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In episode #329, Ben Murray, The SaaS CFO, breaks down the growing debate around SaaS economics versus AI economics. A recent post claimed that “SaaS metrics are broken” and that traditional KPIs no longer apply to AI companies. Ben challenges this idea and walks through why recurring revenue metrics still matter, how revenue models differ across SaaS and AI, and what CFOs need to understand about gross margin, unit economics, and total addressable market. Key Topics Covered Why claims that SaaS metrics are “broken” are inaccurate The difference between SaaS economics and AI economics Why recurring revenue metrics still apply to AI companies How subscription versus usage revenue impacts KPI calculation Gross margin expectations for SaaS vs. AI companies Whether AI companies truly generate more profit per customer The role of absolute profit versus per-customer economics How AI may expand TAM by targeting labor budgets, not just software budgets How Agentic AI affects financial modeling and cost structures Using ROSE (Return on Software Employees) to evaluate AI-driven ROI What You'll Learn Why SaaS metrics still matter for both SaaS and AI companies How CFOs should evaluate margins, ARR, and revenue quality in AI models The difference between rate-based economics (ARPA, ACV) and volume-based economics (absolute profit) How to think about financial strategy when transitioning from a pure SaaS model to an AI-embedded product model How to assess realistic AI unit economics instead of relying on hype Who This Episode Is For SaaS CFOs and finance leaders evaluating AI investments Founders embedding AI into their product and adjusting their financial models Operators who want a grounded understanding of real AI economics Investors assessing how AI shifts revenue models and margins Related Resources Ben's upcoming deep-dive blog post on SaaS vs. AI economics: TheSaaSCFO.com SaaS Metrics Foundation course for mastering KPI's, ARR, MRR, and unit economics: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/the-saas-metrics-foundation ROSE metric framework for analyzing AI-driven productivity and financial systems: https://www.thesaascfo.com/saas-rose-metric/
Arról is mondott nekik egy példabeszédet, hogy szüntelen kell imádkozni és nem szabad belefáradni. Így szólt: ,,Az egyik városban volt egy bíró, aki Istentől nem félt és embertől nem tartott. Volt abban a városban egy özvegyasszony is, aki elment hozzá és kérte: ,,Szolgáltass nekem igazságot ellenfelemmel szemben!'' Az egy ideig nem volt rá hajlandó. Azután mégis így szólt magában: ,,Bár Istentől nem félek, és embertől nem tartok, mégis, mivel terhemre van ez az özvegyasszony, igazságot szolgáltatok neki, nehogy végül is idejöjjön és arcul üssön.'''' Azután így szólt az Úr: ,,Hallottátok, mit mond az igazságtalan bíró? Hát Isten nem szolgáltat-e igazságot választottainak, akik éjjel-nappal hozzá kiáltanak? Vajon megvárakoztatja őket? Mondom nektek: hamarosan igazságot szolgáltat nekik. De amikor eljön az Emberfia, vajon talál-e hitet a földön?''Olvasmányok, ünnepek a liturgikus naptárban. | Felolvassa: Varga László |
This Rider Skills episode is a practical guide to roadside motorcycle tire repair for adventure and dual-sport riders. Instructor Clinton Smout shares hard-earned methods for plugging tubeless tires, patching or replacing inner tubes, breaking and seating beads without a shop, quick leak-finding, bent-rim workarounds, and true limp-home repairs. We compare compressor vs CO₂, talk what to pack (plugs, patches, tubes, irons, lube), and walk through the steps that get you rolling again when you're far from help. If you've searched “how to fix a flat motorcycle tire,” “tubeless plug on the trail,” or “adventure bike tire repair,” this episode gives you the real-world techniques that work in dirt, gravel, and backroads.
In this episode, Kristina McMillan, Executive in Residence at Scale Venture Partners, shares what she's seeing across Scale's portfolio when it comes to AI adoption in revenue teams. From the rise of the go-to-market engineer to the three levels of AI maturity, Kristina breaks down what's working, what's hype, and why RevOps needs to lead with strategy, not just tools. We also get into AI's real impact on metrics like ARR per employee, the role of internal AI hackathons, and how top teams are choosing between building and buying. If you're feeling overwhelmed by the pace of change, this episode will give you clarity and a tactical playbook.
Arról is mondott nekik egy példabeszédet, hogy szüntelen kell imádkozni és nem szabad belefáradni. Így szólt: ,,Az egyik városban volt egy bíró, aki Istentől nem félt és embertől nem tartott. Volt abban a városban egy özvegyasszony is, aki elment hozzá és kérte: ,,Szolgáltass nekem igazságot ellenfelemmel szemben!'' Az egy ideig nem volt rá hajlandó. Azután mégis így szólt magában: ,,Bár Istentől nem félek, és embertől nem tartok, mégis, mivel terhemre van ez az özvegyasszony, igazságot szolgáltatok neki, nehogy végül is idejöjjön és arcul üssön.'''' Azután így szólt az Úr: ,,Hallottátok, mit mond az igazságtalan bíró? Hát Isten nem szolgáltat-e igazságot választottainak, akik éjjel-nappal hozzá kiáltanak? Vajon megvárakoztatja őket? Mondom nektek: hamarosan igazságot szolgáltat nekik. De amikor eljön az Emberfia, vajon talál-e hitet a földön?''Olvasmányok, ünnepek a liturgikus naptárban. | Felolvassa: Varga László |
Grant Lee is the co-founder of Gamma, the AI-powered presentation tool that's one of the hottest and most interesting AI startups in the world right now. They're valued at over $2 billion, and they hit $100 million ARR in just over two years, with a lean team of just around 30 people. Unlike many fast-growing AI startups, Gamma has been profitable for most of its history, has not raised significant funding, and they built a massive business in a category most investors dismissed. In fact, one investor told Grant his idea was “the dumbest idea he had ever heard.”We discuss:• How Gamma found product-market fit by rethinking their onboarding• Their process for building a “word-of-mouth machine”• How they leveraged more than 1,000 micro-influencers instead of big names• Why focusing on the “first 30 seconds” transformed their business• Their approach to pricing that led to profitability within months• How Grant thinks about building a durable “GPT wrapper” business—Brought to you by:Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security.Justworks—The all-in-one HR solution for managing your small business with confidenceMiro—A collaborative visual platform where your best work comes to life—Where to find Grant Lee:• X: https://x.com/thisisgrantlee• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grantslee—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Grant Lee and Gamma(05:59) The founding story of Gamma(09:52) Achieving product-market fit(15:43) Self-awareness as a founder(17:17) The power of onboarding(20:41) The original insight that led to Gamma(22:42) Founder-led marketing and growth tactics(29:20) Sharing online(37:40) Getting to $100M ARR(41:19) Influencer marketing as a growth strategy(54:08) Virality is not an accident(58:30) Investing in brand before paid ads(01:02:04) Tips for getting started with performance marketing(01:04:49) Prototyping and user feedback(01:16:12) Adapting and moving quickly(01:19:21) The concept of GPT wrapper companies(01:22:16) Deep dive into workflow and model utilization(01:29:06) Pricing strategies(01:34:53) Hiring philosophy and practices(01:43:24) Betting big on high performers(01:45:03) Final thoughts and lightning round—References: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-50-people-built-a-profitable-ai-unicorn—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com
At what point should a founder stop running finance and accounting and hand the numbers to an expert? In episode #328, Ben Murray walks through the inflection points when SaaS founders should consider hiring a bookkeeper and/or fractional CFO to protect data accuracy, improve forecasting, and strengthen company valuation. You'll learn the warning signs that your financial systems and reporting are holding back growth—and how to build a finance function that scales with your business. What You'll Learn When to hire help by ARR stage Monthly close discipline: Why closing your books every month—accurately—is critical for investor trust. Accrual vs. cash accounting: How switching methods reveals true business performance. COGS clarity: Setting up a SaaS P&L that separates revenue streams, COGS, and OPEX for real gross-margin insight. Retention readiness: Why your MRR schedule (revenue by customer by month) is worth its weight in gold. Cash-flow forecasting: How to move beyond the bank-balance mentality to proactive cash planning. Investor presentation: Ensuring your metrics, slide deck, and financial statements tie together cleanly. Why It Matters For Founders: Delegating finance isn't failure—it's a strategic step toward sustainable scaling and higher valuation. For CFOs and Advisors: Knowing these trigger points helps you coach founders on financial readiness. For Investors: A disciplined monthly close and clean P&L build confidence in revenue quality and forecasting accuracy. Key Takeaways Growth dictates urgency: the faster you scale, the earlier you need finance expertise. A bookkeeper should close the books by mid-month to avoid costly cleanup later. Move to accrual accounting to show economic performance and support fundraising. Create an accurate MRR schedule to prove retention and ARR health to investors. Build a basic forecast to manage cash runway and hiring decisions with confidence. Resources Mentioned SaaS Metrics Foundation Course: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/the-saas-metrics-foundation Finance 101 for Founders: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/finance-101-for-saas-founders Quote from Ben “Just like I couldn't go in and code your product, most founders can't scale as CFO. At some point, finance needs a specialist so the business can keep growing on solid data.”
Roozbeh Charli, CEO of Einride, discusses the EV company's path to going public. They operate in seven countries and have “more than 25 blue chip companies” as clients. He also emphasizes $800M in potential ARR on their growth path. He explains that Einride is taking the SPAC route rather than a usual IPO because it was “quick and efficient.”======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day. Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/ About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about
What if AI could give craftsmen their time back? In this episode of Startuprad.io, host Jörn Menninger sits down with Julian Wiedenhaus, CEO and Co-Founder of PlanCraft, to explore how AI agents and voice interfaces are reshaping Europe's construction sector. From a family carpentry shop to a €38 M Series B, PlanCraft built an AI-first SaaS that helps over 20 000 craft businesses quote, invoice and coordinate projects without paper chaos. Our sponsor:
✨ Suis-moi sur Instagram : instagram.com/laurita.socaliente/ Venez je vous fais gagner 10 ans de thérapie en 20 minutes, avec un podcast décousu, comme on les aime ! On aborde divers sujets, vous trouverez forcément votre bonheur. - Parfois, c'est une bénédiction de ne pas comprendre quelqu'un. - Certaines personnes aiment leurs problèmes - Out, les gens qui vous font vous questionner sur si vous êtes ami(e)s - Si vous avez les mains gelées, l'eau froide paraît chaude - Les gens marrants ont grandi dans des environnements "pas marrants" - Vous êtes une personne différente pour chaque personne que vous rencontrez. - Ceux qui veulent te voir gagner, t'aident à gagner. - Comment juger le choix de quelqu'un quand on ne connaît pas ses options ? - Arrêtons de négocier avec la version la plus faible de nous-même Et bien d'autres réflexions. A tout de suite ;)
Te hiszel abban, hogy egy kapcsolatot újra lehet kezdeni? Egyáltalán érdemes megpróbálni? Arról is beszélgetünk, hogy miről lehet felismerni, ha egy kapcsolat rossz vágányon halad és létezhet-e barátság egy szakítás után.
