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This episode of SaaS Fuel features Varun Jain, founder of Comply Jet, discussing how security compliance can transform from a sales blocker into a growth accelerator for SaaS startups. Varun shares actionable strategies for building trust, leveraging AI to simplify compliance, and the importance of embedding security early in the product journey. The conversation also covers leadership lessons, hiring discipline, and how founders can make intentional decisions about growth and capital.Key Takeaways00:25 – 02:20 Why trust and compliance matter for SaaS growth.02:20 – 03:30 Compliance as a sales unlock, not a hurdle.03:30 – 06:00 Recap of previous episodes and toolkit mention.07:00 – 11:00 Varun's background and founding story.11:00 – 15:00 Why founders must prioritize security early.15:00 – 20:00 How cloud and AI make compliance easier.20:00 – 25:00 Comply Jet's approach: AI, education, and support.25:00 – 30:00 Continuous monitoring beats “check the box” compliance.30:00 – 35:00 Managing growth, logins, and cloud costs.35:00 – 40:00 Why Comply Jet focuses on startups.40:00 – 45:00 Building trust centers for sales.45:00 – 50:00 Simplifying frameworks for founders.50:00 – 55:00 Leadership: hire intentionally, automate where possible.55:00 – 60:00 When to raise capital and the value of bootstrapping.60:00 – 65:00 Compounding growth and product focus.65:00 – End Final advice, resources, and next episode preview.Tweetable Quotes"Trust, not features, is often the real bottleneck in B2B growth.""Compliance isn't just a checkbox; it's a sales unlock.""AI can turn compliance from a slow, painful process into a founder-friendly advantage.""Transparency accelerates deals—make trust your competitive edge.""Don't wait for enterprise buyers to ask for compliance—build it in from the start.""Leadership is about clarity, discipline, and building a business of significance."SaaS Leadership LessonsEmbed Trust Early: Make security and compliance a core part of your product from day one.Leverage AI for Scale: Use AI tools to automate compliance tasks and reduce founder workload.Build a Public Trust Center: Proactively share your security posture to accelerate sales.Hire with Intention: Avoid over-hiring; automate and stay lean until roles are clearly defined.Balance Speed and Discipline: Move fast, but don't cut corners on trust or compliance.Stay Customer-Focused: Listen to customer needs and let them guide your product evolution.Guest ResourcesVarun Jain: varun@complyjet.comwww.complyjet.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/varun-jain-stanford/SaaS Fuel Growth Accelerator ToolkitEpisode SponsorThe...

In this special holiday edition of SaaS Fuel, Jeff Mains delivers a powerhouse “Best of 2025” episode. After a year of learning from 104 founder, operator, and investor conversations, Jeff Mains distills the top 10 lessons that moved SaaS companies from the $5M plateau to scaling past $50M. He reveals actionable frameworks, from cash flow management to 10x thinking, and gifts listeners a bundle of premium resources for each lesson—available for free until January 15. If you want a crash course on SaaS growth with practical, battle-tested playbooks, grab these notes and get ready to take action.Key Takeaways00:00 "Top 10 SaaS Growth Lessons"06:10 "Onboarding Framework: Activation to Advocacy"07:34 "Boosting SaaS Net Revenue Retention"10:42 "Transparent Resource Allocation Matters"16:07 "Winning Demos: Connection Over Features"16:54 "AI-Driven Sales Transformation"21:45 "People Strategy for Scaling Success"24:52 "Product-Led Growth Revolution"26:35 "PLG Strategies for Growth"32:53 "Master Storytelling for Greater Success"35:40 "10x Growth Strategy Insights"36:49 "10x Growth Frameworks & Tools"40:20 "Taskology: Productivity Made Simple"Tweetable Quotes“Cash is a fact; profit is an opinion.” — Jeff Mains, echoing Dan DeGolier“Great onboarding isn't just about retention—it's your highest-leverage revenue optimization.” — Jeff Mains“Your engineers aren't slow—they just lack a coherent prioritization framework.” — Jeff Mains, paraphrasing Thanos Diaconcas“Demos don't win on features. They win on human connection and business acumen.” — Jeff Mains“AI's highest value? Making your best people even better.” — Jeff Mains“People don't buy products—they buy transformations.” — Jeff Mains, drawing from David EbnerSaaS Leadership LessonsBe Brutally Honest About Your MetricsTrack cash (not just sales or profit) to survive and scale responsibly.Obsession Over OnboardingMake activation your primary revenue engine—not just an afterthought.Radical Transparency with PrioritizationUse visible, accountable buckets to guide resource allocation and eliminate blame games.Invest in People Before the PainProactively upgrade your leadership and plan succession—don't just react when you outgrow your team.Focus on Stories, Not SpecsYour narrative is your edge. People buy transformation, not just tools.Chase Multipliers, Not PercentagesPlan for 10x, not just 10%—and rethink everything needed for real step-change growth.Guest ResourcesDan DeGolier dan@ascentcfo.comascentcfo.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/degolier/Dan's Full Episode:https://championleadership.com/episode-257-dan-degolier-cash-flow-essentials-strategies-for-sustainable-growth/Srikrishnan Ganesansri@rocketlane.comhttps://www.rocketlane.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/srikrishnangSri's Full Episode:

Is Rick Caruso running for Mayor of Los Angeles again? In this explosive Part 2 interview on In Search of Excellence, host Randall Kaplan sits down with billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso to discuss the future of Los Angeles, his political aspirations, and the secrets behind his massive success.Rick Caruso is the force behind The Grove, Palisades Village, and the Rosewood Miramar Beach. With a net worth of nearly $6 billion, he opens up about why money was never his motivation. Rick details the terrifying Palisades fire, revealing the "extreme preparation" and private firefighting team that saved his property when others burned.We also dive deep into politics. Rick gives a candid critique of Mayor Karen Bass and former Mayor Eric Garcetti, explains why he believes the city was unprepared for the recent disasters, and discusses the disastrous impact of the "Mansion Tax" (ULA) on California real estate. Plus, he shares invaluable advice on integrity, "protecting your obituary," and the one rule he follows in business: "Don't do business with bad people". Timestamps & Key Takeaways00:00 - The Golden Rule of Business: Don't do business with bad people.02:03 - When will Erewhon & Palisades Village reopen? (Fire recovery update) .04:37 - The terrifying moment the fire started & evacuating the schools.06:17 - How Rick saved his property using private firefighters & retardant.09:34 - Who is to blame? Rick's critique of the City & Mayor Bass's preparedness.12:54 - Why Rick ran for Mayor & his thoughts on losing to Karen Bass.15:07 - Was Eric Garcetti a "weak mayor"?.16:27 - The Big Question: Will Rick run for Mayor or Governor again?.17:21 - The first 3 things Rick would do as Mayor (Crime, Homelessness, Housing Costs).18:45 - The truth about the "Mansion Tax" (ULA) and why it's hurting LA.21:01 - Why money should never be your motivation for success.22:49 - The power of extreme preparation & integrity.27:44 - Best Advice: "Protect Your Obituary".34:03 - The love of his life & final thoughts.Want to Work One-on-One with Me?I coach a small group of high achievers on how to elevate their careers, grow their businesses, and reach their full potential both professionally and personally.If you're ready to change your life and achieve your goals, apply here: https://www.randallkaplan.com/coaching Listen to my Extreme Preparation TEDx Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIvlFpoLfgs Listen to this episode on the go!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/23q0XIC... For more information about this episode, visit https://www.randallkaplan.com/ Follow Randall!Instagram: @randallkaplan LinkedIn:  @randallkaplan TikTok:  @randall_kaplan Twitter / X: https://x.com/RandallKaplanWebsite: https://www.randallkaplan.com/1-on-1 Coaching: https://www.randallkaplan.com/coachingCoaching and Staying Connected:1-on-1 Coaching | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | LinkedIn

In this insightful episode of SaaS Fuel, host Jeff Mains welcomes Jimi Gibson, VP of Brand Communication at Thrive Internet Marketing Agency—and a former professional magician! Together, they unpack the art (and science) of connecting with B2B SaaS customers through authentic storytelling, brand strategy, and personal visibility. Jimi Gibson shares his powerful Five Finger Framework for brand building, why founders should put a face to their company, and actionable strategies to create lasting emotional ties and customer loyalty—even in an AI-driven, content-saturated world.If you're a SaaS founder tired of beige, forgettable marketing and want your brand to stand out for something meaningful, this conversation is a treasure trove of tactical wisdom and inspiration.Key Takeaways00:00 "Feature Ops & AI Strategies"05:07 Magic, Marketing, and Connection08:05 "The Stump Test Mystery"12:13 SaaS Exits, Branding, and AI16:49 "Magic, Frameworks, and Authenticity"19:26 "Commitment Drives Long-Term Success"22:07 "Name Your Villain Strategically"24:52 Thumbs Up: Measuring Impact28:16 Customer-Centric Solutions Matter Most31:34 Building Long-Term Customer Relationships36:44 Identifying Competitor Weaknesses Strategically39:20 "Defining Your Target Market"41:00 Maximizing AB Testing Value46:01 AI Lacks Human Connection47:50 "Building Authority Through Personal Branding"51:47 Essential Brand Stories FrameworkTweetable Quotes"Marketing, like magic, is about capturing attention and delivering the wow—the call to action." — Jimi Gibson"Founders, your audience is not 'everybody.' It's one person. Speak directly to them." — Jimi Gibson"A faceless brand is forgettable. People buy from people, not just companies." — Jeff Mains"Declare your villain. If you don't stand for something—or against something—your brand stands for nothing." — Jimi Gibson"The clearer you can be, the more likely your message will resonate with someone who needs your solution." — Jimi Gibson "You can't out-robot the robots. Your experience, empathy, and story are your ultimate differentiators." — Jimi GibsonSaaS Leadership LessonsConnect Authentically, Not Generically:Strong SaaS leaders craft messaging as if speaking to one person—even in a large market.Show Your Face:Humanizing your brand increases trust and long-term retention. Don't hide behind anonymity.Stand for (and Against) Something:Declaring a clear brand "villain" or enemy sets your tribe apart and ignites loyalty.Long-Term Relationships > Short-Term Transactions:Protect your customer “family,” listen deeply, and own up to mistakes for lasting affinity.Measure the Impact You Leave:Track not just revenue, but employee growth, industry disruption, customer transformation, and your unique “thumbprint.”Be Visible in the AI Era:Customer stories, bylined articles, and video increase your odds of being cited and found as the authority, not just another generic provider.Guest Resourcesjimi@Thriveagency.comhttps://thriveagency.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimi-gibson/Episode Sponsor

Open source has always played a big role at 37signals. This week, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson share why they're drawn to working in the open, and how that mindset carries into their newest product, Fizzy.Key Takeaways00:12 – Why open source continues to matter at 37signals05:12 – Sharing work publicly pushes quality higher09:55 – How open source fits into Fizzy's SaaS setup15:15 – Treating open source as a gift19:41 – Getting direct feedback in unfamiliar but fun ways 22:56 – How the team decides what goes into Fizzy and what doesn't24:34 – A Danish language lessonLinks and ResourcesFizzy is a modern spin on kanban. Try it for free at fizzy.doRecord a video question for the podcastBooks by 37signalsSign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.comHEY World | HEYThe REWORK podcastThe Rework Podcast on YouTubeThe 37signals Dev Blog37signals on YouTube@37signals on X

In this value-packed episode of SaaS Fuel, Jeff Mains welcomes Egil Østhus, co-founder and CEO of Unleash—the world's leading open source feature management platform. Egil dives deep into the journey from thriving in corporate boardrooms to taking the entrepreneurial leap, co-founding Unleash with his brother, and scaling a business using open source and commercial strategies. The conversation explores critical challenges of serving both community and enterprise needs, the next-generation concept of Feature Ops, the nuanced impact of AI in software development, and the essential synergy between engineering and business for SaaS growth. Whether you're steering product strategy or deep in the code, this episode delivers actionable insights and leadership wisdom for founders navigating modern tech landscapes.Key Takeaways00:00 "Building Smarter: Growth Strategies"03:22 "Entrepreneurship Realities & Tech Futures"07:38 Enterprise Software Delivery Challenges13:21 "Challenges of Co-Founding Family"16:10 "Balancing Open Source and Enterprise"17:45 Open Source vs. Paywall Decisions23:28 "Building Enterprise Growth Processes"24:24 "Start Early on Commercial Strategy"30:08 "Unified Metrics for Long-Term Impact"32:09 "DevOps: Feature Lifecycle & Governance"36:26 AI's Impact on Developer Roles39:55 "Business Context for Developers"42:37 Culture Consistency Drives Success46:49 "Magician Marketer & Scaling Stories"Tweetable Quotes“We in the Nordics are sort of naive—we don't understand how difficult it really is. ‘How hard can it be to build this company?'” — Egil Østhus“Always put community trust first. If you break it, that decision is irreversible.” — Egil Østhus“If you have the best product that nobody knows about, it's really hard to sell it.” — Egil Østhus“Feature Ops bridges the gap between engineering and business—bringing real-time control and risk mitigation to software delivery.” — Egil Østhus“Every developer should challenge themselves to understand how their work impacts the business and end users.” — Egil Østhus“Culture is consistency. It's the boring stuff you do every day that builds a scalable company.” — Egil ØsthusSaaS Leadership LessonsCustomer Value First:“It's all about creating customer value. Bringing product out there and building a proper business model.” (Egil Østhus)Get Outside Your Comfort Zone:True growth happens when you jump into deep water and test if you really can build what you preach.Respect and Resolve Tension (Especially in Family):In co-founder relationships, never allow tension to build—address issues immediately, maintaining respect and professionalism.Open Source Takes Discipline:Develop clear guiding policies on what features are open and which are gated—never betray community trust with irreversible decisions.Build Commercial Capacity Early:Don't wait for sales and marketing to “catch up”—grow those functions as soon as possible to accelerate learning and scale.Engineers Need Business Context:The best developers deeply understand the product's business impact, continually interact with customers, and help shape business direction.Guest Resourcesegil@getunleash.iohttps://www.getunleash.io

In this episode of SaaS Fuel, host Jeff Mains sits down with Anthony Franco—serial entrepreneur, co-author of AI First Principles and the Wiser Method, and host of the How to Founder podcast—to talk about what it really takes to implement AI effectively in SaaS businesses. The conversation breaks past the usual hype, diving deep into the practical messiness of entrepreneurship, building tech that serves real humans (not just outputs), and how intentional iteration leads to successful outcomes. Anthony Franco shares brutally honest stories of failure, the necessity of understanding end users, and the importance of starting with a noble cause before diving into AI adoption. If you're a founder wanting actionable strategies to build a future-proof company in the age of AI, this is your episode.Key Takeaways00:00 "AI, Bias, and Holographic Futures"03:44 "Future, Revenue Systems, and Strategy"07:34 "Entrepreneurs Fuel Prosperity"10:36 "Value Your Job, Avoid Mistakes"15:02 "Earn the Right to Rebuild"18:57 "User Experience Insights Revolution"21:34 Necessary Complexity and Risk Management25:49 "Leadership's Four Key Relationships"28:23 "Wiser Method: AI Principles"32:30 AI Missteps: Autonomy vs Collaboration35:25 "Challenging Ideas and Biases"38:03 "Readiness for Agentic Orchestration"43:00 "Feature Flags & Brand Magic"Tweetable Quotes“Entrepreneurs are the pioneers of economic prosperity—the ones willing to look foolish bring prosperity to all.” —Anthony Franco“If you automate broken things, you're just scaling your problems.” —Anthony Franco“Design for how the world is—not just how you wish it would be.” —Anthony Franco“The reason you write software is to make someone's life easier—not just your own.” —Anthony Franco“Stop coding. Go talk to the person you're coding for—not your manager, your end user.” —Anthony Franco“If you win 10% of the time and fail 90%, you still win. Micro-failures fuel learning.” —Anthony FrancoSaaS Leadership LessonsLead Arm-in-Arm, Not From AfarGreat leaders work alongside their teams, getting “calluses” from real workSet Honest Expectations About EntrepreneurshipDon't sell the dream—share failures and chaos as well as successes to guide founders realisticallyTalk to End Users—Don't Just Delegate DiscoveryLeaders must become chief customer advocates; direct feedback is transformative Don't Automate for Automation's SakeEvaluate the root causes and bottlenecks before layering on tools Embrace Necessary ComplexityNot all complexity is bad. Sometimes it's a competitive advantage or required for regulatory compliance Start Small—Iterate and Learn Before Scaling AIFocus on incremental improvement, pilot adoption, and learning from failures Guest Resourcesanthony@suitepea.comaifirstprinciples.orghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyfranco/x.com/anthonyfrancoEpisode SponsorThe Captain's KeysSmall Fish, Big Pond – https://smallfishbigpond.com/ Use the promo code ‘SaaSFuel'Champion Leadership Group – https://championleadership.com/SaaS Fuel ResourcesWebsite -

There's a moment in every product where you have to stop tweaking and actually launch. This week, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson reflect on how 37signals decides when a product is truly ready for its first release. They share how they think about simplifying, sharpening, and ultimately knowing when it's time to ship.Key Takeaways00:12 – Recognizing when a product is ready to meet the world02:55 – Strip things back to the essentials first07:32 – Weighing real-world feedback from early users10:03 – Add the final layer of polish without overdoing itLinks and ResourcesFizzy is a modern spin on kanban. Try it for free at fizzy.do"Quality: The Concept2 RowErg" from Jason's HEY WorldRecord a video question for the podcastBooks by 37signalsSign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.comHEY World | HEYThe REWORK podcastThe Rework Podcast on YouTubeThe 37signals Dev Blog37signals on YouTube@37signals on X

Dear Listener, are you stuck in singleness limbo—eternally swiping and messaging? Do you rarely get past dates one or two, and never into a long-term relationship? Does it seem like you almost never meet someone who feels unquestionably right for you?What if the thing keeping you single isn't your profile, lack of dating skills, or bad luck, but your brain running scared from doubt?In this episode, we explore an oft-missed culprit for chronic singledom: Relationship OCD (ROCD). We sit down with Relationship Center psychotherapist, sex therapist, and dating coach Cat Fillmore to unpack how this misunderstood form of OCD can quietly sabotage your dating life.Cat explains what ROCD actually is (spoiler: it's not just “being picky”) and how it shows up as an obsessional cycle: a trigger, an intrusive thought (“Do I really like them enough?”), spiraling meaning-making, intense anxiety, and then compulsions like endless Googling, reassurance-seeking from friends, or constant “checking” of your feelings.You'll hear how ROCD can lead people to swipe endlessly, dismiss promising matches over tiny details, or cut things off after 1–3 dates because the connection doesn't feel perfectly “just right.” Cat also shares how to tell the difference between ordinary dating anxiety and ROCD, why self-diagnosing is tricky, and why working with an OCD-informed therapist matters.Most importantly, Cat offers hope: ROCD is highly treatable—often with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)—and you can learn to live with doubt, date more freely, and build real, lasting love.If fear about the “what ifs” of a relationship makes dating feel painful or pointless, this episode is for you.Key Takeaways00:00 - Intro03:01 - What is Relationship OCD?09:28 - What are some of the signs ROCD might be sabotaging your dating life?23:13 - Can can someone with ROCD find lasting love? How?Resources and linksFor full show notes with links, visit relationshipcenter.com/podcastHave a question or comment? Email us at podcast@relationshipcenter.com. We love hearing from you!If you'd like to work with one of the talented clinicians on our team, go to relationshipcenter.com/apply-now to apply for a free 30-minute consultation.To get a monthly email with our best content, go to relationshipcenter.com/newsletter.If something in this episode touched you, will you share it with a friend? That helps us reach more sweet humans like you.Lastly, we'd love it if you would leave us a rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts. And be sure to hit subscribe while you're there so you never miss an episode!

