Podcasts about plg

#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. 

Join us for an insightful episode of The Product Podcast with Jon Noronha, Co-founder of Gamma, an AI-first platform revolutionizing how people create presentations, documents, and websites. Starting in 2020 during the height of shelter-in-place, Gamma has achieved remarkable growth, reaching over 50 million users with a lean team of just 30 people. Most impressively, they went from less than a year of runway to cash-flow positive in just 3 months after pivoting to AI, with 80% of their revenue coming from outside the U.S. - all without a sales team.In this episode, Jon breaks down Gamma's unconventional approach to building AI products, challenging traditional notions of team structure and go-to-market strategy. He shares insights on why they prioritize UX designers over PMs, how they achieved rapid international growth without localization, and their strategic decision to focus on the application layer rather than building their own AI models.What you'll learn:- How Gamma evolved from a presentation tool into a full-blown AI content platform- Why they bet on a design-first team structure with 7 UX designers and no traditional PMs- The technology behind their AI implementation and multi-model approach- How they achieved profitability in 3 months through pure product-led growth- Their strategy for reaching 50M+ users with a team of just 30 peopleEpisode Chapters:(00:00) Gamma's Evolution: From Presentations to AI Platform(15:00) Unconventional Team Structure: Why Designers > PMs(20:00) Product-Led Growth: Zero to 50M Users Without Sales(25:00) AI Integration Strategy: Focusing on User Experience(30:00) International Growth: 80% Revenue Outside USKey Takeaways

Curious about the secrets behind truly successful product-led growth? In this episode of Predictable B2B Success, host Vinay Koshy speaks with Leo Sadeq, a former biomedical engineer who has transitioned into a product and go-to-market specialist. Leo shares his unconventional journey from engineering to the world of startups, delving into the unexpected catalyst that led to a career pivot. Together, they unpack the real wins and common missteps companies make when trying to craft products users love and adopt at scale. Leo brings vivid, firsthand stories about building features that major competitors noticed, turning minor tweaks into massive revenue gains, and harnessing emotional intelligence to create winning teams. He doesn't shy away from discussing the friction between product and marketing, or why most companies get user onboarding and virality wrong. Whether you're a founder struggling with churn, a product manager chasing activation, or just fascinated by how fast-growing SaaS companies operate, you'll find actionable takeaways, cautionary tales, and fresh frameworks inside. Settle in for a conversation that demystifies PLG, challenges “one-size-fits-all” thinking, and offers plenty to ponder on company culture, onboarding, and the power of “aha” moments. Press play for fresh insights and real-world lessons you can't Google. Some areas we explore in this episode include: Switching Careers: Leo's journey from biomedical engineering to startups and product roles.Product Management Wins: Examples of improving onboarding, reducing churn, and boosting conversions.Product-Led Growth (PLG): What PLG means, its company-wide impact, and how it differs from sales-led approaches.Emotional Intelligence: How EQ and company culture influence product and team success.Cross-functional Team Structures: Breaking down silos between product, marketing, and other teams for better PLG outcomes.User Intimacy & Mapping: Deeply understanding user needs and tailoring onboarding for different personas.Onboarding & Conversion Tactics: Strategies to shorten the path from free to paid users.Content & Feature Communication: Balancing education, feature reveal, and delivering value through messaging.Webinars & Podcasts: Leveraging these formats to build trust, community, and brand authority.PLG Pitfalls: Common mistakes, hidden costs, and how to avoid turning PLG into a cost center.And much, much more...

In this episode of In Demand, Asia and Kim take a deep dive into one of the most overlooked revenue levers in SaaS: activation.  They walk through their activation playbook, breaking down how to define activation for your product and sharing tactical strategies for improving onboarding experiences.  Whether you're PLG or sales-assisted, this episode offers clear steps to uncover where users get stuck and how to fix it. Got a question you'd like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here. Links:  DemandMaven UserInterviews.com  Respondent.io  Product-Led Onboarding by Ramli John Samuel Hulick  UserOnboard  Reforge Chapters (00:00:55) - Why most founders overlook activation, and why that's a huge mistake.(00:02:25) - What activation actually means and how to define it for your SaaS.(00:03:30) - Trial-to-paid is not the only way to think about activation, and may be missing a big part of the story.(00:06:15) - How to discover activation metrics using a new user retention report.(00:12:30) - Why session recordings fall short and what to use instead.(00:14:35) - The power of UX interviews and how to run them properly.(00:23:00) - What to watch for in interviews: pauses, furrowed brows, and “it was easy” lies.(00:25:55) - Looking for friction and where people get stuck.(00:27:30) - How to map your onboarding flow and prioritize product fixes once you've done UX interviews.(00:30:30) - Why valuable activation work can fail in organizations where there isn't a clear decision maker (avoiding the problems of compromise land)(00:33:45) - How does activation change in product led vs. sales led organizations?(00:38:15) - Onboarding for high complexity products.(00:43:45) - Book and other recommendations for mastering activation.(00:51:30) - A final reminder about survivor bias. Remember that just because your customers made it, does not mean that your onboarding activation is perfect.