La Cour criminelle spéciale de Libreville n'a pas traîné… Moins de 48 heures après l'ouverture des débats lundi, Sylvia et Noureddin Bongo, épouse et fils du président déchu Ali Bongo, ont été condamnés mardi 11 novembre, au soir, par contumace à vingt ans de prison et à de lourdes amendes. Ils étaient notamment accusés de détournement de fonds publics et d'association de malfaiteurs. La cour a suivi les réquisitions du procureur. « Selon le magistrat, relate le site Gabon Review, Sylvia et Noureddin Bongo ont “travesti le pouvoir présidentiel“ après l'accident vasculaire cérébral du président Ali Bongo Ondimba en 2018. Il a décrit “un duo culturellement éloigné du pays, mais pécuniairement très proche“, estimant que l'ex-première dame aurait perçu 16 milliards de francs CFA du Trésor public pour ses “besoins personnels“. Le procureur a par ailleurs évoqué des preuves présumées de blanchiment d'argent, notamment l'achat de jets privés et de biens immobiliers de prestige à Londres et Marrakech, financés par des fonds publics. » 4 millions d'euros par mois ? Gabon actu, autre site d'information gabonais, met en avant le témoignage de Kim Oum, homme à tout faire de l'ex-Première dame : « “Sylvia Bongo dépensait plus de 4 millions d'euros par mois, soit plus de deux milliards de Francs CFA", a-t-il affirmé. "L'argent venait du Trésor public“. L'homme, d'origine coréenne, précise Gabon actu, arrêté avec des mallettes d'argent estimé à plusieurs milliards de francs CFA le 30 août 2023, le jour de coup d'État, a révélé également que 500 millions de francs CFA avaient été décaissés du Trésor public pour corrompre les membres du Centre gabonais des élections. 80 milliards avaient également été mobilisés pour la campagne du scrutin présidentiel 2023, a-t-il allégué. Autre révélation troublante faite par Kim Oum, lors de l'audience, pointe encore Gabon actu : l'achat de l'actuelle résidence cossue de l'ex-couple présidentiel, dans un des quartiers les plus huppés à Londres, aurait coûté plus de 44 milliards de francs CFA et l'acquisition aurait été faite au nom de Sylvia Bongo. » Une « parodie de justice » ? Sylvia Bongo et son fils étaient donc absents du procès. Ils vivent à Londres depuis le mois de mai, après avoir passé plus de vingt mois en détention. Leurs avocats, qui n'étaient pas présents non plus à l'audience, dénoncent un procès « inéquitable ». « C'est une parodie, affirme l'un d'entre eux cité par Le Monde Afrique, une parodie qui se joue en dehors de tout cadre légal. Le seul but est de les jeter en pâture à l'opinion publique et de permettre au président Brice Oligui Nguema de faire oublier sa trahison. » Le Monde Afrique qui précise aussi que « depuis qu'ils sont à Londres, Sylvia et Noureddin Bongo ont multiplié les opérations médiatiques pour contre-attaquer, dénonçant le sort que le nouveau régime leur a fait subir. Arrêtés dans les heures qui ont suivi le putsch et détenus dans la prison de Libreville puis au sein même du palais présidentiel, ils affirment avoir été torturés par des militaires proches de Brice Oligui Nguema. » Interrogé par Le Point Afrique, Noureddin Bongo affirme : « Je n'ai jamais détourné un centime d'argent public », tout en soutenant qu'il ne « peut pas être tenu responsable des manquements ou de la politique de son père ou de son grand-père », respectivement Ali et Omar Bongo. Ali Bongo épargné ? À noter qu'Ali Bongo ne faisait pas partie des accusés. En raison, vraisemblablement, de son état de santé. Mais au-delà, commente Le Pays au Burkina Faso, « un procès de l'ancien chef de l'État aurait été d'autant plus difficile pour le pouvoir que le Général Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema est connu pour avoir été un homme de confiance du président déchu, puisqu'il était le commandant de la Garde républicaine. Difficile donc pour l'officier-président de faire le procès de son prédécesseur qu'il a servi pendant des années avant de le renverser dans les conditions que l'on sait, sans paraître se tirer une balle dans le pied. » Vraie rupture ou opération politique ? En tout cas, résume Afrik.com, « pour le régime du général Brice Oligui Nguema, ce procès illustre la volonté de rupture avec l'ère Bongo et la lutte contre la corruption. Les autorités présentent cette procédure comme un acte de justice réparatrice, visant à restituer à l'État les richesses indûment accaparées. Mais pour de nombreux observateurs, cette offensive judiciaire, menée en l'absence des accusés, soulève des doutes sur la sincérité du processus. Certains y voient une opération politique destinée à consolider le nouveau pouvoir tout en discréditant définitivement le clan Bongo. » À lire aussiGabon: Sylvia et Noureddin Bongo condamnés à vingt ans de prison en leur absence pour détournement de fonds publics
La Cour criminelle spéciale de Libreville n'a pas traîné… Moins de 48 heures après l'ouverture des débats lundi, Sylvia et Noureddin Bongo, épouse et fils du président déchu Ali Bongo, ont été condamnés mardi 11 novembre, au soir, par contumace à vingt ans de prison et à de lourdes amendes. Ils étaient notamment accusés de détournement de fonds publics et d'association de malfaiteurs. La cour a suivi les réquisitions du procureur. « Selon le magistrat, relate le site Gabon Review, Sylvia et Noureddin Bongo ont “travesti le pouvoir présidentiel“ après l'accident vasculaire cérébral du président Ali Bongo Ondimba en 2018. Il a décrit “un duo culturellement éloigné du pays, mais pécuniairement très proche“, estimant que l'ex-première dame aurait perçu 16 milliards de francs CFA du Trésor public pour ses “besoins personnels“. Le procureur a par ailleurs évoqué des preuves présumées de blanchiment d'argent, notamment l'achat de jets privés et de biens immobiliers de prestige à Londres et Marrakech, financés par des fonds publics. » 4 millions d'euros par mois ? Gabon actu, autre site d'information gabonais, met en avant le témoignage de Kim Oum, homme à tout faire de l'ex-Première dame : « “Sylvia Bongo dépensait plus de 4 millions d'euros par mois, soit plus de deux milliards de Francs CFA", a-t-il affirmé. "L'argent venait du Trésor public“. L'homme, d'origine coréenne, précise Gabon actu, arrêté avec des mallettes d'argent estimé à plusieurs milliards de francs CFA le 30 août 2023, le jour de coup d'État, a révélé également que 500 millions de francs CFA avaient été décaissés du Trésor public pour corrompre les membres du Centre gabonais des élections. 80 milliards avaient également été mobilisés pour la campagne du scrutin présidentiel 2023, a-t-il allégué. Autre révélation troublante faite par Kim Oum, lors de l'audience, pointe encore Gabon actu : l'achat de l'actuelle résidence cossue de l'ex-couple présidentiel, dans un des quartiers les plus huppés à Londres, aurait coûté plus de 44 milliards de francs CFA et l'acquisition aurait été faite au nom de Sylvia Bongo. » Une « parodie de justice » ? Sylvia Bongo et son fils étaient donc absents du procès. Ils vivent à Londres depuis le mois de mai, après avoir passé plus de vingt mois en détention. Leurs avocats, qui n'étaient pas présents non plus à l'audience, dénoncent un procès « inéquitable ». « C'est une parodie, affirme l'un d'entre eux cité par Le Monde Afrique, une parodie qui se joue en dehors de tout cadre légal. Le seul but est de les jeter en pâture à l'opinion publique et de permettre au président Brice Oligui Nguema de faire oublier sa trahison. » Le Monde Afrique qui précise aussi que « depuis qu'ils sont à Londres, Sylvia et Noureddin Bongo ont multiplié les opérations médiatiques pour contre-attaquer, dénonçant le sort que le nouveau régime leur a fait subir. Arrêtés dans les heures qui ont suivi le putsch et détenus dans la prison de Libreville puis au sein même du palais présidentiel, ils affirment avoir été torturés par des militaires proches de Brice Oligui Nguema. » Interrogé par Le Point Afrique, Noureddin Bongo affirme : « Je n'ai jamais détourné un centime d'argent public », tout en soutenant qu'il ne « peut pas être tenu responsable des manquements ou de la politique de son père ou de son grand-père », respectivement Ali et Omar Bongo. Ali Bongo épargné ? À noter qu'Ali Bongo ne faisait pas partie des accusés. En raison, vraisemblablement, de son état de santé. Mais au-delà, commente Le Pays au Burkina Faso, « un procès de l'ancien chef de l'État aurait été d'autant plus difficile pour le pouvoir que le Général Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema est connu pour avoir été un homme de confiance du président déchu, puisqu'il était le commandant de la Garde républicaine. Difficile donc pour l'officier-président de faire le procès de son prédécesseur qu'il a servi pendant des années avant de le renverser dans les conditions que l'on sait, sans paraître se tirer une balle dans le pied. » Vraie rupture ou opération politique ? En tout cas, résume Afrik.com, « pour le régime du général Brice Oligui Nguema, ce procès illustre la volonté de rupture avec l'ère Bongo et la lutte contre la corruption. Les autorités présentent cette procédure comme un acte de justice réparatrice, visant à restituer à l'État les richesses indûment accaparées. Mais pour de nombreux observateurs, cette offensive judiciaire, menée en l'absence des accusés, soulève des doutes sur la sincérité du processus. Certains y voient une opération politique destinée à consolider le nouveau pouvoir tout en discréditant définitivement le clan Bongo. » À lire aussiGabon: Sylvia et Noureddin Bongo condamnés à vingt ans de prison en leur absence pour détournement de fonds publics
Eric Simons is the CEO and co-founder of StackBlitz, the company behind Bolt.new, which reached $40 million ARR in five months after launching in October 2024. Bolt.new is an AI-powered platform that allows anyone to build, edit, and deploy full-stack web applications directly in the browser.In this episode of World of DaaS, Eric and Auren discuss:The explosive growth from $0 to $40M ARRPioneering usage-based pricing for AI toolsCompeting with Replit, Lovable, and VercelBuilding WebContainers technology for seven yearsLooking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Eric Simons on X at @EricSimons.Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)
Marketing is often confused with promotion, but really it's about much more than that. Marketing is about knowing and understanding your customers so well that your product or service fits them and ultimately sells itself. In short, marketing is about insight above all else. In the spirit of those insights, we present our Meet the Marketer series, where we discuss the careers and tactics of marketers behind industry-leading brands. Today we're joined by Madhav Bhandari, VP of Marketing at Storylane, where he is helped grow the company from $2 million to over 10 million in ARR in just two years. But that's only one chapter, he's also scaled revenue and marketing engines at Hubstaff, Close, and Bonsai. We'll unpack how Madhav's marketing philosophy, anchored in insight, creativity, and disruption, has helped SaaS companies like Storylane, Hubstaff, and Bonsai scale from early traction to eight-figure growth. You'll hear how he applies "pattern interrupts" to rethink go-to-market strategy, align marketing with product and sales, and build momentum through bold experimentation.
Recorded live at the SaaS Summit in Amsterdam, this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS Podcast dives into a focused conversation with Mark Appel, Chief Marketing Officer at Sendcloud. As one of Europe's fastest-growing B2B SaaS platforms, Sendcloud operates across eight European markets, generating close to 60 million in annual recurring revenue with a team of about 450. In this discussion, Mark reveals how Sendcloud approaches international scaling, builds cross-functional go-to-market alignment, identifies and prioritizes compounding growth loops, and integrates AI agents across marketing and GTM operations. He also reflects on what he would do differently if he could rebuild a SaaS go-to-market motion from scratch, what early-stage founders should focus on to reach their first 10K MRR, and how to evolve from feature-led messaging to a brand-led narrative on the path to 10 million ARR.Key Timecodes(00:00) – Intro: Scaling B2B SaaS, Growth Loops & AI GTM 2026(01:10) – Guest Intro: Mark Appel, CMO of Sendcloud(01:39) – Company Snapshot: €60M ARR, 450 Employees, 8 Markets(02:20) – 2026 Focus: International SaaS Scaling Strategy(02:36) – Cross-Functional GTM: Marketing, Sales & CS Alignment(03:26) – GTM Motion: Hybrid PLG + SLG in B2B SaaS(03:39) – Finding Growth Loops Across 8 Countries(04:34) – Working Growth Loops: Demand to Revenue Flywheel(05:15) – Platform Network Effects: Merchants, Carriers & Partners(06:13) – Built-in Virality: Tracking Emails as Growth Channel(06:51) – Ad Break: Reditus Affiliate & Referral Growth(07:35) – AI for GTM 2026: AI SDRs & Marketing Agents(08:50) – AI Implementation: Challenges & Early Adoption(09:55) – Biggest GTM Shift: Retention, Expansion & Automation(10:22) – PLG in Product: Driving Adoption via In-App Prompts(11:40) – Rebuilding GTM: Cross-Functional Pods by Segment(12:41) – Segmentation: Startup to Enterprise Strategy(13:21) – Future Growth Loops: Consumer Visibility for SaaS(14:41) – 0 to 10K MRR: In-Market Demand & Search Campaigns(15:34) – 10K MRR to €10M ARR: Brand-Led SaaS Growth(16:03) – Connect with Mark Appel: LinkedIn & Email(16:18) – Outro & CTA: Subscribe, Sponsor & Learn via Reditus
Ian and Aaron talk about 20 years of HelpSpot, Aaron's big week on Twitter, and....talk about burying the lede....Aaron's got ARR! Subscription revenue! It's happening!Sponsored by Bento, Flare, and Ittybit.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - A Weekend Story (15:25) - Sick Kids (20:12) - Laravel New Update (22:40) - 20 Years of HelpSpot (37:27) - Ian's Hiring (43:03) - Aaron's Big Week on Twitter (53:20) - Database School Update Links:Paperless PostFuji X100VIRicoh GR IVLaravel NewIan's hiring!Aaron's tweet"Put Food On My Family"
Dans cet épisode, qui est diffusé moins de 24 h après l'annonce de la FDA américaine qu'elle va retirer le black box warning sur l'hormonothérapie de remplacement pour les femmes ménopausées, nous abordons l'impact de l'estradiol sur la santé cardiovasculaire des femmes. Les études montrent que l'hormonothérapie réduit le risque de mortalité, notamment quand elle est commencée avant 60 ans, en diminuant le risque de maladies cardiaques, fractures, Alzheimer et mortalité globale. La dénégation historique liée à l'étude WHI a nui aux femmes pendant des décennies, mais la science prouve que l'hormonothérapie, surtout si débutée précocement, est bénéfique. Les symptômes comme les bouffées de chaleur, les palpitations, et leur lien avec le risque cardiovasculaire, qui ne devraient pas être ignorés. L'estradiol soutient la santé cardiaque en améliorant la fonction vasculaire, en réduisant l'inflammation, et en préservant la santé des vaisseaux. Enfin, l'hormonothérapie semble plus efficace que les statines pour prévenir ces maladies, mais elle est encore sous-utilisée en prévention primaire. La science avance, il est temps de repenser nos notions sur la ménopause et la santé des femmes.Les messages clés de l'épisode sont : Les symptômes de la ménopause peuvent être très incommodants, et même engendrer de l'insomnie et de la dépression. Les bouffées de chaleur sont particulièrement problématiques, et environ 80% des femmes vont en avoir. La sévérité des bouffées de chaleur est associée à un risque accru de maladie cardiovasculaire, mais plus d'études sont nécessaires pour savoir si c'est un lien de cause à effet. Les palpitations cardiaques sont aussi fréquentes en périménopause et en ménopause et elles sont habituellement causées par la baisse de l'estradiol, mais mieux vaut consulter son médecin si on ressent des palpitations et ne pas simplement déduire que c'est les hormones. L'estradiol soutient la santé cardiaque en améliorant le profil lipidique, en réduisant l'inflammation et en maintenant la flexibilité des vaisseaux sanguins.L'hormonothérapie de remplacement, selon les études, semble être plus efficace pour prévenir les maladies cardiovasculaires que les statines, chez les femmes, mais à l'heure actuelle, en Amérique du Nord, on ne la recommande pas encore d'emblée pour prévenir la survenue de ces maladies.Nous aimerions vous inviter à découvrir Transforma, notre programme en ligne de perte de poids qui a été pensé tout particulièrement pour les femmes en périménopause et ménopause. Transforma, c'est un programme de 8 à 12 semaines qui vous enseigne comment optimiser votre santé métabolique tout en atteignant et en maintenant votre poids santé. Arrêtez de vous battre contre votre métabolisme, apprenez comment travailler avec lui! Rendez-vous sur www.transforma.fit pour voir un webinaire gratuit qui explique comment fonctionne le programme. FDA américaine le 10 novembre 2025 : "les femmes peuvent aussi réduire leur risque de maladie cardiovasculaire d'au moins 50%" : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2005736/Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.
