Entelo: On Successfully Switching from B2C to B2B (SaaS)
One outstanding SaaS entrepreneur I’ve enjoyed getting to know is Jon Bischke, CEO of Entelo. Entelo is a sophisticated solution that leverages social and other networks to help you recruit great candidates to your company (e.g., going beyond LinkedIn). Entelo
A Discussion with Jon Bischke of Entelo: On Successfully Switching from B2C to B2B (SaaS)
One outstanding SaaS entrepreneur I’ve enjoyed getting to know is Jon Bischke, CEO of Entelo. Entelo is a sophisticated solution that leverages social and other networks to help you recruit great candidates to your company (e.g., going beyond LinkedIn). Entelo
You Can’t Hire a VP That You Don’t Love
Recently, a good friend of mine running a Hot SaaS Start-up asked me if he should hire a particular VP of Product candidate I knew well. The team he’d be managing was a big thumbs up on him. The board was in
You Can’t Hire a VP That You Don’t Love
Recently, a good friend of mine running a Hot SaaS Start-up asked me if he should hire a particular VP of Product candidate I knew well. The team he’d be managing was a big thumbs up on him. The board was in
Building the Enterprise SaaS Startup: An Interview with #BoxWorks Speaker Jason Lemkin
Box did a nice SaaStr interview the other day ahead of BoxWorks, their big annual user conference September 2-4. It hits on a lot of the key themes we’ve worked on together here. It’s definitely worth attending BoxWorks if you
Building the Enterprise SaaS Startup: An Interview with #BoxWorks Speaker Jason Lemkin
Box did a nice SaaStr interview the other day ahead of BoxWorks, their big annual user conference September 2-4. It hits on a lot of the key themes we’ve worked on together here. It’s definitely worth attending BoxWorks if you
At About $2m in ARR, Every Great Hire Will Be Accretive.
Recently, I was talking to the CEO of a pretty successful SaaS company doing ~$3m in ARR, growing nicely, in a good space. Doing just fine. And he was proud he’d just hired a VP of Sales at a below-market
At About $2m in ARR, Every Great Hire Will Be Accretive.
Recently, I was talking to the CEO of a pretty successful SaaS company doing ~$3m in ARR, growing nicely, in a good space. Doing just fine. And he was proud he’d just hired a VP of Sales at a below-market
Eating My Own SaaStr Dogfood: Why I Invested in Algolia Search-as-a-Service
Much of SaaStr involves sharing my learnings, mistakes, improvements, etc. as a founder CEO that lived the journey from $0 to $100m in ARR. But do I practice what I preach? I hope so. Let’s take a look together. Recently, I
Eating My Own SaaStr Dogfood: Why I Invested in Algolia Search-as-a-Service
Much of SaaStr involves sharing my learnings, mistakes, improvements, etc. as a founder CEO that lived the journey from $0 to $100m in ARR. But do I practice what I preach? I hope so. Let’s take a look together. Recently, I
SaaStr Hits The Big Apple: Keynote at Enterprise Tech Meetup this Wednesday, Office Hours, Work-Bench, More
Today SaaStr’s hit the Big Apple. I’ll be in town for several weeks, hanging out at Enterprise workspace / accelerator Work-Bench and a few other places around town. We’ll try to do a few events. First, this Wednesday, I’ll be doing
SaaStr Hits The Big Apple: Keynote at Enterprise Tech Meetup this Wednesday, Office Hours, Work-Bench, More
Today SaaStr’s hit the Big Apple. I’ll be in town for several weeks, hanging out at Enterprise workspace / accelerator Work-Bench and a few other places around town. We’ll try to do a few events. First, this Wednesday, I’ll be doing
The Next Wave of SMB SaaS: True Solutions. Priced as Such.
If you look at the SaaS companies that have IPO’d to date, you’ll see one common theme: almost all sell to Large Enterprises, either almost entirely (Veeva, Workday), mainly (Salesforce, Cornerstone), or in large part (Box, coming). It just makes
The Next Wave of SMB SaaS: True Solutions. Priced as Such.