What happens when one of the most beloved product-led growth (PLG) companies in the world starts thinking like an enterprise software giant?In this episode of That's What I Call Marketing, I sit down with Emma R, Global Head of Demand at Canva, to explore the company's fascinating evolution—from a self-serve tool for creatives to a serious enterprise-grade platform used by the world's biggest brands.We discuss:*Why B2B marketing needs more emotion and less jargon*How Canva blends fun with functionality (yes, even for the C-Suite)*The role AI is playing across both product and marketing workflows*How the team is navigating the shift from bottom-up adoption to top-down enterprise sales*What marketers can learn about testing, localisation, and scaling with culture*This one's packed with sharp thinking, practical lessons, and a few great stories 02:32 – Intro: Canva, Creativity, and Conor's Fan Moment04:32 – Emma's Tech & Marketing Journey (From Salesforce to Canva)06:32 – Falling in Love with the Product: Why it Matters in Marketing08:17 – From Rap Launches to Enterprise Strategy: Bold Moves in B2B10:32 – Why B2B Marketing Needs a Human Touch12:02 – Understanding the Modern Buyer Journey (Gen Z, Self-Serve, TikTok)13:32 – Test, Learn, Scale: What Works and What Doesn't15:32 – How Canva Uses AI Internally (And Where It Adds Real Value)18:32 – The Shift to Enterprise: New Teams, Skills & Sales Models21:17 – Product-Led Growth vs Enterprise Motion: Why Both Matter24:32 – Changing Perceptions: Canva as a Serious Enterprise Tool26:32 – KPIs, Pipeline, and the Role of Brand in Driving Growth28:02 – Local vs Global: Cultural Nuance and International Rollout32:32 – Why Localisation Really Matters34:32 – What's Next for Canva Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest: Sammy Greenwall, Founder of Henry.aiWhat if your go-to-market motion could skip past theory and build from real-world pain?That's exactly how Sammy Greenwall, founder of Henry.ai, approaches commercial real estate—and why his vertical AI startup is scaling without traditional sales or marketing. Sammy's background as a CRE professional-turned-founder gave him not only insight, but language, trust, and distribution advantages. In this episode, he shares how founder-market fit drives everything from product strategy to GTM efficiency—and how it's paying off in a space historically allergic to software.Sammy also pulls back the curtain on:How PLG became a byproduct of customer obsession—not the planBuilding a waitlist-worthy brand (with no ad budget)Creating real enterprise value in a low-trust, high-volume industryThree Key Takeaways for B2B GTM Leaders:1. Founder-Market Fit > Generic Product-Market FitSammy's deep domain experience gave him a faster path to traction: he didn't just “identify” pain—he lived it. That meant smarter onboarding flows, tighter feature prioritization, and messaging that clicked with buyers the first time. CEOs and founders with industry-specific experience should lean hard into that unfair advantage.2. PLG Isn't a Tactic—It's the Outcome of Product ObsessionHenry.ai didn't set out to be a PLG company. Instead, they tracked usage down to individual clicks, met with every early user, and iterated daily. That intensity created a product people wanted to talk about, which fueled organic adoption, referrals, and even early enterprise wins.3. AI Doesn't Just Accelerate Work—It Replaces ItIn CRE, Sammy's platform cut multi-week deal deck creation down to hours. That kind of workflow disruption isn't about “boosting productivity”—it's about letting revenue-generating staff focus on high-value activities like deals and relationships. This shift reframes AI adoption for skeptical buyers and opens the door to premium pricing.---Not Getting Enough Demos? Your messaging could be turning buyers away before you even get a chance to pitch.

SaaStr 810: AI and the Bottom Line, How Canva Turns Freemium into Conversions with Canva's CCO Rob Giglio Join John Gleason, founder and managing partner at Success Venture Partners, as he interviews Rob Giglio, Chief Customer Officer at Canva. Rob shares his extensive experience leading customer success, sales, and go-to-market functions at top companies like HubSpot, DocuSign, and Adobe. In this episode, Rob delves into his strategic approach to scaling Canva's enterprise business while maintaining the company's unique customer-centric culture. He also discusses the integration of AI to enhance customer experiences and how value-driven customer journeys underpin Canva's growth. Perfect for aspiring CCOs and anyone interested in the intersection of customer success and sales.   00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 00:29 Rob's Role and Responsibilities at Canva 03:11 Career Journey and Mentorship 07:17 Building Enterprise at Canva 14:20 Customer-Centric Approach 21:42 AI Integration at Canva 24:36 Conclusion and Final Thoughts     ---- 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.