In this mind-bending episode of SaaS Fuel, Jeff Mains chats with Darren Milne, co-founder and CEO of VividQ, about the future of holographic displays and how true 3D experiences will revolutionize everything from automotive HUDs to the way we watch TV, work, and interact with AI. Darren Milne unpacks his journey from academia to entrepreneurship, describes the defining moment when he saw a real hologram for the first time, and outlines how his team is making science fiction a reality—including progress toward room-scale “holodecks.” Along the way, you'll learn practical lessons about bridging science and commercialization, building successful licensing models, scaling with partnerships, and staying grounded while pursuing world-changing innovation.Key Takeaways00:00 "Holographic AI Revolution"05:15 From Academia to Business Shift14:08 "Holographic Display Business Strategy"19:31 Automotive HUDs: Future-Ready Adaptability24:48 "VR Nausea Explained by Science"29:41 Building-Sized Holograms Revolution32:57 "Creating Our Own Category"42:25 "Software-Driven Hardware Control"47:05 "Challenges of Licensing Innovation"51:59 "Rethinking Growth and Investment"56:05 "Epic Holographic Display Project"01:02:20 "Insights, AI Growth, and Holodecks"Tweetable Quotes“Sometimes, in the pursuit of knowledge, you need a lot more money—and the way to get that is to create things people want to buy.” — Darren Milne“The cars are all different, but with holography, the HUD doesn't have to be. Software solves what used to take an assembly line.” — Darren Milne “Every time I show a real hologram demo, people still ask if it's fake. Once you see it, everything changes.” — Darren Milne“You don't need to build all the hardware to win big—sometimes licensing your tech brings more scale and staying power.” — Darren Milne“If money were no object, I'd build the holodeck—an entire room of interactive holograms for training, gaming, everything.” — Darren Milne“We thought building-sized holograms required new tech, but turns out we could do it with off-the-shelf laptop screens…and a lot of them.” — Darren Milne SaaS Leadership LessonsEmbrace Mindset ShiftsMoving from academia to entrepreneurship means valuing impact as much as knowledge. Sometimes, making ideas real requires leaving comfort zones.Specialize, Then DelegateYou can't be both the chief researcher and the chief executive for long. Recognize your strengths and trust your team to handle complementary roles.Validate with Partners, Not Just ProductEarly commercial traction can come from licensing and partnerships, especially when full-scale manufacturing or hardware isn't feasible.Solve for ROI, Not Just CoolnessCustomers may love new tech, but recurring revenue comes from solving their biggest, most overlooked pain (e.g., HUD manufacturing savings).Don't Hire for Vanity, Hire for NecessityRapid hiring because “everyone else is scaling” can lead to layoffs and wasted resources if the technology isn't ready for mass adoption.Stay Resilient & HonestLong sales cycles and the need to “build the category” require grit. When mistakes happen (such as premature scaling), own them, learn, and course correct.Guest Resourceshttps://www.vividq.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/darran-milne/Episode SponsorThe Captain's KeysSmall Fish, Big Pond – https://smallfishbigpond.com/ Use the promo code...

Ever feel like droughts, rising costs, or feed shortages are always threatening your ranch's future? I get it—and so does this week's guest, who's engineering innovative solutions for resilient, sustainable animal agriculture.In this episode, Harry Duran sits down with Joaquin Gonzalez, Chief Expansion Officer at Eleusis Feed, an expert in agricultural engineering with deep roots (literally) in ranching and hydroponic fodder systems. Raised on a ranch near Santiago and backed by a career spanning Chile, Colorado, and now Texas, Joaquin Gonzalez brings a wealth of hands-on experience and entrepreneurial spirit to revolutionize how livestock are fed.This conversation dives into the power of hydroponic fodder systems as a game-changer for ranchers and farmers battling water scarcity, price hikes, and traditional feed limitations. Joaquin Gonzalez unpacks why modular container farms aren't always the answer at scale, and shares how Eleusis Feed's industrial solutions offer flexibility for both small and massive operations, empowering producers in drought-prone regions to ensure feed—and food—security all year long.Beyond the nuts and bolts of fodder systems, you'll hear stories from Joaquin Gonzalez's lifelong obsession with horses, lessons learned from engineering trial and error, and the realities of transitioning from South America to the U.S. Discover what it really takes to convince traditional ranchers to embrace innovation, and get inspired by the impact of sustainable practices on animal health, water conservation, and rural livelihoods.If you're ready to learn how vertical farming can safeguard your operation and secure the future of animal agriculture, tune in to this episode now—this one's packed with practical insights and the passion to match. Listen and get equipped to grow smarter today!Thanks to Our SponsorsCEA Summit East - https://indoor.ag/cea-summit-east-2025/Indoor AgCon - https://indoor.ag/Key Takeaways00:06:42 Tackling Chile's Drought and the Quest for Sustainable Fodder00:13:01 Engineering Solutions: Container Farms and Overcoming Mold00:19:22 Barley Fodder for All: From Horses to Giraffes00:25:29 Scaling Up: Industrial Hydroponic Fodder Systems00:32:09 Educating Ranchers and Challenging Traditions00:38:18 Entrepreneurship, Moving to Austin, and Staying MotivatedTweetable Quotes"At the end, you have to have horses, you have to have a trainer and all this stuff, and it was something that from there I transitioned to another sport because it was too expensive. Being one of seven, it wasn't something that I was the only one obsessed with horses and stuff, so I pushed that dream aside and focused on other sports. But then after college, I picked it up again, started riding again, won another championship, and it was everything about having a horse and having a train with feed and all this stuff that gets complicated over time. That is something I have in my heart—at some point, I will do it for sure.""The containerized solution that we could put together was able to produce 850 pounds a day, which, if you look at the industry, you can feed 30 cows, 35 horses, and stuff like that. I was talking to many ranchers that had 200 head of cattle, so for that you need eight containers. Putting one container next to another at some point doesn't make sense—maybe two is okay, three you start to think about, no, because every container has its own system, its own way of farming. At the end, we were looking for something more industrial.""With a fodder system, you use about 95% less water than traditional farm. We're here to help those places, especially...

In this value-packed episode of SaaS Fuel, Mark Osborne, founder of Modern Revenue Strategies and top 25 marketing technology trailblazer, joins host VO and Jeff Mains for a tactical deep dive into building holistic, scalable revenue systems that go beyond the siloed tactics of old. Mark reveals why random acts of marketing and sales are growth killers, the transformative impact of aligning marketing, sales, and customer success, and practical steps for identifying and nurturing your ideal customers. You'll also learn how storytelling and “microscripts” can drive trust and reduce friction, the importance of bow-tie funnels (aka the power of retention and expansion), and get a playbook for creating try-before-you-buy offers that accelerate confidence. If you want your SaaS business to be built for significance and scale—this episode is your treasure map.Key Takeaways00:00 "Mastering Sales & Revenue Strategy"05:11 "Building Effective Revenue Systems"06:17 Revenue Growth Through Three Systems12:35 Identifying Top Customers Strategically13:39 Targeting the Right CRM Customers19:31 "Aligning Teams to Drive Revenue"23:49 B2B Buying Shift: Trust Erodes25:34 Health, Perception, and AI Challenges29:02 "Bite-Sized Client Value Strategy"32:12 Effective SaaS Onboarding Strategies35:49 Focus on One GTM Strategy40:50 The Power of Specialization42:35 "Storytelling Powers Human Connection"47:28 "Creating a Category of One"48:35 "Collaborative Metrics and Visual Mapping"52:31 "3D Holograms & AI Innovation"Tweetable Quotes"But what I find is that really building a revenue system that has multiple components and sort of interlocking components is the real key to growth." — Mark Osborne Category of One Marketing: "And so we have built a proprietary proven process that leverages our unique expertise for this unique marketplace. And if you believe that that's the right way to solve this problem, then we're the only solution that exists for you." — Mark Osborne Quote: "the stat is now that something like 70% of the buyer's journey is done before they talk to a single provider, much less you, if you're the second or third tier provider in the marketplace." — Mark Osborne Lower-Risk Sales Strategies: "it's just a way of giving them that bite of the burger so they can then be excited about coming in and finishing the meal rather than feeling like, well, should I talk to five more people or two more people or get three more references instead." — Mark Osborne The Power of Storytelling in Sales: "Telling stories is the way that we really resonate and connect with people. So each of those different sort of layers of really small stories and really, you know, sort of large allegories are important throughout the sales process." — Mark Osborne SaaS Leadership LessonsBuild Systems, Not SilosSustainable growth comes when every part of the revenue journey is connected—attraction, acceleration, activation.Customer Obsession Beats Logo HuntingLong-term companies focus on advocating for and expanding existing customers, not just acquiring new ones.Say No to the Wrong RevenueThe discipline to turn away poorly-matched clients fuels long-term success and product integrity.Create Alignment Through Visual...

Who is Kyle?Kyle Beltle is a sought-after advisor for professional coaches and consultants whose businesses are flourishing in the high six figures. Having worked extensively with clients eager to reclaim their time, Kyle specializes in navigating the twin challenges his clients so often face: “tax FOMO” (the fear of missing out on tax deductions) and analysis paralysis. He knows all too well how the constant swirl of social media tips and advice from well-meaning friends can leave entrepreneurs unsure of where to start and anxious they might be missing out. Through patient guidance and hands-on support—including welcoming endless client questions at kickoff meetings—Kyle helps business owners cut through the noise, find clarity, and confidently optimize their financial strategies.Key Takeaways00:00 Coaching Clients' Tax Woes Solved04:39 Experience Over Price09:06 Focusing Intentionally in Business12:55 Maximize 401(k) with Profit Sharing15:58 “Subscribe for Podcast Updates”_________________________________________________________________________________________________Subscribe to our newsletter and get details of when we are doing these interviews live at www.systemise.me/subscribeFind out more about being a guest at : link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/beaguestSubscribe to the podcast at https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/podcastHelp us get this podcast in front of as many people as possible. Leave a nice five-star review at apple podcasts : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/apple-podcasts and on YouTube : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/Itsnotrocketscienceatyt!Do You Need a P.A.T.H. to Scale?We help established business owners with small but growing teams:go from feeling stuck, sceptical, and tired of wasting time and money on false promises,to running a confident, purpose-driven business where their team delivers results, customers are happy, and they can finally enjoy more time with their family -with a results-based refund guarantee: if you follow the process and it doesn't work, we refund what you paid.This is THE P.A.T.H. to scale your business.————————————————————————————————————————————-TranscriptNote, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast)SUMMARY KEYWORDStax strategy, tax planning, proactive CPA, tax deductions, analysis paralysis, tax FOMO, professional coaches, consultants, high six figure business, time management, business finances, business owner, real estate investment, rental property, multi state tax return, online tax software, premium guidance, tax mistakes, tax savings, 401k, retirement planning, profit sharing, S corp, employee benefits, pension contributions, business tax, cash flow management, VAT bill, financial planning, tax professional, small business taxSPEAKERKyle Beltle, Stuart WebbStuart Webb [00:00:03]:Okay, we've gone live without the stream coming in, which is really interesting. So welcome to It's Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. I'm here with Kyle Bentley Beltly. Sorry, I'm gonna, I'm gonna get that wrong. Kyle. Apologies. Kyle Beltley.Stuart Webb [00:00:22]:Kyle is the owner of ProActive CPA. Kyle is going to talk to us about some really interesting things about how we manage our finances, manage tax, etc. Carl, welcome to It's Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. I hope you've got your coffee in front of you today.Kyle Beltle [00:00:38]:Ready to go.Stuart Webb [00:00:39]:Terrific mug, terrific mug. Let's, let's talk briefly about how you're, who is, who is the person you're trying to help? What's the problem they've got? So that we can sort of, as we were listening to you describe this, we begin to get a sense of is this me that Kyle is talking about?Kyle Beltle [00:01:00]:Sure, sure. So my clients are professional coaches and consultants running businesses that are generating high six figures of sales and they're people who are looking to buy back their time. I would say that the primary issue that people come to me with and I help them solve, it's kind of a twofold. It's first off, it's what I like to call tax fomo, fear of missing out, and it's analysis paralysis. So with the tax fomo, we are inundated with social media posts on tax tips, our neighbors giving us tax tips, our crazy uncle at the family dinner is giving us. And there's this fear that I'm missing out on these deductions that everybody else knows about. But where do I even, where do I even get started? You know, this, this analysis paralysis. And a great example of this is I just started working with a client there and as we were getting ready for our kickoff meeting, he said, I hope you don't mind, I just jotted down a few thoughts.Kyle Beltle [00:02:10]:Well, so Stewart, this guy had composed this entire Google Doc of just all the things that he'd been coming across. And you know, does this apply to me? Where do I start? And so what I do with my clients is distill all that into a crystal clear tax strategy plan for them where they know, a, this applies to me, B, this is how to take advantage of it, and C, here's the savings I'm going to get from it.Stuart Webb [00:02:38]:So let's just, let's try and explore a little bit then on what are the things. I mean, that guy obviously had ideas about what he wanted to do, the problems that he knew had. He Tried anything. What were the things he tried to do to overcome this problem before turning to Kyle and say, carl, can you help me?Kyle Beltle [00:02:57]:So fortunately he hadn't tried anything and sadly that's not always the case. I had a client, I'll call Ian, who just started working with me the beginning of this year and he had heard, real estate's a great investment. I'm going to get into real estate. And he ended up purchasing a rental house that was out of state. So now he's preparing a multi state return and he has to set up a rental property. He was using an over the counter online tax product there. And you know the saying, garbage in, garbage out. Well, the data that he was putting into the software was not correct.Kyle Beltle [00:03:47]:He ended up missing out on a lot of deductions around that rental property. And so when we first started working together this year, I went back, took a look under the hood of the return last year and was able to help him get that rental property set up properly. And the savings, the actual tax savings that he experienced as a result of that were twice what I was charging him there. And so, you know, I have a colleague, Rajo Jose, who likes to say premium guidance cost a lot less than premium mistakes. And so certainly don't, don't try to DIY things when you're working with a complex tax situation.Stuart Webb [00:04:39]:I'm going to have to agree with you, Carla. I know one of the early lessons I was taught when I was a very young business owner was people forget the price long after they've forgotten the lack of quality, so long after they've remembered the lack of quality. So you know, the, the problem that we all try and think of is this may or may not take me a lot of time, but you're not dealing with, you're not dealing with something which, which is, you know, so much time based, are you? Although they are paying for your time, they're paying for the years of experience which you bought into the, you've used as your education and your experience in order to come back and go, this is how much it's valid, the value is to you. This is not about me taking 15 minutes over this. This is 15 years of my life that's taught me how to do this for you.Kyle Beltle [00:05:25]:100%. 100%. And that's not even mentioning the time that they would need to take away from their core business.Stuart Webb [00:05:33]:Absolutely.Kyle Beltle [00:05:34]:To try to learn this or to even, even to execute it.Stuart Webb [00:05:38]:Absolutely. So I think, Carl, you've been very kind to the audience. You have Got a giveaway. And this will be something which is in the vault that we have, which is the systemized me free stuff. So describe what this is, a PDF, I think, which is going to be a great asset to a lot of people. Tell us what's in this PDF and how it benefit them.Kyle Beltle [00:06:04]:So, as I said at the top, one of the issues that so many of my prospects and so many of my clients come to me with is just saying, where do I even begin? So I put together a handout here of my six favorite tax strategies that most people can take advantage of. And so I would download that there and take it with you next time you're meeting with your tax professional to see which one of these can we put into play to maximize my savings.Stuart Webb [00:06:34]:And I would, I'd hate to, to prejudice this, but if somebody comes along and finds they're only using five of the six, they may need to have a word with you anyway.Kyle Beltle [00:06:43]:Yes, absolutely, absolutely.Stuart Webb [00:06:46]:Okay, terrific. That's a brilliant. And I, I'll just repeat, if you go to systemize me free hyphen stuff, you will find that immediately. You can go and download that now and go get that from, from that vault and, and you will be able to get hold of Kyle's top six strategies. Have a feeling he may have more than six in his bank. But that's, that's the top.Kyle Beltle [00:07:09]:There may be a bonus. There may be a bonus one.Stuart Webb [00:07:12]:I love it. I love it. I love it. Kyle, tell us a little bit. You know, how did you become the, the expert that you are on tax? This doesn't happen overnight. It certainly doesn't happen unless you, you set out intentionally to understand these things.Kyle Beltle [00:07:28]:Yeah.Stuart Webb [00:07:28]:Is there a book, a course or something like that that took you to this, this place? That's.Kyle Beltle [00:07:34]:That is a great question, Stuart. And I love when you ask your guests this because you're always, always finding great books, great programs through this, and I've read a lot of books over the years and just trying to think distill it down to one. Ah, it's really tough. But if I had to choose, I would say that the most impactful program in my life has been Earl Nightingale's the Strangest Secret. Are you familiar with it by any chance?Stuart Webb [00:08:05]:It's not one I know. It's not one I know.Kyle Beltle [00:08:08]:So I encourage everyone out there, go look it up on YouTube. The strangest secret. It's originally, I believe it was a radio broadcast that Earl gave. It's only about 30 minutes. It's very concise. Very to the point. And spoiler alert. The strangest secret is that we become what we think about most of the time.Kyle Beltle [00:08:34]:Oh, and, you know, certainly that is by, you know, no means new to any of your listeners, I'm sure. But for me, I came across this early in my career. It was one of the first times I was really ever exposed to the power of being intentional with your thoughts and setting goals there. And so even to this day, I still find it as a great reset any. Anytime I'm stuck to listen to Earl Nightingale's the Strangest Secret.Stuart Webb [00:09:06]:That is a great, great tip, Carl. I thank you for that one because you're absolutely right. Too often we are, we're not intentional with our businesses, are we? We are distracted. I often see business owners, and I deal with business owners most of my day, and I find myself saying, well, why are you doing it that way? And the answer is sometimes it's sort of like, well, I just can't stop thinking about this. And unfortunately you go, well, you're missing out on a bunch of other things which actually you should be focused on and this should not be even in your thing. So you, you tend to end up doing it because you've just got locked in a cycle of focus that is the wrong one. And to switch the focus to what you should be focused on is much more important.Kyle Beltle [00:09:53]:Yeah. If you're just reacting to the latest email, the latest text message that comes across your inbox there. Yeah, you're absolutely right. You're going to get stuck in a cycle that is not productive and not product. You know, really building up your business to the best that it can be.Stuart Webb [00:10:12]:And this is where you have to start thinking a little bit about, like the, the future of your business by focus on those tax strategies which actually enable you to free up the cash, free up the investment that you might need in order to move the business forward.Kyle Beltle [00:10:26]:Yeah, yeah, absolutely. May feel like you're taking some time, some invaluable time out of your schedule to invest one, two, maybe even three hours to sit down with your tax pro and really map out the upcoming year, what you can take advantage of, what you can't. But the clarity that I have seen that give to my clients is worth its weight in gold and more than comes back to them in time savings.Stuart Webb [00:10:57]:Yeah, I'm gonna, I'll tell a small story here. It's one that's rather specific to the. But I came across a business just recently. The business had hit a real problem. They had a real cash flow problem. And I sort of said, what's the real reason for the cash flow problem? Wasn't very obvious from the discussion. They went, we forgot a VAT bill, value added tax bill. We forgot this tax bill was coming in.Stuart Webb [00:11:20]:We completely missed swiped our cash flow. We're now in deep trouble because we had no idea that it was coming in. And I looked at them and I basically said these bills are paid once every quarter. It's like Christmas. It's going to be on the same day, same time every year. What happened? We didn't have a plan. A one or two hour meeting with an attacked professional to just work out where that was would have solved a whole heap of problems for that business.Kyle Beltle [00:11:52]:Yeah, absolutely, absolutely not. Not to mention just the fact that they could have set up a very simple system to, to remind them about that or to automate it there.Stuart Webb [00:12:04]:Yeah, absolutely brilliant, Kyle, I guess we're getting towards the end of this and I'm going to let you go so you can get back to helping other tax professional people get their taxes in order. Professionals get their taxes in order. Carl, there must be a question that you're thinking, well, he still hasn't asked me the real killer one and obviously I might, I might think of it and probably I'm not going to because I'm a person of very little brain. So what's the one question that I should by now have asked you? And as you know what that question is, you better answer it for us as well.Kyle Beltle [00:12:38]:Yeah, absolutely. Well, one of the questions that I was waiting for was what is one tax strategy in particular that could be a quick win for someone today?Stuart Webb [00:12:50]:I am so glad I didn't ask that question because that is such a good question.Kyle Beltle [00:12:55]:And I got to tell you, Stuart, I'll preface this, I know this, this answer, it's not exciting, it's not revolutionary here, but it is, it truly is powerful. And that is for the listeners here in the US to max out your 401k retirement plan there. Now most people, Stewart, very familiar with having some money taken out of their, their paychecks there to put in the 401k and that's great and that everyone should be doing that. However, I'm always surprised that more business owners don't know about the profit sharing options that most for 1k plans have. And the reason that the profit sharing is so powerful, Stuart, is that it is money that the business elects to put into their employees 401k plans. And it's powerful because if the owner owns a company that's taxed as an S corp here in the US that owner will be on payroll and they'll be able to put additional money into their personal 401 while the business gets a tax deduction for it. It's also a great way for employers to reward their employees by giving them a little bit of a bonus that they don't have to pay payroll taxes on. The employees don't have to pay income taxes on there.Kyle Beltle [00:14:26]:So using the profit sharing component of your 401k to really max it out is a very powerful tax strategy that a lot of businesses will will be able to implement this year and get a quick win.Stuart Webb [00:14:40]:Carl, it will not surprise you to learn that is not a strategy that is just related to the US that is also many other countries. Optimizing and maximizing the amount of money you put into a pension is often the best way of saving tax for the business, but also, as you just said, allowing the employee, even if the employee is the chief executive, to get ready for a time when they need to step away from the business anyway and have still got the money coming in that they should have.Kyle Beltle [00:15:11]:Yeah, absolutely, Stuart. You know, as I said, it's not a particularly exciting strategy, but it's, it's been my experience as a professional that oftentimes it's the simple disciplines.Stuart Webb [00:15:23]:Yeah.Kyle Beltle [00:15:23]:Simple steps that we repeat day after day within our businesses that in the long run provide the biggest wins for us.Stuart Webb [00:15:32]:Kyle, that is a great message to end on because I think it is a universal truth. Business is actually really simple. If you boil it down, it's about making a customer and keeping that customer happy. And hey, what could you do better than doing that with your employees by giving them tax breaks and money for when they retire as well. Absolutely brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Kyle, thank you so much for spending a few minutes.Kyle Beltle [00:15:56]:Thank you, Stuart. It's been a blast.Stuart Webb [00:15:58]:I'm. I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna encourage people. If you're listening to this, if you're watching this, if you, if you're seeing us live, if you're seeing this in the recording or listening to this in the recording, just please subscribe to the. To the main with the Systemize me forward/subscribe systemize.me forward slash subscribe. You will get an email once a week which will intel tell you who's coming up on the podcast so that you can join live. Ask questions if you want, get on there. If you've got boring, know, really burning questions, that's the time to sort of ask it to experts such as Kyle who's been with us today talking about his stuff. And please go to Systemize me free hyphen stuff to get Kyle's really valuable six plus special special offer.Stuart Webb [00:16:39]:Download as soon as you can. Kyle. Kyle Beltley. I hope I've got it right. At long last.Kyle Beltle [00:16:45]:Yes.Stuart Webb [00:16:45]:Thank you for being with us.Kyle Beltle [00:16:47]:Thank you for having us. Get full access to It's Not Rocket Science! at thecompleteapproach.substack.com/subscribe

