Podcasts about Saas

Ever wonder why outsourcing projects fail, and how to make sure yours doesn't blow up in your face? In this episode, Matt and Luigi sit down with serial entrepreneur Russell “Sean” Languedoc, founder of Outforce.ai. Sean pulls back the curtain on why most outsourced tech projects tank, how agency bait-and-switch happens, and why understanding cultural nuance is just as important as coding expertise. From building Uber-meets-oilfield startups to tackling the outsourced engineering black hole, Sean's entrepreneurial story is raw, hilarious, and refreshingly unfiltered. Here's what you'll hear: ✅ Why most outsourced engineering projects fail ✅ The dirty secret behind agency bait-and-switch tactics ✅ How Outforce.ai built a database of 79,000+ agencies to find the right fit fast ✅ Cultural breakdowns: Why “right away” means different things around the world ✅ Sean's entrepreneurial pivots from oil fields to ad tech to global outsourcing ✅ The power of due diligence (and how Outforce makes it foolproof) ✅ GTM Fund's role in scaling SaaS companies with real revenue leaders Who is Sean? Sean Languedoc is a Canadian entrepreneur and founder of Outforce.ai, an agency matchmaking platform that de-risks outsourced engineering. With five startups under his belt, he's obsessed with solving inefficiency,  from oilfield logistics to outsourced software development. He's also a partner at GTM Fund, backing the world's top SaaS startups.  

How is Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) evolving? How does user experience fit in? Today on The Cloud Gambit, Cory O'Daniel, Co-Founder & CEO of Massdriver, lends his experience as a coder, architect, and founder to help us answer these questions. Cory also discusses what it was like building and funding a startup in the 2021-2022 market, the... Read more »

SaaStr 812: What's Working Now: AI's Real Impact on Sales with SaaStr's CEO and Co-Founder, and SVP & GM  Join Jason Lemkin, CEO and Founder of SaaStr, and Amelia Lerutte, SVP and GM of SaaStr as they dive deep into the practical applications, results, and learnings from integrating AI into sales workflows. This session covers the initial struggles, data preparation, and continuous optimization required to achieve high-quality outputs with AI. They share specific examples of what's working, the importance of human oversight, and the benefits of combining AI with human expertise. Whether you're initiating outbound sales or reactivating lapsed accounts, learn how SaaStr successfully increased response rates and closed deals using AI-driven strategies. ------------------ This episode of the SaaStr podcast is sponsored by: get.tech The best .coms are taken or overpriced. So you settle on a workaround domain for your website. Don't compromise. Get a clean, sharp .tech domain that instantly says: this is a tech startup. Grab yours at get.tech/saastr or via domain registrars like GoDaddy. ------------------   Hey everybody, SaaStr AI's next stop takes us to London on December 2nd and 3rd!   It's Christmas with SaaStr and 2,000 of the best SaaS and AI leaders.    The biggest names will be there. The best networking.    Early adopter tickets are selling faster than we expected. So don't wait. With only 5 months until the event, we expect this year's SaaStr London event to sell out to capacity.    Use my code jason20pod for exclusive savings. Get your tickets now at podcast.saastrlondon.com or use code jason20pod at checkout.   SaaStr AI London – where SaaS Meets AI in London. See you there. ------------------ Hey everybody, SaaStr Annual will be back in May of 2026.  The world's largest SaaS + AI gathering for executives. Just this May we hosted: 10,000 attendees with 68% VP-level and above, 36% CEOs and founders and a growing 25% were AI-first professionals. This is the very best of the best S-tier attendees and decision makers that come to SaaStr each year.  But here's the reality, folks: the longer you wait, the higher ticket prices can get. Early bird tickets are available now, but once they're gone, you'll pay hundreds more so don't wait. Lock in your spot today. Use my code JASON100 for exclusive savings. Get your tickets at podcast.saastrannual.com or use code JASON100 at checkout.  SaaStr Annual 2026. We'll see you there

Luke Marsden, CEO and Founder, HelixML talks about Private GenAI. What is it? Why do you need it? We also discuss integration into CI/CD pipelines, the layers of a Private GenAI Stack, and why most organizations are opting for RAG over fine-tuning LLMs.SHOW: 943SHOW TRANSCRIPT: The Cloudcast #943 TranscriptSHOW VIDEO: https://youtube.com/@TheCloudcastNET NEW TO CLOUD? CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCAST:  "CLOUDCAST BASICS" SPONSORS:[DoIT] Visit doit.com (that's d-o-i-t.com) to unlock intent-aware FinOps at scale with DoiT Cloud Intelligence.[FCTR] Try FCTR.io (that's F-C-T-R dot io) free for 60 days. Modern security demands modern solutions. Check out Fctr's Tako AI, the first AI agent for Okta, on their website[VASION] Vasion Print eliminates the need for print servers by enabling secure, cloud-based printing from any device, anywhere. Get a custom demo to see the difference for yourself.SHOW NOTES:HelixML websiteHelixML GitHubHelix 1.0 Announcement BlogTopic 1 - Welcome to the show Luke. Give everyone a brief intro.Topic 2 - Let's start with Priavte GenAI. What is it? Why should organizations out there consider it? Why not just use OpenAI GPT's and fine tune them?Topic 2a Follow up - Regulatory Compliance - take the opposing forces in the EU for instance to using SaaS based services based in the United States.Topic 3 - Let's break down the layers in a typical Private AI stack. I'm seen various ways to represent this such as infrastructure layer, MLOps layer, models, data layer (typically RAG), etc. How do you break up the stack into individual componentsTopic 4 - My mind immediately jumps to similarities in the DevOps space. Abstraction layers and components like Docker and containers comes to mind, integration into CI/CD pipelines, etc. I feel like MLOps is it's own thing with specific tools and workflows. Does this all come together and if so how?Topic 5 - Also, what does this mean for versioning and lifecycle management of the models and the data?Topic 6 - We are seeing more and more data pipelines with backed by multiple models, sometimes in multiple locations. How do handle this from both a scheduling and interface standpoint? Is everything hidden behind APIs for instance?Topic 7 - If anyone is interested, what's the best way to get started?FEEDBACK?Email: show at the cloudcast dot netBluesky: @cloudcastpod.bsky.socialTwitter/X: @cloudcastpodInstagram: @cloudcastpodTikTok: @cloudcastpod

Points of Interest0:00 – 1:05 – Introduction: Marcel introduces Stephen Neville, CEO of BugHerd, highlighting his background in agency work and his transition into running a SaaS company that helps agencies streamline QA and client feedback.2:24 – 3:10 – The Dream of SaaS: Marcel and Stephen discuss the allure many agency owners feel toward building a product, inspired by success stories like 37signals—often without fully grasping the implications.5:30 – 7:10 – Major Model Differences: Stephen outlines key contrasts between service and product businesses, including delayed ROI in SaaS, the shift from clients to customers, and the challenge of proving value before seeing returns.8:02 – 9:09 – Saying No at Scale: Product businesses require frequent, disciplined “no's” to user feedback—unlike services, where agencies are more likely to say yes. This shift is critical to managing scope and long-term product health.10:14 – 11:02 – Why Agencies Want to Pivot: Common motives include stabilizing revenue, creating proof of expertise, and giving teams opportunities for skill development—though not all transitions are strategically sound.13:19 – 14:04 – Common SaaS Misconceptions: Marcel highlights flawed assumptions—such as SaaS needing less human capital or being less client-facing—debunking the idea that software removes the need for people.16:20 – 17:01 – SaaS Risk Profile: The risk and financial exposure of building SaaS is often underestimated, with founders needing to endure potentially years of losses before seeing profitability.21:15 – 22:53 – Lessons to Apply in Services: Stephen emphasizes adopting the SaaS discipline of qualifying and deflecting misaligned client requests, to protect team capacity and maintain healthy utilization.24:01 – 24:59 – Productization Without Code: Agencies can create repeatable, value-rich offerings by productizing existing services—without building software—through structured, process-driven deliverables.28:29 – 30:20 – The Real MVP Framework: Marcel shares his “Three Ps” framework—Problem, Point of View, and Process—as the true foundation for product development, arguing services are the best way to validate solutions.33:01 – 34:46 – Services as a SaaS Growth Lever: Stephen explains how services improve acquisition, onboarding, and retention—especially for enterprise clients—making them a strategic tool, not a liability.35:46 – 37:25 – Monetizing Services in SaaS: The conversation closes on the growing trend of SaaS companies charging for implementation and support, reframing these formerly free functions as value-rich offerings worth paying for.Show NotesConnect with Stephen via LinkedInWebsite – Bugherd.com

Try Fellow's AI Meeting Copilot - 90 days FREE - fellow.app/cooGuest: Lance Willett, Chief Quality Officer at AutomatticTopics Covered:How Automattic's open source culture evolved over 20 yearsWhat a Chief Quality Officer actually does—and why it mattersQuality = Craft × Context, and how that feedback loop scalesAutomattic's AI strategy: support bots, contextual UI, and site generationThe importance of tools like Linear and Storybook in enforcing qualityHow Automattic balances speed, risk, and governance with AI experimentationLessons from stabilizing Tumblr during its post-acquisition rebootPrioritization and the dangers of unbounded optimismLeadership takeaways from working closely with Matt Mullenweg

Erica Wass, Principal Product Consultant at Brainmates, joins the Product Experience podcast to share pragmatic tools for building strategic foresight into your roadmap. From horizon scanning to backcasting, this episode explores how product teams can harness future-focused techniques—bolstered by generative AI—to improve decision-making, resilience, and impact.Chapters:0:00 – Why foresight matters in product1:00 – Introducing Erica Wass2:30 – How product is changing3:45 – The value of strategic foresight5:00 – Clarifying the term and its importance7:00 – Who owns foresight in the product org10:00 – Techniques: Horizon scanning, scenario planning, backcasting14:30 – Horizon scanning in action: Google & Android16:00 – Scenario planning for resilience21:00 – Tips on running scenario sessions23:45 – Backcasting: Vision-first roadmapping26:00 – Using AI to accelerate foresight30:00 – Product team dynamics in the AI era33:00 – Mistakes to avoid and balancing action with foresight37:00 – Wrap-up and takeawaysKey Takeaways— Horizon scanning helps teams identify early, weak signals that may grow into significant trends.— Scenario planning enables resilience by preparing teams for a range of plausible futures.— Backcasting flips traditional planning by working backward from a long-term goal to define near-term milestones.— Generative AI can democratise access to foresight tools—when used with critical thinking and proper validation.— Product professionals should take a proactive role in guiding strategic conversations, regardless of their title.— Avoid extremes with AI: neither fear it nor over-rely on it. Use it as a pairing partner rather than a replacement.Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Microsoft links Sharepoint ToolShell attacks to Chinese hackers Russian threat actors target NGOs with new OAuth phishing tactics Silicon Valley engineer admits theft of US missile tech secrets Huge thanks to our sponsor, Nudge Security Nudge Security discovers every SaaS app used in your org, secures configurations, enforces MFA, and manages app-to-app access so you can prevent identity based attacks. Start a free 14-day trial today at NudgeSecurity.com

Drew Sanocki, he is 25 year DTC veteran who pivoted from a turnaround CEO to a SAAS founder. Drew's known for turning around 3 x hundred million dollar brands that were bleeding cash and shepherding them to an exit. He now runs PostPilot, the top direct mail platform for Shopify. Highlight Bullets> Here's a glimpse of what you would learn…. Strategies for increasing revenue in e-commerce businesses.Importance of customer segmentation and understanding customer behavior.RFM (Recency, Frequency, Monetary) analysis for identifying valuable customers.Data-driven decision-making and leveraging analytics for growth.Focus on customer lifetime value (LTV) and its impact on marketing budgets.Continuous improvement and iterative assessment of marketing strategies.Diversification of sales channels beyond platforms like Amazon.Utilizing direct mail as a complementary marketing channel.Emphasis on brand visibility and presence across multiple platforms.Cost-cutting strategies and prioritizing profitability over revenue.In this episode of the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast, host Josh Hadley interviews Drew Sanocki, a 25-year veteran in direct-to-consumer (DTC) e-commerce and founder of Post Pilot. The discussion centers on strategies for scaling e-commerce businesses, focusing on customer segmentation, data analytics, and revenue multipliers. Drew shares insights on improving revenue through customer retention, diversifying sales channels, and leveraging direct mail. He emphasizes the importance of understanding customer behavior, using data-driven decision-making, and maintaining profitability. The episode offers actionable takeaways for seven-figure business owners aiming to scale to eight figures and beyond.Here are the 3 action items that Josh identified from this episode:Maximize Customer Segmentation with RFM Analysis – Use RFM (Recency, Frequency, Monetary) analysis to categorize customers based on their purchasing behavior. Identify high-value customers and tailor marketing strategies to boost retention, upselling, and repeat purchases. This approach reduces reliance on discounting and enhances long-term profitability.Diversify Sales Channels to Reduce Risk – Avoid over-reliance on Amazon by establishing your own direct-to-consumer (DTC) platform, such as a Shopify store. This enables better control over customer data, improved brand visibility, and a more stable revenue stream through multiple touchpoints, including retail, social commerce, and direct mail marketing.Cut Costs Without Compromising Growth – Regularly reassess operational expenses by renegotiating contracts, transitioning to cost-effective platforms like Shopify and Klaviyo, and avoiding long custom IT projects. Prioritize investments in strategic growth areas while eliminating unnecessary expenditures to maintain profitability.Resources mentioned in this episode:Here are the mentions with timestamps arranged by topic:Ecomm BreakthroughJosh Hadley on LinkedIneComm Breakthrough YouTubeeComm Breakthrough ConsultingeComm Breakthrough PodcastEmail Josh Hadley: Josh@eCommBreakthrough.comAmazonPost Pilot  Klaviyo  Shopify  RFM (Recency, Frequency, Monetary)ICE Scoring MethodTurnaround Tips by Drew SanockiHow Brands Grow by Drew Sanocki80/20 Sales and MarketingJay AbrahamDavid HitchcockSpecial Mention(s):Adam “Heist” Runquist on LinkedInKevin King on LinkedInMichael E. Gerber on LinkedInRelated Episode(s):“Cracking the Amazon Code: Learn From Adam Heist's Brand Scaling Secrets” on the eComm Breakthrough Podcast“Kevin King's Wicked-Smart Tips for Building an Audience of Raving Fans” on the eComm Breakthrough Podcast“Unlocking Entrepreneurial Greatness | Insider Secrets With E-myth Author Michael Gerber” on the eComm Breakthrough PodcastEpisode SponsorThis episode is brought to you by eComm Breakthrough Consulting where I help seven-figure e-commerce owners grow to eight figures. I started Hadley Designs in 2015 and grew it to an eight-figure brand in seven years.I made mistakes along the way that made the path to eight figures longer. At times I doubted whether our business could even survive and become a real brand. I wish I would have had a guide to help me grow faster and avoid the stumbling blocks.If you've hit a plateau and want to know the next steps to take your business to the next level, then go to www.EcommBreakthrough.com (that's Ecomm with two M's) to learn more.Transcript AreaJosh Hadley 00:00:00  Welcome to the Ecomm Breakthrough podcast. I'm your host, Josh Hadley, where I interview the top business leaders in e-commerce. Past guests include Kevin King, Michael Gerber, author of The E-myth, and Matt Clark from ASM. Today I am speaking with Drew Sanocki, and we are going to be talking about three multiplier levers that you'll be able to pull in your business to increase revenue. This epi...