#263 Marketing Strategy | Dave is joined by Jason Lyman, CMO at Customer.io, a customer engagement platform used by over 7,500 companies. Jason has led marketing at Dropbox, BetterCloud, and now heads a 30-person team driving growth across both PLG and sales-led motions.Dave and Jason cover:How to structure a B2B marketing org for scale, alignment, and channel ownershipWhy events are their #1 channel and how creative formats drive real pipelineThe KPI + OKR system they use to prioritize work and measure marketing's impactYou'll walk away with a clearer understanding of how to design your team, focus your strategy, and invest in channels that actually drive results.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (02:34) - – What Customer.io does and who they serve (03:34) - – Growth story: from bootstrapped to private equity-backed (05:34) - – Team size and breakdown of the 30-person marketing org (07:34) - – Balancing PLG and sales-led within one team (09:34) - – How the org is structured: focus teams vs. centers of excellence (11:34) - – Aligning team goals to sales motions and funnel stages (13:34) - – How Customer.io prioritizes internal marketing requests (15:34) - – Avoiding the “who bangs the table loudest” trap (16:34) - – Cross-functional alignment with sales and product (18:34) - – KPI vs. OKR: how Customer.io uses both (22:50) - – Examples of key KPIs for the business (24:50) - – How OKRs cascade across the org (26:50) - – Why structured goal setting leads to better marketing impact (28:50) - – What channels are working: events are back (29:50) - – Examples of creative event formats that build community (31:50) - – Building pipeline without pitching at events (33:50) - – How Customer.io defines and tracks long-term influence (36:50) - – The decline of SEO and rise of AI-influenced buying (38:50) - – Why positioning is more important than ever (40:50) - – Product and marketing alignment in a modern org (42:50) - – Selling both the product and the roadmap (43:50) - – Jason's one wish for marketers: better customer data (45:50) - – Personalization, adaptability, and breaking through the noise (46:50) - – Closing thoughts 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. 

Most founders think they're "doing PLG” simply by launching a free trial. They add a signup form, make pricing transparent, and let people try the product for free. Then they wonder why it's not working. But you've only scratched the surface. In this episode, Wes reveals why most PLG attempts fail using a perfect analogy - the "We repair what your husband fixed” marketing campaign. Just like that leaky faucet that got worse after a DIY attempt, most founders unknowingly break their growth engine by doing surface-level PLG without building the foundation underneath. Key Highlights: 01:14: Why founders need professional PLG help02:37: The surface-level PLG trap 03:43: The fastest path to value problem06:08: Strategy misalignment and unknown ideal users07:03: Random free models that deliver no outcome08:03: Missing the right data to track user success09:25: No organizational buy-in for the PLG transition11:03: Why you can't bolt PLG onto a sales-led business12:15: The $1M ARR guarantee (and July bonus offer) Stop building your house from the roof down. Use this framework to build the real foundation that makes PLG actually work. Resources: 

In this episode of the CPQ Podcast, we're joined by Nikhil Muralitharan, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Chargebee, to explore how modern CPQ solutions are evolving for software and digital service businesses. Nikhil shares his unique journey from software engineering to product marketing leadership—and how his career path mirrors his personal theme of "connecting the dots." We dive deep into Chargebee's API-first, modular CPQ platform, built to support hybrid sales motions like PLG and sales-assisted selling—without maintaining separate catalogs or tech stacks. With customers ranging from $3M to $150M in revenue across the UK, Europe, ANZ, and North America, Chargebee offers out-of-the-box integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, and over 60 other systems. Nikhil also discusses: Their AI-generated quote summaries and vision for CPQ in an AI-native world Why sales and finance teams should operate from a shared data foundation Chargebee's approach to billing-first CPQ architecture, SOC 1/SOC 2 and ISO 27001 compliance A new guided selling experience launching later this year Their 6-stage implementation methodology and fast go-live timelines If you're looking for a CPQ solution designed for digital growth, flexible pricing models, and enterprise-grade compliance—this episode is a must-listen.