How do you land on the right price for a product? This week, 37signals co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson pull back the curtain on the pricing choices they've made over the years, including the options the public never saw. They talk about why chasing giant enterprise deals isn't for them, and why simple, steady pricing beats clever tricks.Key Takeaways00:11 – The pricing experiments over the years10:48 – Why 37signals avoids enterprise deals18:05 – How Basecamp's pricing style differs from HEY's25:12 – Avoiding gimmicks and overthinking31:03 – Fizzy's pricing modelLinks and ResourcesRecord a video question for the podcastBooks by 37signalsSign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.comHEY World | HEYThe REWORK podcastThe Rework Podcast on YouTubeThe 37signals Dev Blog37signals on YouTube@37signals on X

In this groundbreaking episode of SaaS Fuel, Jeff Mains sits down with Amos Bar Joseph, CEO and co-founder of Swann, the AI-native company on a quest to build the world's first truly autonomous business. With only three human founders and a fleet of AI agents, Swann is redefining the startup playbook—targeting $10M ARR per employee and running leaner operations without sacrificing growth or burning out teams. Amos Bar Joseph shares how Swann scales via intelligent automation and human-AI collaboration, creating systems where both people and agents operate in their zone of genius. Listeners learn actionable ways to build their “AI muscle,” leverage experimental GTM strategies, and develop organizations that amplify human talent rather than replace it.Key Takeaways00:00 "Building Resilient Customer-Focused Teams"05:23 Reinventing the Startup Playbook08:52 "Scaling Innovation Through AI Agents"10:14 "Building an AI Support Agent"15:00 "Optimizing Funnel With Human Leadership"17:16 "AI-Powered GTM Automation Tool"20:51 AI Amplifying Human Talent26:56 Continuous Innovation Through Experiments28:13 "Balancing Risk in Business Growth"32:43 "Building AI Muscle Internally"36:37 "AI Failures: Perfection Over Adaptation"39:11 Defining Failure in Experiments42:59 "Redefining Scale with Human-AI"48:21 Automated Sales Lead Management52:06 "Connect, Learn, Build Autonomously"54:40 "Scaling Revenue & Holographic Tech"Tweetable Quotes"It wasn't like that. What happened is that we started iterating in human in the loop workflows where humans and agents work side by side and there's an iteration mechanism where we refine that collaboration until we got to a process that one person could scale to an output of what used to in the past." — Amos Bar JosephQuote: "It's kind of like a developer that works with sales and marketing and sometimes founders or rev ops to turn any go to market idea into an agentic workflow. So you can scale go to market with intelligence, not revenue, not headcount, and really iterate on your go to market at the speed of thought." — Amos Bar JosephQuote: "The moment that you remove all the technical complexity with a tool like Swann, then you can start iterating on your go to market at the speed of thought." — Amos Bar JosephQuote: "what we aim for is actually these unconventional playbooks, because these playbooks, these tactics, are the ones that you can drive the most disproportionate value from the resource that you invest in." — Amos Bar JosephWhy Most AI Projects Fail: "The number one reason for that is that the user, the buyer, the organization is optimizing and the vendor together, they're optimizing for perfection, not for adaptation, as you just laid out, Jeff. And the reason is why that is the number one reason, is because you don't know what perfection looks like when you start." — Amos Bar JosephSaaS Leadership LessonsLeverage Talent, Not Headcount:Focus on value creation per employee, using AI to scale intelligent output—not just adding more people.Iterate to Innovate:Use experimentation and iterative processes to refine human-agent collaboration and maximize business results.Embrace the Zone of Genius:Place team members in roles where their passions and skills create disproportionate value; let AI take on everything outside that zone.Bias Toward BuildingAdopt a build-first mentality with AI tools—solve your own business bottlenecks rather than just buying external solutions.Stand Out With Unconventional Playbooks:In...

In this episode of the RE Social Podcast, hosts Vince Rodriguez and Andrew McCormick talk with Evan Cassidy, our former producer, standup comedian, and emerging real estate investor, to unpack the roller coaster journey of buying, renovating, and managing his first investment property in Yucca Valley. He opens up about what inspired him to jump into real estate, how the pandemic turned his initial renovation plans upside down, and the financial and emotional challenges that come with navigating your first Airbnb. The hosts dig into Evan's biggest lessons around building the right team, understanding market cycles, managing cash flow, and developing the patience and resilience needed to succeed as an investor. Evan also reveals how he balances family life with creative pursuits, and how both comedy and real estate continue to shape his long-term vision. Listen to this episode to learn more!Key Takeaways00:00:00Welcome to the RE Social Podcast00:01:08Let's get to know Evan Cassidy00:05:09The Joshua Tree Investment00:12:06Financials and Future Plans00:25:43Stocking and Organizing Supplies00:28:51Setting Up an Ideal Airbnb00:33:25Challenges and Lessons Learned00:44:41Hiring and Building a Reliable Team00:53:44Exploring New Real Estate Opportunities00:54:42Long-Term vs. Mid-Term Rentals00:58:54Credit Card Hacks and Bank Reactions01:01:24Lessons Learned from Investments01:04:38The Importance of Risk Tolerance01:21:53Blend of Comedy and Real Estate01:23:36How to connect with EvanResources and LinksFind his schedule on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenextwavecomedy/Evan's Yucca Valley Property http://www.casafreebird.com/Connect with Evanhttps://www.instagram.com/thecassmanshow/https://www.facebook.com/thecassmanhttps://www.youtube.com/c/fockyanationNeed Help? BOOK A CALL:https://anviinvest.com/consulting/ Learn more about AnVi Invest

This episode dives deep into the shifting landscape of SaaS growth, investment philosophy, and leadership with Klee Kleber, former Dell and Rackspace executive and co-founder at Build Group.Klee Kleber shares why he prefers the "long game" model over traditional VC, explains the math behind durable businesses, talks about the importance of relentless execution, and how empathy, self-awareness, and diversity drive lasting success. From stories of luck at Dell to building customer love at Rackspace and the bold ambition of Topwater, this episode is packed with pragmatic wisdom for SaaS founders, operators, and investors.Key Takeaways00:00 Building for Impact and Permanence03:12 "Strategic Investing and Growth Playbooks"06:40 "Efficient Growth Through Discipline"12:47 "Separate Division for Innovation"15:14 Apple's Strategy: Innovation & Adaptability19:21 "Scaling After Market Fit"20:32 Obsessed Founders: Numbers & Customers23:57 "Teamwork Drives Effective Leadership"27:49 "Commit, Focus, Scale Success"30:08 Exit Strategy Driven by Management34:24 "Growth Limits and Opportunities"39:31 "Customer Loyalty Drives Growth"40:16 Target Audience Traits Matter46:10 "Defining ICP: Human vs. MBA"49:45 AI vs Doctor: Diagnosis Revolution51:44 "Leadership, Innovation, Differentiation Challenges"54:29 "AI-Driven Growth with Topwater"Tweetable Quotes"You can't diversify your way to success—you can only retain your wealth through diversification. To build a company, you have to go all in." — Klee Kleber"Start with customer love—and radiate out from there. Obsess over the customers who love you, and the referrals will follow." — Klee Kleber"Relentless execution is what differentiates great companies from those that just do okay or even good." — Jeff Mains"Efficiency isn't boring—it's the secret to durable, compounding growth that actually lasts." — Klee Kleber"Most business to me is treading water, being disciplined, not burning, testing ideas, measuring like crazy, until you find the live wire." — Klee Kleber"Self-aware founders who build teams that compensate for their weaknesses are the ones who scale and thrive." — Klee KleberSaaS Leadership LessonsBuild for the Long Game – Focus on investments and company-building strategies that aim for durability and lasting impact, not just quick wins.Efficiency is a Competitive Advantage – Discipline in metrics like LTV/CAC and payback periods creates sustainable growth, instead of hoping for a lucky exit.Relentless Execution Beats Strategy Alone – Luck may start the journey, but relentless, focused execution is what converts opportunity into success.Balance Data with Customer Contact – Great founders marry spreadsheet discipline with real human customer feedback and empathy.Embrace Diverse Perspectives – Teams with varied backgrounds, skills, and viewpoints consistently outperform homogenous ones and spark true breakthroughs.Self-Awareness Multiplies Leadership Impact – Know your personal strengths and weaknesses; build teams that complement you and delegate accordingly.Guest Resourcesklee@buildgroup.comhttps://www.buildgroup.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/kleekleber/Episode SponsorThe Captain's KeysSmall Fish, Big Pond –

This week, Monica Marquez joins SaaS Fuel to dive deep into the real barriers behind successful AI adoption and organizational transformation. With a career spanning Google, Goldman Sachs, and the launch of Flip Work, Monica shares insights on bridging the gap between technology and human behavior, demystifying AI for non-technical teams, and championing change management that works for people—not just processes. Discover the critical mindset shifts, the role of psychological safety, and why the future of work is about "survival of the fastest." Plus, get firsthand strategies for leaders to drive transformation and build trust with AI.Key Takeaways00:00 "Embracing Change for Success"04:03 "Reinventing Work Mindset with AI"07:33 "Adapting Success in AI Era"11:08 "Leveraging AI to Enhance Work"15:34 Building Trust in AI Use19:05 Embrace Change to Avoid Extinction21:37 "AI Accelerates Growth, Challenges Adaptability"27:55 AI Skills: From Prompting to Mastery30:24 Rapid Innovation and Iteration Challenges35:38 Leveraging AI to Enhance Strengths37:17 AI Empowers Founders to ExecuteTweetable QuotesAI Adoption Struggles: "Millions, billions of dollars have been invested in the IT portion or the tools, but less than 2% of the companies are actually seeing ROI on that. And what they're really understanding is that it's because nobody's teaching the tool to the human." — Monica MarquezViral Topic: Rethinking Success in the Age of AI: "And so getting them to understand that you have to really unlearn and really destroy, disrupt that, that belief system and really start to create this equation that impact equals success." — Monica MarquezAI vs Human Judgment: "Because what people don't realize is yes, AI is going to replace some of this monotonous administrative like, you know, work that most of us actually should be pretty happy to hand off. But, but the AI doesn't really know client relationships. The AI doesn't know how to read the room." — Monica MarquezBuilding Trust with AI: "People don't trust the AI yet. And part of it is you can't build trust without evidence or without an exchange of, like, doing things." — Monica Marquez"I feel like AI has helped us get further much faster with less people because AI is doing a lot of this that we would have potentially outsourced in the past." — Monica MarquezSaaS Leadership LessonsLead With Evidence, Not AssumptionsEncourage teams to collect data by experimenting with AI—overcoming fear and building trust through firsthand experience.Prioritize Human EnablementInvest in change management and behavioral shifts, not just technology rollouts.Create Psychological SafetyEnable leaders and teams to "not know" and to admit uncertainty, fostering open experimentation and growth.Champion Unlearning and ReinventionHelp employees break free from old success equations and conditioned beliefs.Treat Digital Tools as TeammatesCoach AI (like an intern), iterating and refining outputs rather than expecting perfection on the first try.Model Change at Every LevelExecutives must embody the transformation—they are responsible for setting cultural signals for rapid adaptation.Guest Resourcesmonica@fts-ai.comhttps://flipwork.aihttps://www.linkedin.com/in/themonicamarquez/Episode SponsorThe Captain's...

Ever wondered how to scale your vertical farm without breaking the bank—or your nerves?In this episode of the Vertical Farming Podcast, I sit down with Tristan Fischer, CEO of Fisher Farms, one of the pioneers in modular farming technology. Tristan brings over 25 years of experience in clean energy and large-scale renewables, translating that expertise into creating more efficient, scalable, and cost-effective vertical farming solutions. Having navigated the challenges of building some of the largest vertical farms in the UK, Tristan is passionate about making vertical farming both accessible and sustainable—and he's got the battle-tested insights to prove it.We dive deep into Fisher Farms' journey from traditional R&D setups to their cutting-edge modular approach, using shipping containers like building blocks for truly scalable farms. Tristan shares candid stories about the risks and surprises of massive farm construction, and how clever modular design is transforming the economics and flexibility of indoor agriculture, enabling global expansion—even in places like Abu Dhabi, where energy costs are astonishingly low.Beyond technology, we explore Fisher Farms' culture of innovation, their relentless focus on driving down costs, and why Tristan believes vertical farming should move from premium niche to practical staple for feeding the world. You'll hear how the team's values—kindness, respect, factfulness, and robustness—help foster big ideas and quick pivots, and how these principles drive Fisher Farms to be the lowest-cost vertical farm in the world.If you're ready to rethink what's possible with vertical farming and discover how modularity might be the answer to your growth headaches, don't miss this episode! Click play and join us as we explore the future of feeding the world—without wrecking the planet.Ready to stop dreaming and start building a profitable, impactful vertical farm that transcends tired food system models? Click to listen and get inspired by Mary's story, strategy, and actionable insights!Thanks to Our SponsorsCEA Summit East - https://indoor.ag/cea-summit-east-2025/Indoor AgCon - https://indoor.ag/Key Takeaways00:00 Fisher Farms Expansion and Modular Approach06:01 Overcoming Scaling Challenges at Farm Two12:01 Fisher Farms Ethos and Focus on Cost Reduction18:31 Advancements in Lighting and Efficiency23:40 Competing with Glasshouses and New Market Opportunities29:54 Modular Growth in the UAE and Global Impact35:03 Plug and Play Modular Flexibility40:02 Fisher Farms Technology Certification and Branding46:08 Building an Innovative, Kind, and Robust Company Culture52:42 Closing Reflections and Future OutlookTweetable Quotes"If you have a thousand things which need to get right, I think we probably planned for about 900 of them and got them right, and then once Farm 2 got running, 50 of them were relatively quick to fix, but there were a few items which actually ended up being very, very difficult. Sometimes you had a problem hiding behind another problem.""Our view is that if we focus on really driving down cost, cost, cost, cost, then we don't have to worry about becoming a premium brand—but it gets us in the direction where we want to be, which is: how do you actually feed the world without trashing the planet at the same time?""What we want is my terrible idea and a genuinely bad idea, and your crazy, insane idea and somebody else's drug-addled idea or sleep-addled idea—whatever it is—and they're all actually genuinely bad ideas independently, but by putting those ideas together, layering those...