Meditación del Evangelio según San Lucas 17, 1-6 por el biblista P. Norberto Padilla, misionero claretiano.Lunes 10/nov/2025, Si siete veces vuelve a decirte: "lo siento", lo perdonarás.Canción: Tú lo llenas todo (2021), de Nelly y Carlos----------Lectura del santo evangelio según san Lucas 17, 1-6En aquel tiempo, Jesús dijo a sus discípulos: "Es inevitable que sucedan escándalos; pero ay del que los provoca. Al que escandaliza a uno de estos pequeños, más le valdría que le encajaran en el cuello una piedra de molino y lo arrojasen al mar. Tengan cuidado. Si tu hermano te ofende, repréndelo; si se arrepiente, perdónalo; si te ofende siete veces en un día, y siete veces vuelve a decirte: "Lo siento", lo perdonarás." Los apóstoles le pidieron al Señor: "Auméntanos la fe." El Señor contestó: "Si tuvieran fe como un granito de mostaza, dirían a esa morera: "Arráncate de raíz y plántate en el mar." Y les obedecería".Palabra del Señor... Gloria a ti, Señor Jesús#SoyClaretiano #Evangelio #MisionerosClaretianos #CMFAntillasIntro: Lámpara Es Tu Palabra, de Ain Karem
+ Evangelio de nuestro Señor Jesucristo según san Lucas 17, 1-6 Jesús dijo a sus discípulos: «Es inevitable que haya escándalos, pero ¡ay de aquel que los ocasiona! Más le valdría que le ataran al cuello una piedra de moler y lo precipitaran al mar, antes que escandalizar a uno de estos pequeños. Por lo tanto, ¡tengan cuidado! Si tu hermano peca, repréndelo, y si se arrepiente, perdónalo. Y si peca siete veces al día contra ti, y otras tantas vuelve a ti, diciendo: "Me arrepiento", perdónalo.» Los Apóstoles dijeron al Señor: «Auméntanos la fe.» El respondió: «Si ustedes tuvieran fe del tamaño de un grano de mostaza, y dijeran a esa morera que está ahí: "Arráncate de raíz y plántate en el mar", ella les obedecería.»Palabra del Señor.
Le 8 novembre 1939 à Munich, Georg Elser, un simple ouvrier farouchement opposé au nazisme, installe un engin explosif dans la brasserie où Adolf Hitler célèbre chaque année l'anniversaire de son putsch manqué de 1923. Parti avec 13 minutes d'avance, le Führer échappe in extremis à l'explosion qui fait plusieurs victimes. Arrêté alors qu'il tente de gagner la Suisse, Georg Elser entre dans l'Histoire comme celui qui aurait pu changer le destin du monde. Revivez ce rendez-vous manqué avec l'Histoire. Crédits : Lorànt Deutsch, Bruno Calvès. Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.
En aquel tiempo, Jesús dijo a sus discípulos: "No es posible evitar que existan ocasiones de pecado, pero ¡ay de aquel que las provoca! Más le valdría ser arrojado al mar con una piedra de molino sujeta al cuello, que ser ocasión de pecado para la gente sencilla. Tengan, pues, cuidado.Si tu hermano te ofende, trata de corregirlo; y si se arrepiente, perdónalo. Y si te ofende siete veces al día, y siete veces viene a ti para decirte que se arrepiente, perdónalo".Los apóstoles dijeron entonces al Señor: "Auméntanos la fe". El Señor les contestó: "Si tuvieran fe, aunque fuera tan pequeña como una semilla de mostaza, podrían decirle a ese árbol frondoso: 'Arráncate de raíz y plántate en el mar', y los obedecería".
The Time Riders: Part 2 When you've got a time machine, practice makes perfect. Based on a post by BiscuitHammer, in 16 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. Always The Student. Mark was lying on his back, panting while Becky squirmed and writhed on top of him, moaning in pleasure. His hands were on her opulent tits, kneading them just how she loved it. The lovers were covered in sweat as she ground her cunt down onto his cock, taking him deep inside. He matched her sensual rhythm, pushing up while she pressed down, squeezing his shaft with each thrust he made. "Yes, Mark;” she gasped, her hands resting on his chest while she writhed on him shamelessly. It didn't matter that she was his former high school Physics teacher, or even that she still was, in a sense, she was committed to fucking him because she'd promised herself she'd enjoy this, and Becky did her damdest to always follow her own advice. "Yes, baby, right there;” Becky now began gyrating her hips in a circle on top of him, interrupting the rhythm that would certainly had led to both of them cumming and she wanted to prolong this session. She felt Mark regain control of himself, adapting to the new pace, although he continued to molest her tits, pinching and tugging on her nipples. Her flawless skin glistened with her exertions, the wonderful scent of a woman making love permeating the air. "Hmm, good boy," she purred, smiling down at him. "You're learning." "I've got the best teacher I could ask for." Mark replied, grinning back. "Forget all the time travel stuff you're helping me figure out, you're amazing in bed, Becky. I've never cum so hard before, not like when I'm with you." "You're so sweet, darling," she cooed, reveling in the feel of his throbbing cock deep inside her. Ever since that night he'd snuck into her home and failed so miserably at trying to seduce her so she would change his Physics grade, they'd become ardent lovers, with her being nearly as addicted to their sex as he was. "You make me cum really hard too, just so you know. And the gift you brought me back from London was so thoughtful. How would you like to fuck me next?" Mark nodded, pondering her question. He had indeed brought her back a gift, from London in the 1880's. He'd come back with a lovely dress from the period and a bottle of Italian wine. Even though she had never accompanied him on a temporal trip (except that very first one, to prove he had a time machine at all), she seemed to have an innate understanding of how to time travel without screwing things up, which was very easy. He took hold of her hips and slowly rolled her onto her stomach. She purred as she pushed her legs together and then knelt over her thighs. She put her chin on her arms and sighed as he pulled her ass cheeks apart and pushed his cock down into her cunt. Her clamped legs made her feel tighter than ever and he groaned in pleasure as he bottomed out. Keeping himself up on his hands, his back arched so that she was pinned beneath him, he began to piston his hips, fucking his teacher. "Oh, Mark;” she murmured. "It's so good this way. Your cock feels so wonderful inside me." "Uh, God;” he breathed, shuddering as she squeezed her cheeks together, clamping her cunt around him as he thrust. "I never wanna stop fucking you." "I don't want you to," she gasped as he hit her sweet spot. "And because you; oh; have your time machine; we can find a way; to fuck forever;” She squirmed and writhed beneath him while he pushed up and down on her, both of them getting slick with sweat. They groaned and panted together. He leaned down and bit her shoulder Becky keened in pleasure. Trembling, she arched her hips, pushing up against him. She could feel his cock twitching and swelling inside her. "Gonna cum;” he breathed, pushing down and straining. "Uh! Yes, cum in me, Mark!" she wailed. She pressed her face into a pillow as she screamed, feeling her student's cum spurting inside and filling her spasming cunt. Mark shook and groaned loudly, so glad they were in her house and could be as loud as they needed to be. Her slammed his hips down onto her, tingling pleasure blossoming through him. Mark collapsed on top of her, both of them limp and breathing heavily. He reached under Becky and put his hands on her tits, squeezing gently. She hummed and undulated her soft cheeks beneath him, milking his cock for all of his cum, her wet cunt wanting every last drop. They said nothing for several minutes, just lying there in bliss. Becky finally slowly turned over, Mark's cock slipping out of her and they wrapped their arms around each other, kissing deeply. He pushed his still-hard cock back in and moved back and forth gently inside her and she squeezed him in rhythm. Tongues tangled and they hummed contentedly into one another's mouths. "God, I want to find a way to have multiples of you fucking me all at once," she purred, smiling into his eyes and caressing his cheek. "One in my cunt, one in my ass, another in my mouth; hmm, that sounds heavenly." "Yeah, but won't I, like, blow up spontaneously, or collapse the universe if I encounter myself?" he asked somewhat warily. He liked the idea of fucking all Becky's holes, but not if it made everything go boom. She giggled and bopped his nose. "Silly. Why are you asking me? You're the one with access to this time-travel police force. What did you say they were called? TEA?" "Yeah, they said they're called the Temporal Enforcement Agency." Mark confirmed. "I called them Teabaggers and they didn't think that was funny." "Oh, be nice to them, darling," she chided gently. "After all, they're protecting the timeline for crazy kids like you." "Yeah, I guess," he admitted, knowing she was infinitely more sensible than him about these things. She was already so much smarter at this temporal stuff than he was. The only reason his little trip to 1800's London went well was because she'd prepped him and made him think it through. "Getting myself killed is apparently pretty easy." "Boo, and then we couldn't fuck anymore," she said, sounding sad. "And even if you stopped time-travelling tomorrow, I'd still want to fuck you. You've unleashed a demon in me." "I know it," he laughed. "I have to rest a few days after our marathon fuck sessions, only to come back in your next day to keep up with your libido. Not that I'm complaining, mind." She giggled. "Well I do love to fuck," she agreed. "Maybe one day, I'll go with you. I'd love to fuck in a harem bath house or a Parisian brothel." Mark rolled off her and lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. He could almost see the steam rising off them. As tricky as time travel was, he never would have ended up in bed with his Physics teacher if it hadn't been for his time machine. "That chronometer the agents gave me comes in really handy," he said, his thoughts drifting. "It actually gives me little warnings if I'm getting too close to another temporal event. It means I can't do some things I'd like to do, but things get complicated." She smiled. "You said they called it 'the Limelight Effect' or getting clock hammered, depending on what you were trying to do." He nodded. "They didn't like it when I called it 'clock-blocking'." "You said they had no sense of humor." Becky mused. "But maybe practicing with your Holmes Field Device in minor ways will help." He turned and looked at her. "How so?" "Well," she began, turning on her side to look at him, her hand propping up her head. Her nipples gently kissed the skin of his arm. "How about you take me out for dinner? We'll pick a low-traffic area, somewhere time travelers don't go. You said that your chronometer dials are difficult to physically turn and the Holmes Field device always skews numbers if you're trying to get anywhere that would prove troublesome." He considered what she was saying. "So, take you to some remote village in the past where no one else is ever interested in going. We can try finessing my control of the device." She nodded. "Precisely. I don't know about you, but I speak flawless French, we could visit a little village in France's past and we could get some dinner. You could learn how to deal with the locals, get a feel for what you'll have to do if you keep travelling the time stream." "It's weird how you can say words like 'time stream' so naturally, like it's normal," he sighed. "Still, you're right, careful practice is probably a good thing." "It'll be fun," she said, reaching over and taking hold of his hip to turn him into her. Her tits were now squashed to his chest, his soft cock against her gooey cunt. "How bad a teacher can I be for this? You made it through my physics class without tearing a hole in reality." "And yet I failed," he sighed. "I doubt I can fuck my way out of every bit of trouble I get myself into." She giggled and took his hand, pulling him off the bed and leading him to the bathroom. She sat down on the toilet to pee while she stroked his cock gently, She shivered as she peed, feeling his cum trickling of her, pulling him closer and taking him in her mouth. She hummed as she bobbed back and forth, enjoying their mingled taste. Mark had to admit that he was enjoying how relaxed she was around him now that they were lovers. "So," she said finally, pulling his cock out of her mouth with a quiet pop. "We'll shower and get cleaned up. Then we'll head to the public library to figure out where and what we're doing. Anybody asks, I'll say I'm helping you with your schoolwork." He smiled slyly, feeling a familiar tingle in his cock at the thought of showering with her. This was going to be a good night. "So here's a question," she remarked as she watched Mark get dressed in the outfit they'd bought for the occasion, hidden from prying eyes in her basement, where he kept the Holmes Field Device. They'd visited a costume shop and found clothing that was a good fit for the period they were visiting, that being France in the 1600's. "Did they ever tell you about any contacts you can make in the time stream? You know, like dealers?" He looked at her quizzically. "Dealers?" "Sure," she said, nodding. "There must be time-travelers who make their living by providing goods and services to other travelers. I mean, you need to be able to get money and supplies somewhere, so that you don't stick out like a sore thumb, right?" "Yeah, that'd make sense," he admitted. "I mean, I got lucky when I tried going to London and got that dress, I managed to pawn off some knick-knacks I'd brought with me, because I didn't know how else to pay for anything. And they thought I was just some ignorant American. I got out a lot quicker than I thought I would." "I think we should find out," she reasoned. "If you're going to do this, you should really learn how to find what you need." "Exactly how much time-travelling do you think I'm gonna be doing?" he asked, giving her a wry look before continuing to put on his new outfit. "Well, we know you have no future as a physicist, maybe you'll find something you're good at in the time stream," she giggled, making him sigh. She moved forward to help him get into his clothes, since he clearly had no idea what he was doing. "And even if you don't know how to find a dealer, I'm willing to bet that they'll know how to find a traveler." He couldn't argue with that logic and stood still while she corrected his attire, kissing his nose as she finished. He then watched as she got into her own period garb, doing so much more efficiently than he had done. She saw him looking at her and winked. "In spite of my physics major, I also did a lot of work in theater," she quipped, holding her top loosely in place over her opulent tits. "I've been in Les Mis a few times, so I know my way around period garb." "I feel bad about you bringing that jewelry to trade for money," he said, wishing he had more to offer. He didn't just yet, however. "Oh, they're nothing, it's just old gold I never wear," she said dismissively. "I'd probably just end up selling them in a pawn shop at some point. This way, at least it's getting some use. I sell these things I never wear, we get the proper currency, then we go and have some fun. I don't see how this can be a bad thing." "I guess I just feel like it should be me paying." Mark murmured, trying not to blush. "Silly," she giggled again. "You're an eighteen year-old boy. What one earth could you possibly have accumulated that the time stream would be interested in?" "Well, you got me there," he sighed, giving up and letting her continue. "Maybe I'll make it big in the time stream and then I can keep you buying you the presents you deserve." "Ooh, you honey-dripper," she cooed, smiling and kissing his nose before stepping back and examining him. "Well, you're starting to look the part. I'll use some gel in your hair to tousle it a little and then I think we're probably as close as we can get, since neither of us has syphilis or tuberculosis." He waited while she fixed his hair and then took care of her own, pulling her golden locks back in a bow. She was wearing a peasant dress, one that accentuated her small waist and large bust. His outfit, was more akin to a gentleman of northern Europe, with a blue vest and white breeches that he found rather tight, especially around the crotch. "So, milord," she lilted, threading her arm through his and smiling at him. "Shall we sally forth?" He nodded and walked over toward the time machine, his chronometer in hand. 17th Century, France. "Combien allez-vous me donner pour ce pendentif?" Becky asked the owner of the dingy little shop they were standing in. Candles flickered on the walls, dimly illuminating the musty room. The shop-owner, a wizened little man wearing crooked spectacles, looked up her with rheumy eyes. He held out a gnarled hand and she gently put the dull gold bangle into it. Her brought it close to his face, examining it intently. He weighed it in his palm and then scratched