Managed service providers (MSPs) are increasingly allocating budgets for ransomware payments, with a recent report indicating that 45% have set aside funds specifically for this purpose. This trend raises concerns about normalizing the act of paying criminals, as many experts argue that such practices inadvertently support criminal activities. While some MSPs are turning to cyber insurance for protection, a significant portion remains vulnerable due to a lack of allocated budgets for ransomware payments or insurance. Additionally, MSP leaders are increasingly worried about artificial intelligence threats, which have surpassed traditional concerns like ransomware and malware.A study by AppOmni reveals a troubling disconnect in the security posture of organizations using software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications. Despite 75% of organizations reporting breaches in the past year, 89% believe they have adequate visibility into their security environments. The study highlights that many incidents stem from permission issues and misconfigurations, emphasizing the need for improved security hygiene. Providers are urged to focus on addressing these basic issues rather than preparing for ransom payments, as this is where they can truly add value and protect their clients.In a concerning development, a startup has been found selling hacked data from over 50 million computers to various industries, including debt collectors and divorce attorneys. This practice raises ethical and legal questions, as the sale of such information may not be illegal in many jurisdictions. Additionally, researchers have discovered nearly 2,000 AI protocol servers exposed online without any authentication, posing significant risks to sensitive data. Experts warn that individuals whose data is sold may remain unaware of the exploitation of their personal information, highlighting the urgent need for stronger data protections.The UK government is reconsidering its demand for Apple to provide access to encrypted user data, influenced by pressure from the U.S. government. This shift comes after Apple withdrew its Advanced Data Protection Service from the UK, emphasizing its commitment to user privacy. Meanwhile, Meta has rejected the EU's Code of Practice for Artificial Intelligence, citing concerns over regulatory overreach. In contrast, OpenAI has formed a strategic partnership with the UK government to enhance the country's AI infrastructure, indicating a growing trend of governments aligning with major tech players in the AI sector. For MSPs, these developments underscore the importance of engaging in conversations about encryption resilience and understanding the evolving regulatory landscape. Four things to know today 00:00 45% of MSPs Planning to Pay Hackers? SaaS Breach Rates Show Why That's the Wrong Bet03:55 Startup Sells Data From 50M Hacked PCs as AI Servers Leak Sensitive Info Without Authentication06:18 UK May Drop Apple Encryption Backdoor Demand Amid US Pressure; OpenAI and Meta Make Diverging EU Moves09:15 Microsoft Patches Critical SharePoint Flaws as China-Linked Actor Linked to Incident  Supported by:  https://getnerdio.com/nerdio-manager-for-msp/  Tell us about a newsletter! https://bit.ly/biztechnewsletter All our Sponsors: https://businessof.tech/sponsors/ Do you want the show on your podcast app or the written versions of the stories? Subscribe to the Business of Tech: https://www.businessof.tech/subscribe/Looking for a link from the stories? The entire script of the show, with links to articles, are posted in each story on https://www.businessof.tech/ Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mspradio/ Want to be a guest on Business of Tech: Daily 10-Minute IT Services Insights? Send Dave Sobel a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/businessoftech Want our stuff? Cool Merch? Wear “Why Do We Care?” - Visit https://mspradio.myspreadshop.com Follow us on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28908079/YouTube: https://youtube.com/mspradio/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mspradionews/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mspradio/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@businessoftechBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/businessof.tech

Why 80% of Outbound Sales Fails, and how to Fix It? Outbound sales is one of the most powerful yet misunderstood channels for SaaS growth. Despite the growing popularity of automation tools and AI-driven messaging, most outbound efforts still fall flat. In this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS Podcast, Joran Hofman interviews Besnik Vrellaku, founder of SalesFlow.io, to dissect exactly why outbound often underperforms and more importantly, how founders can fix it. Whether you're a SaaS startup trying to land your first 50 customers or a scaling team looking to build a repeatable outbound engine, this conversation delivers practical, no-nonsense insights you can use immediately. Besnik shares what's broken in most outbound strategies, the mindset shift founders must adopt, the real economics behind outbound success, and how tools like AI and intent data are changing the game in 2025. If you've ever asked yourself “Does outbound still work?” this episode gives you the honest, data-backed answer.Key Timestamps(0:00) – Episode intro by Joran Hofman(0:52) – Guest intro: Besnik Vreljaku(1:32) – Icebreaker: "Worst cold outreach fail you've seen?"(3:11) – Does outbound still work? (Spoiler: Yes, but it's evolving)(4:25) – Why SaaS founders should care about outbound (esp. bootstrapped)(6:10) – Case study: Niche ICPs (e.g., affiliate program migration)(7:40) – #1 Mistake: Low AOV (< $5K) → Hard to scale(9:57) – Solution: Start with high-ACV customers(10:39) – ACV vs. AOV: What's the difference?(12:07) – Step 1: Choose the right tool (Security > shiny features)(14:13) – Step 2: Niche down ICPs + use social proof(14:38) – Step 3: Hyper-personalization (Custom variables > generic)(16:45) – Pro tip: Use AI (Claude, Warmly) for data enrichment(17:48) – Avoid fake personalization (e.g., fake logos)(20:04) – SalesFlow's benchmark: 35% reply rates(21:47) – Rejections: "No" is the start of the conversation(26:07) – Future trend: First-party data + AI prospecting(27:49) – Why LinkedIn > Email (email deliverability drop)(29:02) – $0–$10K MRR: Validate with outbound interviews or paid ads(30:48) – $10K–$10M ARR: Bet on people + brand momentum(32:12) – Expect compromises: AI competitors, pricing pressure(34:39) – Recap of key takeaways(36:19) – Connect with Besnik

Most SaaS founders pay attention to churn, but beneath the surface of a good or bad churn number, many important details are missed.   In this episode of In Demand, Asia and Kim break down the real story behind churn. What the numbers do and don't tell you and how to dig deeper to uncover the patterns driving customer retention (or loss).  From understanding net revenue retention to running effective churn interviews, this is the ultimate primer on diagnosing and solving churn for your SaaS. Got a question you'd like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here. Links:  DemandMaven ProfitWell ChurnKey ChartMogul Chapters (00:01:30) - Why a 5% churn rate may not be as healthy as you think.(00:03:55) - How do you measure churn? And getting detailed with qualified vs. unqualified churn and why you need to measure both.(00:06:05) - How to set up onboarding to keep track of qualified vs. unqualified churn.(00:07:30) - Understanding cohort-based churn and net revenue retention (NRR).(00:09:19) - How to interpret NRR and what benchmarks really mean.(00:13:35) - Why getting into segmented NRR is valuable.(00:16:30) - Churn is nuanced. If you are looking at a monthly churn number, you could be missing the bigger picture.(00:17:00) - If you collect cancellation reasons, you may miss the real reasons your customers are churning.(00:21:15) - How to conduct effective churn interviews (with participants who will actually attend) and the churn matrix: qualified/unqualified vs. activated/inactivated.(00:26:45) - What churn interviews can reveal: product confusion, missing features, poor product marketing.(00:27:30) - Product management issues that can come up in churn interviews.(00:31:15) - How to pre-select who to interview to give yourself the best chance of finding meaningful insights.(00:35:00) - Why churned customers are more talkative than trial users.(00:37:05) - What good churn research uncovers: acquisition, pricing, activation, product gaps.

Secure your privacy with Surfshark! Enter coupon code BRAVESEA for an extra 4 months at www.surfshark.com/BRAVESEA Bernard Leong, founder of Dorje AI and host of Analyse Asia, joins Jeremy Au to explore how AI is transforming software development, business models, and professional roles across Southeast Asia. They break down why dev houses are losing ground, how AI accelerates coding and reshapes team structures, and why traditional SaaS and education models must evolve. Bernard shares how he replaced an outsourced dev team using AI tools, the dangers of hallucinated code libraries, and his vision for a new enterprise software model powered by prompt engineering and cloud-based trust. 00:42: Traditional software development can't keep up with AI timelines: Bernard shares how he replaced a dev house that took five months with a feature he built in 20 minutes using 50 AI prompts during a flight. This led to firing the team and redesigning the internal workflow around speed and AI tools. 06:26: Frontend moves fast with AI, but backend demands real engineering: While vibe coding speeds up prototypes, Bernard highlights backend risks like hallucinated libraries from ChatGPT. He stresses the need for strong DevOps rules, audit trails, and secure infrastructure to prevent system vulnerabilities. 09:18: Dev houses need to reskill or become obsolete: Bernard criticizes dev houses for slow JIRA-based processes and poor QA. His lean team rebuilt what took five months in just six weeks by focusing on code quality, automation, and prompt engineering. He urges retraining junior developers to stay relevant. 20:43: AI is replacing repetitive junior roles across professions: Bernard sees AI displacing junior coders, lawyers, accountants, and consultants. He shares how his ex-lawyer wife saw this coming, and cites an MIT study where only senior professionals could spot and fix AI mistakes, while juniors added little value. 23:39: Education must shift from banning AI to measuring real thinking: Bernard describes showing students how ChatGPT completes their essays in seconds. He calls for testing reasoning and prompting skills rather than memorization. 31:57: Organizations will become lean, AI-native teams: Bernard predicts companies will move from pyramids to diamond-shaped org charts. He now trials contractors and only hires those who scale with AI. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/bernard-leong-code-without-coders Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Vietnamese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts

In a special episode from the DisrupTV studios, marketing visionaries Christopher Lochhead, Ray Wang, Vala Afshar, and guest Sunil Karkera dive deep into the themes of Christopher Lochhead's latest book, The Existing Market Trap. The conversation is a masterclass in modern marketing strategy, category design, and the seismic impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on business. If you're a marketer, entrepreneur, or executive looking to future-proof your company and career, this episode is a must-listen. You're listening to Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different. We are the real dialogue podcast for people with a different mind. So get your mind in a different place, and hey ho, let's go. Understanding the Existing Market Trap Most companies fail not because their products are bad, but because they compare their innovations to old market standards. This “existing market trap” forces them to compete in crowded, established categories, dooming them to incremental improvements and eventual irrelevance. Lochhead warns that trillions in investment will be lost if companies keep chasing existing markets instead of creating new ones, and much of the 90%+ startup failure rate is due to the trap of incrementalism, trying to be “better” rather than “different.” The key is to stop benchmarking new products against legacy solutions and instead ask: What new problem are we solving, and how can we define a new category around it? The Power of Category Design Category design is the discipline of creating and dominating new market categories. It's not just a marketing tactic, it's a strategic mindset shift. Markets are groups of people with a shared problem, while categories are defined by what people believe can solve that problem. Companies like OpenAI and Nvidia didn't chase existing demand, they created it. Legendary category designers start with a vision of a radically different future and work backward, understanding that the language used to describe a product and category shapes what people believe is possible. Ultimately, the most powerful thing you can “ship” is a new belief about what's possible. Rather than out-featuring competitors, the goal is to redefine the game and build the aisle, not just fight for shelf space. AI as a Co-Founder, Not a Copilot Treating AI as a mere “assistant” or “copilot” is a massive missed opportunity. AI should be the core foundation of your business and career. When AI is just an add-on, it leads to incremental change, but when it is treated as a co-founder, it enables exponential, net-new value creation. The next generation will be “native AI”; they'll expect AI to be at the center of everything. To take advantage of this, businesses should integrate AI deeply, building processes, products, and even company culture around AI from the ground up, and reimagine roles so that AI is seen as a creative partner, not just a tool. To hear more of this amazing dialogue between marketing geniuses, download and listen to this episode.  Links If you wish to check out more episodes from DisrupTV, you can do so on these links: LinkedIn | X (formerly Twitter) | Youtube | Apple Podcast | Website We hope you enjoyed this episode of Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different™! Christopher loves hearing from his listeners. Feel free to email him, connect on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and subscribe on Apple Podcast / Spotify!