In this episode of SaaS Fuel, Thanos Diacakis shares battle-tested advice for scaling SaaS teams, streamlining delivery, and maximizing developer happiness. Drawing on his experiences at startups and tech giants like Uber, Thanos reveals counterintuitive strategies for improving software output, optimizing technical debt, rethinking backlogs, and harnessing new mental models. He breaks down the importance of incremental value, cross-functional collaboration, and avoiding the traps of over-planning. Whether you lead a small startup or an enterprise-scale engineering team, this conversation will challenge the way you think about speed, quality, backlog management, and long-term success.Key Takeaways00:00 "Checklists vs Software Complexity"03:19 Bug Fixing: Intuition vs Strategy08:24 Buckets: Features, Bugs, Investments, Risks09:47 Optimizing Feature vs. Platform Focus14:39 "Minimize Work in Progress"19:20 "Bug Backlogs: Input vs Output"20:39 Kanban Team Structure Guidelines26:38 "Rapid Progress in Coding Tools"28:21 "Minimal Planning, Bias for Action"31:48 "Delivering Incremental Customer Value"36:23 Collaborative Workflow Over Silos39:35 "Building Products That Inspire Use"42:53 "Accelerate: Building Effective Teams"44:11 Team Workflow Optimization Framework47:50 "Explore Mental Models Online"Tweetable QuotesWhy Slowing Down Software Releases Might Backfire: One of the things that would happen is if you slow down, how you ship to production is you'll have bigger batches and bigger batches, which means you might ship more bugs all at once and have to find them in a bigger QA cycle. — Thanos Diacakis "I also think we sometimes convince ourselves that we know more than we actually do and that we can plan a really long way out." — Thanos Diacakis Viral Product Development Mindset: "If you engage engineers and product in these creative discussions, you might find out, oh, I scoped out these 10 things, but turns out the customer gets 80% of the value from this one thing." — Thanos Diacakis Bureaucratic Bottlenecks in Big Companies: "They try to optimize locally for one particular function rather than optimize globally for shipping things out the door." — Thanos Diacakis Viral Topic: "Why Every Team Should Read Accelerate": So I think if I give anyone advices, if you haven't read Accelerate, then go read that book. Because it's basically lays out in terms of, and this is in terms of like core technical and procedural sort of infrastructural things that teams ought to have to be productive. — Thanos Diacakis SaaS Leadership LessonsBias Towards Action Over PerfectionAvoid waiting for perfect plans, especially with innovative projects; instead, learn by doing and iterating.Increase System VisibilityMake work in progress and team capabilities visible; this surfaces bottlenecks and areas for investment.Balance Short-Term and Long-Term GoalsStrategic investment in tooling, tech debt, and risk mitigation ensures sustainable delivery and value realization.Prioritize Collaboration Across FunctionsBreaking down silos between product, engineering, and design dramatically accelerates delivery and reduces defects.Ship Small, Ship OftenFrequent, incremental releases drive faster customer learning, boost agility, and reduce risk.Cultivate a Shared Language for OutcomesUse terms like investments and risk (not just features and bugs) to align business and technical priorities and drive meaningful...

Twice a year, the entire 37signals team meets up in person. This week, co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson talk about how these gatherings work, what they're really for, and why the structure is intentionally loose. They share how the mix of optional hangouts and focused work sessions helps their fully remote team reconnect, recharge, and solve problems face-to-face.Key Takeaways00:14 – How 37signals approaches its twice-a-year meetups01:52 – What's required and what's optional04:09 – The deeper purpose behind bringing everyone together07:51 – Finding the right blend of scheduled time and free time16:37 – The limits of video calls23:22 – Yes, there's fun, but it's still a work tripLinks and ResourcesRecord a video question for the podcastBooks by 37signalsSign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.comHEY World | HEYThe REWORK podcastThe Rework Podcast on YouTubeThe 37signals Dev Blog37signals on YouTube@37signals on X

In this action-packed SaaS Fuel episode, host Jeff Mains welcomes AI entrepreneur Alberto Rizzoli, co-founder and CEO of V7. They dive into the transformative power of AI in automating repetitive and complex knowledge work, discuss the accelerating pace of AI innovation, and unpack how both large enterprises and smaller teams can prioritize, implement, and benefit from next-generation “agentic” AI. Alberto Rizzoli candidly shares insights on the future of SaaS, practical applications in B2B, go-to-market challenges, the evolving demands on leadership and hiring, and what it takes to stand out in a world where technology is no longer a lasting moat.Key Takeaways00:00 AI Revolution: Transforming Technology04:00 AI Reducing Administrative Costs06:21 "Measuring AI's Impact on Knowledge"09:41 "AI as Workforce Revolution"15:53 "Startups Compete on Quality"18:27 "Tech Giants Dominate AI Future"22:27 "AI Implementation Leadership Needed"25:55 "Evaluating AI Tools Effectively"29:31 AI Adoption Requires Trust31:46 "Shift in GTM Strategies"35:48 "AI Automation Careers in Demand"37:20 "V7Labs: AI Workflow Automation"Tweetable QuotesViral Topic: The Real Value of AI in Knowledge Work: "Even if you had the money to ask a lawyer and that were not an issue, you would still first ask ChatGPT because you get an instantaneous answer and there is no friction towards that." — Alberto RizzoliAI & the Future of Work: "Keeping a human away from their family and children for five hours to do some work that AI can do in five minutes by consuming a lot less relative energy will actually be kind of the best of both worlds." — Alberto RizzoliQuote: "There is still an enormous amount of unrealized value from AI. There is still close to no AI usage at the world's largest companies." — Alberto RizzoliAI's Impact on Infrastructure Investment: "We've never seen so much investment in power generation since World War II. So it really is a paradigm shift that's happening." — Alberto RizzoliBalancing Creativity and Responsibility: "the creative side is something that we enjoy, but there's so many things that are jobs that things that we have to do, things that always." — Jeff Mains Viral Simplicity in User Interfaces: "instead of having to figure out, you know, how the watch was built, we're just asking what time it is." — Jeff Mains The Cycle of Innovation and Investment: It almost becomes self fulfilling because there's so much money pouring into it. And that drives innovation, which brings more money, which drives more innovation. And I think it does become self fulfilling to some degree. — Jeff Mains SaaS Leadership LessonsPrioritize Deep Automation: Leaders should focus AI efforts on well-documented, high-frequency processes, not just shiny new initiatives.Embrace the Player-Coach Model: Middle management is evolving. Future leaders need to be hands-on contributors who coach, not just oversee.Build for Scalability: The best AI tools get you 80% of the way—allocating resources to push to 100% is critical for lasting impact.Hire for Tech Fluency: Hiring should emphasize technical problem-solvers across all departments, especially those who can identify and implement automation.Champion Change Management: Assign a dedicated AI implementation owner to drive adoption—this role will multiply team productivity.Invest in Quality, Not Hype: In a fast-copying landscape, the long-term winners are those who create the best user...

We are back! In this episode of the RE Social Podcast, hosts Vince Rodriguez and Andrew McCormick sit down with seasoned investor and Keyrenter Newport Beach owner Dan Borland to unpack the realities of property investment, management, and market strategy. From navigating interest rate shifts and managing multifamily properties to handling squatters and understanding the psychology behind business success, Dan shares hard-earned lessons from years in the industry. He also highlights the importance of transparency, strategic partnerships, and adapting to market changes to stay ahead. Tune in now to learn more about real estate investing!Key Takeaways00:00:00Welcome to the RE Social Podcast00:01:01Dan's Background and Real Estate Journey00:04:56First Major Real Estate Deal00:12:40Strategies in Property Management00:25:44Property Management Insights00:31:22Building Trust with Your Handyman and Vendors00:32:49Hiring and Vetting New Team Members00:37:18Incentivizing and Retaining Employees00:51:41Commercial Loans and Financing01:04:01Regrets and Lessons from Investments01:13:01Building a Service Business01:23:03The Importance of People and Systems01:30:00Final Thoughts and RecommendationsResources and LinksKeyrenter Property Management https://www.keyrenternewportbeach.com/Connect with Danhttps://www.instagram.com/dcbnewportbeach/https://www.instagram.com/keyrenternewportbeach_pm/https://www.facebook.com/keyrenternewportbeachhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-borland-0b025a7/Need Help? BOOK A CALL:https://anviinvest.com/consulting/ Learn more about AnVi Invest

In this episode of SaaS Fuel, Jeff Mains sits down with Michelle Griffin, founder of Griffin Resources, to unpack actionable strategies for building strong, flexible, and founder-friendly teams in scalable SaaS businesses.Michelle draws on her six years of hands-on experience supporting startups and scaling organizations with fractional HR, recruiting, sales ops, and operational support. Listeners will get insights into modern hiring practices, maintaining workplace culture in remote teams, succession planning, supporting diverse career paths, and practical tips for retention and performance—all tailored for founders ready to lead organizations, not just teams.Key Takeaways00:00 "Leadership, Growth & Employee Choices"04:38 HR Consulting Business Story08:44 Defining Culture Through Feedback11:42 "Work Culture and Reputation"14:33 Remote Work Flexibility Enhances Life18:39 Structured Hiring on a Budget20:02 "Effective Hiring Practices Overview"24:11 Cognitive Skills in Hiring29:01 Promoting Without Management Skills31:54 Leadership Through People Skills33:30 Golden Handcuffs and Workplace Happiness37:56 Mentorship and Career Growth Pathways41:48 Fair Hiring Practices Matter43:58 AI Innovation & Leadership InsightsTweetable QuotesViral Topic Title: Company Culture Is Everyone's Responsibility Quote: "Maintaining a culture is intentional and the face of the company is the, you know, pretty much the day to day workers. It's everybody. And it's not something that is kind of reserved for leadership and management and especially how your reputation is seen." — Michelle GriffinWork-Life Balance After COVID: "That was something that we noticed was a huge priority coming out of COVID is people really reprioritized family." — Michelle GriffinQuote: "You can do something called a structured interview, which is basically just having your set of questions that you're going to ask every single candidate." — Michelle GriffinViral Topic: The Pitfall of Promoting Top Performers Without Management Training: "They often will hire or promote people into a role that were good at their jobs but aren't taught or know how to manage people." — Michelle GriffinQuote: "if someone is really good at just doing their job and they don't want to move up, that you respect that and keep them in, in a role that they're happy in and, you know, you find other ways to keep them engaged and motivated." — Michelle GriffinSaaS Leadership LessonsListen Before You Build: Startups succeed when they listen intently to client needs and co-develop solutions, rather than forcing a market-fit from the top down.Define and Defend Culture: Invest in discovering your team's values. Protect culture by hiring for fit and embedding it into every policy, not just the handbook.Flexibility Drives Retention: Recognizing life priorities and offering flexible, remote, or personalized schedules dramatically reduces turnover and builds loyalty.Structure Beats Gut Instinct: Use structured interviews and neutral assessments to mitigate bias and improve hiring outcomes—especially when scaling quickly.Prepare for Leadership—Don't Assume It: Promotion must come with training, support, and encouragement to develop people skills, not just technical expertise.Respect Alternative

This week, the team shares a behind-the-scenes look at how they bring in outside beta testers before a product launch. Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson share how they invite early users into the mix, what they're looking for, and how it all shapes the final version. It's a rare peek into the “guests are coming over” phase of building Fizzy.Key Takeaways00:12 – Inside Fizzy's early access phase02:28 – Selecting beta testers03:05 – Treating early access as a real-world dry run07:11 – Cutting the to-do list down to what truly matters09:59 – Why early access is different from beta testingLinks and ResourcesRecord a video question for the podcastBooks by 37signalsSign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.comHEY World | HEYThe REWORK podcastThe Rework Podcast on YouTubeThe 37signals Dev Blog37signals on YouTube@37signals on X

In this episode, Carl Holden joins Jeff Mains to dive deep into the evolution of SEO, its marriage with AI, and the realities of scaling a SaaS business honestly in a world awash with hype and misinformation. Carl Holden shares his journey from running a leading agency to launching RankBot, an AI-powered tool that automates SEO backlinks for businesses and agencies.Together, they discuss the myths and challenges in transitioning from services to SaaS, the role of human expertise alongside automation, and why authenticity and steady results still win over quick fame. Tune in for actionable insights, candid leadership lessons, and advice on building products and companies that last.Key Takeaways00:00 SEO vs AI Search Trends04:38 "Zero-Click Search Impact"09:25 "AI-Coded Rank Bot Success"12:39 Automated Link-Building Solution15:12 "Importance of Links in SEO"18:05 Automated Link-Building Solution21:07 "Bots for Targeted SEO Tasks"27:55 Risks of Automated Content Control28:50 AI Marketing Red Flags & Promises35:07 "Scaling Automation for Market Adjustments"39:31 Future Where Witnesses Are Needed41:26 Start, Fail, Improve, Repeat44:25 Easy Connections via Networking PlatformsTweetable Quotes“Everybody can make a nice website, but who else out there on the Internet is talking about your nice website? That's where links come in.” — Carl Holden“AI is starting to take certain tasks, and if you do anything regularly with patterns, AI will help—or do that in the future.” — Carl Holden“Organic traffic is not going away at this time. The way we get traffic may shift, but people still need it.” — Carl Holden“If money is all that matters, there are plenty of dishonest ways to get rich. But when you're dead, you don't get to keep it.” — Carl Holden“You want people to do business with you because you're good, not because you're popular.” — Carl Holden“Consistent authenticity—being out there telling people what you do and having a good product—will win over time.” — Carl HoldenSaaS Leadership LessonsEmbrace Change, Don't Run From ItWhen you see an industry shifting (like with AI), lean into change and make yourself indispensable by creating value within the new paradigm.Balance Optimism and Caution with New TechDon't blindly trust automation or AI—always validate and maintain oversight. The best results come from combining human judgment with smart tools.Build in Public, Iterate QuicklyLaunch your MVP, gather feedback, and improve over time. Perfection is the enemy of progress.Results Over HypeFocus on delivering genuine results; honest, consistent effort leads to sustainable success more than chasing trends or flashy viral tactics.Be Authentically Honest in Marketing & ProductResist the urge to oversell or stretch the truth—long-term, authenticity and integrity win client loyalty and positive reputation.Stay on Top of Industry ShiftsIn dynamic markets like SEO, regular learning and adaptation are critical. Monitor changes, test new strategies, and never get complacent.Guest Resourcescarl@rankbotai.comrankbot.aihttps://www.linkedin.com/in/carlholdenmarketing/Episode Sponsor