the inner surface, testing its contents. He licked his lip as he considered her offering. Finally he put it down. "Onze Louis," he declared, nodding. "Onze Louis, quatre livres, douze sous et vingt-et-trois deniers." Mark looked at Becky, who was considering what he had told them. After a few seconds, she seemed to think he was being reasonable. "Bien. Tout en livres et sous, s'il vous plait." The man counted out one hundred and sixty-six sous and pushed them across the counter. His eyes widened slightly as she pushed a gold necklace and two rings to him for appraisal. Half an hour later, they exited the shop with a small purse containing the equivalent of nearly fifty Louis, a small fortune by the standards of the period and their locale. "Here you go, milord," she said sweetly, pressing the purse into his palm. "It's only appropriate that you carry our funds, since you're the one cosplaying as the aristocracy." "Except my French sucks balls." Mark muttered as they walked down the dirt road. It was mid-morning and they'd arrived in a fallow field outside the town. Google maps indicated that it was empty in the modern day and online archive maps from France in 1652 indicated that it was much the same way back then. With careful calculations of time and distance, they'd arrived without incident. "Well, you speak Spanish, so we'll pretend you're from Madrid or something," she said simply, holding his arm again. "And I'll be the lusty French tart from Rouen who travels with you, keeping you enamored with our fair country." "You'd be stupidly good at Larp, you're really getting into this," he sighed. Larp?” Live action role playing. Any other hidden talents I should know about?" Mark inquired. "If I told you then they wouldn't be surprises," she pointed out. "We women love to be mysterious." "Well, at least you're a woman, most of the girls I know who do that stuff are just crazy." "That's because they're teenage girls, who are, by definition, 'bugfuck insane'." Becky added. "A lot of women are too, I suppose, but at least there's a chance our hormones have straightened out. Probably not much different here, except for the mortality rate." They walked down the cobblestone rode, attracting the occasional stare as they walked into the town. They stopped a stout, middle-aged man and asked where they might get some decent food and accommodations. "You are dressed rather unusually to be walking," he said, looking at Mark. "You seem to be a gentleman of quality, sir. I am the town's physician and apothecary, my name is Henri. And yours, monsieur?" Mark stuttered. "Mark, uh; mon nom; es;” "Marco," Becky interjected suddenly, relieving him of the burden of struggling to make his name known in French. "He is Senor Marco Del Strade, and he is a baron from Valencia." "I thought I was from Madrid." Mark whispered out of the side of his mouth. "Shut the fuck up, I'm thinking on the fly here!" she hissed back. "What did the Spaniard say?" asked the portly physician. "That didn't sound Spanish." "A curse of our association," she said sweetly, beaming a radiant smile at him. "The baron speaks no French, and I no Spanish, so we communicate en Anglais, with which we both have some facility." "A rather unusual arrangement," grunted the man. "Nonetheless, it would not do for our humble town to allow a gentleman of quality to not be looked after. I would recommend L'Auberge Des Loups." "The Wolves' Inn?" Mark muttered out loud, knowing enough French to get that translation. "That doesn't sound too safe." "Be at ease, my friends," Henri said, chuckling. "The wolf is on our town coat of arms, and the Inn is our most reputable establishment. If you have the money, they will give you what you need." He turned and pointed down the road. "There, you can see the inn from this spot. The two-story building with the gambrel roof and all the smoke coming out of the chimney. See it?" "Yes, good sir, and we thank you." Becky said, curtseying before smiling at the man and putting his rather fat, gout-ridden hand in hers. "For all of your help." "Ah, well, yes," he said, blushing and withdrawing his hand from hers. "When you go to the inn, tell the proprietor that Henri sent you. This will make things easier for you." And with that, the man waddled off. "He seemed nice, I guess," Mark mused as they resumed their trek into the town. "I mean, I missed a lot of what you two said, but it seemed to agree with you." "We just need to mention his name when we get to the inn and that'll apparently make our lives easier." Becky replied, thinking how quaint everything was. She couldn't believe she was actually in seventeenth century France! But then, she was fucking her former student who was a time-traveler, so clearly anything was possible. She had already promised herself she would enjoy every moment of this experience. She'd chosen the year as carefully as possible, noting that there were no major Plague outbreaks mentioned and she had insisted they bring very discretely concealed medications with them. Ignoring the stares of the townsfolk, they continued down the main street until they reached the inn. They tacitly avoided stepping in the various effluences that trickled between the cobblestones and stepped over the unconscious peasants who were sprawled in the middle of the street before opening the faded green doors and entering. Dark and musty, lit by wall sconces and an ancient wrought-iron chandelier overhead in which guttered many candles, the large common room was like something out of an HBO special, minus the lighting budget. Large, round table dominated the space, while a great hearth and a long counter encompassed most of the back wall. Lots of sun-browned peasant faces turned to look at them while some stringed instrument plunked away from a corner. The place smelled of smoke and what was probably body odor. Still ignoring the stares, Becky led Mark up to the counter, behind which stood a surly-looking man with a black moustache and beard. He observed them with interest as they approached. Mark stood silently while Becky addressed the man in French. "My lord the Baron is looking for clean and welcoming accommodations for the night," she began, indicating Mark. "Henri sent us to you, saying that you were the establishment in this town worthy of his business." "If you can pay, then yes, we will be able to room you comfortably," he answered, looking at Mark. "Our best room is one livre per night. I assume the baron can afford this?" She looked at Mark now. "A single night is one livre. Those'd be the silver coins. Get one out and just give it to him, without showing how much you actually have." Mark nodded and fished out one of the coins indicated, putting it on the counter for the proprietor to inspect. Satisfied, the man nodded. "This will cover the room. If his lordship has need of a bath or food, we can provide these things as well." "Fresh food?" she asked pointedly. "Only the freshest for the lord," laughed the man loudly, causing people nearby to chuckle. "Is he a mute?" "No, he is Spanish and speaks no French," she said flatly, fixing the man with a hard look. "You can speak to me, his servant, if you feel the need to communicate. You can bring him food now, and your finest wine, good sir." She then turned and took Mark's arm, leading him over to an empty table in the corner, once again ignoring the gazes that followed them. She sat down and sighed, nodding. "We'll eat and then see about the room and a bath," she declared, looking around and taking everything in. "If it's big enough, I'm sure we can get into all sorts of trouble in the tub." "I'd like that," he said, finally relaxing. "I'm glad you're taking to this so easily, because I'm way out of my element. London in the 1880's was hard enough, and all I was doing was pretending I was an American traveler. France in the time of the Louis the Sun King, that's a little out of my league." "Don't worry, once you hit your stride, you'll do fine," she said gently, patting his hand. "I've just had more weird experiences over the course of my life than you have and am adapting a little quicker is all." A jug of wine, two goblets, some hearty bread with butter and some onions and cheese was brought over by a wench who looked like John Rhys-Davies in drag. She belched and tottered off, having delivered her goods. "Although I'm not so sure about adapting to that." Becky said, shaking her head to clear it of the image. She unstopped the jug and poured the dark red wine into their goblets while Mark portioned out the bread, butter, cheese and onions. They both dug in, finally realizing how hungry they were. "Oh, wow, that's good," Becky remarked, looking into her goblet, having tried the wine. "Just remember to eat a lot of bread and butter, Mark, or you'll have the hangover from hell." He'd never had a wine quite like this before and they quickly polished off the jug before ordering another. They finished their bread and cheeses before being presented with a roasted suckling pig and two pheasants, stuffed with local herbs. They enjoyed eating, but the wine was strong enough to eventually get through all the food they'd lined their stomachs with. Becky was giggling and tipsy within the hour. "I can't beli; believe we're here in France," she said, her head tilted to one side. "An' we're gonna fuck; in the tub; an' then in our room, because; because; defiling the timeline; sounds like fun. It's fun, you know, to fuck across history;” "It is," Mark agreed, not as drunk as Becky but still feeling rather buzzed. His tongue felt thick from the wine, which she had explained was not treated with any modern pasteurization process and therefore would be full of tannins and sediments they would need to account for or suffer an assured hangover. "And you're the person I'd want to do it with, Becks;” Becky giggled and slid her hand along his leg, finally arriving at his crotch and giving the bulged contained in the tight breeches a squeeze. "You're not; not a time cop; you're a time cock; timeless cock;” Some musicians had come in a few minutes earlier and were sitting in another corner of the common room. They struck up a lively tune on their lutes, fiddles and a small drum. Becky's eyes lit up as the music reached them. "Oh, I love this song!" she said loudly in English before hopping up from the table and dancing her way with abandon into the middle of the room. People watched on and began to clap and cheer as she stood on a table and began capering. "How the hell does she know this song?" Mark wondered, frowning as he watched his Physics teacher begin to dance and sing. Ah! Si mon moine voulait danser! Ah! Si mon moine voulait danser! Un capuchon je lui donnerais Un capuchon je lui donnerais Danse, mon moine, danse! Tu n'entends pas la danse Tu n'entends pas mon moulin, lon la Tu n'entends pas mon moulin marcher. Mark watched in wonder as she tottered back over and flopped onto the bench next to him, breathing heavily and perspiring. She grinned at him lopsidedly and winked, still obviously rather inebriated. "Why did you know the lyrics to that song?" he asked, utterly baffled. She poured herself more wine and drained her goblet in one gulp, with a very loud Gluck! noise. Clearly, she was intent on partying. "Went to; a Catholic school; run by nunsh;” she slurred, trying to fill her cup again. "Lotsh of shingin' to; keep our little teen girl mindsh; off sheksh; Fuckin' love that shong, used to shing that shong; all the' time; fuckin'; great to dansh to;” "Yes, I noticed," he said, nodding and smiling. "You were almost flashing your tits and your cunt at the; the patrons;” "They can peek; but no touchy;” she said, taking another drink. "Thish pushy; only for you; I think; we'll shee;” She turned and looked at him, her eyes glazed and her skin flush from her exertions. "We're here; together, Mark, but; if you; ya' shee a girl ya' wanna fuck; I'm okay with; with that. "Jus' don' get the crabs!" She had broken into a snickering fit, pressing her forehead against the table as she tried to not fall over completely. Mark was chuckling and feeling really good watching how silly his teacher was being. She looked up suddenly, trying to wear a serious expression. "But one thing," she cautioned, holding up a finger and wagging it at one of the Marks she was looking at. There were three of them, so she chose the one in the middle. "No, moren one thing, but th' one thing'sh; important;” She leaned forward to whisper to him. "Keep your dicky in your pantsh unlesh; unlesh you know she'sh eighteen; 'cush the lawsh right now; 'she prolly legal to fuck 'em younger; but; you're from our time; our time;” She glowered at him drunkenly. "An' we don' fuck 'em if they're not eighteen; ya' got it?" He nodded. "Eighteen or older. Got it. And you can; miss, you can' "Not mish," she interrupted, waving away his comment. "Becky. Not fuckin' mish, remember?" "Sorry," he intoned, letting out a belch and patting his chest. The wine and cheese tasted great but were really fucking with him. "I'll be better; remember;” "Well, what wash it I can do?" she asked. "You were gonna; shay; I could do; what wash it?" Mark thought about that for a moment, unable to push through the wine-induced haze in his head. "I don' remember;” They both broke into laughter, much to the amusement of nearby patrons. Becky had her head on the table again, giggling until Mark slammed his palm on it in an expression of entertainment, shocking her and making her yelp. They looked at one another and burst into more fits of laughter. They'd drained another jug and polished off the pig and pheasants. Mark felt incredibly full, and drunk. Becky could barely stand up and she asked Mark to take her arm and lead them over to the proprietor behind the long counter once again. She shook her head a few times to clear it and he waited patiently for her to speak. "Shir, we'll be needing the bath now, and our room," she said slowly, making sure she could be understood. "Would you be so kind ash to show ush the way?" He tilted his head slightly. "Comment?" "You just spoke to him in English, Becks." Mark told her. Her glassy eyes widened and she squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to die of embarrassment. "For fuck's sakes;” she muttered. She took a deep breath and repeated herself in labored French. He nodded and led them up the back, away from the common room. It took Becky fifteen minutes to get up the single flight of stairs because it wouldn't stop spinning. Mark sighed as he sat in the large, round wooden tub, his arms resting on the side while his hands gripped the rim. The steaming water splashed over the side as he shuddered and groaned loudly, cumming. Spent, he sank back onto the small ledge and breathed heavily. The water stirred and Becky surfaced, exhaling. Her golden hair clung to her wetly and her glorious tits glistened. She grinned at her student. "See?" she declared, obviously pleased as she pulled her hair over her shoulders. "Told you I could make you cum before having to surface for air." "Jesus, you must've been down there over two minutes," he breathed, never ceasing to be stunned by her carnal skills. "How the hell do you hold your breath that long?" Becky cricked her neck and settled onto Mark's lap, her arms around his neck. She gave him a peck on the nose. "Lots of cardio and physical training." "Obviously." Mark agreed. "Not that I'm complaining, mind." "Hmm, didn't think you would," she purred. "But only half of this equation has been solved, big boy. I haven't cum yet. Since you're friend down there is taking a nap, how good are you at holding your breath?" "Not that good," he chuckled. "I'm happy to lick your cunt, but you'll need to keep it above water." She smiled and rolled her eyes before getting off his lap. He moved aside and allowed her to kneel on the little ledge he'd been sitting on, leaning over the rim of the tub and resting her forearms on it. She looked back at him and winked while wiggling her sexy, toned behind him. Her cuntlips were dripping and looked inviting. Mark knelt in the middle of the tub, behind Becky's ass and took hold of it, kissing the wet cheeks. Becky cooed and squirmed under the attention, one of her hands cupping a tit and squeezing it. She could feel Mark's lips and tongue moving slowly inward toward her core. She bit her lip and sighed. He touched her cunt, kissing it gently and sliding his tongue up and down the twat, which parted easily before him. Her heard her moan and tasted her tang as he pushed inside her while using his thumbs to pull her inner thighs apart so he could get further into his teacher's snatch. She shivered and pushed back against him, eager for more. "Hmm, Mark;” she cooed, her eyes shut as she felt his tongue inside her. "Yes, right there, lover. Oh, you really know how to use your tongue;” He smiled at her compliment and pulled his tongue out to massage her clit with it, rolling around the little bud and making her gasp sharply. He slid a finger inside her, followed