Only 3% of B2B buyers actually want to talk to sales before trying your product. So why are most SaaS companies still structuring their entire go-to-market around that tiny minority?  Because they don't know how to execute it without destroying their current revenue. It's time to flip the script. In this episode, Wes breaks down the complete 7-part framework for transforming your business from sales-led to product-led, plus reveals why 85% of PLG transformations fail and how to avoid those fatal mistakes. Key Highlights: 01:03: The PLG spectrum - It's not all-or-nothing03:58: The compelling business case for PLG11:28: Why 85% of PLG transformations fail (and how to avoid it)14:15: 6 readiness questions before starting your transformation20:46: Building a CFO-approved business case with real ROI calculations27:29: The complete ProductLed System breakdown29:16: 4 proven strategies to get started without disrupting sales32:04: Boomi case study - How a $4B company made the switch Stop leaving money on the table with outdated sales processes. Use this battle-tested roadmap to unlock millions in hidden revenue while building a more efficient, scalable business that grows without you. Resources:

Scrappy ABM host Mason Cosby welcomes Alexander Goodwin, Director of Demand Generation at Fingerprint, to unpack the early success of his one-to-one ABM pilot. Within just a few months—and a fast, scrappy launch—Alex was able to generate early wins, create sales alignment, and secure executive buy-in for a scaled version two of the program.Alexander shares how starting with a small cohort of 20 high-profit, previously engaged accounts made it easier to prove quick value. He also breaks down his simple segmentation model, how he templated landing pages in HubSpot, and how embedding rep-recorded videos made the experience feel personal and relevant. Throughout the episode, Mason and Alex highlight the importance of clarity in account planning, shared measurement models, and practical ways to prioritize accounts that drive real revenue—not just clicks.

Kim Graves is GM, Americas at Notion, where she oversees all Sales and Customer Success efforts across the region. She brings extensive experience in building and scaling high-performing sales organizations, most notably at Slack where she helped grow revenue from $6M to over $1.5B. In addition to her operational role, Kim serves as a founding partner at 20SALES, a GTM-focused VC firm, where she advises early-stage companies on scaling revenue and optimizing sales processes. Agenda: 07:00 – The Secret to Winning a Discount Conversation 09:30 – Notion's Wild New Sales Method: Mindsets Over Stages 12:00 – Why Great Sellers Never Talk Product Too Soon 14:00 – How Slack Avoided the Biggest PLG Trap of All 17:00 – The Fatal Mistake Founders Make Layering Sales on PLG 20:00 – The “Renaissance Reps” That Build Billion-Dollar Motions 23:00 – How to Spot True Grit in a Sales Hire (Without Asking Directly) 26:00 – The Case Study Test That Filters Out Bullshitters 30:00 – The Real Reason Most Reps Fail Onboarding 33:00 – Should Reps Own Their Own Pipeline? Kim's Take Is Clear 36:00 – Why Cold Calling Works in 2025 (And Nobody Does It) 39:00 – The Sales Team Audit: The REKS Framework That Changes Everything 43:00 – How to Avoid Hiring the Wrong Rep Under Pressure 45:00 – When Sales Feels Second Class: PLG vs Enterprise Tension 47:00 – The One Thing Reps Still Do That AI Will Obliterate 50:00 – AI Sales Tools: Why Every Startup Is Failing to Get It Right 53:00 – Will We Have More or Fewer Reps in 5 Years?  56:00 – Enterprises Are Scared of AI – Here's How You Break In Anyway 59:00 – Kim's Secret for Getting Past Gatekeepers and Fake Champions 1:09:00 – Kim's Hardest Phase at Slack and How She Survived It  

Get ready for a crash course for you in the next great distribution shift. In this episode, Brian Balfour and Fareed Mosavat pull back the curtain on why AI's real battleground isn't the tech itself—it's the fight to be the next distribution platform. Fareed and Brian dissect the playbooks and cycles that crowned Facebook, Google, Apple and LinkedIn as the winners of their categories and turned them from open platforms into toll booths. The key part is who is going to be next, and what you need to know to play the game. We cover: Brian's prediction on which LLM will create the platform first—and exactly how to ride that wave before the gates slam shut. How startups need to play the game differently vs larger companies A candid debate on platform moats, memory vs. action, and whether PLG just made a roaring comeback. If you build, invest, or obsess over AI products, this 45-minute sprint will hand you the hard truths and the hidden opportunities shaping the next couple of years. Plug in, level up—and learn how to play the game before the game plays you.

What does it take to create $100 million in incremental pipeline in a single year? Kyle Coleman, Global VP of Marketing at ClickUp, unpacks his mission to help the company reach $1B in ARR and why “normal f***ing sucks” might be the best company value he's ever worked under. From his start as an SDR to becoming a two-time CMO, Kyle shares lessons on category design, uniting sales and marketing, and creating demand in a saturated AI-hyped world.  Plus, what's ClickUp's “No Lead Left Behind” initiative all about? Kyle breaks it down, along with how to productize a horizontal platform, why brand awareness makes or breaks regional sales success, and how to build strategic messaging that resonates.  Whether you're scaling a PLG motion or trying to land 7-figure enterprise deals, this is the episode for you.  ActiveCampaign⁠⁠ turns your ambition into impact by orchestrating your marketing through Active Intelligence and AI agents - powering your imagination with billions of data points, activating fully-realized campaigns and strategies from your ideas, and validating what works - so you can drive real results. Follow Kyle: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyletcoleman/ Follow Daniel: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themarketingmillennials/featured Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Dmurr68 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-murray-marketing Sign up for The Marketing Millennials newsletter: www.workweek.com/brand/the-marketing-millennialsDaniel is a Workweek friend, working to produce amazing podcasts. To find out more, visit: www.workweek.com