Who is Andrea?Andrea Stenberg is a social media whiz who really knows her stuff when it comes to video marketing. She loves helping business owners figure out how to use video to get noticed online and turn viewers into customers. Andrea's all about sharing simple, practical tips that actually work, no jargon or tech headaches. As a guest on “It's Not Rocket Science: Five Questions Over Coffee,” Andrea brings her friendly vibe and tons of helpful advice for anyone looking to grow their business with video.Key Takeaways00:00 “Aligning Video with Brand Strategy”04:45 Building Trust Through Videos07:39 Authentic Video Marketing with AI11:25 Authentic Video Outperforms Polished Content17:21 “Start Marketing with Video”21:23 Instagram & LinkedIn Content Strategies22:29 Challenges of Creating Short Videos25:53 Improving Videos Through Feedback_________________________________________________________________________________________________Subscribe to our newsletter and get details of when we are doing these interviews live at www.systemise.me/subscribeFind out more about being a guest at : link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/beaguestSubscribe to the podcast at https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/podcastHelp us get this podcast in front of as many people as possible. Leave a nice five-star review at apple podcasts : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/apple-podcasts and on YouTube : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/Itsnotrocketscienceatyt!Do You Need a P.A.T.H. to Scale?We help established business owners with small but growing teams:go from feeling stuck, sceptical, and tired of wasting time and money on false promises,to running a confident, purpose-driven business where their team delivers results, customers are happy, and they can finally enjoy more time with their family -with a results-based refund guarantee: if you follow the process and it doesn't work, we refund what you paid.This is THE P.A.T.H. to scale your business.————————————————————————————————————————————-TranscriptNote, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast)SUMMARY KEYWORDSvideo marketing, social media video, lead generation, customer conversions, coaches, course creators, healers, expertise marketing, personal branding, seat of your pants marketing, marketing strategy, brand consistency, going viral, target audience, client journey, personalized videos, AI in video, video editing tools, video content repurposing, audience trust, showing up on camera, authentic video, video length, LinkedIn Live, Instagram Reels, closed captions, video accessibility, video engagement, video production quality, content funnel, repurposing contentSPEAKERSAndrea Stenberg, Stuart WebbStuart Webb [00:00:00]:Hi, and welcome back to It's Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. The important thing here is the coffee. And I want to really welcome Andrea, Andrea Stenberg, who's going to talk to us about the importance of doing a video in your social media and helping us to increase our lead generation and help us to increase our customer conversions by using effective video in, in lead generation. So, Andrea, welcome to It's Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. And I hope you're ready to give us some pearls of wisdom.Andrea Stenberg [00:01:08]:Oh, thank you, Stuart. Thanks for having me.Stuart Webb [00:01:11]:So let's start by trying to understand exactly who, who, who the who, who the people are that you help with understanding how to use video better. And how do you, how, how you understand what their needs are?Stuart Webb [00:01:25]:Well, I, I work with coaches, course creators, healers, anyone who's selling sort of what's up here, their expertise and their knowledge. And they're usually people who are really good at what they do and they're really passionate about helping people. In fact, they're almost more passionate about helping people than they are about growing their business. But they're also serious about growing their business. And one of the things that that happens is, you know, they've learned along the way that video is becoming really important and they understand that video is important. So they've started using video, but they don't really know what they're doing. So what happens is like, so they've got over here, their website, their social media, their emails, all their marketing is kind of professional and branded. And then they put their video and it's over here and it almost looks like they're not even coming from the same business because they've just kind of added it on.Stuart Webb [00:02:22]:And they're doing what I call seat of your pants marketing, where they're just, when they, you know, on the rare occasions they have a few spare minutes, they do a video because, and they model it on somebody else's. But they don't really figure, haven't really figured out where it fits in their marketing and really is, I want your marketing and your video to like work together seamlessly like this so that they all support each other, they all work together, they all look like they're from the same business and they're all sharing a similar message. And so that's, you know, that's, that's who I work with. And that's my, my end goal for everybody is to have their video and their, the rest of their marketing all working seamlessly together.Stuart Webb [00:03:05]:You've kind of already Excuse me, you've already sort of answered the second part of my question which is, you know, we, you're right, we're all, we're all very aware of the fact that video is really important in, in marketing nowadays because it starts to help to sort of demonstrate who you are as a person. And you know, we have to remember at the end of the day even big businesses buy people. So, so what is it you've seen people do that perhaps doesn't quite gel? You've sort of talked about the website not looking the same as the video or the video somehow not looking as if it's coming from. What are some of those things that people have done that you've sort of spotted potential problems for them?Stuart Webb [00:03:42]:Well, I mean some of the problems is like, so everybody gets focused on the idea of going viral and I want to go viral and get discovered. And yes, part of video is getting discovered. But for most coaches, course creators, consultants, healers, going viral is actually not good for your business. For example, I had a video that went viral like it didn't get millions of people but it was like easily 10 times my normal viewership of videos. And the interesting thing was the vast majority of this new audience were 18 to 24 year old boys. And they're not my target audience, they're not going to be a customer of mine. Like I don't know why they liked this video but you know, like it was not really of any business value to me that these 18 year old boys were liking this video. So, so going viral, like yes, it's nice to be discovered but it's if you're being discovered by the wrong people, that doesn't help you.Stuart Webb [00:04:45]:The other thing about that is when people come into your world like they don't just hear of you today and become a customer today. I mean sometimes that happens but usually there's a process and there's a journey where people have to get to know like and trust you and, and that's where video becomes really powerful because not just from being discovered, but as people are getting closer and closer to making that decision, to becoming your client, you can build that trust. You can let them see that you have some expertise. They can, you can get them to experience what it might be like to work with you in a completely non threatening way. So if you're posting a video on LinkedIn or YouTube, somebody doesn't even have to give you their email address to watch your video. So it's a very low risk on their part to get a taste of what it's like to work with you. And then, of course, you know, once people get closer to becoming a client. For example, one of my favorite strategies is you can do personalized videos that you create one video for one person and you can say, hey, Stuart, I really enjoyed talking with you.Stuart Webb [00:05:52]:I just wanted to remind you about A, B and C and send a video to them and that, you know, really creates that. Wow, that's. This person really heard me. This person is really interested in me. And look, they sent me a video just for me. So there's lots of different places where you can use video, not just at the top of the funnel of just getting discovered by new people. And I think that's. That's the biggest change that people can make is start incorporating it into all the stages of your marketing, not just at the beginning.Stuart Webb [00:06:27]:I think that's a very, very, very, very interesting way of doing things because I've. I've seen and done similar things where. And that personalization, even if that video that you create for that one person is, you know, it's just their name and everything else is exactly the same to something you sent to somebody else, they feel it's theirs, don't they? Because you can't create a video easily without putting some effort in and making it very personal to them. We ought to just sort of COVID off the AI thing because is that something that you think AI generated videos are helping or hindering in these respects?Stuart Webb [00:07:08]:Well, I mean, for people who I work with. So, like, for example, if you're a coach or a healer, like, say you're a healer and you're going to help me make my child healthier or do better at school or whatever that you do. I need to trust you a lot, Especially if it's about my child. Like, if it's about me, I might be willing to take some risk. But if it's my child, I want to trust you a lot. And having an AI video like that doesn't build any connection to me. Whereas. But AI is useful.Stuart Webb [00:07:39]:But I really think if you're an expert and you're sharing your expertise and you work closely with your clients and they need to trust you, I think there's real power in getting your face on camera, getting your voice, letting people hear your enthusiasm, your passion for your industry, and getting a taste of what it's like to work with you. So having an AI avatar do the talking for you, I think is not going to help you grow your business. That being said, there are lots of ways you can Use AI as part of your video marketing. For example, I have a video editing tool that I use that creates a transcript so that instead of editing video, you actually edit the transcript. And when you delete a sentence in the transcript, it deletes it from the video. That's AI but it's like, it's still me, I'm just editing what I said. Or the same AI, you can go in and say, put in a 15 minute video and say, pull out five 30 second clips that I can share on social media. It's still my words.Stuart Webb [00:08:46]:It's just doing it for me. So it's kind of like having an assistant rather than, than, you know, AI creating everything. So I, I am very, very passionate about the idea of people showing up on camera, showing their faces. And you know, I, I sometimes get pushback from people saying they don't want to. And it's like, you know what? I, I don't like being on camera either. I'm, you know, I'm pushing 60, I'm not as thin. I have, you know, gray hair and wrinkles like everybody else. But you know what, my ideal clients don't care about that.Stuart Webb [00:09:17]:What they care about is how I can help them. And that's the same with anybody watching this. Your ideal clients ultimately don't really care that much about what you look like. It's like, how can you help them and do they trust you enough that you can actually do the things you say and video is really the thing that's going to help you?Stuart Webb [00:09:33]:I think you've got a valid point actually, Andrew. And you know, to an extent, I can remember talking to one consultant who actually said, at long last, I've got the gray hairs. Because now it looks like I've got the experience to help you rather than just having the experience to help you. So sometimes those gray hairs and wrinkles are really helpful and useful. Andrea, let's, let's move on to your, the way that you can help people. You've given us an offer that we've put into our vault at Systemize Me Free Stuff. What, what's the offer that you've got available for people if they go there and they, they read about this?Stuart Webb [00:10:09]:Well, the number one question I get from people is, okay, I get video is important, but what do I say? And it goes back to what, you know, what I said earlier about having that, that kind of funnel is you want to have videos for each stage. And so I have, I have a free guide that's called this seven Essential Videos for Explosive Growth. And it is, it's seven videos that are for different stages of a client, of the client journey. And if you follow that, you will create seven videos that speak to people in different stages of that journey. And then, you know, if you do one video a week, that's two months worth of videos you've created following this guide.Stuart Webb [00:10:53]:One video a week is so easy to do as well, isn't it? Let's face it, I mean I've, I've had a, I've had a look myself and they are not, these are not, these are not very difficult videos to create, are they? You're not, you're not telling people they need to book a studio or go and spend time learning how to be a professional presenter. This is how normal people, I'd like to consider myself normal. Normal people can just do these things in a very simple way just to get themselves started, even if they don't, even if they don't have all of the necessary professional equipment.Stuart Webb [00:11:25]:Well, and what's really interesting is there's actually lots of data now that shows that if your video is too polished and too well edited and too slick looking, they actually perform worse than somebody taking their cell phone and holding it up and, and talking and walking and it's jiggly and it's not perfect. And I think the reason is we're all used to, you know, commercials. As soon as a commercial comes up on television, what do you do? You get up and you go get a snack or you go and, and go use the, the, the facilities or you do any commercial. So when you're on, on social media, if you see something that feels like a commercial, your blinders go up and you go, no, I'm not going to listen to that. But if you get on camera and it's not perfect and you make a mistake or you stumble over a word, people go, this is a real person.Stuart Webb [00:12:20]:Do you know we've had a comment in from Derek. Derek's another video person I know, and he said, he's just said AI videos are great and can be personalized. What love said. But it's still easy to insert. Some of you, it's the dynamic captions that annoy the heck out of me. And I think Derek's got a point there. You're talking about the fact that we need to be us on those videos, don't you? You're saying that having the jiggliness sometimes just shows that you're a human being and you're still relatable. And that's the really key thing to making your video hit home with people.Stuart Webb [00:12:53]:And I've even seen, like, you know, Tony Robbins was doing video back when we were still using VHS to watch video. And I've seen him now online doing videos where he's clearly holding the cell phone and speaking to the cell phone. So even, you know, somebody who has been doing video for decades is recognizing that sometimes this off the cuff, just speaking to your audience, speaking from your heart, sharing a message resonates better than a really polished professional done in a studio. And all the flashy bells and whistles, sometimes those, those convert better.Stuart Webb [00:13:30]:So, Andrea, tell us how you, how you got to who you are. Was there a book or a course or something which sort of, which you used as a way to sort of help you to understand how video marketing was going to help your business grow?Stuart Webb [00:13:45]:Well, it's kind of. I felt really long and hard about this question because there's lots of things that got me to where I am and when I started learning video, because as a marketing professional, I knew my. I had to learn it for me so that I could help my clients figure it out. And there, there wasn't a lot available, but I came across, I think it was about 20, 20, 19. Somebody had an ad online for a course and it was going to be like, learn how to do video. And I was like, oh, yay, I'm going to get support, I'm going to get coaching, I'm going to get accountability. And I swear, I think my credit card was smoking. I pulled it out of my wal about to pay for this course.Stuart Webb [00:14:27]:And then imagine my crushing defeat when I opened up the course and the course was a PDF with 30 topics to do. When I went live every day for 30 days and the hashtag to you to post with my videos, I was like, this wasn't what I was looking for. But I went live every day for 30 days, including one day I was at my sister visiting my sisters. And the only place in the house that was quiet enough was. Was the bathroom. And I sounded like I was at the bottom of the toilet because it was all echoey. It was terrible. And so at the end of that, I thought, well, okay, if I can do that.Stuart Webb [00:15:05]:Okay, so I'm not scared of being on video because, like, that was bad. And I did it. I didn't die of embarrassment. Nobody threw virtual tomatoes at me. Like, it was fine. But I still didn't have a strategy. So I had to spend. I spent the next year being very UN Canadian.Stuart Webb [00:15:22]:I started like If I saw people doing interesting things with video, I would like message them. Can we get on zoom? Can we get on the phone? I'd like to pick your brain and what you're doing. And I just like, sort of, I just spent time talking to people and looking at people and just trial and error and learning from people because there wasn't really good guidance back then for how to use video as marketing. And so it kind of. But then the other thing, other side about it is video marketing. While it. It is different, it's actually still the same principles as offline marketing. And, you know, a lot of times I have older entrepreneurs come to me and say, well, I don't know if I can do video because I'm not a digital native.Stuart Webb [00:16:05]:I didn't grow up with this stuff. And I was just, you know, what? If you have the knowledge and the skills to talk to people and talk to customers and. And find out what their pain points are and talk to them about how you can help them, all you have to do is learn which buttons to push on video, because it's the same skill set because you're still talking to human beings. And that's. That's really the most important part.Stuart Webb [00:16:31]:Yeah, absolutely, Andrea. That there's a. There's a sense in which I'm sure that you've sort of got a question at the moment which you're wondering why I haven't asked yet. And I'm sure that that question is the one that you sort of really will help us to sort of to nail what the next step is or something. So I don't have that question because I've got to admit, I haven't thought that deeply about it. But you have got a question that you think I should ask. So what's the question that I should have asked you by now? And therefore, once you've asked it, you can have to answer it for us.Stuart Webb [00:17:05]:Well, earlier when I said you want to take your. Your marketing and your videos and make them work together, like, you know, a handshake. It's like, well, how do you do that when you're busy and, you know, busy entrepreneurship?Stuart Webb [00:17:19]:I like the question very much.Stuart Webb [00:17:21]:And so my answer is what I like, you know, people to do is turn their marketing on its head and start with video. So if you start with one video that has your message, has your voice, has your face, you start with the video and then repurpose that video. So you take your video and then you're repurposing it into a bunch of other Content. And you can do it quickly, you can do it easily, AI can help you, but it still sounds like you because you started with your words, your ideas, your voice. So, for example, you take a transcript of your video that you created and turn it into an email or a blog post, or do some LinkedIn posts based on content that you've created. And, and that does a number of things. I mean, first of all, it saves you time because you're starting with your words and then you're just recreating it. The second thing is one of the fundamental marketing principles is people need to hear the same message over and over again.Stuart Webb [00:18:27]:That's why, like, if you're watching commercial television, the advertisers don't make a commercial play at once and they never play it again. They play it over and over until we're sick of it because it takes that long for us to remember it. So if you take a video and then maybe you do an email or a blog post, then you do a LinkedIn post and maybe a LinkedIn carousel post, that's all on the same messaging. People start recognize it, remembering it. And sometimes they may even think, oh, I've heard that before. That Stuart must be really smart because I've heard that before, even though they heard it from you. So it's the repetition and the different formats that help. So that's, that's for me, is if you start with the video and then build from there, but using, you know, the same basic messaging, you can speed up your marketing.Stuart Webb [00:19:15]:You can make your, make it easier for you and more effective.Stuart Webb [00:19:21]:Brilliant. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. I love it. Andrea. I mean, you've left us with what can only be described as the action for the rest of the day. We. Which is to do that, start with video and take that first step and go, go live.Stuart Webb [00:19:37]:I mean, you're right. It didn't kill you to go live 30 times in 30 days. Nobody is yet violently objected to me going live on video. Although personally I have. But that's another story. Andrea, thank you so much for encouraging us to sort of go and do these things and really make it happen. I think it's brilliant that you're pushing this message. I wish more people were taking it on board.Stuart Webb [00:20:00]:And I'm just going to ask people if they would value, like Derek was earlier, being alive and listening to us live, talking. If you can go to www.systemize.me, subscribe, that takes you to a simple form which allows you to actually just ask for my email once a week where I Send you who's coming up so that you can do like Derek, join and listen to the comments that are being made. We've got, we've got other people here talking as well and I'm just going to share these you Andrea, so that you can answer them. Derek, what is the sweet spot regarding video length?Stuart Webb [00:20:38]:That is a fabulous question. It's one of my most common questions and my answer is a terrible answer. And it's terrible because the answer truly is. It depends and it depends on a number of things. One, it depends on what your audience is expecting and what they're used to. Two, it depends on your skill as a presenter. You know, if you're really skilled and engaging and interesting and speak and sound bites, you can go longer. The other thing, the third thing it depends on is the actual content of the video because you need to give be long enough to give all the information that you promised at the beginning, but not so long that people are dropping off.Stuart Webb [00:21:23]:For example, I know I, I have two clients, one who is doing massively good reach with seven second Instagram reels. People are commenting, people are DMing her. They're, you know, you know, they're not just top of the funnel. These are people reaching out and taking the next step from 7 second reels. And then I also know somebody who does. This is also an Instagram example, but hour long live videos on Instagram five days a week and has hundreds of people showing up live, have people commenting, people are staying all the way through and engaging. So I know it's a terrible answer but it really is true. But if you're just starting out and you know, for example, If Derek's on LinkedIn, if you're doing a LinkedIn Live, often 10 to 15 minutes is a good place to start because there's that, you know, that quota that's been attributed to Mark Twain and a few other people is I apologize, my letter is so long I didn't have time to make it shorter.Stuart Webb [00:22:29]:So making a really short video that has a complete message and is really succinct is actually challenging. Where it's talking for 10 to 15 minutes, you know, if you have an intro that's one to two minutes, you maybe you have three talking points and you have an example or a story for each one of those, that's probably two to three minutes each. And then you have your, your closing statement which is probably at least a minute. There you go. You're already over 10 minutes. So, so that's a good place to start. And then you can sort of adjust up or down as you figure out what your audience expects from you and wants from you, and also what you're. Your skill as a presenter and how much work you want to put into making them shorter or making them longer.Stuart Webb [00:23:14]:Love it. We've got one question from Nicholas. Closed captions are on nearly every video now. They're always wrong somewhere. Do you have a comment on that, Andrea? As closed captions, I've always thought the closed captions were useful because, you know, we do have people who don't necessarily understand all of our accents. We do have people who are not able to hear everything we're saying. Sometimes they're in a busy office and they've got to have the sound off. There are a whole range of reasons why closed captions might be useful.Stuart Webb [00:23:40]:Are you a fan?Stuart Webb [00:23:42]:Yeah, absolutely. I actually have a client who is hearing impaired, so even when we're in person, she's got an app that will do closed captioning. So, yes, I think it's important for all sorts of reasons. There's also lots of data that show a lot of people watch videos with the sound off. So if you want to engage your audience having captions and really it's. The problem with closed captions is most of them are done with AI and the AI is mostly trained with American accents. So if you don't have an American accent, that's problematic. I speak quickly, and some.Stuart Webb [00:24:21]:Some of the AI has trouble with the way I speak. And then if you have, you know, particular terminology for your industry, they may not understand them. Now, depending on what you're like in a live stream, if there's closed captionings, there's not really anything you can do while you're live. If you're editing videos, people, you know, it just depends how much of a perfectionist you are, whether you go in and edit the closed captioning that the AI created or whether you just go, you know what? This is close enough. I'll just. I've got more important things to do in my business and. But closed captioning has gotten better. A year ago, I just about always edited, even on Instagram, the AI closed captioning because they were so wrong.Stuart Webb [00:25:09]:Now a lot of times I'll just leave them because they're close enough and they may get better as time goes on.Stuart Webb [00:25:19]:Andrea, thank you for answering those questions. I really appreciate you spending a bit of time doing that. I think that's great advice there. So just to repeat, go to Systemize me Free stuff. Pick up Andrea's excellent course on how to get your seven messages across and go to the Systemize me. Subscribe and be like Nicholas and Derek. Get your questions answered live by real experts like Andrea, rather than having experts like me tell you something wrong. So Andrea, thank you so much for spending a few minutes with us.Stuart Webb [00:25:53]:I really appreciate what you've been able to do teach us today and I look forward to getting my videos better because of the advice you've given.Stuart Webb [00:26:01]:Thanks for having me, Stuart, that. Get full access to It's Not Rocket Science! at thecompleteapproach.substack.com/subscribe

In software development, there are updates, and then there are complete overhauls. This week, Jason Fried joins Kimberly Rhodes to talk about how the team decides when it's time to rebuild from the ground up. They dig into the transition between versions, how customer feedback fits in, and even drop a few hints about what's coming in Basecamp 5.Key Takeaways00:10 – A walk through of Basecamp's evolution03:00 – How to recognize when it's time for a new version05:52 – Pricing considerations11:42 – There's no perfect moment to ship a new version13:16 – How and when to evaluate customer feedback18:58 – A sneak peek at Basecamp 5 featuresLinks and ResourcesRecord a video question for the podcastBooks by 37signalsSign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.comHEY World | HEYThe REWORK podcastThe Rework Podcast on YouTubeThe 37signals Dev Blog37signals on YouTube@37signals on X