by another and she groaned. He could feel her cunt tightening around his digits and began to push them back and forth slowly while he nibbled and sucked her clit. Becky shuddered again and leaned down, biting at her knuckle while squeezing her tit harder, massaging it vigorously. Mark lashed her clit while fingering her tight twat and then slid a single finger into her ass. Her breath caught in her throat and she gripped the ledge of the tub, her fingers raking along the iron-bound wood. "Fuck, Mark," she whimpered. "Yes, make me cum. I want to cum in your mouth!" Mark worked her cunt harder, sliding the fingers back and forth, pushing in deeper each time. His tongue massaged her clit relentlessly or he sucked on it. She was squirming and writhing back against him, groaning unashamedly. He was beyond caring if anyone heard them at this point. Becky was panting heavily now, her eyes glazing over as she ground her ass against Mark's face, feeling his fingers in her cunt and her ass, wiggling and pushing her closer and closer to orgasm. She would miss his cum inside her, but she would surely get it before long, Mark was developing good stamina under her guidance. She arched her back and moaned loudly as she began to cum, pleasure blossoming through her from her cunt and out to her fingers and toes. Her body shook while she climaxed, the wet, gooey ecstasy of colors in her mind letting her; Invasion. There was a smash, like wood splintering, the creak of worn metal. Her eyes snapped open in confusion, the unreal delight of her orgasm draining away as men in masks and dark clothes surged into the room, at least five of them and more shadows in the hallway. Most were holding knives or small clubs, but she saw the one in front carrying a heavy flintlock pistol. Even in the darkness of the room, lit only by candles around the wall, she could see the wicked scar on his cheek. "Arrêtez! Reste tranquille et je ne te tuerai pas!" he rasped, pointing his pistol at her while his comrades moved into the room and began searching for something. "Qui es-tu?" Becky demanded, getting angry not only about the intruders, but the fact that her orgasm was slipping away. She could feel Mark still kneeling behind her, looking on in shock at what was happening. "Tais-toi, salope!" the man barked, moving toward her and drawing a wicked knife from his belt, his men now ransacking the room. He placed the point of the knife at her throat and Mark felt a cold fear run up his spine. "Do not speak to me in that tone if you' He never finished the sentence as Becky grabbed the wrist of the hand holding the knife and twisted, hard. The man with the scar yelped as he lost his grip on the knife and the blonde woman leapt out of the tub, her knee smashing into his face. He staggered backward and then went flying as her foot slammed into his ribcage. He crashed through a table and this got the attention of the thugs he'd brought with him. They all looked in shock at the naked blonde tigress for a moment and then surged in on her, knives and cudgels ready. "A little help here, hero!" Becky shrilled as she scampered away from the incoming bandits. "This isn't sex, don't make me do all the work!" "Hey now!" Mark protested, half-rising out of the relative protection of the tub because of her taunt. "It's not like you do all' "Goddammit, Mark!" Becky shouted as she ducked the swing of a club and punched her attacker in the balls. "You'd better hope they kill us, because if I survive, I'm going to crack open your skull and suck your brain out with a straw! Help me!" Mark came to his senses and vaulted over the side of the tub, trying not to think about the fact that he was buck naked and rushing toward his teacher and her assailants. He crashed into the smallest man, bearing him to the ground and winding him. Not sure what else to do, he began punching the bandit, knocking his cloth mask askew so he could not see. The man struggled wildly to get out from underneath his naked foe. "Huh!" Mark choked out as another thug grabbed him by the throat from behind and started pulling him off the man he was on top of. He could feel his tongue beginning to bulge out of his mouth and was thinking he must look incredibly foolish, like Jabba the Hutt when Princess Leia strangled him with the chain. He couldn't die like that. He couldn't. With a limp dick and a swollen tongue? In front of Becky? He'd taken some karate, although he was no expert. His skin was still wet and he went limp, using sudden deadweight to break his attacker's hold on his throat, although he hissed in pain when he felt the man's ragged nails crease through his skin as he lost his grip. With a thud! Mark hit the floor and did the only thing he could think of doing; he grappled onto the man and took him down in a rough tumble. He desperately rolled until he was on top and rammed his knee into the man's stomach. He heard the man wheeze but then sparks exploded behind his eyes as something cracked across the back of his head. He didn't fall over but scrambled away in a panic, wishing he could see in the darkness or that the room would stop spinning. Becky landed in a heap on top of him, knocking him back to the floor. She was still naked and incredibly angry from the sounds of her. "That's it, buster!" she roared as she surged back to her feet and charged her attacker. Mark dazedly looked over and watched as his teacher sprinted across the room, her foe giving chase. She leapt in the air and to the wall, her foot making contact. Before anyone was ready, she sprang backward, smashing her foot across the man's jaw in a roundhouse kick that they must have heard on the edge of town. The man went down like a sack of flour. "Alright, who's next?" she shouted, standing in the middle of the room, naked and scratched up. She grabbed a pewter jug and slammed it backward into the head of a man coming up behind her. He went down. "I didn't know you did parkour!" Mark called out as he tackled another thug from behind, taking him to the floor. "I do a lot of things to take out my sexual frustrations!" she snapped back, picking up a bench and throwing it at two assailants to keep them off-balance. "Parkour, jiu-jutsu, archery, Krav-Maga. I was kind of hoping that fucking would allow me to vent a little steam!" "I can see why!" Mark said as he smashed the man's face into the floor repeatedly. Even in his weirdest dreams, he'd never imagined fighting French bandits while buck naked. He wondered if the Temporal Enforcement Agency would be up his ass about this incident. "Oh, shut up!" she shrilled, kicking a man between the legs from behind and then suplexing him after he doubled over in pain. The floor splintered with the impact, but Becky rolled to her feet and grabbed his cudgel. "You still owe me an orgasm, mister!" "Okay, okay!" Mark said hastily. A sallow man confronted him, wearing an eye-mask, who brandished a knobbed club. The bandit grinned at him, clearly intent on bashing his head in. Thinking quickly, Mark stood and looked somber, clasping his fist in his hand and bowing, like they did in his mom's tai chi class. The bandit looked confused for a moment before Mark bowed again and then made a motion urging the bandit to do the same. Still not sure what was happening but wanting to get on with things, the bandit bowed at the waist clumsily. Mark broke a chair over his head before grabbing the cudgel and rushing to Becky's side. "So very nice of you to join me," Becky panted as they faced off against the three remaining intruders, who were trying to surround them. Mark and Becky backed up toward the outer wall, the window behind them. The men closed in. There was a groan and a clatter as the man with the scar on his cheek slowly got to his feet from the pile of broken furniture he'd been laying in and approached them, his henchmen parting to make way for him. "Pour votre arrogance, je vous verrai mort." he growled, pointing his pistol at Mark. Trapped, Mark squeezed his eyes shut; click! Mark blinked and opened his eyes. The scar-faced man was scowling at his pistol, which was letting off a small tuft of smoke but had failed to go off. Was the powder wet? With a roar of fury, Becky was on him. "Get the other three!" she yelled as she rearranged his face. "I've got this one!" Too bewildered to be afraid and exhilarated to be alive, Mark charged the remaining three thugs, who were all backing away in confusion. None of this had gone according to plan, the majority of their fellow bandits were strewn around the room, beaten unconscious by a naked man and a crazy blonde hellion with big tits and a shaved cunt. "C'est des conneries!" she raged as she beat the man around the room, showing no mercy. "I came to the Sun King's France to drink wine, have a good time and get laid! And you fuckers just had to try and rob me, didn't you? All sorts of peasants to pick on, but no! You thought you'd get lucky with two strangers! Well va te faire enculer, pal!" Mark lost track of the whirlwind of violence his teacher had become while he ducked the swipe of a knife and then kicked the leg out from under a thug, dislocating his knee and dropping him. He whirled around and got lucky with the cudgel, cracking it across the jaw of another man, who spun like a top and fell to the ground. He was beginning to notice that he was taller than just about all these men, often by a significant margin. Some were barely taller than Becky. Had nutrition really been that bad in this era? The last one got desperate and lunged at him, but Mark twisted and used his foe's momentum to send him sailing past and smashing into the window. The unconscious man slumped halfway through the shutter and the sounds of commotion in the street below reached him. He shouldn't have been surprised that they were causing a stir. He looked around the room to see if any other foes were standing, but saw only sprawled bodies everywhere, some stirring slightly. The only other sound was that of a face being punched. He looked over to see Becky squatting on the scarred man's chest, grappling into his collar and socking him repeatedly in the mouth while swearing in French. "Nique ta mere!" thump! "Oh, you really pissed me off!" she growled as she huiled the man up by the shirt and dragged him stumbling over to the tub, where she pushed his head under the water. He thrashed about in a panic before she let him back up, gasping for air. "You like that?" she shouted, thumping his head off the side of the tub several times for emphasis. "Ya' think it's funny to barge into a girl's room when she's about to get her rocks off? Is that it?" She shoved his head back underwater again, waiting until he was thrashing around in terror again before pulling him back out and dragging him over to the bed. She threw him against it so that he was kneeling, supported by the straw-stuffed mattress as he swooned. "Hold him down, Mark;” she growled. Unsure of what to do aside from comply, Mark got on the bed and pinned the man's arms against the mattress, putting all his weight on them to keep him in place. He watched in growing confusion as Becky knelt behind the man and yanked his breeches down, exposing his pock-marked behind. She found his flintlock pistol and glared at it for a moment before fiddling with the mechanism, cocking it. The man's eye flared wide and he howled in pain and horror as she pushed the barrel inside his ass. "Alright, buttercup," she said with a sweetness that oozed cruelty. "You're going to explain who told you to come and rob us. And if you don't, I pull the trigger and put your brains on the ceiling." Mark warily shuffled aside on the bed, away from the top of the man's skull. "Do you understand me?" Becky asked quietly, giving the pistol a jiggle. "Probably not," Mark said, trying to sound conciliatory. "You're speaking English again." Becky realized he was right and swore under her breath. Rather than say it all again in French, she decided to just get to the point. She pressed the pistol in an inch further, ignoring the resistance she encountered. "Dites-mois qui vous a envoye," she growled. "Tell me or I blow an asshole in the top of your head." "Henri!" the scar-faced man gasped and whimpered. "He told us you would be here and you have much money!" "Oh, did he now?" Becky growled, forgetting to speak French as she glared at the bandit. "I am going to eat that man's children;” She roughly grabbed the man and spun him around to face her, without removing the pistol muzzle from his ass. His face was pale with fright and artfully rearranged by her fist. He was still leaning back against the bed, not daring to move, breathing heavily. "Maintenant," Becky began, still glowering at him. "You're going to tell me where to' She paused as she looked down at the man's crotch and saw that he was sporting a throbbing erection. "Are you fucking kidding me?" she shouted angrily, yanking the pistol out of his ass and then slamming the grip across his head with a loud crack! The bandit's eyes rolled into his head and he slumped to the ground, very unconscious. "Huh," Mark said as he glanced down at the prone villain. "I guess guys really can get erections from that sort of thing. I thought it was bullshit." "It ought to be, under these circumstances," Becky groused, folding her arms and looking pissed off. "You don't spring wood when a girl's got a gun shoved up your ass, especially after you try to rob her! I don't feel the least bit bad about not giving him a reach-around. Fucker;” "Would you really have pulled the trigger and blown his brains out?" he asked somewhat nervously. "Oh, of course, not," she snorted, giving him a wry look. "I'm not a monster." "You sure fight like one." Mark said, using his hand to indicate the carnage around the room. Bad guys were strewn everywhere, and he was pretty sure he couldn't claim most of them. "Well, they had it coming," she sniffed. "They interrupted my orgasm. It's just rude." She then turned and looked at him, her expression much softer. "Thank you, Mark, for all your help. You saved me, I couldn't have done it on my own." "Yeah, well, you wouldn't have been in danger if I hadn't brought you here in that damn time machine." Mark said, a feeling of guilt washing over him. She knelt next to him on the bed and hugged him close, their bodies pressing together. She smiled at him and kissed his nose. "Don't be sad," she cooed. "I haven't had this much adventure in ages." Mark smirked. "If you've got romps in your past that compare to this, I wanna hear about them." "Oh, you'll need to do a lot more fucking to coax those out of me, young man," she whispered, reaching down between them to take gentle hold of his cock and begin stroking. "But maybe I won't make it too difficult for; Mark, it's very rude to stare off into space while a girl is trying to seduce you. Mark?" "I'm not staring off into space, Becks." Mark said, staring past her shoulder. "Oh, really?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips and looking annoyed, still kneeling in front of him. "Then what is so fascinating that even my tits can't distract you?" He indicated a direction behind her with a nod. "Voyeurs." Becky turned her head slowly and looked across the room at the door. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed several dark shapes in the hallway, gazing into the room in astonishment. With a sigh, she got off the bed, grabbed a candle that hadn't been destroyed and walked over to the door, clearly beyond caring that she was still naked. She could see men and women now, backing up uncertainly at her approach. She also spied one particular silhouette, large and with a big beard, lurking near the back and trying to not be seen. "Oh no you don't, pal," she called out, snapping her fingers and then pointing at the man before making a beckoning motion. "Get your sorry ass over here;” Henri, the peasant girls, and hospitality. Mark sighed in pleasure and took another drink from the jug of wine he was holding, trying to not spill any. He pulled his lips away and looked down his body. He was sitting in a large, plush bed, blissfully naked. Between his legs, a local girl with dark brown hair girl was bobbing her mouth up and down on his cock ardently, clearly interested in pleasing him. "This one's the innkeeper's daughter?" he mused, enjoying her mouth. She paused sucking on him for a moment to look up and smile eagerly before returning to her task. "She loves cock for sure." "She's one of his daughters," Becky agreed, propped up beside him, equally naked and holding the head of a girl who was lying between her legs, her face buried in the blonde's cunt, which she was licking hungrily. "This is the other one." "You frightened him so badly that he's letting us fuck his daughters?" Mark laughed. "He's given us his personal quarters, given us all the food and drink we want and we can fuck his daughters?" "What can I say, I'm persuasive." Becky grunted, shivering and grinding herself into the face of the daughter. "He'll let us stay for the week, he doesn't want word getting around that a noble had a fiasco in his inn. He'd probably give us his wife, too, if I demanded it. We're too close to Paris and word would get around and wreck his business." "If trashing that room and leaving bandits everywhere doesn't, nothing would." Mark breathed, holding the girl by the hair. "Seriously, it looks like Metallica stayed in that room now. What'll we do about that Henri asshole?" "I'll think of it later, I'm a little busy." Becky hissed, squirming and knotting her fingers in the peasant girl's hair. "Uh, it's been so long, since a girl ate me." "You had a sexy phase? I didn't know you liked girls." Mark said, smirking at her. "Back in high school, maybe," Becky admitted. "Haven't been with one since then." "But I do have a question," he said, focusing past the daughter's wicked mouth. "In all the hassle and afterward, I never asked the innkeeper how old his daughters were." "So?" Becky gasped, eyes squeezed shut and bucking her hips. "Well, what if they're not eighteen? You said yourself that we have to hold ourselves to the standards of the time we come from, right?" "You're thinking of that now?" she groaned through clenched teeth. "I; fuck; Mark, it's 1640 right now. That means these girls can't be any less than three hundred and ninety-two in our time. Good enough?" "Good enough!" he laughed. Rationalization seemed to be a handy skill when you were time travelling. He looked over and saw Becky pull the girl away from her crotch and rustle over to him. He stayed still while she straddled his lap, facing down his body. With one hand, she took hold of his cock and held it steady while she positioned herself above it. The two sisters, every bit as naked as them, nestled on the bed below his legs, pressing against one another's sides. They grinned at one another and kissed, their tongues tangling as they waited for Becky to continue. With a sigh, his teacher lowered herself onto his cock, the mushroom head splitting her wet lips before sliding inside her. She sunk down with a groan until he was in to the hilt. She then slowly laid herself back against him, allowing Mark fondle her tits while she squirmed and writhed on him. The sisters moved in and began licking at his cock or kissing her cunt lips and clit while the two guests fucked. "Oh, Heaven;” Becky purred as she caressed his cheek, turning her head to kiss him, their tongues slithering around while she undulated slowly on his lap. "This is what time travel's all about;” Mark held her with one hand, fondling her tits and pinching her nipples while his other hand found the wine jug and poised it just over her torso. She hummed in pleasure as he trickled the dark red liquid over her fair skin, letting it cascade down her exquisite form. One of the sisters noticed and knelt up, beginning to lick it off Becky's tits and stomach while the other noisily slurped it from the Mark's cock and Becky's cunt. "God, forget the Sun King's France, we belong in Caligula's Rome," Becky moaned, shivering in delight at how decadent they were being. "We'll need to; hmm; we'll need to find time to attend an orgy, Mark; how's your Latin?" "Not as good as yours, I imagine," he replied, his tongue still swirling around with hers while they fucked. "But I'd be happy to learn it if we can attend a real orgy." He put the jug of wine aside and used both hands to molest her again, squeezing her tits and gripping her skin. Becky writhed and him, pressing down with her hips, shuddering as the two sisters licked her and nipped at her skin. She begged the universe n
Jen Abel is GM of Enterprise at State Affairs and co-founded Jellyfish, a consultancy that helps founders learn zero-to-one enterprise sales. She's one of the smartest people I've ever met on learning enterprise sales, and in this follow-up to our first chat two years ago (covering the zero to $1 million ARR founder-led sales phase), we focus on the skills founders need to learn to go from $1M to $10M ARR.We discuss:1. Why the “mid-market” doesn't exist2. Why tier-one logos like Stripe and Tesla counterintuitively make the best early customers3. The dangers of pricing your product at $10K-$20K4. Why you need to vision-cast instead of problem-solve to win enterprise deals5. Why services are the fastest way to get your foot in the door with enterprises6. How to find and work with design partners7. When to hire your first salesperson and what profile to look for—Brought to you by:WorkOS—Modern identity platform for B2B SaaS, free up to 1 million MAUsLovable—Build apps by simply chatting with AICoda—The all-in-one collaborative workspace—Where to find Jen Abel:• X: https://x.com/jjen_abel• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/earlystagesales• Website: https://www.jjellyfish.com—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Welcome back, Jen!(04:38) The myth of the mid-market(08:08) Targeting tier-one logos(10:50) Vision-casting vs. problem-selling(15:35) The importance of high ACVs(20:45) Don't play the small business game with an enterprise company(25:09) Design partners: the double-edged sword(28:11) Finding the right company(36:55) Enterprise sales: the art of the deal(43:21) The problem with channel partnerships(44:41) Quick summary(50:24) Hiring the right enterprise salespeople(56:49) Structuring sales compensation(01:01:01) Building relationships in enterprise sales(01:02:07) The art of cold outreach(01:07:31) Outbound tooling and AI(01:14:08) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• The ultimate guide to founder-led sales | Jen Abel (co-founder of JJELLYFISH): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/master-founder-led-sales-jen-abel• Mario meme: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/missing-meme-led-me-woman-johann-van-tonder-im6df• Kathy Sierra: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Sierra• Cursor: https://cursor.com• The rise of Cursor: The $300M ARR AI tool that engineers can't stop using | Michael Truell (co-founder and CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-rise-of-cursor-michael-truell• Justin Lawson on X: https://x.com/jjustin_lawson• Stripe: https://stripe.com• Building product at Stripe: craft, metrics, and customer obsession | Jeff Weinstein (Product lead): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-product-at-stripe-jeff-weinstein• He saved OpenAI, invented the “Like” button, and built Google Maps: Bret Taylor on the future of careers, coding, agents, and more: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/he-saved-openai-bret-taylor• OpenAI's CPO on how AI changes must-have skills, moats, coding, startup playbooks, more | Kevin Weil (CPO at OpenAI, ex-Instagram, Twitter): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/kevin-weil-open-ai• Anthropic's CPO on what comes next | Mike Krieger (co-founder of Instagram): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/anthropics-cpo-heres-what-comes-next• Linear: https://linear.app• Linear's secret to building beloved B2B products | Nan Yu (Head of Product): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/linears-secret-to-building-beloved-b2b-products-nan-yu• Gemini: https://gemini.google.com• Microsoft Copilot: https://copilot.microsoft.com• How Palantir built the ultimate founder factory | Nabeel S. Qureshi (founder, writer, ex-Palantir): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/inside-palantir-nabeel-qureshi• McKinsey & Company: https://www.mckinsey.com• Deloitte: https://www.deloitte.com• Accenture: https://www.accenture.com• Building a world-class sales org | Jason Lemkin (SaaStr): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-a-world-class-sales-org• Peter Dedene on X: https://x.com/peterdedene• Hang Huang on X: https://x.com/HH_HangHuang• Hugo Alves on X: https://x.com/Ugo_alves• A step-by-step guide to crafting a sales pitch that wins | April Dunford (author of Obviously Awesome and Sales Pitch): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/a-step-by-step-guide-to-crafting• Clay: https://www.clay.com• Apollo: https://www.apollo.io• Jason Lemkin on X: https://x.com/jasonlk• Gavin Baker on X: https://x.com/GavinSBaker• Jason Cohen on X: https://x.com/asmartbear• Baywatch on Prime Video: https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Baywatch/0NU9YS8WWRNQO1NZD5DOQ3I8W6• Playground: https://www.tryplayground.com• ClassDojo: https://www.classdojo.com• Jason Lemkin's post about Replit: https://x.com/jasonlk/status/1946069562723897802—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com
Muchos más recursos para tu vida de fe (Santo Rosario, Oración, etc.) en nuestra web https://sercreyente.com________________Lunes, 10 de noviembre de 2025 (32ª Semana del Tiempo Ordinario)Evangelio del día y reflexión... ¡Deja que la Palabra del Señor transforme tu vida! Texto íntegro del Evangelio y de la Reflexión en https://sercreyente.com/ay-de-quien-provoca-escandalos/[Lucas 17, 1-6] En aquel tiempo, dijo Jesús a sus discípulos: «Es imposible que no haya escándalos; pero ¡ay de quien los provoca! Al que escandaliza a uno de estos pequeños, más le valdría que le ataran al cuello una piedra de molino y lo arrojasen al mar. Tened cuidado. Si tu hermano te ofende, repréndelo, y si se arrepiente, perdónalo; si te ofende siete veces en un día, y siete veces vuelve a decirte: “Me arrepiento”, lo perdonarás». Los apóstoles le dijeron al Señor: «Auméntanos la fe». El Señor dijo: «Si tuvierais fe como un granito de mostaza, diríais a esa morera: “Arráncate de raíz y plántate en el mar”, y os obedecería.________________Descárgate la app de SerCreyente en https://sercreyente.com/app/¿Conoces nuestra Oración Online? Más información en: https://sercreyente.com/oracion¿Quieres recibir cada día el Evangelio en tu whatsapp? Alta en: www.sercreyente.com/whatsappTambién puedes hacer tu donativo en https://sercreyente.com/ayudanos/Contacto: info@sercreyente.com
La catequesis del dìa de Tiziana, Apòstol de la Vida Interior
+ Del Evangelio según san Lucas +En aquel tiempo, Jesús dijo a sus discípulos: "No es posible evitar que existan ocasiones de pecado, pero ¡ay de aquel que las provoca! Más le valdría ser arrojado al mar con una piedra de molino sujeta al cuello, que ser ocasión de pecado para la gente sencilla. Tengan, pues, cuidado.Si tu hermano te ofende, trata de corregirlo; y si se arrepiente, perdónalo. Y si te ofende siete veces al día, y siete veces viene a ti para decirte que se arrepiente, perdónalo".Los apóstoles dijeron entonces al Señor: "Auméntanos la fe". El Señor les contestó: "Si tuvieran fe, aunque fuera tan pequeña como una semilla de mostaza, podrían decirle a ese árbol frondoso: 'Arráncate de raíz y plántate en el mar', y los obedecería".Palabra del Señor.
Thinking about raising capital or selling your SaaS company? Your legal readiness can make or break the deal. In episode #326, Ben Murray breaks down what investors and acquirers look for during due diligence — and why preparing your cap table, contracts, IP, and financial systems at least six months in advance is essential to protect your company's valuation and ensure a smooth process. What You'll Learn Cap Table Management: Why tracking every issued share, option, and agreement matters — and how to avoid “email equity surprises.” IP Protection: The critical role of signed IP assignment agreements for employees, contractors, and vendors. Customer & Vendor Contracts: Why detailed MSAs, renewal clauses, and change-of-control provisions are required for investor confidence. Accounting Readiness: How clean, timely accounting — especially a complete MRR schedule (revenue by customer by month) — helps prove the health of your recurring revenue and ARR growth. Sales Tax Compliance: Why sales tax exposure can derail your exit process. Due Diligence Prep: How to build your data room, organize key documents, and present your SaaS business model with clarity. Why It Matters For Founders: Legal gaps can reduce your valuation multiple and slow down the exit timeline. For CFOs: Solid financial systems and clean documentation protect your cash flow and reputation with investors. For Investors: A well-prepared company signals operational maturity and reduces transaction risk. For Operators: Legal readiness supports strategic growth and prevents “deal fatigue” during M&A or fundraising. Resources Mentioned Ben's Blog Post: “SaaS Legal Readiness Checklist” : https://www.thesaascfo.com/why-legal-readiness-can-make-or-break-your-saas-exit/ SaaS Metrics Foundation Course – Learn how to align your financial reporting and recurring revenue metrics for due diligence success. Upcoming Webinar: “Legal Readiness for SaaS Founders — How to Prepare for an Exit or Raise” (details via newsletter)
Some riders are planners, while others seem to thrive amid chaos. Israel Gillette fits into that second group. He grew up in Tennessee, working in his father's cabinet shop, and somehow that evolved into a life that has taken him between Romania, racing, carpentry, and motorcycle riding across continents. When we featured him on the show in 2023, he'd already experienced his share of close calls — time in jail, a bond set at thirty thousand dollars, and a border crossing in South America that ended with gunfire. Yet he still said it was the best thing he'd ever done with his life. Adventure, stubbornness, and perhaps a bit of trouble have shaped both his riding and his way of life.
Natalie Barbu is the founder and CEO of Rella, a SaaS platform built to streamline collaboration and workflows for social media teams and agencies. She began as a YouTube creator, grew a following of over 300,000, and then identified the fragmentation of the creator tools market — which led her to build Rella 1.0. With some small seed funding, the first Rella version focused on content creators and made no revenue with a freemium model. With $25K in the bank and no revenue, the four cofounders thought they would shut it down. But a viral video focused on social media teams immediately created paid users and revenue for a new Rella product. "Rella 2.0" now offers all-in-one content planning, scheduling, collaboration boards, billing & analytics, an AI content strategist, and all in one workspace — for social media teams. In just 12 months, they went from having no revenue, no funding, and a hard pivot relaunch to almost $3M in ARR run-rate revenue — with only four co-founder employees. Key Takeaways Charge Early: They learned the hard way that free users don't convert — monetization early was non-negotiable. Lean Teams Win: A small, focused team aligned tightly with a mission beats trying to scale prematurely. Community Is Fuel: Natalie shared behind-the-scenes of the product with early users — built trust + word-of-mouth. Pivot Smart: They transitioned from creator workflow tools to a full SaaS platform after validating demand. This Interview Is Perfect For SaaS founders pivoting after a stalled product Founders learning how to find product-market fit Teams deciding when to hire or stay lean Builders designing tools for marketing and content teams Quote from Natalie Barbu, founder and CEO of Rella "It was about two years before we decided to pay ourselves. I was still making money from my social media. So that's how I supported myself. And then my co-founders had to find side things, which I know a lot of people say, you have to be a hundred percent all in and invested in it. "But when you're not making money, you need to find a way to support yourself. So yeah, they had some side gigs that they were working on while still working full-time on Rella. "Once we started making more money with Rella 2.0, we all bumped ourselves up and got some raises since we could afford it, which has been such an accomplishment. It's money that we're actually making from our customers and our users and the income that we're generating." Links Natalie Barbu on LinkedIn Rella on LinkedIn Rella website - Use this 10% Discount Code for Rella - practical Podcast Sponsor – Cypress Growth Capital This podcast is sponsored by Cypress Growth Capital, an alternative to equity, royalty-based growth capital provides funding in exchange for a fixed percentage of your company's future monthly revenues. Learn more at https://www.cypressgrowthcapital.com/ The Practical Founders Podcast Tune into the Practical Founders Podcast for weekly in-depth interviews with founders who have built valuable software companies without big funding. Subscribe to the Practical Founders Podcast using your favorite podcast app or view on our YouTube channel. Get the weekly Practical Founders newsletter and podcast updates at practicalfounders.com. Practical Founders CEO Peer Groups Be part of a committed and confidential group of practical founders creating valuable software companies without big VC funding. A Practical Founders Peer Group is a committed and confidential group of founders/CEOs who want to help you succeed on your terms. Each Practical Founders Peer Group is personally curated and moderated by Greg Head.