Douglas James is the Founder and CEO of a SAAS platform called LeadFi.ai - LeadFi focuses on helping businesses reveal the exact buying power of their leads in real-time. Using just name, email and phone, LeadFi provides complete credit and financial information allowing Sales Teams to prioritize high value prospects and allows Marketing Teams to target 700+ credit score audiences. LeadFi is disrupting the Online Marketing space, giving businesses a true competitive advantage with cutting edge innovation and technology.Douglas James has been traffic and sales mogul for the last 10 years, mastering online traffic and high ticket phone sales growing his consulting and coaching businesses to over $70 Million. He's profitably spent over $30 Million on paid ads for his own offers. His programs have mentored over 15,000 entrepreneurs, professionals and military veterans on how to scale their businesses online. Douglas is also a strategic investor in blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, commodity trading, and commercial real estate, evidencing a robust understanding of the diverse investment landscape.Today, Mark Savant sits down with Douglas James to explore the raw realities and exciting opportunities emerging in the age of artificial intelligence.Douglas shares his rollercoaster entrepreneurial journey, including a jaw-dropping $6 million business setback and how he bounced back by leveraging cutting-edge AI tools to revolutionize sales and lead qualification. Together, they dive into the shifting American workforce, the tidal wave of automation threatening traditional jobs, and what it truly takes to thrive as a leader, husband, and father in the next decade. Douglas pulls back the curtain on how AI is transforming businesses, from automating call centers to redefining high-ticket sales—and why staying ahead of the technology curve is no longer optional, but essential. Whether you're a business owner, marketer, or someone worried about the future of work, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you ride the wave of AI disruption.In this conversation, you'll learn:The game-changing AI process that delivers real-time soft credit checks with only a name, email, and phone number.How Douglas' AI solutions enabled a client to fire 160 staff and boost revenue by $160 million.Why strategic funding offers can generate up to 80 percent of your revenue in high-ticket sales.The exact mindset and skills needed to survive and thrive as AI disrupts traditional jobs in America.The three pillars every entrepreneur must use to deliver maximum value: increasing income, improving health, and saving relationships.Key Takeaways:Waiting will cost you market share; AI is now a necessity, not a luxury.Tie your work to the company's bottom line to stand o_____________________________________________

In Episode 86 of the Digital Velocity Podcast, Erik Martinez welcomes Dugan Bridges, founder and Chief Creative Director of F7 Film Distillery, to explore how cinematic storytelling is transforming digital marketing. Bridges shares his journey from screenwriter and director to helping brands connect with audiences through high-impact video content. This episode dives into the hidden cost-benefit analysis behind professional video, why still photography is no longer enough, and how emotion, music, and visual storytelling forge lasting brand impressions. From startup case studies to Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) brands seeking scalability, listeners will learn how to repurpose high-resolution video for long-term marketing ROI, overcome production fears, and redefine their content strategy in a video-first world. Whether you're in retail, SaaS, or B2B, Dugan makes the case that video isn't just a ‘nice-to-have'—it's essential for trust, memorability, and market differentiation in today's digital economy.

Nate Littlewood, fractional CFO and mentor, is on today's episode to shed some light on the 3 most common financial challenges that affects most e-commerce entrepreneurs and talks about how to fix them. He talks about the ways you can optimize inventory, cash flow, and reduce overhead costs.  Get mystery shopped for your brand and 2 competitors of your choice FOR FREE! Stord will provide a detailed report that outlines the specific areas you are out performing your competitors and where your competitors are outperforming you. Learn how your consumers truly experience your brand today! Cash flow is king when it comes to e-commerce businesses.  More often than not business owners need to use debt to order more inventory, while keeping the price the same.  Does that really make sense if all your profit ends up going to your SBA loan leaving you with nothing?  It doesn't.  That's why in today's episode we have Nate Littlewood on the podcast. He's a fractional CFO with a background in finance, and he helps e-commerce entrepreneurs figure out how they can improve their finance literacy. He's on the podcast today to talk about the 3 ways e-commerce businesses can improve their profit margins so they  can start feeling their bank accounts grow.    The Big Takeaways Many entrepreneurs have most of their cash flow tied up in inventory, making business cash flow a huge struggle.  Fixing inventory can be an easy way to gain back some cash flow which makes your business more nimble and adaptable. Every now and then, you should assume that your SaaS budget is zero and make a case for why certain tools need to be purchased again. The 80-20 rule or The Pareto principle should help you with deciding which products to axe and which to keep. Offering more product variations does not lead to linear increased sales. Having low cash flow stops your business from growing faster than it could. Investing in supply chain optimization can also free up cash flow for your business. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to Financial Challenges in E-commerce 03:02 - Understanding Inventory Management and Cash Flow 18:48 - Optimizing Indirect and Overhead Costs 25:02 - Negotiating Discounts and Customer Retention 26:29 - Identifying Overspending in SaaS and Marketing 28:23 - The Importance of Inventory Management 30:40 - The Unsexy Side of Business Operations 32:00 - Applying the Pareto Principle to Product Portfolios 39:00 - The Dangers of Overcomplicating Product Offerings 41:03 - Focusing on Strengths and Delegating Tasks 44:28 - Helping Founders Achieve Financial Clarity Guest Resources Nate Littlewood's Website Nate's Free Cash Flow Improvement Course Nate LinkedIn Page As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

James has been vibe coding a full production site completely with VS Code and walks us through his steps to get to production and almost to the point of accepting money from customers! Follow Us Frank: Twitter, Blog, GitHub James: Twitter, Blog, GitHub Merge Conflict: Twitter, Facebook, Website, Chat on Discord Music : Amethyst Seer - Citrine by Adventureface ⭐⭐ Review Us (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/merge-conflict/id1133064277?mt=2&ls=1) ⭐⭐ Machine transcription available on http://mergeconflict.fm

Why you should listenJon Topper reveals how to transform client cloud platform complaints into profitable migration projects, including access to substantial AWS funding programs most consultants don't know exist.Learn the real truth about AWS partnerships - why they don't deliver leads as promised and the relationship strategy that actually works to generate opportunities.Discover how to build authority in the cloud space that gets you noticed by platform sales teams, using the same approach that led to Jon's acquisition by a 400-person company.As a tech consultant, you've probably heard clients complaining about their current cloud platform costs, performance issues, or vendor lock-in nightmares. What if I told you there's a way to turn those complaints into profitable migration projects - and there's significant funding available to help them migrate? In this episode, I talk with Jon Topper from The Scale Factory, who shares exactly how to position yourself as the hero who solves their biggest cloud headaches. We dive into the real economics of cloud migration, when to recommend the move, and how to build the authority that gets platform sales teams to notice you.About Jon TopperJon Topper is the founder of The Scale Factory, an award-winning AWS partner, now part of Ten10. His team helps SaaS companies and other businesses get more from their cloud platforms by providing consulting, engineering, and support services to design, build, operate, and scale their infrastructure. In his career spanning two decades, Jon has worked on infrastructure problems for both Fortune 500 companies and startups across various market sectors.Resources and LinksScalefactory.comJon's LinkedIn profileJon on Bluesky: ‪@topper.me.uk‬Amazon BedrockClaude.aiIncident.ioCTO Craft CommunityRANDS Leadership Slack communityPrevious episode: 623 - Struggling to Pick a Niche?Check out more episodes of the Paul Higgins PodcastSubscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoringFree Training for AI & Tech Consultants Ready to Stop Trading Time for MoneyJoin our newsletterSuggested resourceIf you think Jon and his team could help with your AWS platform, visit scalefactory.com and book a call with one of their experts!

Hewlett Packard warns of hardcoded passwords in Aruba access points SharePoint zero-day exploited via RCE, no patch available Russian vodka producer suffers ransomware attack Huge thanks to our sponsor, Nudge Security Discover every SaaS account ever created by anyone in your org within minutes of starting a free trial. Harden configs, enforce MFA, revoke risky app-to-app access, and more. Learn more at NudgeSecurity.com Find the stories behind the headlines at CISOseries.com.  

Aviatrix survey reveals only 8% of enterprises have effective Zero Trust — and why network security needs to catch up “Without all three legs, you don't have a stool — therefore, you don't really have Zero Trust.” — Doug Merritt, CEO, Aviatrix In a revealing interview with Technology Reseller News, Aviatrix CEO Doug Merritt joins publisher Doug Green to spotlight the cloud security gap most enterprises don't yet realize they have — and what Aviatrix is doing to solve it. Drawing on a just-released survey of 403 U.S. IT professionals, Merritt paints a sobering picture: only 8% of respondents believe they have an effective Zero Trust security stance in the cloud. While identity and endpoint protections have advanced, the third critical leg — network security — is largely missing. That gap, says Merritt, is what Aviatrix is closing with its Cloud Native Security Fabric (CNSF). Founded by a pioneering female Cisco engineer, Aviatrix brings deep roots in software-defined networking and cloud infrastructure. Today, the company is evolving into a cloud security leader by embedding inline network protection that adapts to cloud-native realities: atomized perimeters, ephemeral workloads, and increasingly complex DevOps pipelines. “The internet is now the enterprise network,” Merritt explains. “Your perimeter isn't five data centers — it's tens of thousands of ephemeral endpoints, APIs, and SaaS services.” Key insights from the podcast include: Why CNSF matters: CNSF forms the third leg of a Zero Trust framework alongside identity and endpoint security — bringing visibility, enforcement, and micro/macrosegmentation into cloud network traffic. Alarming survey findings: 2 out of 3 enterprises struggle with deploying cloud firewalls, over 50% cite visibility blind spots, and 85% report difficulties securing DevOps pipelines. Cloud threats on the rise: The shift to agentic AI and increasingly automated cyber threats make it essential to monitor east-west and egress traffic within the cloud — stopping lateral movement and command-and-control attacks before they spread. Channel opportunity: Aviatrix offers a partner-friendly CNSF solution that complements existing tools like CrowdStrike, Zscaler, Wiz, and cloud-native firewalls — with modular deployment, flexible integration, and a well-designed partner program. For organizations seeking to close their cloud network security blind spots, Aviatrix provides a free Network Security Blind Spot Assessment. And for those wanting to dig deeper, the full survey is available at aviatrix.com/resources. Learn more: https://aviatrix.com

Building software today? Easy. But standing out in a saturated SaaS market—with 40,000+ new apps launching each year—is a whole different game.In this can't-miss episode, Godard Abel—Co-Founder and CEO of G2—breaks down exactly how G2 thrives amidst the AI explosion shaking up the B2B software industry. With 50 new AI software categories emerging in the past year alone, discover how the industry's top platform stays ahead.Tune in to uncover:How G2 navigates an app marketplace flooded by AI startups (and how you can, too).The surprising shifts in buyer behavior that are transforming B2B sales.G2's unique strategy for embedding their platform into leading AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot.Practical tactics for positioning your software as the go-to choice in an overcrowded market.Why brands leveraging authentic, human-driven content dominate AI-powered discovery platforms."AI won't replace humans, but humans with AI will replace humans without AI," Godard warns. If you're serious about staying ahead in sales, marketing, or RevOps, this conversation will equip you with actionable strategies you can use right now.About Godard Abel:Godard has built and sold three software companies. His first two exits—BigMachines and SteelBrick—went to Oracle and Salesforce for a combined $760 million. Now he's running G2, which became the world's largest software marketplace and trains the AI tools your prospects use to research vendors.About the Show:What does it really take to grow a B2B business today? We ask the people doing it.The Belkins Podcast dives deep into the strategies, decisions, and behind-the-scenes insights driving real growth at top B2B companies. Each episode features candid conversations with industry heavyweights—CROs, CMOs, founders, and seasoned operators—who've navigated market downturns, scaled teams, and mastered the realities of revenue growth.You'll hear hard truths, unfiltered insights, and actionable tactics directly from leaders who've actually done the work.Chapters:00:00 - Introducing Godard Abel02:30 - Why Building Software is Easy But B2B Marketing is 10x Harder in 202504:14- 40,000 New Apps Launched on G2 in One Year: Software Market Saturation05:42 - Should Your SaaS Company Pivot to AI or Add AI Features?09:01- Multi-Product Strategy: How to Compete in Multiple Software Categories16:13- HubSpot's API Integration Strategy: How to Build on Existing Platforms19:54- AI Categories See 100% Traffic Growth While Traditional SaaS Declines23:29- Personal Branding vs Corporate Marketing: Why CEO Posts Get 10x More Engagement39:16 - How to Rank in ChatGPT and Claude: Building Authority for AI Training Data (Tips for writers)48:13- How G2 Competes with ChatGPT: Partnership Strategy vs Fighting AI Search53:49 - AI Buying Agents: The Future of B2B Software Purchasing (G2AI Demo)01:15:01- From Single-Function BDRs to Full-Stack Revenue Professionals01:17:24 - From Hiring More to Revenue Per Employee: The New Growth Metric01:23:01 - Thanks for watching!