In this episode of SaaS Fuel, host Jeff Mains sits down with Rachel J. Edwards, founder of INSPIRI and creator of the Strategic Personality Blueprint (SPB). Rachel shares her journey from coaching to building a personality assessment tool that provides a holistic, multi-dimensional view of human behavior, bridging the gaps between popular frameworks like Disc, Enneagram, Big Five, and incorporating proprietary strengths and values modules. She discusses the challenges of bringing innovation to market as a non-technical founder, balancing product vision with scaling constraints, and the profound impact of customized personality insights for hiring, team harmony, and organizational success.Rachel's insights illuminate how understanding individual and team dynamics with evolving, experience-based assessments can turbo-charge leadership, hiring, and even applications beyond business—spanning education and criminal justice. Authenticity, privacy, and values-driven decision-making are at the heart of her product, pushing organizations to move beyond static labels to real, actionable understanding.Key Takeaways00:00 Holistic Coaching System Needed06:16 Dynamic Evolving Personal Assessment09:26 Beyond Labels to True Understanding12:08 "Team Analysis for Effective Leadership"15:40 "Validating Market Fit First"19:51 Streamlining for Scalability and Efficiency23:32 Building Trust in Employee Assessments26:41 Optimizing Team Dynamics Strategically29:36 Balanced Approach to Personality Insights32:18 Personalized Rehabilitation for Better Outcomes35:54 Tailoring Investor Communication Strategies40:28 "AI's Impact on Jobs"Tweetable QuotesViral Topic: One Assessment to Rule Them All: "And came up with one single assessment where it will capture five different assessments in one, though you're only taking one assessment, so like you said, you're not going to have to take the disc or Enneagram or any of the other assessments. It's all in one." — Rachel J. Edwards Quote: "how does somebody's motivations or their values impact the behavior that they see? And really being able to understand that point allows a coach or a leader or an organization to better lead and guide their people." — Rachel J. Edwards Viral Topic: The Truth Behind Personality Labels: "I like to say is we bridge the gaps between the labels because life and growth happen behind the labels." — Rachel J. Edwards Proving Market Fit Before Building: "So instead of going, like you said, to get go and building something from tech and then saying we have this, we're almost kind of flipping it and showing that there's a market fit, people want this and we're using it now." — Rachel J. Edwards Quote: "I think any one of those single things misses so much because there's just so much that people have to offer. People are a lot of depth in who they are and how they perform." — Jeff Mains Avoiding Startup Pitfalls: "some founders will make the mistake of we want to automate everything, get that out there, and it's all technology. And so they end up having to redo a bunch of stuff because they take all of the learning happens after they've already built it and like, oh, we should have done that differently." — Jeff MainsSaaS Leadership LessonsBridge the Gaps Between Labels: Avoid oversimplifying people by single assessments; embrace layered approaches for deeper understanding.Champion Privacy to Build Trust: Protect individual assessment results—privacy encourages honesty and leads to more actionable insights.Start Manual, Learn Deep: Begin with hands-on delivery to...

You hit the milestone, check the box, celebrate for five minutes—and then the emptiness creeps back in. The finish line just keeps moving farther away.If success has left you exhausted, it's because you've been chasing the wrong version of it.  In this episode of The Obedient Rebel Podcast, Allyson Chavez unpacks what it means to be an Obedient Rebel: Obey God's laws. Break your rules. Calm, clarity, and confidence.You'll hear the unspoken rules that keep leaders trapped in exhaustion—and the simple shift that breaks the cycle.Walk away with a practical tool you can use today to stop chasing and start receiving, and the reminder that God's version of success restores instead of drains.__Key Takeaways00:00 Intro00:20 Are you exhausted from chasing success that never satisfies?01:10 What it means to be an Obedient Rebel02:05 The unspoken rules that wear you out03:10 Breaking fear-driven rules and anchoring in God's truth04:25 The difference between God's laws and the world's chase05:40 Real-life story: when success didn't satisfy07:10 The moving finish line of achievement08:20 Why chasing success always leaves you empty09:15 What happens when success is built on obedience10:00 The lie that “more is always the answer”11:10 Tool: Switch the Chase – Step 1 (Identify what you're chasing)12:00 Step 2 (Stop chasing, start receiving)12:40 Step 3 (One small shift today from chasing to receiving)13:20 Obedience isn't passive—it's alignment14:15 Rest isn't laziness—it's obedience in action15:10 Redefining success through peace, not pressure__Additional Resources:Learn more about Allyson's work:Website: https://allysonchavez.com/freebie: theobedientrebel.com/way__Reach out to me on social media:

I've lost count of how many times I've watched passionate urban farmers burn out because their business model wasn't sustainable—what if there were a better way?This week on Vertical Farming, I sit down with Mary Wetherill, founding president and CEO of Green Food Solutions, for a candid conversation about building a truly sustainable urban farming business. Mary's unique journey—from the service industry and massage therapy to pioneering food access solutions in city environments—gives her an unmatched perspective on both the struggles and opportunities vertical farmers face today.In this episode, Mary demystifies how Green Food Solutions is reimagining the food system with a “farming as a service” franchise model that prioritizes support, profitability, and genuine community impact. We dig into what makes a good franchise partner, why most farms face recurring challenges, and how Mary's mission-driven approach is shaking up the industry's status quo. If you've ever wondered how to make real money in urban farming—without sacrificing your values—this conversation is your playbook.Beyond the business model, you'll hear stories about navigating Silicon Valley hype cycles, lessons learned from early accelerator programs, the importance of resourcefulness, and the surprising ways personal experience shapes entrepreneurial journeys. Plus, discover how Green Food Solutions fosters partnerships that work, advice for new farmers, and eye-opening discussions on market realities and PR.Ready to stop dreaming and start building a profitable, impactful vertical farm that transcends tired food system models? Click to listen and get inspired by Mary's story, strategy, and actionable insights!Thanks to Our SponsorsCEA Summit East - https://indoor.ag/cea-summit-east-2025/Indoor AgCon - https://indoor.ag/Key Takeaways00:00 Jersey City Roots and Entrepreneurial Beginnings06:10 Entering Urban Farming & The Square Roots Experience12:35 Green Food Solutions Business Model Explained18:26 Franchising, Farmers, and Fit for New Owners24:57 Green Food Solutions Origin Story & Mission30:22 Monetization, Resourcefulness, and Revenue Streams36:48 Team Management & Leadership Values41:02 Industry Reflections & Farmers' Challenges46:16 Closing Thoughts & Contact InformationTweetable Quotes"Honestly, when I worked for Merrill Lynch, I quit. I was in with my boss and I was getting a promotion. She brought me in her office and I was just going to give my two weeks. I'd rather stick a pencil in my eyes than take your promotion. I just really didn't like the corporate environment.""We were disgusted by how consultants and all these people were charging tens, twenties of thousands of dollars for things we were giving for free, and honestly, manufacturers usually give those for free—so I didn't like what I saw happening when I was so originally excited about it.""There was a day that my mom had a box of food that was brought into the house by a priest. I think that was the first day I had an experience of feeling poor, regardless of what level it was. I started selling my toys and shining shoes—I think I got my knowledge about monetization and being resourceful because of having grown up poor."Resources MentionedWebsite - https://www.greenfoodsolutions.comLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/18566881 Facebook -

In this episode of SaaS Fuel, host Jeff Mains sits down with Jeff Holman, founder of Intellectual Strategies, to unravel the legal landmines that can sabotage even the most promising startups. From intellectual property oversights to under-documented agreements, Jeff explains why legal strategy should be baked into your business from day one. Hear why the conventional “fractional counsel” model often leaves founder needs unmet, and discover how a flexible, team-based legal approach powered by expert attorneys (and some AI augmentation) can protect your innovations and scale with you. Whether you're an early-stage SaaS founder or gearing up for acquisition, this episode is a tactical goldmine for risk-proofing what you're building—without drowning in unnecessary legal fees.Key Takeaways00:00 "Startup Legal Pitfalls Explained"04:26 From Outside to Inside Counsel09:56 "Startup Risks Without Legal Counsel"12:22 "IP Strategy for Business Success"14:31 "Branding Builds Lasting Business Value"17:20 "Startup Branding and Naming Challenges"21:05 "Time for Fractional Legal Support"23:30 Efficient Legal Counsel Management28:52 Contractor IP Ownership Rules29:41 IP Ownership and Workplace Conflict34:32 Prepare Early for Due Diligence37:39 AI Adoption Challenges for Attorneys41:07 "AI for Contract Review?"44:50 AI-Powered Legal Support System48:48 "Personality Science & Scaling Growth"Tweetable QuotesQuote: "You're talking strategy, and you're talking IP strategy aligned with business strategy, and it can get really cool." — Jeff Holman "Because for most companies, while patents are really cool and it's a, it's a strength of mine for most companies, your, your brand is probably going to be the most valuable thing in your business the day that somebody comes to buy it." — Jeff Holman Quote: "You need to do that smartly and you need to do it with, with the end in mind, which is some point someone's going to want out, whether it's amicable or antagonistic. Like we need to plan for the day that, that we're not all on the same page." — Jeff Holman Viral Topic: The Costly Mistake of Delaying Legal Strategy: "legal strategy isn't something to bolt on later, it's something you need to bake in from day one." — Jeff Mains Legal Blind Spots for Startups: "I think a lot of startups or maybe early stage companies don't think that they need, you know, legal representation. It's just, it's not an important thing. It's something we'll do later when we get big."— Jeff MainsViral Topic: Legal Blind Spots for Scaling Companies: "Well, from an owner's perspective, founder perspective, what are the biggest legal blind spots you see scaling companies fall into, especially as they hire faster, raise funds, and go into new markets." — Jeff Mains SaaS Leadership LessonsDocument Everything Early and OftenVerbal agreements and handshakes are not enough. Founders must document all promises, equity splits, and employment agreements to avoid expensive disputes and setbacks.Baking in Legal StrategyTreat legal planning as a foundational element of your business model, not a problem to solve later. This proactive approach can drive enterprise value and safeguard innovation.Build Your Moat with IPYour most valuable asset at exit may be your brand or proprietary...

With the launch of Fizzy getting closer, 37signals co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson use this episode to answer listener questions about the upcoming product. They talk about how Fizzy and Basecamp will coexist, why aesthetic design choices matter, and which AI features are actually worth using.Key Takeaways00:11 – Fizzy and Basecamp, competitors or complementary?02:00 – Finding the right tools that fit your workflow11:39 – Why aesthetics matter in software18:45 – Not every AI feature adds real valueLinks and ResourcesRecord a video question for the podcastBooks by 37signalsSign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.comHEY World | HEYThe REWORK podcastThe Rework Podcast on YouTubeThe 37signals Dev Blog37signals on YouTube@37signals on X

In this special SaaS Fuel episode, host Jeff Mains welcomes James Piacentino, co-founder and CEO of Thrive Genetics—a company at the intersection of healthcare, genetics, technology, and compassionate mission. James shares his deeply personal connection to the opioid crisis, describing the family loss that shaped his life's purpose and eventually sparked the founding of Thrive Genetics.The conversation explores how advances in genetic testing, behavioral analysis, and AI are enabling physicians to proactively identify and mitigate addiction risk—before opioids are prescribed. Along the way, they discuss building solutions in complex, regulated markets, the importance of pilots and product-market fit, and why mission-driven leadership can turn innovation into real-world impact.Key Takeaways00:00 "Building Leaders and Scaling Success"06:25 Generational Trauma: Beyond Genetics07:24 Breaking Cycles Through Innovation11:53 High Pain Procedures and Opioids15:30 "Genetic Testing for Addiction Risk"20:09 Market Applications and Opportunities22:48 Integrated Healthcare Ecosystem Insights25:43 "Customer-Centered Product Development Insights"29:36 "Vision and Path to Scale"33:52 Streamlining Customer Service Efficiency37:27 "Focus on Solutions, Not Problems"40:01 Simplifying Healthcare Innovation43:18 "Collaborate for Impactful Leadership"47:18 AI Monitors Patient Pain Signals49:50 "Simple Design, De-Identified Data"52:16 "Embracing Rejection as Growth"55:36 "Fractional Legal & Personality Insights"Tweetable QuotesViral Topic: Building Products That Truly Fit Customer Needs: "It's very important to sit with your customer and just literally build the product to ensure that you are satisfying those specific business needs." — James PiacentinoViral Topic: Simplicity in Healthcare Innovation: "Complicated's fun and tech, maybe, but when you get into these healthcare scenarios, it's gotta be really, really lean, simple." — James Piacentino Viral Topic: Keep It Simple in Complex Systems: "We're just giving you some Information to use. We're not telling you you should. You should drive here or not, you know, so it was like a very simple workaround to something that could have been awfully complex, especially for what we're doing." — James PiacentinoViral Topic: Rethinking Opioid Addiction Prevention: "Why is it that we only talk about addiction after it happens, when technology now makes it possible to see the risk before the first prescription is even written?" — Jeff MainsViral Topic: The Future of Opioid Prescription"Advancements in personalized medicine are helping physicians make better informed decisions, balancing the need for pain relief with the responsibility to prevent addiction." — Jeff Mains Healthcare Innovation Mindset: "You don't have to tackle the bear, just drive by and wave." — Jeff Mains SaaS Leadership LessonsMission Drives Resilience:Stay true to your personal and company values, especially in high-stakes industries. Purpose fuels perseverance through complexity.Customer Collaboration is Key:Meet customers where they are. Continuously incorporate their feedback to ensure product-market fit and genuine value.Embrace Simplicity:In regulated spaces, complexity can kill progress. Strive for solutions that minimize barriers for adoption and use.Learn from the ‘No's:Rejection (from investors or stakeholders) is a gift. Each “no” teaches you something new to incorporate or consider.Surround...

In this episode, Jeff Mains sits down with Casey Woo, a renowned tech operator, investor, and co-founder of the Operators Guild. Casey introduces the concept of the “Scaler”—an elite generalist who thrives in the chaotic, ever-changing environment of early-stage SaaS startups. The conversation dives deep into what makes scalers indispensable, why specialists often struggle in startup settings, and how AI is shifting the landscape for operators and business leaders. Casey offers practical frameworks, shares battle-tested leadership lessons, and explains how founders can build more resilient and focused teams to avoid the burnout common among high-performing scalers and ops leaders.Key Takeaways00:00 "From Loneliness to Operators Guild"03:25 "Misleading Job Titles and Roles"09:47 "AI Reshapes Roles, Specialists Evolve"11:08 "Rise of Special Forces in Business"15:04 "Balancing Focus and Ambition"19:45 "Focus on Core Business Metrics"21:05 Pitfalls of Over-Hiring Too Early27:06 "Quality Checks, Trust, and Community"27:57 "Staying Engaged to Master AI Tools"33:07 "AI Fluency as Essential Skillset"37:11 "Understanding Diverse Business Languages"39:23 Operators Guild & FOG Investing CommunityTweetable Quotes“We are not defined by titles—we are multidisciplinary, and we are elite specialists at being generalists.” — Casey Woo“The earlier you go, the more change there is per day. You need people who can adapt and wear multiple hats.” — Casey Woo“AI isn't replacing the scaler—it's making the generalist even more indispensable.” — Casey Woo“Special Forces in business are the cross-functional scalers—the people who get dropped in and get it done.” — Casey Woo“Valuations aren't free. Be careful what you raise at, because expectations get baked into every round.” — Casey Woo“If you give someone 15 things to do, that's a lot. Do they need to do all 15? Prioritize ruthlessly.” — Casey WooSaaS Leadership LessonsEmbrace Generalism: In the early stage, leadership isn't about titles—learn to thrive by solving whatever needs attention, from product to operations.Ruthless Prioritization: Success comes from choosing the right battles. Cut down initiatives to what truly moves the needle.Build and Rely on Community: Leverage peer networks like Operators Guild for continuous learning, sharing, and staying ahead of rapid changes (especially with AI).Adapt Your Communication: Learn to “Google Translate” your messaging for different internal stakeholders—speak to engineers, marketers, and founders in their language.Invest in Scalable Systems Early: Upgrade infrastructure in anticipation of growth, not after; it's easier and more cost-effective to implement before complexity grows.Balance Aggression and Prudence: Being aggressive can win markets, but unchecked overextension leads to down rounds and organizational pain. Stay grounded in business fundamentals.Guest Resourcescasey.woo@gmail.comhttps://www.operators-guild.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseywooEpisode SponsorThe Captain's KeysSmall Fish, Big Pond –