“SaaS metrics are dead.” You've probably seen that post on LinkedIn or X lately. In episode #325, Ben Murray cuts through the noise to explain why SaaS metrics aren't broken — they're just evolving to match modern recurring revenue business models. Whether you're running a SaaS, AI, software, or managed services company, the same financial principles apply. The key is understanding your revenue types — subscription, usage, consumption, or transaction — and applying the right metrics framework for each. What You'll Learn Why SaaS metrics still work — and why the confusion exists. The difference between SaaS as a delivery model and recurring revenue as a financial model. Why the most important question isn't “Are you SaaS?” but “What are your revenue types?” How financial systems and P&L design should reflect these revenue categories for accurate unit economics and valuation. Why It Matters For Operators: The framework for recurring revenue metrics applies whether you sell software, data, or AI services. For Finance Teams: You can't manage what you don't measure — ensure your financial modeling captures all recurring components. For Investors: Strong recurring revenue visibility (ARR, NRR, margins) still drives valuation multiples — regardless of your label. For Founders: Stop worrying about the buzz — focus on measuring what matters for your business model. Key Takeaways SaaS metrics = recurring revenue metrics. Focus on revenue types, not just labels like “SaaS” or “AI.” A clear chart of accounts and a well-designed financial system enable accurate SaaS metrics. The fundamentals of finance, accounting, and valuation haven't changed — only the packaging has. Resources Mentioned
Most SaaS founders think about growth through the lenses of acquisition, activation, retention, or pricing. But few think about operations and how the way you work internally either unlocks or limits growth. In this episode of In Demand, Asia and Kim dig into why operations is one of the most overlooked growth levers for bootstrapped SaaS companies. They explore how internal systems, structure, and decision-making shape your ability to execute on every other lever, from marketing to retention. If you've ever felt like your company's growth has stalled for reasons you can't quite name, this episode will help you see how your internal operations might be the missing piece. Got a question you'd like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here. Chapters (00:00:50) - The top four growth levers that slow SaaS companies down and why Asia adds a fifth: operations.(00:06:00) - Operations is about how you deliver value, and how you structure your business to deliver value.(00:07:15) - Every company “does operations,” but intentional founders use it as a strength.(00:10:30) - How weak internal ops make it harder to pull other growth levers like acquisition and activation.(00:15:20) - A case study: how restructuring a marketing team's meetings helped a company 2× its ARR.(00:23:15) - If you don't think about operations, it will eventually create chaos in your business.(00:27:00) - Why bootstrapped companies tend to be too slow in hiring key strategic leaders and how chasing the dream of only having a couple of employees holds founders back.(00:32:40) - Four areas to audit if ops might be holding you back: team, resources, processes, and decision-making.(00:38:00) - Why decision-making style is part of operations and how executive coaches can help with improving operations.
In this week's episode, I caught up with Dave Connors, CEO and Founder of distriBind, who's on a mission to transform how the insurance industry handles data.Dave shared the story of how distriBind is eliminating spreadsheet chaos in delegated authority processes—a problem even the largest insurers struggle with. The AI Reality Check:One of the most refreshing parts of our conversation? Dave's perspective on AI. While everyone's rushing to apply AI to every problem, Dave explained why data ingestion and transformation doesn't need AI—traditional methods can be more efficient and cost-effective. Where AI does add value is in the analytics layer: but you need to solve the foundational data problem first.Other Key Insights:Why enforcing a single data standard across the industry misses the point—distriBind's approach transforms and enriches data to meet each receiver's needsTheir dual product strategy: distriBind as the digital workbench for post-bind data exchange and processing, and their newer product Sunapto, focused on the due diligence and onboarding phaseThe importance of having patience and developing long-term client relationships—building trust from the early days when clients believed in their vision to now processing over $1 billion in premium annuallyHow they've grown ARR by 50-60% this year through expansion with existing clients - like Allianz where they started small and are now expanding into US operationsTheir expansion strategy into the US market and the global delegated authority spaceWhy having deep industry expertise is crucial to solving this problem—it's not just a tech challenge, it's an insurance industry challengeDave's journey from 2019 to today offers valuable lessons on building in a complex space, choosing the right technology for the job, and why sometimes the best innovation is making the fundamentals work properly before adding bells and whistles.If you're interested in insurance innovation, practical vs. hyped technology, or building sustainable client relationships in complex markets, this episode is for you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dave Kellogg, EIR at Balderton Capital, wrote an explosive piece on the reality of modern startups in 2025. Dave walks us through the winners and losers in the AI era. Read Dave's Article Here: https://topline.beehiiv.com/p/the-era-of-haves-and-have-nots Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Sunday Subscribe to Topline Newsletter. Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast! Chapters: 00:47 Introduction & editorial setup 03:03 Defining winning: market share as goal 07:09 Marathon vs sprint; growth tradeoffs 12:02 Switching costs, returns, and herd dynamics 21:42 Disruption resets order; capital to #1 25:06 Easy-come growth vs durable ARR 28:18 Creative destruction and incentives 33:31 Winning by ownership type 36:39 Strategy over grind; #2 playbook 40:33 Labor leverage, RTO, and 9-9-6 culture 53:31 Stalled SaaS: valuations, NRR, and growth 1:01:00 Consolidation, moats, domain expertise 1:04:45 Outro & where to follow
Julien : Euh, Louise, tes plantes, là, elles ont bougé ou je rêve ?Louise : Tu ne vas pas recommencer avec ta théorie des plantes carnivores ? T'as trop regardé de films, toi…Julien : Pourtant j'te jure, la grande du coin m'a regardé quand je suis passé. Enfin, ses feuilles ont frémi.Louise : C'est ton imagination qui frémit, surtout. Arrête de les accuser, elles t'aiment bien, et elles purifient ton air pollué. Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.
Your implementation and professional services teams could be quietly eroding your gross profit margin — and most SaaS leaders don't even realize it. In episode #324, Ben Murray explains how unclear COGS structure, mispriced services, and untracked internal resources can distort your unit economics and lower your overall SaaS valuation. If your service margins are negative or your gross profit doesn't match expectations, this episode shows you exactly where to look — and how to fix it. What You'll Learn Why implementation teams often kill gross profit without you noticing. How to calculate services margins by setting up clean revenue streams and COGS cost centers. The right services gross margin target. Why doing “free” onboarding work can destroy your unit economics. How underpricing services or blending resources (support, CS, services) skews your financial reporting. The balance between protecting ARR and monetizing implementation revenue. How to fix your SaaS P&L for visibility into margins by revenue stream. Why It Matters For CFOs & Founders: Misclassified or underpriced services directly lower gross profit, cash flow, and company valuation. For Finance Teams: Clean COGS and OPEX separation creates accurate financial modeling, ARR margins, and retention-linked profitability. For Investors: Understanding margins by revenue stream signals financial discipline and scalability. For Operators: Properly scoped and priced services keep customer onboarding efficient and profitable. Key Takeaways Every SaaS company should know gross margin by revenue stream (subscription, usage, services). Services losing 20–30% gross margin dilute your financial performance and cash flow forecasting. Accurate classification drives better SaaS metrics, including CAC payback, Cost of ARR, and LTV:CAC. A well-structured financial system is your best defense against margin erosion. Resources Mentioned Episode 323: Should Professional Services Be COGS or OPEX? SaaS Metrics Foundation Course: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/the-saas-metrics-foundation Quote from Ben “If you don't know your margins by revenue stream, you can't manage them — and services might be the silent killer of your gross profit.”
What started as a nine-day motorcycle trip through Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia took a sudden and serious turn. Riding the TET, Philipp Amann and his friends were well into their journey when one of the riders fell ill but insisted on continuing. When he made the decision to turn back, his friends chose to ride with him, unaware of how quickly his condition was deteriorating. It's a story about good intentions, missed signs, and the importance of recognizing when it's time to stop.
Oisin O'Connor is the CEO and co-founder of Recharge, the leading subscription management platform powering 75% of all Shopify subscriptions. Under his leadership, Recharge has become a critical infrastructure partner for over 30,000 brands, reaching 100 million subscribers and $100 million ARR.In this episode of DTC Pod, Oisin pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to win with subscriptions in today's DTC landscape. He shares insider strategies for subscriber growth, optimizing retention, and leveraging Recharge's newest AI-powered tools to minimize churn. Oisin also shares specific benchmarks every brand should measure, real-world examples of subscription funnels that convert, and actionable experiments operators can run to unlock long-term profitability and scale.Episode brought to you by StordInteract with other DTC experts and access our monthly fireside chats with industry leaders on DTC Pod Slack.On this episode of DTC Pod, we cover:1. Evolution of subscriptions in physical product e-commerce2. How to spot and create product-market fit 3. Differentiators that set Recharge apart from early competitors4. The compounding power of subscriptions for long-term growth5. Unit economics, LTV vs CAC, and why retention is king6. What best-in-class subscription brands do differently7. Optimizing conversion funnels for subscriber growth8. Subscription benchmarks: churn rates, retention, and second order metrics9. Reducing churn with data, cancellation flows, loyalty, and rewards10. Automations and integrating Recharge with supply chain and 3PL operations11. Leveraging AI Concierge for customer retention and support12. Evolving customer experience and the need for seamless subscription management13. How Recharge guides merchants with data, support, and innovation14. Experiments and mistakes founders make launching subscription brandsTimestamps00:00 Oisin's background, founding story, and early agency experiments04:06 The rise of Shopify and the breakthrough with Recharge05:19 The subscription model: initial skepticism and quirky early adopters06:47 Technical challenges in enabling subscriptions on Shopify09:00 First major subscription brand success story10:15 Compounding growth through subscriptions11:36 Legacy brands and decades-long customer retention13:06 Building DTC businesses with sustainable unit economics14:37 Lessons from TV advertising history and the narrowing of scalable models16:29 Key traits of successful subscription businesses17:09 Product, recurring need, and conversion strategy18:27 Understanding subscriber value and optimizing acquisition19:26 Retention: keeping customers post-acquisition 19:52 High-performing brands and funnel design20:05 Subscription by default, offers, upsells, and cross-sells21:39 Conversion tactics from PDP to post-checkout22:38 Benchmarks for healthy churn and retention23:06 How top brands reduce churn and track performance24:58 Recharge tools: analytics, cancellation flows, Klaviyo integration26:41 Rewards and automations to boost retention27:33 Automate flows for backend fulfillment and logistics28:20 Launching AI SMS concierge for subscriber experience29:40 Reducing customer service friction and delighting shoppers32:15 Customer experience as a core differentiator34:04 The competitive subscription landscape: Recharge's position35:41 Product innovation, support, and actionable guidance37:16 Data-driven product innovation and merchant success38:04 The future of subscription, retention, and platform innovation40:38 Biggest mistakes founders make with subscriptions41:58 Experiments founders should run with Recharge42:58 Where to connect with Oisin for advice and mentorshipShow notes powered by CastmagicPast guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more. Additional episodes you might like:• #175 Ariel Vaisbort - How OLIPOP Runs Influencer, Community, & Affiliate Growth• #184 Jake Karls, Midday Squares - Turning Your Brand Into The Influencer With Content• #205 Kasey Stewart: Suckerz- - Powering Your Launch With 300 Million Organic Views• #219 JT Barnett: The TikTok Masterclass For Brands• #223 Lauren Kleinman: The PR & Affiliate Marketing Playbook• #243 Kian Golzari - Source & Develop Products Like The World's Best Brands-----Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?Check out our newsletter here.Projects the DTC Pod team is working on:DTCetc - all our favorite brands on the internetOlivea - the extra virgin olive oil & hydroxytyrosol supplementCastmagic - AI Workspace for ContentFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTokOisin O'Connor - Co-Founder and CEO of RechargeBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of CastmagicRamon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
In this episode, the founder of Practical Founders, Greg Head, shares the most powerful insights from over 165 podcast interviews and working with 40+ bootstrapped SaaS founders in his peer groups. Greg breaks down the common but less obvious traits he sees in practical founders who are quietly building valuable software companies without big VC funding. Greg shares how frugality and managed risk-taking coexist to create compounding steady growth, creating massive long-term value fpr practical founders. And independence and doing it your way are not just luxuries but real superpowers that fuel growth. These patterns have emerged across hundreds of founders he's worked with, representing over $10 billion in founder equity value created. For SaaS founders skeptical of VC templates and PE playbooks Greg shares what all practical founders do to grow from $1M to $10M ARR without betting it all. Are you wired like a Practical Founder? Key Takeaways Frugal yet bold – Practical founders are unusually frugal in life but make well-timed bold bets inside their companies. Managed risk – They avoid betting the whole company, instead making small bets that can compound into larger wins. Compounding focus – Long-term, steady 20–30% growth creates exponential outcomes in SaaS over 10–15 years. Independence premium – Protecting their ability to do it their way is treated as a strategic advantage. Optionality matters – Practical founders value flexibility to sell, go long, or change direction without outside control. This Interview Is Perfect For Founders building SaaS without VC funding CEOs who value control and sustainable growth Entrepreneurs exploring long-term leverage vs. quick wins Anyone who wants to understand the practical founder mindset Quote from Greg Head, founder of Practical Founders "The simple math of a $1 million ARR recurring revenue business that grows at 30% a year, will become very valuable if it keeps growing. ? Not crazy growth, a reasonable pace. This is the fundamental principle of recurring revenue businesses, that it's a compounding machine. "If you grow at 30% for nine years, you'll have a $10 million business. And if you do that for another nine years, you will have a $100 million business. That's probably worth a billion dollars by that time. That sounds simple and not everybody gets there, of course, but practical founders think in this way. Steady, healthy compounding. "We know that in the long run, the 10 years, the 20 years, compounding makes the difference. It's a healthier approach. We actually like this approach, generally speaking. We understand the math and yes, we're doing it. Most people don't really sign up for this kind of thing." Links Greg Head on LinkedIn Practical Founders on LinkedIn Practical Founders website Podcast Sponsor – Designli This podcast is sponsored by Designli, a digital product studio that helps entrepreneurs and startups turn their software ideas into reality. From strategy and design to full-scale development, Designli guides you through every step of building custom web and mobile apps. Learn more at designli.co/practical. The Practical Founders Podcast Tune into the Practical Founders Podcast for weekly in-depth interviews with founders who have built valuable software companies without big funding. Subscribe to the Practical Founders Podcast using your favorite podcast app or view on our YouTube channel. Get the weekly Practical Founders newsletter and podcast updates at practicalfounders.com. Practical Founders CEO Peer Groups Be part of a committed and confidential group of practical founders creating valuable software companies without big VC funding. A Practical Founders Peer Group is a committed and confidential group of founders/CEOs who want to help you succeed on your terms. Each Practical Founders Peer Group is personally curated and moderated by Greg Head.