Apollo co-founder and CEO Tim Zheng reveals the pivot that rescued his company from a 2:1 CAC payback ratio. This episode breaks down how Apollo transformed from a struggling $10K ACV sales-led model to $150M+ ARR by reducing prices to $99/mo and going all in on PLG. Tim dives into why over 50% of Apollo's code is now written by AI, the challenge of finding executives who can scale across multiple growth stages, and how Apollo plans to break through the billion-dollar barrier that has proven elusive for many go-to-market tech companies. Thanks for tuning in! New episodes of Topline drop every Sunday and Thursday. Don't miss GTM2025 — the only B2B tech conference exclusively for GTM executives. Elevate your 2026 strategy and join us from September 23 to 25 in Washington, D.C. Use code TOPLINE for 10% off your GA ticket. Stay ahead with the latest industry developments and emerging go-to-market trends with Topline Newsletter by Asad Zaman. Subscribe today. Tune in to The Revenue Leadership Podcast every Wednesday, where host Kyle Norton talks with real revenue operators and dives deep into what it takes to succeed as a modern revenue leader. You're invited! Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders, share insights, and keep the conversation going beyond the podcast! Key chapters: (00:00) - Introduction to Topline Podcast and Guest Tim Zheng (04:06) - Market Dynamics and Sales Funnel Insights (09:47) - Transitioning from Sales-Led to Product-Led Growth (12:34) - Re-architecting Business Models for Efficiency (15:20) - Integrating Sales-Led and Product-Led Strategies (17:14) - Challenges in Scaling Go-to-Market Tech (20:08) - Data as a Competitive Advantage (23:48) - Organizational Design and Cultural Shifts (27:31) - Implementing AI in Product Development (35:01) - Leveraging AI for Go-to-Market Efficiency (40:16) - Understanding User Needs and Empathy in Product Development

Jake Mor is the founder of Superwall (superwall.com), a mobile app paywall platform that generates $3.6 million ARR with just 12 employees by powering over 100 million paywall views monthly for 3,000 customers. His company processes $25-50 million in customer revenue each month and has built over 4,000 custom paywalls while facilitating 4-5 million new user conversions monthly across their customer base. Jake reveals his exact hybrid PLG-to-enterprise strategy that starts customers at $200-300 monthly on self-serve plans then graduates them to $1,000-1,500 negotiated enterprise deals, plus his AI demand scoring system that delivers 20-30% revenue lifts overnight for apps generating $5-10 million MRR. In this episode, Jake breaks down how 2 lines of code became a $3.6 million business, his white-glove onboarding process that takes over customer paywalls for 4 weeks to prove value, and the failed experiment database that helps customers avoid costly mistakes while achieving conversion rates of 20-30%.

In this episode of SaaS Fuel, Jeff Mains sits down with Andrew Seidman, former poker player and now co-founder of Digital Reach Agency. Andrew shares hard-earned lessons on B2B branding, go-to-market strategy, and how SaaS founders can scale smarter.We cover the balance between product-led growth and ABM, the dangers of relying only on bottom-of-funnel tactics, and why your brand must make people feel—not just function.Whether you're stuck in lead generation purgatory or wondering why your messaging isn't landing, this episode is your guide to aligning brand, demand, and revenue.Key Takeaways00:00 - Do you even know your audience?01:08 - Welcome to SaaS Fuel02:06 - Why brand is more than a logo03:41 - Guest intro: Andrew Seidman05:00 - From poker tables to pipeline growth10:10 - Most common GTM mistakes for $3–$20M SaaS13:25 - Why bottom-of-funnel dries up15:33 - Make your customer the hero18:55 - Balancing PLG and ABM23:08 - Before you run ads, ask this27:20 - The Captain's Keys: Leadership book plug28:21 - Brand vs. product messaging35:27 - The logo test: can your brand be swapped?36:41 - Liquid Death vs. generic bottles40:16 - How much content is enough?43:46 - Where to invest in the next 90 days47:41 - Fixing GTM without hiring a CRO50:59 - Where to find AndrewTweetable Quotes“Are you trying to run ABM at Joe's Crab Shack or PLG at IBM? That's a fatal mismatch.” — Andrew Seidman“Brand is emotional leverage. It's not your logo—it's how people feel after encountering you.” — Andrew Seidman“Your best growth engine might be your current customers. Don't overlook advocacy.” — Jeff Mains“If your brand materials work with a competitor's logo, you've got a commodity, not a brand.” — Jeff Mains“Stop chasing leads if you're not ready to nurture them. Otherwise, you're lighting lemonade on fire.” — Andrew Seidman“Great growth strategy isn't just PLG or ABM—it's how you blend them and fuel with content.” — Andrew SeidmanSaaS Leadership LessonsDefine your audience before running anything.Without clarity, your GTM efforts are just expensive guesswork.Brand is emotional leverage.It's not just your logo—it's how people feel after encountering your company.Bottom-funnel-only = short-term growth.You must build pipeline long before buyers are “ready.”PLG + ABM > Either Alone.Hybrid models give you better reach and retention when done right.Customer advocacy is a growth engine.Your best marketing may already be using your product—elevate their stories.If your brand can be swapped with a competitor's, you don't have a brand.Own your identity. Generic is invisible.Guest ResourcesEmail - andrew@digitalreachagency.comWebsite -http://digitalreachagency.com/ Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-seidman/Episode SponsorSmall Fish, Big Pond – https://smallfishbigpond.com/ Use the promo code ‘SaaSFuel'Champion Leadership Group –