In this episode, we sit down with Derik Quinn, Managing Director at Spaulding Ridge, to explore the fast-evolving landscape of CPQ, Revenue Management, and Salesforce Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA). Derik shares insights from his two-decade journey across BigMachines, Apttus, Argano, and now Spaulding Ridge, where he leads large-scale quote-to-cash transformations in manufacturing, high-tech, and medtech. We discuss the shift toward constraint-based configuration, the excitement around Dynamic Revenue Orchestration (DRO), and why Salesforce RCA is gaining traction across industries. Derik highlights differences in adoption trends—new implementations in manufacturing versus migrations in high-tech—and the growing interest in AI for sales efficiency and revenue intelligence. With over 100 RCA consultants globally, Spaulding Ridge is driving momentum into Dreamforce and beyond. Plus, we hear about Derik's passion for endurance sports, parenting two active daughters, and how customer KPIs shape project success. If you're interested in quote-to-cash innovation, Salesforce RCA adoption, or industry-specific CPQ trends, this episode delivers expert perspectives you won't want to miss.

Secure your privacy with Surfshark! Enter coupon code BRAVESEA for an extra 4 months at www.surfshark.com/BRAVESEA Saurabh Chauhan, Co-founder and CEO of Peakflo, returns to BRAVE with Jeremy Au to reflect on their journey since first meeting at Entrepreneur First in 2020. They unpack how Saurabh identified pain points in finance ops during his time with Rocket Internet, how he structured his co-founder search, and how early customer interviews shaped Peakflo's product roadmap. They explore why he rejected the social commerce hype, how Y Combinator reset his scale ambitions, and how Google's AI Accelerator helped move Peakflo from traditional SaaS to agentic workflows. They also discuss startup fraud detection and how external stakeholders can cut through opacity. 02:40: Why Saurabh joined EF: He had identified cash flow and supplier payment issues in past startups and wanted to solve this. EF was attractive for its high technical founder density, which led to matching with Dmitry, a PhD in AI and former CDO at AirAsia. 10:02: Rejected social commerce despite hype: Saurabh entered EF with two ideas—cutting customer acquisition costs and finance automation. Interviews with 30 to 40 operators in social commerce showed no real CAC compression and surfaced product quality and platform leakage issues. 23:47: Peakflo started with accounts receivable automation: They built modules like collections, dispute management, customer portals, and payment reconciliation. It took over a year to fully build the AR stack from late 2020 to 2022. 25:40: Accounts payable followed based on demand: Customers didn't want to use two systems. Peakflo added AP features like invoice capture, PO matching, and supplier payments, which took another year and launched by late 2023. 28:30: Google AI Accelerator pushed the move toward agentic workflows: Peakflo now builds AI agents to perform human tasks like logging into client portals, submitting invoices, and reconciling ERP systems. 30:26: Voice AI agents now handle collection calls: The agent knows invoice details, dispute history, and broken promises to pay. It engages clients like a collection officer, takes notes, and feeds updates into follow-up workflows. 36:32: Agentic workflows are the future of finance ops: Saurabh sees Peakflo evolving into a workflow engine powered by AI agents across back-office functions like lead qualification, collections, and month-end closing. Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Vietnamese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts

At #AILA2025, I cornered Philip Yadidian and Greg Siskind—the CEOs behind eimmigration by Cerenade—for a standing-room interview about how they're reshaping immigration law with AI.

After losing what he believed was his dream job as an architect during the 2008 recession, Pat Flynn was driven into entrepreneurship with no plan B, no funding, and zero business experience. Facing intense uncertainty and financial stress, he discovered affiliate marketing and began building an online business from scratch. That hustle eventually grew into a multimillion-dollar passive income empire. In this episode, Pat shares actionable strategies for marketing, building your audience, and growing your online business the smart way – including how to create superfans and generate multiple streams of passive income. In this episode, Hala and Pat will discuss:  (00:00) Introduction (02:48) How Getting Laid Off Sparked Pat's Online Business(07:51) Evolution of Smart Passive Income's Business Model(13:43) Building Community-Powered Courses That Stick(19:24) Affiliate Marketing Strategies That Actually Work(28:47) Why Superfans Matter in Entrepreneurship(34:29) Turning Fans Into Your Free Marketing Team (39:46) “Learning the Lyrics” of Your Audience (44:04) The Power of Naming and Labeling Your Audience (50:43) Co-Creation: Making Your Audience Feel Seen (55:42) Why Community Is the New Currency Pat Flynn is a serial entrepreneur, startup advisor, and founder of Smart Passive Income (SPI), a leading online education platform for digital entrepreneurs. He is the host of the top-ranked Smart Passive Income podcast, a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, and an advisor to several high-growth SaaS companies. Through his signature programs like the SPI All-Access Pass and SPI Pro, Pat has helped millions of entrepreneurs master affiliate marketing, build engaged communities, and create sustainable passive income streams. Sponsored By: Sponsored By: Shopify - Start your $1/month trial at Shopify.com/profiting. Indeed - Get a $75 sponsored job credit to boost your job's visibility at Indeed.com/PROFITING OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first 6 months at OpenPhone.com/profiting. Airbnb - Find a co-host at airbnb.com/host Boulevard - Get 10% off your first year at joinblvd.com/profiting when you book a demo   Resources Mentioned: Pat's Book, Superfans: bit.ly/_SuperfansPat's Website: smartpassiveincome.com  Active Deals - youngandprofiting.com/deals         Key YAP Links Reviews - ratethispodcast.com/yap  Youtube - youtube.com/c/YoungandProfiting  LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/htaha/  Instagram - instagram.com/yapwithhala/  Social + Podcast Services - yapmedia.com   Transcripts - youngandprofiting.com/episodes-new    Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship podcast, Business, Business podcast, Self Improvement, Self-Improvement, Personal development, Starting a business, Strategy, Investing, Sales, Selling, Psychology, Productivity, Entrepreneurs, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Marketing, Negotiation, Money, Finance, Side hustle, Startup, Career, Leadership, Mindset, Health, Growth mindset, side hustle, Starting a business, Solopreneur, Founder, Networking 

For SaaS founders and revenue leaders, the path to profitability often feels unclear. The secret to monetizing your product isn't just about the numbers; it's about building lasting customer trust. In a recent interview, Bill Wilson of Pace Pricing broke down why a strong pricing strategy is a powerful growth lever. He emphasized that trust is your most valuable asset. Price changes, especially if mishandled, can destroy it overnight. The best way to build that trust is through transparency. Communicate what's changing and, more importantly, why. Customers are willing to accept price increases if they trust you and see the ongoing value you provide. Bill also warned against "unmanaged discounting," which can devalue your product and destroy margins. By establishing clear policies and avoiding discounts on your core value metrics, you can protect your brand and ensure long-term health. Ultimately, confident monetization comes from understanding your true value and communicating it clearly, which in turn builds a powerful foundation of customer loyalty.    

INTELLIGEMSIntelligems brings A/B testing to business decisions beyond copy and design. Test your pricing, shipping charges, free shipping thresholds, offers, SaaS tools, and more by clicking here: https://bit.ly/42DcmFl. Get 20% off the first 3 months with code FARIS20.FERMATCreate funnels the same way you create ads with FERMAT by visiting ⁠⁠https://fermatcommerce.com/af//What do you do when your eCommerce brand stalls—not failing, just stuck?In this tactical deep dive, Andrew walks through a real case study of a 7-figure brand that turned stalled momentum into its most profitable non-holiday month ever. You'll get specific data breakdowns on how changes in spend allocation, campaign strategy (including a massive shift toward Target ROAS), product prioritization, and CRO testing led to a whopping 88% increase in contribution margin—without increasing spend.If you're an operator feeling the pressure to grow but watching margins shrink, this episode is your playbook. Learn how to:- Run leaner without killing momentum- Make Meta's learning phase work for you- Use price testing and retention ads to boost profit per visitor- Think beyond creative volume to win consistently- Reinvest profit into real growth, like product development or new channels//CHAPTER TITLES:00:01:28 - My Brand Experienced Stalled Growth00:05:08 - Less Spend, More Efficient YoY00:06:56 - Spend Down, New Customer Revenue Up00:10:15 - Media Buying Changes00:13:54 - The Limits of Creative Diversity00:18:00 - Product Distribution00:21:17 - Key Takeaways00:28:15 - Spend Smarter Not Harder// SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL FOR 2X/WEEKLY UPLOADS!//ADMISSIONGet the best media buying training on the Internet + a free coaching call with Common Thread Collective's media buyers when you sign up for ADmission here: ⁠https://www.youradmission.co/andrew-faris-podcast⁠//FOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/andrewjfaris ⁠Email: podcast@ajfgrowth.comWork with Andrew: ⁠https://ajfgrowth.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this podcast episode, Michelle Frechette interviews Natalie MacLee and Nathan Tyler, co-founders of NSquared. They discuss their journey from developing popular WordPress plugins to launching SaaS products like Aaardvark, an accessibility platform, and Blink Metrics, a data management tool for small businesses. The conversation covers the challenges of fragmented business data, the importance of web accessibility, and the differences between WordPress plugins and SaaS solutions, highlighting N Squared's commitment to innovation and supporting both the WordPress community and broader digital needs.Top Takeaways:From WordPress Roots to SaaS Expansion: Natalie MacLees and Nathan Tyler started with successful WordPress plugins like Simply Schedule Appointments and Draw Attention. Realizing some challenges couldn't be solved within WordPress alone, they expanded into SaaS to build scalable tools that work both inside and outside the WordPress ecosystem.Introducing Aaardvark and Blink Metrics: Their new tools—Aaardvark and Blink Metrics—tackle accessibility and data overwhelm. Aaardvark offers automated and manual accessibility testing, with WordPress integration. Blink Metrics pulls data from multiple sources into a centralized, easy-to-read dashboard for small businesses, simplifying decision-making.Prioritizing Accessibility and Innovation:Accessibility is a major focus. Aaardvark is developing an AI tool to check color contrast in complex designs and supports multilingual websites. They're also launching Aaardvark Circle, a community to help professionals improve accessibility in their work.The Marketing Challenge of SaaS vs. WordPress: Marketing SaaS is harder than WordPress plugins, which get exposure through WordPress.org. SaaS tools require outreach and education to build awareness. Natalie and Nathan are leaning into this challenge to grow beyond the WordPress bubble.Coexistence of Platforms and a Broader Mission: Though they're expanding into SaaS, Natalie and Nathan still actively support their WordPress products. They believe in building tools that work across platforms, aiming to improve accessibility and usability for the entire web—not just WordPress users.Mentioned In The Show:N SquaredDraw AttentionSimply Schedule AppointmentsCalendlyAAArdvarkBlink MetricsSimple Client Dashboard 