Where do professional services belong on a SaaS P&L—COGS or OPEX? In episode #323, Ben clarifies how to code implementation, onboarding, custom integrations, and the tricky custom development work that sometimes blurs the line with R&D. You'll learn how correct classification protects gross profit, keeps investor metrics credible, and supports a higher company valuation. - What You'll Learn What counts as Professional Services When custom dev is OPEX (R&D) vs. COGS How to handle integrations Why coding accuracy matters Practical P&L structure - Why It Matters (Finance & Investor Lens) Gross Profit Integrity: Correct COGS ensures reliable margins by revenue stream (subscription, services, usage) that investors expect. Credible SaaS metrics: Clean separation supports accurate CAC payback (GM-adjusted), Cost of ARR, and LTV:CAC. Valuation: Transparent accounting and financial systems reduce diligence friction and improve confidence in revenue quality. Operator Clarity: Treat Professional Services as a self-sustaining business unit with clear targets for utilization and margin. - Quick Checklist Distinct GLs for subscription, usage, services revenue Fully burdened Services COGS (wages, taxes, benefits, travel, tools) Separate custom dev tracking (R&D vs. billable services) Clear DevOps/hosting in COGS for delivery costs CS in COGS only if non-selling (no quota/commission) - Resources Mentioned Guide: How to Structure a SaaS P&L (COGS vs. OPEX, margins by stream): https://www.thesaascfo.com/how-to-structure-your-saas-pl/ Course: SaaS Metrics Foundation: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/the-saas-metrics-foundation - Quote from Ben “Code services where the work and dollars actually live. If you blur R&D and Services, you'll either hurt gross profit—or your OpEx profile. Either way, investors will notice.”
Andrew Gazdecki is the founder of Acquire, previously known as MicroAcquire, the largest startup acquisition marketplace. I've spoken to many indie hackers about selling their businesses, many of whom have done so using Andrew's platform. Before starting the Acquire, Andrew spent 8 years bootstrapping Bizness Apps to $10m ARR before being acquired by a private equity firm. You might also know of Boostrappers.com, the site Andrew started, sharing stories of bootstrappers. Finally, he also wrote a book called Getting Acquired, which tells his story and outlines exactly how you can sell your business.Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:20 - Startup and acquisition trends Andrew is seeing03:34 - Ideal time to sell your business05:10 - Should you build to sell?07:19 - How to make your business look good to a potential acquirer08:59 - Twitter/X and bootstrapping10:24 - How would Andrew Gazdecki start a business today11:52 - The best marketing channel for a bootstrapped business12:56 - The most unlikely acquisition outcome13:35 - Which business types have the highest multiples15:26 - The future of acquire.com15:56 - RecommendationsRecommendationsBook: Impossible to InevitablePodcast: All In PodcastEntrepreneur: Jack Dorsey
Courtney Claghorn, Founder and President of SUGARED + BRONZED shares how she transformed a $1,000 side hustle into a 40-location beauty brand spanning seven states. What began as a solution to her frustration with overpriced spray tans is now a brand on track to do $50M in ARR in 2025. In this conversation, Courtney opens up about bootstrapping for nearly a decade, the hard lesson of hiring the wrong "experts" after raising capital, and the series of personal crises that forced her to shift her focus from hustle to ROI. She shares what it's really like to rebuild a company's culture from the inside out and how learning to trust her gut over polished resumes became her biggest leadership advantage. Now 15 years in, Courtney reflects on balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship, trading cortisol for breathwork, and redefining success on her own terms. Key Takeaways and Topics - How SUGARED + BRONZED started with $1,000 and a portable spray-tan machine - Bootstrapping to profitability during a recession - Why intuition often beats "expert advice" - The painful lessons of hiring for prestige over humility - Rebuilding company culture after leadership missteps - Surviving pandemic shutdowns and rebuilding stronger - Finding balance and presence after burnout - Breathwork and spirituality as tools for leadership clarity - How Courtney approaches growth, hiring, and decision-making today - The ROI of creating a joyful, values-driven workplace The Failure Factor Podcast was brought to you by Off The Field Coaching. Explore working with one of our coaches at http://offthefieldcoaching.com Hosted by Megan Bruneau: therapist, executive coach, speaker, Forbes contributor, and host of The Failure Factor. For more info, visit https://meganbruneau.com Follow SUGARED + BRONZED: https://www.sugaredandbronzed.com https://www.instagram.com/sugaredandbronzed/ Courtney: https://www.instagram.com/courtneyclaghorn Megan: IG: https://www.instagram.com/meganjbruneau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-j-bruneau-m-a-rcc Subscribe to the podcast newsletter at https://thefailurefactorpodcast.com
App Masters - App Marketing & App Store Optimization with Steve P. Young
We've all been told the same story: build a great product, and success will follow. But history tells a different tale. The truth is, most great products never make it—not because they weren't good enough, but because they never found their way to the people who needed them.In this talk at App Growth Summit, Steve shared why distribution is the real engine of growth—and how focusing on your channels first can unlock exponential scale. From household brands to breakthrough startups, the winners didn't simply build better; they built more innovative paths to market.This is a talk about flipping the script: why the fastest way to grow isn't adding more features, but finding the right shortcut to scale.You'll learn:✅ How one app went from $0 → $90,000 ARR — completely free using lifetime deals + smart ASO✅ The “brandjacking” keyword hack that indie devs use to rank #1 without big budgets✅ How a no-code founder used paid tests + AI tools to hit $1M ARR with no app✅ Why “content-first” launches are dominating 2025 — and how one viral TikTok created a brand-new app categoryIf you're serious about app growth — this talk is your 2025 playbook.Something exciting is brewing at AppsFlyer - their first Fall Release is almost here!We'd love to tell you more... but you'll have to register for the November 18 online event to find out what's shaping the future of marketing.
The AI Breakdown: Daily Artificial Intelligence News and Discussions
AI music startup Suno has quietly become one of the most successful companies in the entire generative AI space — $150 million in ARR, 60% margins, and millions of users creating songs for everything from podcasts and ads to lullabies and dinner parties. In today's episode, NLW explores how Suno's rise reveals a bigger story: AI isn't just automating creative work — it's expanding who gets to create and why we make things in the first place. Plus, headlines on SoftBank's $30B OpenAI deal, Mistral's new enterprise control center, and Stability AI's partnership with EA.Brought to you by:KPMG – Discover how AI is transforming possibility into reality. Tune into the new KPMG 'You Can with AI' podcast and unlock insights that will inform smarter decisions inside your enterprise. Listen now and start shaping your future with every episode. https://www.kpmg.us/AIpodcastsAssemblyAI - The best way to build Voice AI apps - https://www.assemblyai.com/briefBlitzy.com - Go to https://blitzy.com/ to build enterprise software in days, not months Robots & Pencils - Cloud-native AI solutions that power results https://robotsandpencils.com/The Agent Readiness Audit from Superintelligent - Go to https://besuper.ai/ to request your company's agent readiness score.The AI Daily Brief helps you understand the most important news and discussions in AI. Subscribe to the podcast version of The AI Daily Brief wherever you listen: https://pod.link/1680633614Interested in sponsoring the show? sponsors@aidailybrief.ai
durée : 00:58:41 - Avec philosophie - par : Géraldine Muhlmann, Nassim El Kabli - Quand, et comment est apparue l'idée d'une science de l'histoire ? Arrêtons-nous sur le climat de la fin du siècle des Lumières, porteur de nouvelles interrogations sur l'histoire. - réalisation : Nicolas Berger - invités : Elodie Djordjevic Maître de conférences en philosophie du droit à l'université Paris-Panthéon-Assas, co-directrice de la revue "Droit & Philosophie"; Olivier Jouanjan Professeur de droit public à l'université Paris-Panthéon-Assas
In this bonus episode recorded live from EdTech Week 2025, Dustin chats with Matt Stinson, CRO at Starbridge. They discuss Matt's journey to joining the team, and how their unique platform is enabling more efficient and effective partnerships to be forged between edtech companies and public institutions using AI.Guest Name: Matt Stinson - Chief Revenue Officer at StarbridgeGuest Social: LinkedInGuest Bio: Matt Stinson is currently building Starbridge, the GTM Intelligence Platform for businesses selling to government & education. Starbridge helps partners leverage industry-specific buying signals - such as strategic plans, board meeting notes, budgets, grants, competitor contract expiration dates, and more - to build a tailored, outbound strategy that drives pipeline.Before Starbridge, Matt led sales at Parchment on a journey to $100M in ARR selling to K12 districts, Higher Ed, and state governments before being acquired by Instructure. While at Parchment, he lived the challenge of selling to government and education entities. With the proliferation of spray-and-pray outbound, that challenge has only gotten harder. - - - -Connect With Our Host:Dustin Ramsdellhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinramsdell/About The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Geek is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you'll like other Enrollify shows too!Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
When the life she'd planned took an unexpected turn, Kathleen Perry had to find her footing again. The quiet retirement she and her husband had imagined was gone when he passed away — so she reached back to something she'd set aside long ago: a dream to wander. She set her sights on three places — Prudhoe Bay, Ushuaia, and Nordkapp — three dots on the map. And to connect those dots, she would ride a motorcycle.
Renegade Thinkers Unite: #2 Podcast for CMOs & B2B Marketers
Most marketing books promise tips. Scalable Acts of Marketing shows you how to build a system that scales. Written after thirteen years of helping grow Service Express from $30 million to $350 million in ARR, Joshua Leatherman's field-tested guide blends a business fable with a hands-on playbook. In this episode, Joshua Leatherman (Cyderes) joins Drew to walk through how durable growth happens when marketing speaks in outcomes, earns executive trust, and runs one motion across brand, demand, sales, and success. He connects the fable's lessons to real-world moves inside growth-stage companies, laying out a playbook any marketing leader can use to build momentum that lasts. In this episode: How to shift from activities to outcomes that a CFO and CRO will back How to own pipeline with clear SQO definitions, shared attribution, and consistent follow-up How to stand up RevOps as “Switzerland,” with shared KPIs, fast handoffs, and five-minute speed-to-lead targets Plus: Why marketing must stay on the field after the first meeting How to use R&D (“rip off and duplicate”) to accelerate playbooks What to hire for right now: Curiosity, learning velocity, and accountability How authoritative content fuels discovery in an AI-led world If you're ready to build a marketing system that earns trust, investment, and results, this episode shows where to start! For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/
Adventure motorcycling isn't just about the ride—it's about everything that comes with it: the borders, the gear, and the unpredictable moments in between. Ever had your gear raise an eyebrow—or a full-blown alarm—with airport security, police, or border agents? From tools to camping gear that triggered searches, the RAW panel shares stories of harmless objects that looked anything but, and the tense moments when curiosity met authority. And when the road itself turns uncertain, determination can clash with reality—storms rolling in, daylight fading, instincts warning “not today.” In this episode, we explore the judgment calls that separate grit from recklessness, the gear that got us flagged, and the rides we didn't finish but will never forget.
The Twenty Minute VC: Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch
Alex Bouaziz is the Co-Founder and CEO @ Deel, the $17BN global payroll juggernaut that just last week announced their latest $300M fundraise led by Ribbit, a16z and Coatue. Deel has been on the most insane journey, they do $1BN+ in ARR, they just had their first $100M revenue month and they have been profitable for over 3 years. AGENDA: 03:38 Announcing $300M Fundraise at a $17BN Valuation 06:24 Rippling vs Deel: WTF is Going On? Where is the Lawsuit? 14:01 Why 1-1s Are BS and Leaders Should Stop Doing Them 17:31 Do Rich Leaders Make Better Leaders 28:33 Biggest Lesson from Ben Horowitz? Why Most CMOs Are Bad? 34:48 Lessons from Nik @ Revolut and Why Companies Need to Make Their Own Software 42:23 Deel's Acquisition Playbook: Lessons from 13 Acquisitions 45:17 How to Price Acquisitions? How to Align Incentives with Founders? 55:45 Deel is Profitable and Growing Fast: When is the IPO? 01:01:35 Best Acquisition Ever + Worst Ever: What Did We Learn?
Near the end of a month-long motorcycle ride through Spain, Mark and Lisa Schubert set out for what should've been an easy final day through the Pyrenees. But as they climbed higher, a mild forecast unravelled into chaos — winds strong enough to stop their motorcycle mid-corner, trees down, and power lines snapping. What follows isn't a story about recklessness or bravado, but about how easily ordinary choices and a little fixation can lead riders into real danger. It's about the thin line between pressing on and pulling back — and the single moment that changed everything.
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