In today's episode, Wes Bush announces the launch of the Product-Led MBA, a comprehensive nine-week program designed to address the massive talent shortage in product-led growth (PLG). After nine years of helping over 400 companies generate $1 billion in self-serve revenue, he identifies a critical gap: there's a real shortage of talent that understands the full spectrum of PLG implementation.  The Product-Led MBA teaches "full stack product-led growth," covering everything from strategy and user research to pricing, data analytics, and team building. This implementation-focused program provides real-world skills, templates, and a proven system that participants can immediately apply to any company, making it a valuable career investment in an AI-driven economy where PLG skills remain highly sought after. Key Highlights: 00:47: Massive talent shortage in PLG 03:49: Get templates and systems we use with our clients05:16: AI-proof your career with high-demand PLG skills07:34: Limited time: $549 (50% off) for first 100 people Learn more about the Product-Led MBA program

Rational thinking might drive economics, but emotional behavior drives decisions. And no one understands that better than Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational, a book that's reshaped our assumptions about how people make decisions.In this episode, we're unpacking key lessons from Dan Ariely's work with the help of our special guest, Leslie Alore, SVP of Marketing at Flexera.Together, we explore what B2B marketers can learn from setting the right expectations, why fewer choices close more deals, and how the power of “free” and fear of loss can drive serious retention.About our guest, Leslie AloreAs the SVP of Marketing, Leslie Alore leads Flexera's marketing strategy with an aim to create great experiences and outcomes for our customers.Her passion for people and technology—combined with more than 15 years of marketing leadership in the tech space—has established her as a successful, results-driven executive who enables teams to do their best work.Prior to joining Flexera, Leslie served as the Global SVP of Lifecycle Marketing at Ivanti. Before that, she held various marketing, operations and GTM strategy roles at Iron Mountain. Leslie is an active speaker and mentor in the GTM community, and has been recognized among “Top Women in Marketing” by Ragan Communications and “Women of the Channel” by CRN.Leslie holds a BBA in Management, and an MBA with a concentration in Strategic Leadership from Walsh College of Accountancy and Business Administration.What B2B Companies Can Learn From Predictably Irrational:Set expectations to shape reality. Great marketing doesn't just reflect value, it creates the conditions for it. Leslie highlights how expectations shape reality. When buyers believe something is good, they interpret every detail through that lens. This isn't about manipulation, it's about clarity and consistency. Leslie says, “The effect of expectations… believing beforehand something is good, therefore it will be or the reverse.” So stop hoping your audience connects the dots. Tell them what to expect, then deliver on it. Perception isn't a bonus, it's the foundation.Shrink your options to speed the decision. Too many options stall progress. The paradox of choice tells us more isn't better, it's paralyzing. Leslie urges marketers to curate the path forward: “You actually want to give people fewer options and take control of the options that they see.” Don't just join the shortlist, define it. When you narrow the frame, you speed up the decision for your customers. Turn “free” into staying power with loss aversion. There's magic in “free,” but the real power lies in what people fear losing. Once someone uses your product, whether it's a freemium tool or an ungated resource, they've invested. Now there's skin in the game. Leslie puts it simply, “People will overvalue something that's free and ignore kind of the trade-off costs associated. And loss is psychologically painful. We don't want to lose that, which we already have.” Whether you offer software, content, or services, create early wins. Then make the cost of leaving feel higher than the cost of staying.Quotes*“ There's many organizations that lean into that power of positivity…What's very interesting is that consumer brands do this a lot very, very well. B2B organizations tend to do almost the opposite. They tend to lean more into FUD. And that's a harder road to tread.”*“ If you're an organization that is selling software, the software is designed to provide a business outcome. It's designed to solve a business problem. Instead of focusing on, here's the business problem. Doesn't that suck for you? You can say, ‘here's the solution.*“You have the power, you can feel confident about your ability to achieve X, Y, Z because you've solved this problem.' It's saying the same thing, but orienting it in a positive way and being very, very, very consistent in that message. Beat that drum over and over and over again.”*“ Narrow down the competitive options for them. Your sales process will move faster. You will be able to take better control of the narrative if you say, ‘this is us and these are the two other vendors that look like us. And here's why we are different and better, and here's what you can expect from these guys.' And that doesn't mean saying negative things about them.  It's just highlighting your strengths and your virtues.”*“People are willing to accept trade-offs for something that is perceived to be free…This is the exact reason that PLG, product-led growth, is so powerful. Because if you can get people in the door with some sort of freemium offering, people will actually work harder to do the legwork to get a free product to work and interact with it, than they might be willing to put in for something that they have to go pay for. And then once they have it and they've put in the work, they don't wanna lose it.”Time Stamps[00:55] Meet Leslie Alore, SVP of Marketing at Flexera[00:56] Why Predictably Irrational?[02:20] The Role of SVP of Marketing at Flexera[02:47] Understanding Predictably Irrational[09:56] B2B Marketing Lessons from Predictably Irrational[37:49] Cognitive Dissonance in Buying Behavior[42:17] Emotional Marketing in B2B[46:18] Final Thoughts and TakeawaysLinksConnect with Leslie on LinkedInLearn more about FlexeraAbout Remarkable!Remarkable! is created by the team at Caspian Studios, the premier B2B Podcast-as-a-Service company. Caspian creates both nonfiction and fiction series for B2B companies. If you want a fiction series check out our new offering - The Business Thriller - Hollywood style storytelling for B2B. Learn more at CaspianStudios.com. In today's episode, you heard from Ian Faison (CEO of Caspian Studios) and Meredith Gooderham (Head of Production). Remarkable was produced this week by Jess Avellino, mixed by Scott Goodrich, and our theme song is “Solomon” by FALAK. Create something remarkable. Rise above the noise.