This Podcast Is Episode 637, And It's About Pillar 1: Marketing - Attracting The Right Construction Jobs A Guide for Small Construction Business Owners (from Your Bookkeeper's Point of View) As construction bookkeeping specialists, we spend a significant amount of time analyzing the numbers behind small construction businesses—everything from job costs to cash flow to profit margins. However, here's the truth most contractors don't hear enough: Your profitability starts before the job even begins. Yes, it starts with the jobs you say yes to—and more importantly, the ones you should start saying no to. In this post, we'll break down what it means to attract the right jobs, how doing so can transform your business, and what practical steps you can take today to stop chasing work that doesn't serve you. First, Why Most Contractors Struggle to Attract the Right Clients Small contractors often accept every job that comes their way, especially when they're just starting or concerned about cash flow. But this creates several problems: Low-paying work that barely covers your costs Clients who delay payment or constantly push scope boundaries Traveling too far for small, unprofitable jobs A lack of consistency in your portfolio and referrals If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. But this cycle drains your energy and your bank account. And it makes your bookkeeping a mess—because when job costs are unclear or inconsistent, it's hard to see which jobs made money and which didn't. The Right Job: What Does That Actually Mean? The "right" job looks a little different for every contractor, but here's a basic framework: You're qualified and equipped to do it well You can complete it profitably (based on your costs and ideal margin) It fits within your service area It aligns with the type of work you want to be known for The client respects your time and process When all five of these boxes are checked, it becomes easier to plan, price, and deliver the work, and you'll often get paid faster and with fewer headaches. Why Your Bookkeeper Cares About the Jobs You Choose From our side of the books, here's what we see when you start attracting better jobs: Cleaner job costing data, because each project has a clear scope and budget Healthier margins, because the client isn't nickel-and-diming you Improved cash flow, because payments come in on time More predictable expenses, so budgeting and forecasting become easier That provides a solid financial foundation to build upon. So, how do we make that shift? 6 Ways to Start Attracting Better Jobs   1. Define Your Niche Clearly Clients won't know what to hire you for unless you tell them—clearly and often. Specializing doesn't limit your options; it sharpens your value. Do you focus on bathrooms, decks, additions, or full remodels? Do you serve residential, commercial, or both types of clients? Are your ideal jobs $5,000 or $50,000? Once you define your sweet spot, you can market smarter and spend less time chasing the wrong leads. 2. Price Your Work with Confidence (Not Emotion) One of the biggest mistakes we see is pricing based on "what you think the client can afford" instead of what the job costs you. That's how good contractors end up underpaid and overworked. With proper job costing and an understanding of your overhead, you can create bids that are both competitive and profitable. And here's the kicker: high-quality clients don't just want the cheapest quote—they want clarity and professionalism. Pricing with confidence attracts better clients. 3. Professional Estimates and Invoicing = Trust Want to stand out from the competition without spending a dime on ads? Use detailed, easy-to-read estimates with clear line items Include terms, timelines, and payment schedules Send professional invoices on time, every time This builds trust right away—and clients are more likely to choose you over "Chuck in a truck," who scribbles an estimate on a notepad. 4. Use Photos, Reviews, and Referrals to Tell Your Story People hire those they trust. And in construction, trust is often built through: Before-and-after photos Client testimonials Word-of-mouth referrals If you're not already collecting these, make it part of your post-job checklist. Ask happy clients for a quick review or permission to take a photo of them. Share success stories on social media and your website. Your work speaks for itself—but only if people can see it. 5. Simplify Your Online Presence You don't need a fancy website to get found—you need: A Google Business Profile (with updated contact info and service area) A few recent photos and reviews A clear description of your services This makes it easy for local clients to find and trust you. We've seen contractors double their inquiries just from a well-maintained Google listing. 6. Pre-Qualify Your Leads Your time is valuable. Before driving out for a quote, ask a few key questions: What's the project timeline? What's your rough budget? Have you worked with contractors before? Is the property ready for work to begin? These questions help you avoid tire-kickers and focus on serious leads. How Bookkeeping Supports Better Marketing Decisions Once you've improved your lead quality and project fit, your bookkeeping data becomes a valuable asset. You'll start to see: Which types of projects are your most profitable Which areas or clients tend to pay faster What marketing sources bring the best leads This allows you to double down on what works—and stop wasting time and money on what doesn't. The Payoff: Less Stress, Better Clients, Stronger Business When you start attracting the right jobs: You waste less time quoting projects that go nowhere You gain consistency in your income and schedule Your financial reports become easier to understand and use You build a brand that clients want to refer and return to It's not about doing more—it's about doing smarter. Need Help Getting Clear on Your Numbers? If you're unsure what your ideal job actually costs—or how to price it for profit—we can help. As construction bookkeeping specialists, we don't just categorize expenses; we also ensure that they are accurately recorded and accounted for. We help you understand: Job costing Profit margins Overhead Cash flow So you can build with confidence and say yes only to the jobs that grow your business, not drain it. Do you need help setting up your job costing system or reviewing your project margins? Book a free consultation, and let's ensure your books are aligned with the type of work you want to do. About The Author: Norhalma Verzosa is a Certified Construction Marketing Professional and works as the Web Admin of Fast Easy Accounting located in Lynnwood, WA. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and a Certified Internet Web Professional with a Site Development Associate, Google AdWords Search Advertising, and HubSpot Academy certifications. She manages the entire web presence of Fast Easy Accounting using a variety of SaaS tools including HubSpot, Teachable, Shopify, and WordPress.

In this episode of The Fintech Combine, host Kris Kovac sits down with Jon Sternstein, founder and CEO of Stern Security, to explore his journey from credit union security engineer to cybersecurity entrepreneur. Jon shares how he built a bootstrapped SaaS platform protecting credit unions and hospital systems, the evolving threat landscape, and why securing the planet starts with smarter, scalable tools.Follow the Pod:https://twitter.com/fintechcombineFollow Kris Kovacs:https://twitter.com/ManagementByteshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kriskovacs/https://www.instagram.com/kriskovacs/The Fintech Combine is Produced and Edited by Anson Beckler-JonesFollow Anson Beckler-JonesInstagram - @ansonandcoYoutube - @ansonandco

In this episode, a16z GP Martin Casado sits down with Metronome CEO Scott Woody to unpack how AI is fundamentally changing the value proposition of software—and why that shift demands a rethink of the traditional SaaS business model.They explore how, in the cloud era, value scaled with the number of users accessing a shared system (think Salesforce). However, in the AI era, value shifts to the work the software performs on your behalf, automating tasks such as writing code or resolving support tickets. As a result, the old value metric of “users” is being replaced by “output,” and it's upending how companies monetize.This conversation goes deep on:What new pricing models will emerge in an AI-native world Why usage-based billing is gaining ground—and where it breaks How to align GTM teams and customer success orgs with evolving value metrics Strategic advice for SaaS founders navigating hybrid business models and incentive designIf you're selling software today, you don't want to miss this discussion.Follow everyone on social media:Scott Woody Martin Casado  Check out everything a16z is doing with artificial intelligence here, including articles, projects, and more podcasts.

Control Points in Vertical SaaS Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Vertical SaaS is a great business model for startups to use. It focuses the product on one specific sector. This brings many advantages in funding, competition, application development, and more. A control point is a strategy for controlling the customer account. This provides a hedge against competition.  In a vertical SaaS business, there are three control points. The first is the workflow. If your product provides the core workflow, you own the operations of the customer's business. This makes it harder for a competitor to displace your solution. The more the customer uses your workflow, the stickier your product. The second is the data. If you own the core data set of the customer's account, then others must go through your system to access that data. This makes your solution stickier and harder to move to another solution. The third is the level of account engagement. The higher your account contact in the organization, the stronger your position against the competition. Consider how to engage these three control points for your vertical SaaS customer.    Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at:   Check out our other podcasts here:   For Investors check out:   For Startups check out:   For eGuides check out:   For upcoming Events, check out    For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group    Please , share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of .

Agenda: 00:00 Windsurf was dead—then this deal changed everything 05:00 The Windsurf x Google x Cognition saga explained 09:00 The OpenAI deal collapsed—what really happened 15:00 FTC rules forced a brutal deal structure—who lost? 17:00 The investors' returns: who actually made money? 21:30 Will Google's corp dev team get fired over this? 23:00 Cognition's genius $220M acquisition of Windsurf: Most brilliant Deal of the Year 26:00 The biggest recruiting flex in Silicon Valley this year 35:00 “Roll your own SaaS” is complete nonsense 38:00 Lovable vs Cursor vs Replit: who wins the coding war? 41:00 Why Lovable could be the ChatGPT of builders 44:00 Will these vibe-coded apps become durable businesses? 48:00 The shocking churn rates hidden inside AI SaaS 55:00 Are these $2B valuations actually... cheap? 56:30 Grok just destroyed GPT-4 in benchmarks—WTF?! 01:01:00 Why Grok might overtake OpenAI in the next 12 months 01:11:00 Meta just invested $3.5B in Ray-Bans—WTF? 01:12:30 Should every S&P 500 company buy Bitcoin now? 01:15:00 Will Meta kill open source? What happens to Llama 5?  