Who is Katie?Katie Hahn is no stranger to the entrepreneurial hustle. Early in her journey, Katie was the one burning the midnight oil—she was everywhere, trying every strategy in the book. From updating her CRM to jumping onto the latest social media trend, Katie left no stone unturned. But beneath the surface, she was pulled in countless directions, chasing quick fixes and scrambling for solutions to meet her coaching clients' needs. Over time, Katie realized that true success came not from the frantic chase, but from focus and clarity. Now, she empowers other women to step off the hamster wheel and build purposeful, sustainable businesses.Key Takeaways00:00 Brilliant Women Lacking Growth Systems05:19 Lack of Business System Integration08:00 Empowering Women Coaches' Growth12:44 Sales as Helping, Not Forcing15:39 Guidance and Accountability in Business17:01 Weekly Advice_________________________________________________________________________________________________Subscribe to our newsletter and get details of when we are doing these interviews live at www.systemise.me/subscribeFind out more about being a guest at : link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/beaguestSubscribe to the podcast at https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/podcastHelp us get this podcast in front of as many people as possible. Leave a nice five-star review at apple podcasts : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/apple-podcasts and on YouTube : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/Itsnotrocketscienceatyt!Here's how you can bring your business to THE next level:If you are a business owner currently turning over £/$10K - £/$50K per month and want to grow to £/$100K - £/$500k per month download check out https://systemise.meIt's a detailed breakdown of how you can grow your business to 7-figures in a smart and sustainable way.————————————————————————————————————————————-TranscriptNote, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast)SUMMARY KEYWORDSwomen coaches, coaching business, business systems, overwhelm, time freedom, financial freedom, CLIMB Framework, scalability, sales checklist, business growth, online business, client onboarding, lead generation, business processes, virtual assistants, high ticket sales, business optimization, chaos to stability, female entrepreneurs, productivity, systemization, strategy call, Facebook group, sales strategies, business model, business mentoring, accountability, client experience, business automation, business supportSPEAKERSKatie Hahn, Stuart WebbStuart Webb [00:00:00]:hi and welcome back to It's Not Rocket Science. Five questions over coffee. I'm here with Katie Hahn. Katie is the founder of the Climb Framework. The Climb Framework, and I'm sure we're going to get into this is a way that helps particularly women coaches, consultants get out of the overwhelm of a non systemized business and helps them too elevate themselves to growth by using a framework which introduces systems processes to help their business grow. So, Katie, thank you very much for spending a few minutes with us. I'm really looking forward to this conversation. And welcome to It's Not Rocket Science.Stuart Webb [00:01:11]:Five questions over coffee. Thank you.Katie Hahn [00:01:14]:I'm very excited to be here.Stuart Webb [00:01:16]:Thank you, Kate. So, Katie, let's start by trying to understand those people that I just sort of talked about, those people that you're trying to help. What, what are, who are these people? What's the business they've got? What's the problem that they really find themselves in?Katie Hahn [00:01:32]:I'll give you an example. And we've seen a lot of these people and this men and women, but I just specialize in women. But we see those people who hustle, you know, the ones who are working all hours, they're doing everything, you know, they're really putting this stuff in place. They're saying, oh, I got a new CRM, I'm on social media, I'm doing these things. But really when you talk to them and you dig down, they're all over the place. They're, they're after every shiny object. They are really just trying to solve that problem that they have today. And it may be trying to find people to, you know, for their coaching clients.Katie Hahn [00:02:09]:And so they're like, okay, what am I going to do today I'm going to go after this and tomorrow it's like, oh, I need a CRM. Now I have this. Well, now I have a client, what do I do next? And it's just constant chaos. And really what they face is this their bit. They don't have a business, they have chaos. And really what that means is they don't have a system to support their businesses. And what I found coming from the traditional business setting, brick and mortar professional services, is when you set up a business, you generally set up with very specific systems in place. However, in this new world of having everything online, you know, anybody can get started with anything.Katie Hahn [00:02:53]:And these women that I work with are brilliant, absolutely brilliant and passionate. Problem comes in is they got the hustle, but they don't have the know how that gives Them those systems in place to actually predictably grow and, and feel that they're meeting what they want to do, which is generally, you know, support the people they want to and whatever that coaching is, or in their business aspect, but also provide themselves that time and financial freedom that they got into this for. You know, most of them are moms and had a life crisis of change because now I can go back to work, I'm going to do my thing I love. And now with that, they got hustle, but they don't have time or financial freedom at all.Stuart Webb [00:03:38]:Yeah, I know the sort of thing you're talking about. This is the sort of person that goes from feast to famine. Suddenly they've got too much work, they've got no time to deliver properly. And then the next week they're looking around going, what, where's the next meal check coming from? I have no idea where everything is. And, and it's that need to have that continuous flow of leads that, that conversion of the, of the lead to the customer in order to sort of just give them the space and the time to actually develop a real business, isn't it? Yeah.Katie Hahn [00:04:08]:And they, they make these, you know, rash decisions because they need something today to solve a problem and they don't have the systems in place that's going to help them long term.Stuart Webb [00:04:20]:So let's, let's talk a little bit and sort of, you know, if there's somebody out there sort of immediately saying, hey, this might be me, and they might recognize themselves, but give us some specifics about the sort of things that they found themselves doing. You know, you come across somebody and you go, you know, I know what you're trying to do. These are the sort of people that have tried all sorts of things. Give us an example of the sort of things they've tried before. They seek advice on how to put the sort of systems you're talking in about Katie.Katie Hahn [00:04:47]:So it's really how they. Women generally, it's a feeling. They are just sick of the feeling of being out of control. When they were a mom or in the traditional business setting, their life was pretty easy. And now they're starting to feel chaotic and they're feeling overwhelmed. And what they start doing is the shiny object. You know, they may be on Instagram and they see, you know, some somebody puts out there. You're gonna get a million, you know, views if you do this.Katie Hahn [00:05:19]:And so they start going down rabbit holes. But it's really never a system in place that's going to get them to the Actual end goal. And so, you know, they're not figuring out that everything in a business has a relationship to each other. You know, so they may go down, oh, I got a CRM. But they don't use it, which means they don't now have the data, the information, the cohesion that's going to take the processes from sales to onboarding to client experience, to have those, you know, clients that are really going to be the evangelist for them. And because of the experience wasn't there. And it means that they are acting in a way where everything in their business is a bottleneck because it relies on that. There's no growth strategy because they've put everything on themselves and not using the right system so that they can say, okay, I need to work on my business, not in my business.Katie Hahn [00:06:19]:And then they can start delegating, bringing on a va. Because ultimately, what you typically see are they'll bring people on, they'll bring salespeople. Vas problem is everything goes through them and it ends. I work with tons of them like that.Stuart Webb [00:06:33]:Yeah, yeah, yeah. We've all seen those poor people that turn around. You know, I've got 15 people working for me, and absolutely none of them make a decision. And the question you always ask is, have you ever asked them to make a decision without talking to you first? And they look at you as if to say, why would we do that? That would be a very silly thing to do. So we know what you're talking about, Katie. I know you've got some really valuable, free. And I'm going to just point people now towards our. Our vault.Stuart Webb [00:06:59]:Katie has given me three brilliant, brilliant pieces of valuable content that I think you're going to just describe it to us, Katie, because, I mean, I'm going to really encourage people. There are some really, really interesting pieces of really valuable advice that you've got that you've given to us to give away this evening.Katie Hahn [00:07:20]:So the first one is my coaches weekly sales checklist. It just starts small. You got to start somewhere and realizing that at the front end, you need to have some processes in place and a checklist. So that one's an easy read. It gives you some activities to do, how to start implementing one thing at a time into your business and have a repeatable process every week just for sales, just small things. But I couldn't stop there because I know we'll have lots of problems. And I don't want to make this sound like these people are horrible or they're doing things wrong. They just don't have the right support and I feel like I don't.Katie Hahn [00:08:00]:I'm not doing them justice if I can't help provide more and the guidance they need to get to the next steps. So what I did was I just created a Facebook group and it's called High Ticket Women Coaches and it's all about sales and systems for scalable growth. I'm going to be dropping lots of nuggets of information in there, going live, talking about actual tangible pieces that they can implement in their business to get there. And the last thing is I don't normally do this, but I want to make sure that what people and women are doing is impactful and they're really going to have some strategies that they feel apply to them because everybody feels like they're in a different spot. My business is different. But really there's three stages and these three stages are chaos, stabilization and optimization. And what I want to do is help them identify where they are and provide real strategies on a strategy call to get out of where they are so they can get to that growth. So I, I got a busy summer, but I am willing to give 10 people a free strategy call and really start working with them on.Katie Hahn [00:09:09]:Here's what the steps you need to take to get to where you want to go.Stuart Webb [00:09:13]:So if you go to www.systemize.me forward/free hyphen stuff, you can see there those three links. There's the link to book a strategy call. That's quite a long link, so I'm not even going to try and read it out. You can go to free hyphen stuff and you will get immediate access to that strategy call link. You will get the Facebook group where Katie, I, I really, I really wouldn't mind dropping in on that myself. I'm the wrong, on the wrong. I've got the wrong hair lengths and things like that. But so there's some really great stuff that you're going to put in there as well as exercise.Stuart Webb [00:09:54]:Go to www.systemize.me. free hyphen stuff. Grab those free things from Casey because they are hugely valuable. Casey, I just wanted to understand a little bit more about it. You obviously have got this system. You've worked out the climb system and the climb is a great system system. What, what was it was a book, a life event. What, what helped you to form the climb system and get it really focused in the way that you've got it now?Katie Hahn [00:10:22]:Well, it, it started off with experience. I, I was drinking from a fire hose. I was put in charge As a CEO of an IT company and the owners that I was working with, my other owners, they left to go off on another venture. And so it was a disaster. I was changing a business model, growing clients in charge of sales. Everything was happening at once and I felt that I didn't have a method to figure out what I needed to do. And so somebody had given me a book and it was the business model Generation by Strategizer. And it really helps to visually organize what your business model is and who are your clients, kind of all those basic things that you really need to know.Katie Hahn [00:11:07]:And I absolutely love the book. I still use it and to this day I talk to my clients, have them fill it out and I just share the link. There's some great videos, but once you understand your business model, then you can move on to say what systems are important to your business model and really where to start focusing. So it's a very easy starting point. The other one I just, I believe you can use in life, but specifically for sales, is how to win friends and influence people. By oldie but a goodie. It's got core ideas. And what I really like about it is I don't want to manipulate people.Katie Hahn [00:11:49]:It talks about how to be genuinely interested in people, how to be there to support their needs and hear them. Because I don't want to be this used car salesman. I am a high ticket closer. I love sales, but I want to do it for the right reasons. And I want my, the coaching clients that I work with to understand why that's so important. Because I want those evangelists on the outside, you know, I want them talking about it. And once you learn those and can align them, your businesses can scale because people aren't talking this negative talk about their experience, but also how they made you feel. And so I really want to combine those two.Katie Hahn [00:12:26]:And the life instance that really kind of put these all together is that I work on the back end for high ticket coaches and I see in their business and I'm like, all right, I already have a process. Doesn't matter if it's a coach or a traditional business. Let's put it in place.Stuart Webb [00:12:44]:Yeah. Do you know, I'm very aware that one of the things you were talking there about was the how to win friends and influence people and how. And I'm very aware that a lot of people, particularly who are struggling or perhaps just beginning to scale their business, they get very worried about sales because they feel dirty. They feel somehow it's forcing somebody to have something they shouldn't have. And I was talking to somebody not so very long ago, and they were saying, well, how do you feel about sales? Because my background is very different to most, and I was not trained in sales or anything like that. And I said, I eventually realized sales is about helping somebody, and I just wanted to be the most helpful person in the world. So when I was reaching out and I was talking to somebody about helping them, I would say something like, you have this problem, and I have this solution to your problem. If you'd like the solution, let's find a way of working together.Stuart Webb [00:13:39]:And they go, yes. And I go, well, there needs to be some money for that. And they go, of course there has to be some money. And immediately you'd go, this sales thing isn't so difficult. It's just reaching out and helping somebody. And it's not about trying to force somebody to have something they don't want. It's basically being the most helpful person in the world. But just remembering in the end to say, I need to pay my mortgage.Stuart Webb [00:14:01]:So do you mind if you help me do that?Katie Hahn [00:14:03]:I completely agree. I'm not traditionally in sales. That's not where I came from. I have an education and a science background. I'm a scientist by trade. So this is not my background. And it's just like you. What I find is, if I can be helpful and they align, let's do it.Katie Hahn [00:14:20]:And it's not slimy or anything like that.Stuart Webb [00:14:24]:So let's move on to the. To the real question that you've probably got for me, Katie, at the moment, which is, you know, you're probably sitting there thinking, he still hasn't asked the killer proper question. He's got these questions he's asked me, but he hasn't asked the real one that. That I'm. That I'm waiting for. So I'm just gonna have to admit that I don't know what that question is and ask you to tell me what is the real killer question that you want me to ask you? And then obviously, you have to answer it, because I don't know the question either.Katie Hahn [00:14:52]:Well, it's not difficult. I mean, if I was talking, like, thinking about this, it's like all this information is out there. You know, all these processes are out there. There's tons of templates. The question is, why do business owners, specifically coaches, women coaches, still need a coach or mentor? And that, for me, is it takes some realization that as a business owner, you still need to have that support. Because basic transformation in a Business is driven by just implementing. It's not about just the information you have. And I don't think that all this information that we can Google is making everybody money, because if it was, we'd all be on autopilot.Katie Hahn [00:15:39]:We need somebody to say, here's where you start. Here are the things you're blind to because you're in the business and really aligning and saying, okay, here are the things we need to do to get you to X, putting plans in place and holding somebody accountable. I was an athlete, and we have coaches for a reason. We need to have a team behind us. We have doctors. We don't just go to one. You know, there's always this team and this support, and we think that's okay in other areas of our life. But as a business professional, you know, we got to get our set, set our egos aside and say, you know what, there's somebody here who can help guide me.Katie Hahn [00:16:18]:And the point is that it's going to happen quicker and faster and easier when I have the right support. And that's why I do this back to your sales thing. I want to help people.Stuart Webb [00:16:30]:Brilliant. And we've gone full circle, which is exactly where we need to end. Listen, I thank you so much for coming out and spending a few minutes with us today. Katie, I think the advice you've given is brilliant. I'm going to just once again, Pete, go to Systemize Me free. Grab that stuff from Katie. There are not many people that give away as much free value as Katie does, so please grab that stuff as soon as you can. And one little request from me, please subscribe to the newsletter.Stuart Webb [00:17:01]:What I do is I send an email once a week, and all I do is I let you know who's coming up so that you can join in and grab the sort of free advice that people like Kate give. So go to Systemize Me forward slash subscribe. That's Systemize Me Forward slash subscribe. Get onto the newsletter list. You'll just get an email once a week, which basically there's a joke in there as well. So it's not all. It's not all stuff. There's a joke, there's a joke, there's a.Stuart Webb [00:17:26]:There's news about the people that are coming up on the podcast and also some really great ways of getting advice from these people. Katie, thank you so much for spending a few minutes with us. I really, really love what you're trying to do to help people, and thank you for being as generous as you have been with so much of your advice.Katie Hahn [00:17:44]:Thank you very much.Stuart Webb [00:17:46]:Listen, I'm looking forward to following Katie. I really do think you should do the same. Thank you, Katie.Katie Hahn [00:17:53]:Thank you. Get full access to It's Not Rocket Science! at thecompleteapproach.substack.com/subscribe

Time has a way of reshaping what we believe, and sometimes, what we've published. In this week's episode, CEO and co-founder Jason Fried chats with Kimberly Rhodes to explore one particular chapter of REWORK that no longer rings true. Jason reflects on their current stance on having multiple products vs. just one, what company's should consider before they expand, and why knowing your limits still matters.Key Takeaways00:10 – The change in perspective on multiple products03:15 – The team needed for the company's expansion05:28 – Recognizing when you've taken on too much09:16 – The real value of writing ideas down12:35 – Advice on launching new products while maintaining previous onesLinks and ResourcesRecord a video question for the podcastBooks by 37signalsSign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.comHEY World | HEYThe REWORK podcastThe Rework Podcast on YouTubeThe 37signals Dev Blog37signals on YouTube@37signals on X

In this episode of SaaS Fuel, host Jeff Mains sits down with Vitaly Motuz, founder of Reviews On My Website. Vitaly shares his journey from high school side projects to building a successful SaaS business focused on reputation management for local businesses. The conversation dives deep into product simplicity, scaling challenges, client-centric growth, leadership mindset, the impact of reviews (good and bad), and how AI is reshaping the landscape. Whether you're a SaaS founder, leader, or just passionate about tech, this episode is packed with actionable insights!Key Takeaways00:00 "Sparked Idea for Review Tool"04:19 "Simple Reputation Management Software"06:36 "Expanding Tools for Market Growth"11:42 Focusing on Marketing and Growth13:11 Learning to Delegate as Founder17:16 Startup Success in 201722:43 "Leadership, Hiring, and Growth Blueprint"24:53 "Small Remote Team Challenges"28:39 "Simplicity Over Features Wins"32:18 Customer Request Prioritization Strategy37:10 "Prioritize Stability, Avoid Quick Fixes"38:51 "Testing Features for Usability"42:14 AI Transforming Business OperationsTweetable QuotesViral Simplicity in Reputation Management: "And that's kind of like one of the things that all our customers tell us is we're one of the most intuitive and simple reputation platforms out there." — Vitaly Motuz Viral Topic: The Secret to Expanding Market Reach Quote: "it wasn't so much I think there were new platforms that helped us expand but rather expanding the tools that we offer." — Vitaly Motuz Letting Go as a Founder: "So one of the struggles for me was letting go some of the control and be open to finding help, finding somebody to bring on board to help me with some of those stuff." — Vitaly Motuz "It's providing the simple, simplest reputation management software for local businesses and agencies that simply works." — Vitaly Motuz Startup Flexibility: "So at the beginning you gotta be nimble. You gotta kind of like try things and see what works." — Vitaly Motuz SaaS Leadership LessonsPlay Your Own Game: Focus on what makes your company unique instead of chasing competitors' features.Let Go to Grow: Delegate and release control, especially in areas where others can excel, freeing yourself for strategic work.Relentless Customer Focus: Listen to paying customers, and develop the roadmap based on their real needs and experience.Lead By Vision: Define and communicate your organization's purpose and direction so your team feels a part of the mission.Embrace the Learning Process: Experimentation and failure are part of the journey—analyze, learn, and adapt.Prioritize Simplicity Over Complexity: Resist bloated product features that distract from your core value.Guest Resourcesvitaly@reviewsonmywebsite.comhttps://reviewsonmywebsite.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/vitalymotuz/Episode SponsorThe Captain's KeysSmall Fish, Big Pond –

In this episode of SaaS Fuel, host Jeff Mains sits down with Nahed Khairallah, a global startup strategist and HR leader known for transforming seven-figure startups into nine-figure success stories. Nahed shares how he revolutionized HR from an administrative afterthought into the rocket fuel for sustainable, scalable growth. With practical lessons gleaned from scaling teams across four continents, Nahed discusses why 70% of scaling attempts fail due to people issues, the dangers of throwing bodies at problems, and how founders can turn HR into a strategic business enabler. It's a masterclass on people operations for tech founders, with actionable tips whether you're 10 people or 100.Key Takeaways00:00 "Turning Human Capital into Growth"06:33 From Recruiter to HR Advisor11:04 Scaling Operations, Not Expanding Markets14:00 Founder Ego and Company Stagnation15:59 Hiring Strategy: Capacity vs. Capability21:30 Proactive Scalability for Startups23:26 Balanced Optimism vs. Delusion28:17 "HR's Business Understanding Gap"29:55 HR's Role in Business Alignment35:45 Financial Literacy Essential for HR38:56 Building Trust and Credibility40:25 External Advisors vs. Internal Trust44:55 Contractors vs. Full-Time Misclassification48:27 "Optimize Startup Staffing Strategy"51:14 Prioritize and Delegate for Growth54:37 Connect for HR InsightsTweetable Quotes“Throwing people at the problem almost never works. It's subtraction by addition.”— Nahed Khairallah“70% of scaling attempts fail because of people issues, not product issues.”— Jeff Mains“HR should be the rocket fuel for growth, not just a cost center.”— Nahed Khairallah“Success covers up a lot of problems—until the ceiling hits and the issues become visible.”— Jeff Mains“You want to operate lean, but also be ready to grow—build infrastructure that bolts on seamlessly.”— Nahed Khairallah“You need to be a business person first and apply the HR lens to it.”— Nahed KhairallahSaaS Leadership LessonsDon't Throw People at Problems:Rapid hiring without process scale is risky—focus first on optimizing operations.Recognize the Hidden Costs:Headcount costs go beyond salary (benefits, equipment, software)—track the full picture.Let Go to Grow:Founders must delegate and trust new hires, especially those brought in for their specialized experience.HR as Rocket Fuel:Move HR from a backend support role to a business-enabling function aligned with vision and results.Scenario Planning is Essential:Always challenge optimistic forecasts; plan for downturns and scenario-test your people ops.Founder Focus:Founders should regularly document and review their own roles—double down on what they do best and delegate the rest.Guest Resourcesnahed@organizedchaos.fyi https://organizedchaos.fyi https://www.linkedin.com/in/khairallahnahedEpisode SponsorThe Captain's KeysSmall Fish, Big Pond –