On today's episode, our guest is Lauren Schuman, VP of Product Growth at Bitly & former Sr. Dir. of Product Growth at MailChimp. In this episode, we discuss: How Lauren created product-led growth (PLG) as a discipline at MailChimp and turned it into a systematic growth engine The turnaround story behind a failed product launch, and how it led to a 183% spike in adoption overnight Why lagging engagement pushed her to lead a ground-up rebuild of MailChimp's core email editor to improve growth Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenschuman/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Lauren Schumann 03:09 Transition to E-commerce and PLG 07:15 Joining MailChimp and Early Challenges 09:50 Implementing PLG at MailChimp 13:43 Navigating Organizational Politics 19:03 Improving User Experience at MailChimp 19:26 Defining Key Customer Journey Metrics 20:30 Challenges and Solutions in Email Activation 21:40 Balancing Core Competencies and Expansion 22:59 The Role of AI in Product Management 24:50 Human Touch in the Age of Automation 27:48 Future of AI and Personalization 34:50 Outro Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPod.byLogRocket)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guest: Lauren Schuman.

durée : 00:55:16 - Côté Club - par : Laurent Goumarre - Rap au féminin et masculin ce soir dans Côté club avec BEN plg et son nouvel album "Parait que les miracles n'existent pas" et Adés the planet et son single "24 carats" - réalisé par : Stéphane LE GUENNEC, Matthias Volant