In this recap of the conversation with Wendee Close, founder and CEO of Goals2Life, a personal development platform that helps people turn their dreams into achievable goals. Lesley Logan and Brad Crowell, dive into how burnout led Wendee to build a more values-aligned life and business, how planning can fuel purpose, and why taking bold, intentional action is the key to owning your next-level identity. If you've ever felt overwhelmed or stuck, this episode will help you get back on track one meaningful step at a time.If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co mailto:beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.In this episode you will learn about:Tips for safely storing your Reformer in a humid garage.What Wendee asks herself daily to stay aligned and focused.How asking for help can connect you to the right people.A powerful mindset shift to embody your future self now.Why sleep is your secret weapon for clarity and creativity.Episode References/Links:Agency Mini - https://prfit.biz/miniOPC Summer Tour - https://opc.me/tourOPC Summer Tour Calgary - Opc.me/CalgaryUK Mullet Tour - https://opc.me/ukCambodia October 2025 Retreat Waitlist - https://crowsnestretreats.comContrology Reformer - https://beitpod.com/reformerSubmit your questions - https://beitpod.com/questionsGoals2Llife Website - https://www.Goals2Life.com If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSIDEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentCheck out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentBe in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlistBe It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-surveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/ Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gLesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQProfitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/Follow Us on Social Media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesley.logan/The Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gFacebook https://www.facebook.com/llogan.pilatesLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-logan/The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClasses Episode Transcript:Lesley Logan 0:00  Don't beat yourself up. It's ask yourself very clearly, like, why haven't I done this? What has been in the way? Is this actually something I still want to do? Can I actually do it and then set new measurable goals, set new milestones and make it happen. Lesley Logan 0:14  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. Lesley Logan 0:53  Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It interview recap where my co-host in life, Brad, and I are going to dig into the purposeful convo I had with Wendee Close in our last episode. If you haven't yet listened to that interview, feel free to listen to that one first, then come back and listen to this one, or listen to this one and see if you agree with what we liked about that one. It's your choice. That's what's really important about the Be It Till You See It podcast, you choose. You choose how you want to listen. Today is July 17th. Brad Crowell 1:22  You choose very closely. Lesley Logan 1:23  Yeah, I hope you like that, Wendee. I'm sure she hasn't heard that before. It's like, my mom's last name growing up was Friesen, and like, she was super tall, so they would always go, how is the weather up there? Is it Friesen? Right, like, wow. I know kids are clever and cruel. Anyways, that's, I don't know why that popped in my head. Welcome to ADHD. So today is July 17th 2025 and it's National Tattoo Day. It was also another day, but obviously I have to pick this one, tattooing, the art of inserting pigment under the dermis layer of the skin. Brad Crowell 2:00  In case you didn't know. Lesley Logan 2:01  To create a decorative, symbolic or pictorial design or just a sticker on your body, permanent sticker on your body. Brad Crowell 2:01  Permanent sticker on your body. Lesley Logan 2:06  How I like to think of it. And on National Tattoo Day, July 17th, we set time aside to learn more about the tattooing process. It's a societal importance and history. Okay, here we go.Brad Crowell 2:17  I didn't know that. I'm in on societal importance. Lesley Logan 2:20  You guys, in case you don't understand the process of picking which day, it really is like what title speaks to us, and then we learn about the day as we read about it with you on air, and that someday could become problematic, but we'll edit it out then I guess you'll never know. So if you don't have a tattoo, you likely, or you're likely, to know someone who does. And if you've asked them how they knew at the time when they were getting inked whether they would still want that design on their skin years or decades later, you may have just gotten a peculiar look instead of an explanation. There is a certainly a fraternal connection between people who bear tattoos, a connection that those without ink can never really understand. We asked one correspondent to try address this phenomenon. He said, tattoos began as a ceremony, and they're still kind of like that. Once you're in an artist's needle, it's like a little it's a little like a religious experience. It's like the aha moment people talk about having in a business life. It illuminates something you didn't see before. I don't understand any of that. That doesn't resonate with me in any. Brad Crowell 3:15  Yeah, me neither. Lesley Logan 3:16  So first of all, I overthought my first tattoo, way too much. Brad Crowell 3:20  I mean, took me 15 years to get my first tattoo, because of the same thing. Lesley Logan 3:25  15 years from when you're 18 or like?Brad Crowell 3:29  Yeah, yeah, I didn't get one. So I guess that's not true. I wanted to get a tattoo in my teens. My parents said no, but I started designing it in my teens. Lesley Logan 3:38  Okay, okay. Brad Crowell 3:39  And then I didn't actually get one until 30 years old.Lesley Logan 3:45  Yeah, I got my first one on a blind date.Brad Crowell 3:48  You got one on a blind date? Lesley Logan 3:50  Yeah, we wanted something to do. Brad Crowell 3:52  Wow. Lesley Logan 3:53  I know. Brad Crowell 3:53  This is the first time I'm hearing this story, y'all. Do tell. Lesley Logan 3:57  Anyways. Brad Crowell 3:58  How'd that go? Lesley Logan 3:59  I never saw that person again. And I covered up that tattoo after I left my ex with the cherry blossoms that we then added on to, and then I just got others. Because once you get the first one, you kind of start to just get other ones and.Brad Crowell 4:21  Well, the hurdle has been left, you know, like, you're, you're, there's this weird mental block of like, I don't know if I want to keep that thing on my body forever. And then after, after you get your first one, you realize no one actually gives a shit. And then also you're like yeah, you know.Lesley Logan 4:38  We speaking on podcast or proponents for tattoos? Brad Crowell 4:39  Yeah, I'm not. I'm not that worried about it either. Because here's the other thing, you can also change the tattoo or you can cover the tattoo or you can remove the tattoo.Lesley Logan 4:50  Or you can remove it. Keith Davidson removed all of his tattoos. He is a complete blank slate. Google it right now. Brad Crowell 4:55  No way. Lesley Logan 4:56  Google it right now, because I thought for sure, it's AI and people were saying it's AI, and he has done actual interviews about it, and he there's no way it's makeup. He has, he spent $200,000 getting them all removed. And I thought that's all it costs to cover remove his entire body. Brad Crowell 5:12  I mean, he had a he had. Lesley Logan 5:13  His whole head to toe, like he was so covered. So anyways, our neighbor is shout out to Brieanna, Viva Vanish skincare, she actually removes tattoos. So like, to me, you could just remove it, right? Or you could cover it up, but you, you, you do overthink the first ones, and then you kind of just get them, and they just become part of you. Also, I've gotten, like, my dream catcher, my dream catcher tattoo. It is really funny. When I got it. Remember this, Brad, I got the dream catcher tattoo. It takes up my whole fucking arm. We came back from Cambodia.Brad Crowell 5:48  Upper arm, shoulder down to elbow. Lesley Logan 5:49  Yeah, shoulder to my elbow. We come back from Cambodia and, like, literally, no one notices. Like, no one notices. And I'm starting to think that like it, people don't like it, you know, and all this stuff. And so I'm, like, starting to make this through my head, and then someone who I've never met in person, they only know me through social media. I was at an event, and they're like, oh my god, is that a new tattoo? And I said, it is. Thank you. I just got it, I just got it right. And other people are like, that's new. And I'm like, yeah, there are people who, like, have known me for years, and I'm like, they're like, well, you're just, like, a person with tattoos. You just have tattoos. So anyways, all I had to say is, you know, I saw a reel or a meme. It was just like, tattoos are just stickers for adults. And, like, we like pretty things.Brad Crowell 6:32  I'm in on that. And I was looking up the Pete Davidson thing still, and I found something really interesting. He did an interview with Variety, why he decided to remove all of his tattoos, and apparently he's not removed every single one, but he's removed the majority. He said, on deciding to remove his tattoos, I used to be a drug addict and I was a sad person, and I felt ugly and that I needed to be covered up, and I didn't. And I don't think there's anything wrong with tattoos, but mine, when I look at them, I remember a sad person that was very unsure, so just removing them and starting fresh, because that's what I think works best for me with my brain. When I look at them in the mirror, I don't want the reminder of, oh yeah, you were a fucking drug addict. Like, that's why you have a Sponge Bob smoking a joint on your back. So good for him. Lesley Logan 7:18  Oh, I love that. But see, that's the thing. You can just remove it. So, you know.Brad Crowell 7:22  I mean, it's a process, but it can be removed. It's money and time, yeah. Lesley Logan 7:26  You know what? There's a lot of things you could spend your money on. I, don't get something you don't want. But also like. You. Brad Crowell 7:33  I like, I mean there's definitely sentimentality around the tattoos that that I have, have put thought into them. It hasn't been just like, on a whim, but also, too, the more like, as you get after you get your first one, the second one, the decision to get it was, like, much faster than the first one. Lesley Logan 7:52  Well, I also just want to say, like, you don't have to get them, and it's also fine if you get them and don't over, like, don't overthink it so much because it, because you kind of make it perfect and, like, you're trying to get all perfect. And it's, it's, like, it's, there's no judgment either way, like, you're gonna, life will go on. Brad Crowell 8:10  Well, we are very big proponents of ink and tattoos. We think they're really fun and cool. Lesley Logan 8:15  If it's part of your personality, like, and also, like, I don't, I don't think I remember my parents saying, you like, oh, you're gonna be so judged. You'll never get a job, like, that has never happened to me one time, and I have tattoos all over my hands and like, no one notices. Brad Crowell 8:17  Yeah, yeah. Lesley Logan 8:17  You know. So most of them are for me anyways, because when I have to look at myself in the mirror all the time, and I have to, like, look at what I do, like, or on a camera live all the time, and I'm like, I just want something to look at that's not just my family. Just my face. Like, I'm so tired of looking at my own face, I would like to see something else. So that was really a lot of it for me. Anyways. Brad Crowell 8:50  Anyways. Lesley Logan 8:52  Back to this podcast (inaudible) coming up. So, today we actually kick off Agency Mini 11. That's happening right now. Brad Crowell 9:01  Right now. Right now. If you'd have no idea what that means, and you were like, I need in on this, go to prfit.biz/mini. That's profit without the O dot biz slash mini. Lesley Logan 9:10  It's for Pilates instructors and fitness instructors who want to improve their business and attract clients that actually want to teach and make the money they want to make. So that sounds like you. You do want to sign up for this because the next one with our calendar, if it's possible being Q1 of next year.Brad Crowell 9:25  Yeah, we're, we've been literally, like, tentatively looking at February. Lesley Logan 9:25  Yeah and it could be the end of February. Brad Crowell 9:30  So it's not, we're not doing another one, we're not doing another one this year. And, and honestly, it's a killer program. So, and it's also not expensive, you should definitely do it.Lesley Logan 9:40  62.50 sign up today. Three days. First couple days of replays. There you go. All right. Then we are now really in the countdown of our Summer Tour the van has.Brad Crowell 9:52  We leave next week. Lesley Logan 9:54  I know the van has a new look. We have a huge tour going on. We have so many cities that are sold out. So many people are we're so excited to see in person for the first time, some we were seeing in person for the third or fourth time. We can't even wait. It's powered by Balanced Body, which means we actually bring some of the Contrology equipment with us. You can try it out. We have amazing prizes from them to give out, we're bringing Bayon. So it's opc.me/tour and then you can see all the different cities. And some of these cities, you are easily drivable. We have people who are coming to two cities, so you can do that too. Also, if you're having a little FOMO that we're not coming to a city anywhere in driving distance near you. And I just want to remind you, we are driving for several thousands of miles so you can drive a few hundred. Brad Crowell 10:38  Yeah, you can, it's okay, come join us. Lesley Logan 10:38  But it's like, if that's not an option, the Calgary event is a virtual event. And so it's in-person, of course, but there's virtual seats that are available, and they're limited. So you can get those at opc.me/tour, just pick the Calgary event. And then we come back.Brad Crowell 10:48  That's, I just want to call that again, if you weren't listening, we have virtual tickets for the summer tour for two workshops. Lesley Logan 10:51  Yeah, we've never done that before. Brad Crowell 10:56  Go to opc.me/calgary. To go directly to where you find them. Opc.me/calgary. Cool.Lesley Logan 11:05  Yeah. And then we come back rest up, unpack, repack, because we're going from summer to Scotland's fall, and we are going to be in the UK. We'll be in Leeds and in Essex. Brad Crowell 11:17  Yeah, we're running out of seats over there, y'all. It's exciting.Lesley Logan 11:19  Yeah, oh yeah. It's, well, at the time we're recording every time someone buys, it's like, this is, this stock is low. It's like, low it is. So Leeds only has a couple spots. Essex, we are offering day passes there, but every time someone buys a two-day pass, we run out of two-day passes. That's how that goes. So because it's a week during the week, because it's not nice, like, you can go to a whole workshop day during the weeks, plus, like, a vacation during the week, so go to opc.me/uk, I've had a ton of people going come do a tour in the UK. I'm like, I am, you guys, I'm coming in September. And we have a ton of our workshops that are happening at these locations. You can even do both locations. There's only like one workshop that overlaps, so opc.me/uk and then we'll come back at a couple weeks later, we go to Chicago for P.O.T., and then we go to Cambodia on our retreat. And it's not too late for you to sign up for our retreat for Cambodia, because we just bought our plane tickets.Brad Crowell 12:11  We just bought our plane tickets, and also we just had another person sign up, you know, so there's still time, absolutely, it's not like, you know, the plane tickets aren't getting overly crazy right now, which is nice. So pop in, come join us. Go to crows nest retreats.com. It's going to be a pretty small group this time, so I'll tell you (inaudible). Lesley Logan 12:11  If you don't like big crowds, it's the time to come, because I can't promise you it'll be a small group every time. In fact, I know 2026 has a ton of people, so you're gonna want to do this one because we'll have more time together. It's a lot of fun, and you can always come a day early or stay a day late.Brad Crowell 12:47  Well, we would encourage you to stay a day late, because we actually have two events that we can't include, quote-unquote, in the retreat. I mean, those events include going to see an elephant sanctuary, yeah. And then the second event is a waterfall excursion. And the reality is they're both just like, like, longer events that we couldn't fit into the flow of the actual retreat. Lesley Logan 13:08  Full day events, and also, like, especially the waterfall, we have to have a smaller group weather permitting, you know, all that stuff. So that's why they're extra so and on the extra days, and we're going to do them before we leave, so you should come, crowsnestretreats.com. Okay, we have a ton to talk about with Wendee, but we have an audience question.Brad Crowell 13:26  We sure do. @BrendaHornung1990 on YouTube asks, can I put a reformer in our garage? I'm in the southeast. So does it, so it does get hot in the summer southeast, probably like Georgia or Florida? I think I'd be more worried about the humidity. Lesley Logan 13:46  Good job, Brad, good job. Brad Crowell 13:48  Unless you've got a Contrology Reformer, which won't, you don't have to worry about the humidity as much. Yeah, there's no wood that's going to warp, right? Lesley Logan 13:55  Correct, because that's the thing. So, so the thing so one, I don't know which Reformer you're looking at that makes a difference. Two, so if you get a Balanced Body Reformer, that's wood, like a studio reformer, you have to worry about humidity for the wood. However, their springs have a coating on them, so you don't have to worry about the springs resting, whereas the Contrology, it's aluminum. And so you don't know. Lesley Logan 14:21  Or an Allegro 2. Lesley Logan 14:22  Yeah, yeah, yeah, you could do that. Brad Crowell 14:22  Allegro 2 is also aluminum. Lesley Logan 14:22  Yeah, so, uh, is it aluminum? I thought it's fiberglass. No, no, it's metal, I know, but is it alluminum, I don't think it's, it's white. Brad Crowell 14:34  Yeah, it's, it's aluminum. It's definitely not, it's not fiberglass. Lesley Logan 14:37  Really? We should (inaudible).Brad Crowell 14:37  It's definitely not fiberglass.Lesley Logan 14:37  Anyway.Brad Crowell 14:37  100% not fiberglass. Lesley Logan 14:37  Well, Brad is gonna, Brad is gonna, it's a prefab. I know that it's like the way they make it, anyways, the Contrology. I have friends who have them in Hawaii.Brad Crowell 14:50  Powder-coated aluminum. Lesley Logan 14:51  Okay, there you go. Brad was paying attention on the tour, not me. Anyways.Brad Crowell 14:57  I've also picked them up. I know what they freaking are. Lesley Logan 14:59  Yeah. So the Contrology, my friend has in Hawaii, and the frame is great. Nothing goes on there. Doesn't even rust, but the springs, well, you have to clean the springs, right? So. Brad Crowell 15:12  That's right. Yeah. I forgot about that. That's great. It's exactly the same, like, environment with humidity.Lesley Logan 15:18  I so I worry more about humidity anywhere. And then when it comes to, just, like, the hotness, I mean, obviously it's gonna pin like, are you gonna want to lay on a hot Reformer bed? Because it's gonna like, like, it's like, sitting on