If you look at the SaaS companies that have IPO’d to date, you’ll see one common theme: almost all sell to Large Enterprises, either almost entirely (Veeva, Workday), mainly (Salesforce, Cornerstone), or in large part (Box, coming). It just makes
Download Part II of The Predictable Revenue Guide to Tripling Your Sales – Now!
Part II of the collaboration between Aaron Ross (previously head of outbound sales at Salesforce and author of the first Predictable Revenue Guide as well) and SaaStr is available to download – now: Click Here to Get it Now! The Predictable Revenue Guide
Download Part II of The Predictable Revenue Guide to Tripling Your Sales – Now!
Part II of the collaboration between Aaron Ross (previously head of outbound sales at Salesforce and author of the first Predictable Revenue Guide as well) and SaaStr is available to download – now: Click Here to Get it Now! The Predictable Revenue Guide
Acquisitions — If You Do Sell, Try to Make Sure It’s At a Local Maximum
Over the past 6 months or so, I’ve met with a series of entrepreneurs that turned down pretty attractive acquisition offers, relatively early in their lifecycle: SaaS Co. #1 turned down an $85m offer on $50k in MRR. SaaS Co.
Acquisitions — If You Do Sell, Try to Make Sure It’s At a Local Maximum
Over the past 6 months or so, I’ve met with a series of entrepreneurs that turned down pretty attractive acquisition offers, relatively early in their lifecycle: SaaS Co. #1 turned down an $85m offer on $50k in MRR. SaaS Co.
If You Sell Your Company — Prioritize Dollars Over Prestige
Recently I did a founders-only event sponsored by ExitRound. It was off the record, so I won’t go into anything we spoke about. But there was one theme the audience told me from all 4 speakers. They didn’t know selling was
If You Sell Your Company — Prioritize Dollars Over Prestige
Recently I did a founders-only event sponsored by ExitRound. It was off the record, so I won’t go into anything we spoke about. But there was one theme the audience told me from all 4 speakers. They didn’t know selling was
Got 100 Customers? Believe It Or Not, It’s Time for Your First User Conference
Let me tell you, when I was figuring out this SaaS stuff, the last thing I wanted to do was a User Conference. I mean, I got the whole Dreamforce thing. Salesforce is a complex product, with (sometimes) long deployment
Got 100 Customers? Believe It Or Not, It’s Time for Your First User Conference
Let me tell you, when I was figuring out this SaaS stuff, the last thing I wanted to do was a User Conference. I mean, I got the whole Dreamforce thing. Salesforce is a complex product, with (sometimes) long deployment
It Doesn’t Really Matter When Your Competitor is Acquired. (Except It Means You Weren’t.)
There’s a common bit of advice we entrepreneurs and execs always get: worry less about the competition, and more just about growing your own business. It’s good, sound advice. But man — it’s hard advice to follow. Between your competitors’
It Doesn’t Really Matter When Your Competitor is Acquired. (Except It Means You Weren’t.)
There’s a common bit of advice we entrepreneurs and execs always get: worry less about the competition, and more just about growing your own business. It’s good, sound advice. But man — it’s hard advice to follow. Between your competitors’
Inbound or Outbound Sales? The Answer is Yes
There’s a meme, a CommonThink, among certain segments that Outbound Sales is Bad, or at least, a Little Unseemly. And maybe a lot bit Old School. That we’re in a new world of sales, a new consultative world, where leads
Inbound or Outbound Sales? The Answer is Yes
There’s a meme, a CommonThink, among certain segments that Outbound Sales is Bad, or at least, a Little Unseemly. And maybe a lot bit Old School. That we’re in a new world of sales, a new consultative world, where leads
22 Critical Tips in Hiring a Great VP Marketing (From Marketo, EchoSign, Insightly)
A few weeks back we had our second SaaStr Social. It was quite a hit, with over 700+ SaaS entrepreneurs, execs and VCs getting together at Storm Ventures. The first time, we just had BBQ and cocktails. That was pretty
22 Critical Tips in Hiring a Great VP Marketing (From Marketo, EchoSign, Insightly)
A few weeks back we had our second SaaStr Social. It was quite a hit, with over 700+ SaaS entrepreneurs, execs and VCs getting together at Storm Ventures. The first time, we just had BBQ and cocktails. That was pretty
saastr 