For 37signals, flashy ad campaigns and traditional brand promos have never been the way to go. This week, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson share why traditional marketing methods like billboards, paid social media posts, and keyword ads don't give them results. They talk about how meaningful marketing comes from genuine support and real connection.Key Takeaways00:12 – Why marketing ROI looks different for every business10:35 – Spend your marketing budget on companies and people you believe in17:35 – What kinds of marketing actually does work for 37signals28:02 – How AI is making the authentic human connection stand outLinks and ResourcesRecord a video question for the podcastBooks by 37signalsSign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.comHEY World | HEYThe REWORK podcastThe Rework Podcast on YouTubeThe 37signals Dev Blog37signals on YouTube@37signals on X

In this episode of SaaS Fuel, host Jeff Mains welcomes Harish Chandramowli, CEO of Flare, to unpack the evolution of ERP systems in the age of AI—specifically for fashion brands and SMBs.Harish shares insights from his unique career path, spanning cybersecurity at Johns Hopkins, engineering at Bloomberg and MongoDB, to tackling unstructured data and workflow automation for modern retailers. The conversation dives deep into the intersection of technology, scalable team building, and founder-led sales—along with candid lessons learned while bootstrapping, selling, and leading distributed teams across the globe.Key Takeaways00:00 Tech Innovation and People-First Leadership06:18 "SMB Market Gap: Custom ERP Needed"07:29 Flexible ERP Solutions with MongoDB12:34 AI Streamlines ERP Communication15:55 Increase Sales with Incomplete Products18:40 "Benefits of Technical Founders"23:02 Cultural Sensitivity in Global Teams25:41 Delegation as a Learning Opportunity29:43 "Team Growth and Skill Challenges"32:37 AI-Driven Business Insights36:22 Optimizing Workflow with AI Automation39:58 Future Growth: Strategies & Insights40:49 "SaaS Fuel Podcast Overview"Tweetable QuotesThe Power of Flexible Data: "One of the things that I learned in MongoDB is flexible data has so much power. It's so much easier to help people understand their business without having to pay." — Harish Chandramowli AI Revolutionizing Supply Chain Communication: "AI can learn. Your emails say that, hey, you got an email from your factory saying that things are getting delivered and AI can parse your attachment, fill in those data, you just need to verify and approve it and the workflow is done." — Harish Chandramowli Viral Topic: The Importance of Cultural Understanding in Global Teams: "Understanding each other's culture goes a long way in people feeling close to you." — Harish Chandramowli SaaS Leadership LessonsUnderstand Before You Automate: Deeply map out a customer's workflow before implementing automation. AI is most powerful when embedded where the real pain is.Founders Must Stay Hands-On: Engaged, founder-led sales and customer interactions are critical in the early stages—don't retreat into just building.Hire for Culture & Autonomy: Successful distributed teams thrive on self-motivation, global empathy, and transparent communication.Don't Fear Delegation: Letting your team handle challenges increases their growth and the company's overall resilience.Sales and Engineering Need Real Collaboration: Break down silos by involving engineers in sales calls and non-technical staff in planning meetings.Contextualize AI's Role for Customers: When selling AI-driven solutions, focus on the concrete problem solved, not the flashy technology. Realism and transparency build trust.Guest Resourcess.c.harish@gmail.comharish@flairesoftware.com https://www.flairesoftware.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/scharish/Episode SponsorThe Captain's KeysSmall Fish, Big Pond –

In this jam-packed episode of SaaS Fuel, sales expert Christian Jack joins host Jeff Mains to break down everything SaaS founders and sales leaders need to know about effective sales demos, discovery processes, psychological safety in sales, team culture, and the evolving landscape of SaaS sales.Christian shares his journey from music teaching to sales mastery, the critical lessons he learned about sales psychology, and the costly mistakes most SaaS teams make when it comes to demos and team management. You'll also get hard-hitting tactics to boost conversions, examples of SaaS companies that transformed their sales processes, and powerful leadership insights to help you build an unstoppable sales culture.Key Takeaways00:00 Understanding Cost Perception Objections04:59 "Entrepreneurial Aspirations Amid Uncertainty"09:33 Trust Over Features in Sales12:40 Safety Influences Communication Openness15:26 Tactics for Positive Engagement20:21 Sales: A Cyclical Journey23:15 Highlighting Simple Solutions Over Features25:59 Syntax and Engagement Strategy29:43 Demo Dilemma: Pros and Cons31:26 Marketing's Role: Engagement Initiation35:44 Enhancing Sales with Pre-Call Videos39:22 Transformational Vocabulary Strategies42:13 Empowering Message from an Astronaut47:06 Sales Success Hinges on Culture48:55 Find Christian Jack OnlineTweetable Quotes"Sales has now become even more of a game of building trust, I think, and building connection with people rather than just, you know, we have the best features, we have the best." — Christian Jack"We live it through the words that we attribute to the experience. And so if you are talking to somebody about your product, about your service, about your software, et cetera, the words that you use to describe it are very, very important."— Christian JackThe Secret to Driving Engagement in Software: "How do we actually set up the software in a way where people will actually use it? And what is the specific vehicle that we've used in order to achieve that?" — Christian Jack"Marketing gets people to the point where they start to lean in as soon as they start leaning in that sales job.” — Christian Jack "You want to use words like the door is closing or the window is open because that will start to help people envision in their mind, like they can see a door closing." — Christian JackDeeper Connections Through Nonverbal Communication: "And you can focus on other parts of the interaction, how they're reacting, what the response is, facial expressions, those kinds of things." — Jeff Mains"The dividing line between those two, marketing, sales and then where are they separate and then how do they work together best?" — Jeff MainsBiggest Competitor in SaaS Sales: "the biggest competitor that I think we all have in the marketplace is no action, no decision." — Jeff MainsSaaS Leadership LessonsCulture Over NumbersYour sales team's culture is the foundation of consistent performance and retention—it's critical for growth and survival.Sales and Marketing Must Work in HarmonyMarketing makes people “lean in”; sales takes over when a prospect is engaged. Align these efforts for maximum ROI.Prioritize Discovery, Not Just DemosYou can't sell a prospect unless you deeply understand their context. Tailor every demo and sales conversation.Empower with Psych-SafetyProspects buy when they feel safe. Your job isn't just handling objections, but creating an environment of trust and...

Trust is the foundation of any strong company. In this episode of The REWORK Podcast, 37signals co-founder and CTO David Heinemeier Hansson joins host Kimberly Rhodes to explore what it really means to build a high-trust organization. David shares how trust shapes the culture and success of a team, even when working remotely.Key Takeaways00:23 – Trust starts as the default at 37signals05:19 – Empowering employees with reasonable spending freedom11:46 – Why one person's mistake shouldn't lead to restrictive policies15:15 – How to cultivate trust in remote workplaces22:10 – Trust and accountability can and should coexistLinks and ResourcesRecord a video question for the podcastBooks by 37signalsSign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.comHEY World | HEYThe REWORK podcastThe Rework Podcast on YouTubeThe 37signals Dev Blog37signals on YouTube@37signals on X

What happens when you challenge the status quo of Agile, throw out bloated teams, and supercharge small pods with AI? In this episode, Jeff Mains sits down with Mac, founder of Wednesday Solutions, to explore the evolution of product development teams. Mac shares why he believes traditional Agile is obsolete and how his company's “product pods” are delivering massive impact with lean teams. Dive into real-world strategies on using AI to automate grunt work, focus on real customer value, and deliver faster than ever. Mac and Jeff also discuss over-engineering pitfalls, the essential Sprint Zero, and what's next for tech leadership in the age of AI.Key Takeaways00:00 "Impactful Small Teams"06:03 AI-Powered Engineering and Vibe Sprints07:15 "AI-First vs. Human-First Mindset"10:33 Rural Loan Tech Success15:28 "Sprint Zero: Focusing on One Problem"16:50 User-Centric Product Roadmap Creation20:00 AI: The New Industrial Revolution25:09 From Doing to Empowering Others27:18 Embrace Incremental Change30:47 Thoughtful Hiring in App Development35:53 "Utilize Managed Services First"37:15 "CTO: Bridge Across Tech, Product, Business"Tweetable QuotesAI-First Mindset: "Are you AI first or are you human first? Do you typically think of how I can do this myself, or do you think about what tools I can use to leverage, what tools I can leverage to actually get this done?" — Mac Viral Topic: The Dangers of Over-Engineering Early "don't try to build for scale before you even get your first user. Sort of like not over engineering over there is very important." — Mac The Power of Interdisciplinary Collaboration: "So when I think about it, having a product manager with tech experience or engineering experience and sort of bringing the intersection of these two disciplines together is first and foremost, most important." — MacThe Art of Delegation: "The question that I keep asking myself at the end of every week is how well would things have gone if I wasn't there for this week? And how well will things go if I'm not there next week, right?" — MacViral Topic: AI and Interview Strategies: "What was possible to build in weeks or months earlier is now possible within a few minutes with a few prompts."— Mac The Dangers of Confirmation Bias in Product Development: "And so we build a product and then get to the end. And it's not really what the market was looking for or it was close, but it's off a little bit." — Jeff Mains Viral Leadership Secret: "The most successful leaders aren't lone heroes. They're the center of four specific relationships that multiply their impact while preserving their sanity." — Jeff Mains SaaS Leadership LessonsTrue Velocity Comes from Focus, Not Headcount:Small teams with well-defined roles and clear ownership far outpace large, fragmented ones.Delegate Relentlessly:Great leaders empower others to own outcomes, not just tasks—Mac constantly asks how his absence would impact the team.Start with the Problem, Not the Solution:Sprint Zero ensures the product addresses a real, validated user pain—don't let assumption drive your build.Embrace Incremental Change:Don't fall for the “big-bang” launch myth when modernizing systems; ship value early and often.Hire for Specialization, Not Generalization:Early mistakes in hiring generalists slowed quality—now, experts who excel at their craft yield superior results.Leverage AI as a Force-Multiplier:The best...

Are you hiring your first go-to-market team, or looking to scale your B2B SaaS sales organization? In this episode of SaaS Fuel, Jeff Mains sits down with William Spengler, founder of Frederick Fox, to discuss the realities—and pitfalls—of building a high-performing sales team for SaaS startups.Will reveals why most early sales hires fail, how the staffing industry is undergoing disruption, and his blueprint for assembling a scrappy, effective team in a marketplace crowded with resumes and inflated claims. The conversation ranges from the challenges of hiring senior versus raw talent, the tactical necessity of reference checks, the evolving role of AI in recruiting, how to avoid cash crunches even when revenues are up, and why clarity in your hiring process is the foundation of success. If you're ready for a brutally honest, actionable guide to hiring and scaling (without the fluff), this episode is for you.Key Takeaways00:00 Effective Sales Strategy & Hiring04:56 Real Estate-Style Recruiter Model08:51 "Reality Check: Starting a Firm"11:47 Competitor Research for Business Growth15:04 Defining Critical Hiring Needs20:49 Experience Over Elbow Grease22:14 Streamlining Interview Processes28:25 Incentivizing Sales with High Commissions29:57 "Finding High-Performing Sales Talent"36:37 AI Tools in Recruiting: Limitations40:02 The Limits of AI Interviews42:33 Building an Effective GovTech Sales Team45:24 Verifying Sales Candidate References50:14 "AI Systems & Sales Strategies"Tweetable QuotesQuote: "I would say start to target their top salespeople. That's really what recruiters do. We do the research, we cold call, we email them and we sell your value proposition." — William Spengler How to Attract Top Talent: “A player is going to pick up on that confidence and is going to want to join you. If you're going to go, if you're going to talk to Lebron James and you're not confident, they're not going to take you seriously." — William Spengler Viral Topic: The Traits of Top Sales Talent: "I always think that's a red flag when a really good salesperson is paycheck to paycheck, that it's sort of a red flag." — William Spengler "It's not just about hiring someone with a shiny resume or a smooth pitch because they all seem to have that." — Jeff MainsThe Secret to Unstoppable Leadership: "It's not strategy, not charisma. It's not even luck. It's relationships. — Jeff MainsSaaS Leadership LessonsBuild for Clarity, Not Convenience:Ensure all stakeholders align on what the business truly needs from a hire before you start searching for "unicorns."Check the Hype at the Door:Don't just trust claims and shiny resumes. Take the time to verify past performance, especially for sales roles.Know Your Numbers—And Theirs:Ask candidates detailed questions about past targets and results, and verify them. Top performers are always eager to share real numbers.Prioritize Process Discipline:A clear, concise hiring process beats endless rounds every time. Do more work upfront—it pays off with better hires.Scale Operations Before Sales Explode:Investing in back office, accounting, and compliance early prevents massive headaches and cash crunches when you scale rapidly.Bet on Talent That Bets on Themselves:Seek out salespeople willing to trade high base salaries for high upside. These are often the true A-players.Guest...

As 37signals gets closer to launching their newest product, Fizzy, Jason Fried joins host Kimberly Rhodes to reflect on the final stretch of development. He shares the trade-offs of setting your own deadlines, the importance of onboarding new customers, and the company's process for marketing a product.Key Takeaways00:11 – What the “11th hour” looks like before a product launch03:50 – How to weigh deadlines against final release decisions05:44 – The importance of customer onboarding11:18 – A playful touch added to Fizzy's logo15:30 – Why version 1.0 is just the beginningLinks and ResourcesRecord a video question for the podcastBooks by 37signalsSign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.comHEY World | HEYThe REWORK podcastThe Rework Podcast on YouTubeThe 37signals Dev Blog37signals on YouTube@37signals on X

This week on SaaS Fuel, Jeff Mains dives into radical innovation at the intersection of technology, storytelling, and human impact. Guest Sean Schroeder, exited founder and product strategist, unpacks his journey from digital content platforms to autism therapy and AI-powered brand storytelling. The episode covers Happy Ladders' parent-led autism therapy model, the philosophy behind Reventure Labs' unorthodox venture studio, and the technical artistry fueling Story Cycle Genie—a collective intelligence platform powering authentic brand narratives. If you've ever wondered how SaaS can drive real transformation or how founders can operationalize their own unique “vibe” into assets that scale, this episode delivers actionable insight with heart.Key Takeaways00:00 "Parent-Led Autism Therapy Revolution"04:51 From Content to Autism App09:40 Origin of Our Venture Studio10:31 Audience-Centric Investment Partnerships13:21 Balancing SaaS and Services Tensions19:14 "Off Standards, Off Results"20:24 Streamlined Founder Insight Extraction23:33 Deep Dive into Audience Archetypes27:40 Prioritize Planning Over Execution32:36 Extracting Founder Knowledge33:46 Pre-Investment Business Idea Testing38:24 "Governance for Consistent Conditions"40:08 Seamless Brand Story Coordination43:58 Data Utilization: Next Steps47:25 "Integrating Technical Specs and White Papers"51:18 Recruitment and Innovation InsightsTweetable Quotes“When you're working with AI, you're working at a more atomic level, validating what the genie is giving back—something you'll rarely get in a room just tossing ideas.” — Sean Schroeder“The therapist may only be there for hours, but parents are with their children 24/7. Empowering them turns everyday moments into therapy.” — Sean Schroeder“Founders move quick. Our job is to extract their embedded business intelligence—their real story—without months of ‘brand exercises.'” — Sean Schroeder“StoryCycle Genie lets you build your brand narrative with authentic inputs, not by borrowing someone else's metaphor but by owning your vibe.” — Sean Schroeder“If you're off just 2 degrees at the start, by the time your marketing or messaging hits the world, you'll be a foot away from where you want to be.” — Jeff Mains“Sometimes starting without a rigid plan is freeing—some of the best frameworks are discovered through building, intuition, and iteration.” — Sean SchroederSaaS Leadership LessonsEmpower the Stakeholders Closest to the Problem:Happy Ladders proves that empowering parents—rather than outside experts—can yield faster and more sustainable developmental progress in children.Lead with User-Centric Simplicity:Transform complex frameworks (therapy or branding) into practical, actionable routines that non-experts can implement.Technical Capital is as Valuable as Financial:In the modern venture landscape, providing technical expertise and capabilities can catalyze new ventures more effectively than just cash.Operationalize Authenticity:Authentic storytelling isn't found in vague abstraction but in pulling out and refining the founder's real-world beliefs and experiences.Build Ecosystems, Not Just Assets:A truly scalable brand is underpinned by systems, connected content, and iterative learning, not just standalone artifacts.Adopt a Test-and-Learn Mindset:Start with one asset, test hypotheses quickly (even monetization), and be unafraid to adjust based on feedback and new insightsGuest...

In their book REWORK, 37signals' co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson caution against glorifying nonstop work. In this week's podcast, they tackle a listener's questions related to the chapter Workaholism and dig into employee management including how to measure productivity and how to track progress. They explain why simple conversations often matter more than complex systems.Key Takeaways00:15 – Judge productivity by paying attention and staying engaged07:50 – Tracking progress doesn't require complicated systems11:44 – Conversations matter more than systems; don't be a coward15:11 – When work ramps up, handling busier times without burning outLinks and ResourcesRecord a video question for the podcastBooks by 37signalsSign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.comHEY World | HEYThe REWORK podcastThe Rework Podcast on YouTubeThe 37signals Dev Blog37signals on YouTube@37signals on X

Curious how Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson keep their attention where it counts? In this episode of The REWORK Podcast, the 37signals co-founders join host Kimberly Rhodes to talk about the different ways they approach focus. From procrastination that sometimes pays off to meditation and visualization, Jason and David share their tips for finding and maintaining focus. Key Takeaways00:44 – What procrastination really tells you05:30 – Traditional and alternative meditation practices13:28 – Breaking through a creative block16:35 – Building a work schedule that makes focus easierLinks and ResourcesRecord a video question for the podcastBooks by 37signalsSign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.comHEY World | HEYThe REWORK podcastThe Rework Podcast on YouTubeThe 37signals Dev Blog37signals on YouTube@37signals on X

37signals' co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson share more about their business than many founders. In this episode of The REWORK Podcast, they chat with host Kimberly Rhodes about why transparency is important to them. They talk about how sharing openly can double as marketing, the upside of showing work that's still in progress, and why timing matters when deciding what to put out to the public.Key Takeaways00:13 – Why transparency matters at 37signals03:07 – Everything is marketing09:22 – Letting people follow along while the work is happening12:43 – Knowing when and what to shareLinks and ResourcesRecord a video question for the podcastBooks by 37signalsSign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.comHEY World | HEYThe REWORK podcastThe Rework Podcast on YouTubeThe 37signals Dev Blog37signals on YouTube@37signals on X