your car when the car's hot.Brad Crowell 15:34  Well, here's the thing, you can actually regulate the temperature inside your garage. Lesley Logan 15:37  Yeah, if you can, yeah, then I would do that. Brad Crowell 15:39  In Cambodia, we have these wall units for, like, air air conditioning. Lesley Logan 15:44  Yeah, I love this idea. We're helping you out, Brenda, so get a wall unit, and then I probably. Brad Crowell 15:49  Yeah, they're called a they're called, there's a specific term for them. What are they called? They're not a window unit. They're a wall unit. Oh, they call it a split, mini split. Lesley Logan 16:03  A mini split. Brad Crowell 16:03  Mini split. So that way, what it does is it actually takes the big air conditioning part of it that, like, you know, is loud and noisy, and it actually is outside, yeah, but then the inside is just a little wall.Lesley Logan 16:15  They're amazing. They're so quiet. The other thing I would just say is, like, I've never experienced this thing. I've never had to purchase one in my life. But a dehumidifier is something you can also purchase. I saw one in Brad's uncle's basement. I was like, what is this thing? He said, a dehumidifier. I'm like, I only know about humidifiers. Clearly, that's where I've lived in the world. So you can have a dehumidifier, and then that would make your equipment last a long time as well. Brad Crowell 16:39  That's true. Lesley Logan 16:40  Just something to note that, like Naugahyde and your leather straps, you know, those things can be affected by the weather. So if, again, if it's hot, cold, like, you're just gonna want to find a way to stabilize the environment a little bit so that it, you can have it for years, because that's all I want to make sure, like, we didn't leave my Reformer around the heat. I think my extra Reformers out in the in the garage for, like, in the shed for like, a year, but it was in a box protected. And then we're like, we got to get that in. That's probably not so great for it. So. Brad Crowell 17:07  Yeah, just because the the Naugahyde will eventually become brittle. Lesley Logan 17:10  I think the leather straps would also become, they would dry out as well because, like, they stay healthy because of the oils of the skin. So anyway.Brad Crowell 17:18  I just also found out that a mini split is, it's called a mini split because it's heating and cooling. Brad Crowell 17:24  Oh, well, there you go. Brenda. Show us the pictures of your garage with your new Reformer in it. Brad Crowell 17:24  You're amazing. Lesley Logan 17:24  You guys. If you want to ask us any questions, they don't have to be about Pilates, they can be about anything. You'll, you just have to go to beitpod.com/questions. You can also send us your wins. We can celebrate you. And you can hear about your wins on a day that you need to because they always happen to land on the day. You're like, my life isn't working. And then you hear a win you had, and you're like, Oh my God, it was, I just forgot.Brad Crowell 17:47  Stick around. We'll be right back. Brad Crowell 17:49  All right. Welcome back. Let's talk about Wendee Close. Wendee is the founder and CEO of Goals2Life, a personal development platform designed to help individuals create and achieve meaningful goals through detailed planning and execution. It's quite a comprehensive platform. It's actually kind of amazing. After 27 years in the B2C industry, she pivoted into the tech world to build a purpose driven SaaS platform aimed at transforming how people bring their aspirations to life. SaaS stands for software as a service. So the like a SaaS platform would be like Gmail or Google Calendar. That's a SaaS platform. In this case, she's making a tool that is software that'll help you bring your aspirations to life for real, known for her resourcefulness and her get it done attitude, Wendee now helps ground people break through burnout and overwhelm by aligning their goals with their values. And I think for her, that was, like, legit, because she was like, doing she and her husband had started a business that could she do it? Yes. Was she really good at it? Yes. Did it light her fire? No. Should she have been doing it? No, right. But she did it for decades, right? And after all that time, and they really did well, she still was like, I kind of don't like what I'm doing, yeah. And so that's what caused the shift to start this platform, you know, effectively starting a second career after her kids have flown the coop. She they're empty nesters now. So, you know, she's, she's definitely tackling a huge project. Lesley Logan 19:30  Bird launcher. Brad Crowell 19:30  She's a bird launcher. Lesley Logan 19:32  Yeah, I like, I know I said on the podcast, if not, I said her face. I am, like, immensely impressed that she has taken on this project because, like, it's so, like, I had no idea what starting OPC like, how much effort it is to have a platform like OPC. Like it is the amount of work we have to do on a daily basis for OPC is the amount of people who work on that site to keep everything. So like, when she was, when she talks, she's like, oh my God, that is the biggest project in the world. Like, I was just like, sitting there, from the experience of it, and she doesn't even see it as difficult. I mean, like, of course there's difficult times, there's hard days, but she always is like, excited for the challenge. And like, she takes it in, and then she figures out who she has to talk to to make it happen. And so anyways, one thing she said that I love, and I think it is why she can do what she's doing and take on this mountain of an amazing business, is when the vision is clear, you become it. So she is like, even though the project is still being built out and it works. She has tons of clients and tons of customers and tons of companies that work with it, but it was something that she's continuing to build and perfect and do. She isn't waiting for it to be ready to go out there and talk about it. She's talking about it because she's it.Brad Crowell 20:54  She's been talking about it, I mean, you know, before it was even ready to go. She understood what she was building, who it was going to help, and was out there sharing it with the world.Lesley Logan 21:04  I mean, if you haven't listened the episode, you have to, because it's truly a Be It Till You See It like it is, she is not waiting for the project to be ready for someone to deem the project ready for anything like that. She's like, I'm going to go out there, I'm going to talk about it and the questions I get and the things people need are going to help me make it even better. And that's what we are always trying to tell people to do inside of Agency as well. She said, when you believe in what you're doing, it becomes, it becomes easy to show up and say, this is who I am and this is what I'm doing. The vision is so strong, you live it. And I think, like, a lot of us, are sitting in the place where she was before in that B2C thing. Maybe you're not B2C but, like, was she good at it? Yes. Can she do it? Yes. It didn't light her up. And so I think a lot of people are struggling with, like, preaching, preaching out loud and and boasting about the thing they're doing because it's not the thing they really want to be doing. So they're not as excited. She is so excited about this. Every time I talk to her, I'm like, excited about what I do. Like, somehow, like, it reminds me this is why I do what I do.Brad Crowell 22:06  She lights everybody on fire. You know, I bet you, too, that all the things that she learned with her first business on, she managed a team. She, you know, worked with clients. She, you know, understood how to do every aspect of that business. There's like a direct translation for what she's doing now, even though it's a different project and a different product and a different goal, the skills she learned from the first one are absolutely setting her up to excel at this in What? What? So much faster, so much faster.Lesley Logan 22:42  Well, and also, like, every single even if the thing you want to do is something you were never trained to do, every skill that you've acquired along your journey is transferable. It's all. Brad Crowell 22:51  Story of my life. Lesley Logan 22:52  Yeah, it's really all so transferable. And there, most of the jobs that I well, the job that I currently have, there's, like, not like a degree in it. So, yeah, like, I think, like, we're all like, where's the checklist to go check? There isn't one. So get your vision clear and then talk about it. Don't be afraid to talk about it, because, just because people question it or and they might not be as excited as you, their questions help you deliver what you do better. You know? When we first started about OPC versus how we talk about it now, very different based on the questions we got from the way we talk about it, you know, like, so.Brad Crowell 23:28  Class starts at six. I think we even said that. I'm sure it was, like, new class on Tuesday. I really loved when she was talking about clarity and resourcefulness and her reminder about it, specifically around asking for help, right? She has no qualms to reach out to people and ask for help. She is very excited about what it is that she's doing, and because she knows what she's building, it gives her enthusiasm, right, and courage. And then when she goes and she asks someone for help, even if they say no, it doesn't matter. It doesn't deflate her enthusiasm. But because she has that, she can ask for help in a way that is compelling people actually want to help her. She said, every single day, I'm like, I don't know how to do the thing that I'm gonna do today. But what do I want to do? I want to impact lives. So she has a bigger goal. Like, for example, the conversation you were having was about going live on Instagram. She's like, I'm not a techie, you know, social media user, but I'm willing to learn this thing, even if I fail at it, if I fall flat on my face. Because if I can go live with someone today, and it's got to further my actual goal, which is impacting people's lives. And she said she just, she encourages everyone to just be, learn to be as resourceful as you can. Right? And she said, if you're honest and transparent about where you are and what you're trying to do, others will help you do it.Lesley Logan 25:03  Yeah, they will. They because they get excited. Because you're excited. People want to be part of the party. People want to be part of, that is how, for better or worse, people get involved in organizations like you know, they want it. I read the book Careless, careless people about Facebook and, oh, guys, it's a book worth, and if I could get her on, I would, but she's not doing any touring right now, but it's she talks about why she got involved with Facebook and why she was pushing for it to be around the world, because she want, she want to be part of the vision of connecting people, yeah, and helping people have all these and I know that's like the worst example, but also like getting so excited about your thing that people get excited to be part of your life, because they'll want to connect with the right people too, whether or not they can help you, like, Oh, I know, so and so. And then they're so excited about what you're doing when they talk about this to their friend, there's a trust transference, and all of a sudden you have the connections you need, you know. So no one gets to get their goals all done by themselves. It just doesn't happen that way. You want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.Brad Crowell 26:10  Well, yes, very enthusiastically delivered there. Oh, you mean that old thing. Okay, dad. That's hilarious. All right, well, if you are looking for some, Be It Action Items, stick around, because we're going to dig into those when we come back. Brad Crowell 26:33  Okay, finally, let's dig into those Be It Action Items that we had with our conversation with Wendee Close. What bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items can we take away from your convo? I'm gonna go first, because she actually went down all four like, right away, which is pretty awesome.Lesley Logan 26:53  Whenever anyone does that, I'm like, oh, you took the assignment to the next level.Brad Crowell 26:58  She did. She did. She said, hey, here's what's bold, own your next level identity, right? She encourages you to ask, what would my future self do right now, today, in this instance, and then take that action from your future you, right? And she said, that's super bold, you know, like, know where you're going, know what you're trying to do, and then you know, if you're faced with a tough decision, would you, would you choose yourself make decision A or decision B, right? And then she said, executable, take small intentional steps every single day, small intentional steps, right? Breaking down big goals into micro movements. And then ask, what's one step that I can take today, right now, and then go do that step. In fact, that's like half of what Goals2Life is is literally the execution element of it, because what they help you do is map out your goals and then figure out how to do them, actually, how to bring them to life, right? Lesley Logan 27:56  Yeah. You just, that's where the name came from. Brad Crowell 28:00  Goals2Life. That's where the name came from. Intrinsic. Align your goals with your purpose. Align your goals with purpose. She said, What? Ask yourself, why does this even matter to me? Like, if you have a goal of, let's say, doing a 5k race, you know. Why does this matter to you? Why you know do the seven layers of why you know, what is it that you're actually trying to do here? And then, when your goals are tied to your values, your commitment will deepen. So you need to understand what your values are. And then we need to find goals that are going to tie it all together. So, intrinsic. Align your goals with your purpose, targeted, set clear, measurable milestones, replace vague hopes with tangible outcomes. Ask yourself, how will I measure the progress? We would suggest deadlines. Deadlines actually give yourself by this time I will do this thing, you know, or by this time I will, I will have this finished or this piece, piece of it accomplished. Because then it gives you targets. Lesley Logan 29:06  I just talked to Agency members about this. I said, if with, like, you know, we're halfway through the year, right? And it's like, if you reflect on your goals, you wanted to have done this year, what you want to have done by now, and you're like, oh my God, I didn't hit the name. It's like, well, it's, don't beat yourself up, it's ask yourself very clearly, like, why haven't I done this? What has been in the way? Is this actually something I still want to do? Can I actually do it and then set new measurable goals, set new milestones and make it happen? You know? So I believe in those I love a deadline. Brad Crowell 29:35  Love a deadline. Yeah. What about you?Lesley Logan 29:37  Okay, so she said, and this goes back to what I was just saying, so I'll just translate. If something's a priority, if it's a goal, it needs to be on your calendar. And that's where a lot of people make mistakes. They're like, Oh, I'm gonna do this thing, but they don't even set aside time, like in my calendar. If you look at my calendar, it'll say, write this thing, do this thing, call this person. It is in my calendar. So there's not like, Oh, here's my three things I wanna get done today. And. I have a wide open day. No, every single work day is like it's full because I have now, of course, I can move things, if something comes up or whatever, but then it gets moved because if it's in your calendar, you'll reschedule it. So that's what's really important. She said, if it's not in your calendar, it's not a priority. And she didn't mention time blocking. I'm big fan of time blocking. I actually talk a lot about how we teach Agency members how to time block so that they actually move the needle forward in their business. She also said this is really important. She said she was talking about her burnout. She said no amount of movement, water, nutrition or meditation can make up for the lack of sleep, so sleep should be right there at the very top. And I think that is the most important thing. It's something I always talk about. When you come on a retreat to Cambodia, we actually like put your dream schedule together, and the first thing you actually put in there is when do you go to bed, and when do you wake up? It's your dream schedule. It's not your current sleep schedule. It's like what you desire to have as a sleep schedule. And it's the most one of the most important things to do is work towards that, because you cannot, like, biohack your way out of sleep you didn't get. Maybe one day, maybe two days, but you can't do it 365 days. Not gonna happen.Brad Crowell 31:16  Wendee and I definitely connected on that, because both of us just didn't leave ourselves sleep time or permission to sleep. And so, you know, definitely impacted me through college for sure, you know. And even today, you know, it's still a decision to make sure that that is a priority, But yeah, I love it. I mean, you know, Wendee is one of the most magnetic people that you'll ever met. Like when she walks into a room, you know it, whether she meant you to know it or not, you know it. And her enthusiasm for and her vision for her business, for Goals2Life, is contagious. And, you know, I think the product is, it's really amazing, and helping people actually move forward, instead of feeling stuck. And, you know, I'm excited, so y'all should go check it out. Goals2Life. The number two, Goals2Life.com, we'll put that link in the show notes, for sure, yeah. But yeah, if you haven't gone back yet, go listen to Wendee. She's amazing. Yeah, go listen to why we love her so much. Lesley Logan 32:25  Okay, I'm Lesley Logan. Brad Crowell 32:25  And I'm Brad Crowell. Lesley Logan 32:25  Thank you so much for listening to this podcast. How are you going to use these tips in your life? We want to what your favorite takeaways are. We want to also know your questions and your wins. So beitpod.com/questions, I know that's confusing, because if you have a win, you're going to the questions, but I promise you, both columns are there. It's very easy to figure out and share this episode or Wendee's episode with a friend who needs to hear it, because that is how this podcast not only continues to grow, but also helps people be it till they see it. The more people around you that are doing that, the easier it is for you to be till you see it. It's really hard to be around a bunch of Eeyores, guys. So send them. Send them Wendee's. Send them Wendee's episode. And you know what to do. Brad Crowell 33:04  Time to be a Piglet, not not an Eeyore. Lesley Logan 33:06  Be It Till You See It. Brad Crowell 33:08  Bye for now.Lesley Logan 33:10  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod. Brad Crowell 33:52  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell. Lesley Logan 33:57  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co. Brad Crowell 34:02  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi. Lesley Logan 34:09  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals. Brad Crowell 34:12  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.Lesley Logan 34:26  Oh my God. What if we got merch that like, Be It Till You See It is like being like, I don't know. Brad Crowell 34:32  I don't know if Piglet's the right character, but. Lesley Logan 34:33  I don't know. I don't know if it is either. But I feel like we need to figure that out. Like we need we need visual. We need visuals of what a be it till you see it and a versus a, not be it till you see it is. We need visuals.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

They never really left — they just got quieter, faster, and bolder. In this episode of the Adversary Universe podcast, Adam and Cristian trace the resurgence of SCATTERED SPIDER, one of today's most aggressive and sophisticated adversary groups. Once known for SIM swapping and gaming community exploits, SCATTERED SPIDER has evolved into a high-speed, high-impact ransomware crew targeting the retail, insurance, and aviation sectors. Adam shares CrowdStrike's front-line insights into how the group operates, from conducting help desk social engineering and bypassing multifactor authentication (MFA) to hijacking hypervisors and exfiltrating data via software as a service (SaaS) integrations. Tune in to learn: How SCATTERED SPIDER blends SIM swapping, voice phishing, and cloud-native tradecraft Why they're one of the fastest threat actors we've seen, sometimes encrypting systems within 24 hours What defenders must do to spot them early and act fast And yes, why they still haven't been arrested Check the show notes for CrowdStrike's latest guidance and technical blog on SCATTERED SPIDER.

In this debut episode of The CEO Spot, Rick Watson sits down with Dipti Desai, Founder and CEO of CRSTL, for an unfiltered look into one of the most quietly powerful protocols in commerce—EDI.From her early days as an electrical engineer in Silicon Valley to building mission-critical infrastructure for today's omni-channel brands, Dipti shares the journey that led her to found Crystal—a SaaS network designed to modernize the way suppliers and retailers communicate.We explore:The surprising origin story of Crystal during the PPE crisisWhy EDI is more like the English language than a piece of legacy techThe difference between the application layer and the protocol layer—and why it mattersHow penalties, complexity, and digital transformation are reshaping supplier operationsWhy Crystal doesn't charge by seat and how it's enabling real collaboration at scaleThe future of B2B commerce in an age of AI, API, and protocol convergenceWhether you're a founder, brand operator, or just EDI-curious, this episode unpacks how structured data exchange is fueling the future of retail—and why ignoring the "boring" infrastructure could be your biggest mistake.

HubSync started as a bootstrapped idea from John McGowan, a former Big Four tax professional who saw the tech gap in mid-sized CPA firms. In this episode of ‘Behind the Deal,' Thoma Bravo Partner Ross Devor talks with John about how he turned early consulting work into a profitable SaaS business, the strategy behind landing over 40% of the top 25 accounting firms, and how product market fit shaped every decision. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this high-velocity, truth-telling episode, Erin and Ken sit down with data scientist, author, and newsletter legend Christopher Penn to cut through the noise and the slop around AI and go-to-market. Chris breaks down how today's AI isn't solely about scale or speed it's about whether your thinking actually changes how people lead. From RAGs and reporting frameworks to the future of SaaS, software, and your own job, this conversation pulls zero punches.

In this episode, we talk about trying to create a forum for Less Annoying CRM's users.

#265 Non-SaaS Marketing | In this episode, Matt sits down with Sandra Rand, a fractional head of marketing who works with early-stage, non-SaaS B2B companies. She's led marketing for PE-backed, self-funded, and services-based businesses, where big budgets and SaaS-style playbooks aren't the norm. She's also building the Non-SaaS Marketers subgroup inside Exit Five to support others facing the same challenges.Matt and Sandra cover:How non-SaaS teams drive growth without demos, PLG, or huge lead volumeWhy events, word of mouth, and referrals often outperform funnels in these orgsTactical ideas for gifting, partnerships, and pipeline-building on a lean budgetWhether you work in SaaS or not, you'll walk away with creative, scrappy strategies to build trust and drive results in B2B.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (03:04) - – Why Exit Five launched the Non-SaaS group (08:24) - – What makes non-SaaS marketing different (11:44) - – Budgets, sales cycles, and team structure (16:34) - – Why brand and trust matter more (18:44) - – Events > funnels in non-SaaS (28:40) - – How to build brand on a budget (34:10) - – Word-of-mouth and referral tactics (38:50) - – Gifting and relationship-driven growth (44:50) - – Scrappy, creative plays that actually work (50:20) - – What's next for the Non-SaaS community Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***Today's episode is brought to you by Zuddl.We're halfway through 2025, and one thing's clear: events continue to be one of the highest performing marketing channels. Niche meetups, conferences, curated dinners, networking - you name it. Everyone's leaning in.Events are a core part of our playbook this year at Exit Five. So far, we've hosted two virtual sessions each month, one large virtual event, one in-person meetup, and we're deep in the weeds planning our Drive conference coming back to Vermont this September.Zuddl helps us run a smarter event strategy - from driving registrations, managing invites, automating comms, reminders, analytics, tracking. Their Salesforce integration also makes it simple to report on pipeline and revenue from events without pulling in ops.On top of that, the differentiator with Zuddl is how their team is insanely good at supporting us. They always go above and beyond for us - and that's how we've been able to keep the momentum going with 12+ events already this year, with plenty more to come.If events are part of your marketing strategy, you need to look at Zuddl to see how companies like Zillow, CrowdStrike, and Iterable are using the top event platform for Business events in 2025. Head over to zuddl.com/exitfive to learn more. 

In Part 2 of this Pulse Check series, Dave Hunt sits down with Nick Gyani, Head of Higher Ed Sales at Canva, to explore how Canva is empowering campus marketers and creative teams through AI-driven tools and collaborative design workflows. Nick shares how Canva is not just simplifying visual communication but transforming the way higher ed institutions work—giving time back to creative pros and empowering non-designers to stay on brand. This is a must-listen for anyone curious about AI in higher education and what the future of design and content creation looks like on campus.Guest Name: Nick Gyani, Head of Higher Ed Sales, CanvaGuest Social: LinkedInGuest Bio: Nick Gyani currently leads Higher Ed sales for Canva.  Originally from New York City, he is currently based in Austin, Texas.  He has been with Canva for about 5 years and was one of the founding members of the Canva Enterprise team back in 2020.  His background is in a wide range of industries, but for the past 9 years, he has been focused on driving growth in high performing SAAS companies.  Nick is passionate about empowering educators and students through visual communication.  Outside of work, Nick enjoys spending time with his wife and 2 year old daughter, trying new restaurants in the Austin food scene, and playing golf. - - - -Connect With Our Host:Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/https://twitter.com/mallorywillseaAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you'll like other Enrollify shows too!Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.Attend the 2025 Engage Summit! The Engage Summit is the premier conference for forward-thinking leaders and practitioners dedicated to exploring the transformative power of AI in education. Explore the strategies and tools to step into the next generation of student engagement, supercharged by AI. You'll leave ready to deliver the most personalized digital engagement experience every step of the way.Register now to secure your spot in Charlotte, NC, on June 24-25, 2025! Early bird registration ends February 1st -- https://engage.element451.com/register

In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Alex Theuma talks to Koen Köppen, CEO of Mollie and ex-CTO of Klarna. Koen shares how Mollie is expanding from 6 to 31 markets by 2026, why they prioritise operational efficiency over growth hacks, and how AI reduced their customer contact rate by 3x. Plus: essential lessons for SaaS founders on market expansion, avoiding premature scaling, and embedded finance. Guest links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/koenkoppen/ Website: https://www.mollie.com/gb/      Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move their business forward: 

Customer lifetime value is a critical KPI, but with customer acquisition costs rapidly rising, what can brands do to successfully build long-term value for the business? Agility requires seeing past vanity metrics to the durable value hidden in customer relationships. When customer acquisition costs climb and privacy affects easy targeting, only nimble brands—those that align teams, data, and KPIs around lifetime value—stay ahead. All of this (and a few more things) are discussed in the recently-released Klaviyo B2C Report. To discuss it, I'd like to welcome Jamie Domenici, CMO at Klaviyo. About Jamie Domenici Jamie is Chief Marketing Officer at Klaviyo, the only CRM built for consumer brands. She has served as the Chief Marketing Officer since August 2023. With more than 20 years of experience in SaaS Marketing, Jamie has become a pioneer in SMB Marketing and a champion for small businesses. Prior to Klaviyo, Jamie served as the CMO of GoTo, a provider of SaaS and cloud- based remote work tools for collaboration and IT management, and before that, she held various marketing leadership positions at Salesforce for over ten years. Jamie holds a B.A. in International Relations from California State University, Chico. Jamie lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two daughters. Jamie Domenici on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdomenici/ Resources Klaviyo: https://www.klaviyo.com https://www.klaviyo.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Boston, August 11-14, 2025. Register now: https://bit.ly/etailboston and use code PARTNER20 for 20% off for retailers and brandsDon't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150" Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

I share 5 startup ideas that could be launched for under $500, particularly aimed at entrepreneurs in their twenties. Each idea requires minimal technical expertise to start and can be launched using existing platforms like Notion, Circle, Discord, or simple AI tools. These ideas can generate meaningful revenue while providing valuable learning experiences that might lead to bigger opportunities. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:20 - Startup Idea 1: First Job Rejection Tracker 02:31 - Startup Idea 2: Take your headphones off 04:14 - Startup Idea 3: Creator-in-Residence Agency 06:08 - Startup Idea 4: $2K Vibe Coding Agency 07:57 - Startup Idea 5: Hook Line Studio 09:02 - Bonus idea: Polymarket for college campuses Key Points: • First Job Rejection Tracker - A platform for college graduates to log job applications, track responses, and connect with others who were rejected from the same companies • Take your headphones off - A paid community for people addicted to tech and screens, offering digital detox challenges and IRL meetups • Creator-in-Residence Agency - Connecting brands with micro-creators who need steady pay, taking 20% of contracts • 2K Vibe Coding Agency - Offering two-week sprints to build micro-SaaS products using AI tools for $2,000 per project • Hook Line Studio - A tool that generates catchy TikTok hook lines based on video ideas, with potential for a subscription model The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/ Boringmarketing - Vibe Marketing for Companies: http://boringmarketing.com/ The Vibe Marketer - Join the Community and Learn: http://thevibemarketer.com/ Startup Empire - a membership for builders who want to build cash-flowing businesses https://www.skool.com/startupempire/about FIND ME ON SOCIAL X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/

Maxwell Finn is an accomplished marketer, entrepreneur, and investor with over a decade of experience in digital marketing. He was one of the first advertisers on both Facebook and TikTok, becoming a go-to expert in scaling businesses with paid ads. His journey started with his first e-commerce company, Startup Drugz, which he grew rapidly before selling it to Russell Brunson, founder of ClickFunnels. Maxwell then co-founded Quantum Media, a full-service digital marketing agency with Kevin Harrington from Shark Tank. There, he led successful ad campaigns for major clients like 3M, Goodwill, and Sam's Club. Today, he owns a portfolio of businesses, including agencies, e-commerce brands, and SaaS companies, generating over $250 million in direct revenue for clients and training over 10,000 marketers. A sought-after speaker, Maxwell has shared his expertise at top events like Traffic & Conversion Summit and Social Media Marketing World. He's also created educational programs for industry leaders like DigitalMarketer, ClickBank, and Kajabi, helping thousands master paid advertising and digital marketing strategies.   Interview Questions: The power of getting to “no” and why it's essential in client relationships How brilliant brands stand out—and how you can apply the same strategies Lessons from Liquid Death's unconventional rise to success The compounding advantage of entrepreneurship over time How to identify and choose the right mentor to accelerate business growth Why doing what others won't do is the shortcut to hyper success The critical advantage of being first in your market or niche How human illogical behavior can be leveraged for business success   Resources: https://www.maxwellfinn.com/ https://unicornadsmanager.com/   

In this episode we talk with mg (https://x.com/MG), the brilliant (and notorious) hacker and hardware engineer behind the OMG Cable. A seemingly ordinary USB cable with extraordinary offensive capabilities.Learn more about mg at: o.mg.lolSponsorsSupport for this show comes from ThreatLocker®. ThreatLocker® is a Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform that strengthens your infrastructure from the ground up. With ThreatLocker® Allowlisting and Ringfencing™, you gain a more secure approach to blocking exploits of known and unknown vulnerabilities. ThreatLocker® provides Zero Trust control at the kernel level that enables you to allow everything you need and block everything else, including ransomware! Learn more at www.threatlocker.com.Support for this show comes from Axonius. The Axonius solution correlates asset data from your existing IT and security solutions to provide an always up-to-date inventory of all devices, users, cloud instances, and SaaS apps, so you can easily identify coverage gaps and automate response actions. Axonius gives IT and security teams the confidence to control complexity by mitigating threats, navigating risk, decreasing incidents, and informing business-level strategy — all while eliminating manual, repetitive tasks. Visit axonius.com/darknet to learn more and try it free.

Mike Palmer is the CEO of Sigma Computing, a company that makes data exploration, analysis, and business intelligence accessible to all. Under his leadership, Sigma has experienced remarkable growth, going from $2 million to $100 million in IRR over three years and raising a $200 million funding round. Mike's expertise in business transformation and customer experience has been a driving force behind Sigma's success. He specializes in scaling enterprise solutions and driving innovation across product, marketing, and operations. In this episode… Many businesses struggle to unlock the full potential of their data, especially when complex systems limit access to only technical teams. This creates bottlenecks that slow decision-making and restrict company-wide collaboration. How can organizations make data accessible, actionable, and manageable for everyone, regardless of technical skill? Mike Palmer, an expert in scaling technology solutions and driving enterprise growth, shares how to break down these barriers by focusing on user-friendly, no-code platforms that allow non-technical users to analyze and act on live data. He emphasizes starting with mid-market customers to perfect the user experience and building scalable, intuitive products that eliminate complexity. He suggests prioritizing real-time collaboration, developing features like instant data write-back, and continuously collecting customer feedback to drive product evolution. Mike also highlights the importance of growing strategically by securing the right investors, resisting distracting acquisitions, and building a team culture that values direct feedback and long-term development. In this episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast, Dr. Jeremy Weisz interviews Mike Palmer, CEO of Sigma Computing, about creating accessible, scalable data solutions. Mike discusses how rebuilding their product from scratch led to exponential growth, why a mid-market focus sharpened their user experience, and how his team strategically expanded to enterprise clients. He also shares lessons on fundraising, product-led growth, and sales team evolution.