איך משתנה המרקטינג בחברה שצומחת דרך המוצר (PLG), כשמוסיפים מנוע צמיחה שמונע דרך מכירות (SLG)? איך זה משפיע על הלקוחות שאנחנו מכוונים אליהם, על ערוצי השיווק, ועל המטריקות שאנחנו מודדים? ומה הקשר של כל זה לדגים גדולים ודגים קטנים? בחירת אסטרטגיית צמיחה לסטארטאפ היא החלטה מורכבת, כזו שמשפיעה על כל אזור בחברה, מהאופן שבו מפתחים את המוצר ועד הדרך שבה מגיעים ללקוחות חדשים. בסדרת פרקים חדשה: ״הכל על PLG ו-SLG" אנחנו משתפים בדרך של מאנדיי בבחירת מנוע הצמיחה שלה: תחילה בהתבסס על המוצר בלבד, ובהמשך גם עם שילוב של מנוע מכירות. בפרק השבוע אדוה שיסגל מדברת עם רועי מן, Co-CEO וקו-פאונדר במאנדיי, על השינוי שעבר המרקטינג בעקבות השינוי באסטרטגיית הצמיחה של החברה: אם בעבר השיווק התבסס בעיקר על פרפורמנס וערוצי פוש שהציגו את הפיצ'רים של המוצר לקהל רחב, היום הוא גם שם דגש על פתרון בעיות ומכוון לקהל מצומצם ומדויק יותר. זה תהליך שבו אנחנו לא מחכים שמישהו יגיע אלינו, אלא מזהים מראש את הלקוחות שאנחנו רוצים לעבוד איתם ובונים איתם מערכת יחסים. בפרק רועי משתף בשינויים שהמרקטינג עבר, למה השינוי הזה היה נחוץ בכלל, איך ניגשנו אליו, מה היו האתגרים, וגם מה עדיין לא מפוצח. חסר לכם קצת רקע? קישור לפרק הראשון בסדרהSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ashley Kent - Founder & CEO of Clear Star Creative, a boutique marketing growth agency specializing in venture-backed health tech companiesKey Topics DiscussedBuilding a Sustainable Business and Life BalanceManaging a 15-employee company while raising two young children (ages 4 and 6)Finding joy in simple pleasures: working out, good food, and family timeThe reality of being a working mom in a small community where she's often in the minorityWhat Clear Star Creative DoesBoutique marketing/growth agency focused on venture-backed health tech startupsTwo main service phases:"Crawl Phase": Helping companies validate their target audience and go-to-market strategy"Walk Phase": Building scalable marketing and sales systems beyond founder-led salesThe Evolution of Venture CapitalShift from investing in "dreams and ideas" (2015-2020) to requiring tangible resultsVCs now demand sustainable, repeatable business models rather than relying on individual foundersImportance of building "moats" and differentiation in crowded marketsMarketing PhilosophyThree ways CEOs typically view marketing:Core revenue driverSales enablement ("make things look pretty")Brand awareness generatorFocus on impacting business outcomes, not just creating contentTaking a whole customer lifecycle approach from acquisition to renewalAI's Role in MarketingUsing AI as an efficiency tool, not a replacement for human relationshipsCurrent tech stack includes ChatGPT for ideation and image generation, AI note-taking toolsEmphasis on maintaining human oversight and the relationship-driven nature of businessThe Transition from Founder-Led SalesCommon challenge for companies in the $10-50M rangeDifference between lifestyle businesses and venture-scalable companiesBuilding repeatable systems that don't depend on the founder's personal relationshipsProduct-Led Growth in HealthcareHealthcare traditionally being sales-led but slowly adopting PLG approachesThe complexity of implementing PLG - requires buttoned-up systems and user experienceWarning about pulling product resources away from core developmentRecent Business ChallengesAshley candidly shared experiencing her "hardest six months ever":Lost entire core team within two weeksLost major clients within two monthsHad to rebuild while maintaining operations and caring for familyLearning to balance investment in clients' success with her own company's needsHiring and Team ManagementFocus on behavioral interviews and work ethic assessment90-day probationary period to ensure good fitEmphasis on preventing burnout in high-paced startup/agency environmentImportance of setting clear expectations and boundariesParenting and BusinessExposing her daughter to the business world and strong working womenBalancing being present for family while running a demanding businessTeaching children about the value of hard work and financial independenceKey Quotes"I'm in the people business. We are in the services business where we are building relationships.""If we turned [marketing] off tomorrow, would it really impact our business? Probably not... We have to make sure that we are impacting the business in every single thing we're doing.""The strategic person climbs to the top of the ladder, looks over the trees and says, 'guys, we're in the wrong forest.'""Don't let the facade fool you. It is hard as hell to do this and it will push you in every single capacity."Resources MentionedClay (AI-enabled sales outreach tool)Apollo (sales outreach platform)ChatGPT (AI for ideation and content)Clear Star Creative websiteEpisode TakeawaysFocus over busy work: Strategic thinking means identifying the one thing that will truly move the needleRelationships drive business: Especially in B2B services, human connections remain irreplaceableTransparency builds trust: Being honest about capabilities and limitations creates stronger client relationshipsSystems enable scale: Moving beyond founder-dependent operations requires intentional system buildingResilience through adversity: Even successful entrepreneurs face major setbacks - persistence and support systems are crucialFortune's Path podcast helps service and technology businesses address root causes that prevent rapid growth. Music and editing by Ted Noser.

國泰世華 CUBE Podcast 節目「解鎖從容理財」由主持人小詹與證券投資分析師薯哥分享財經情勢與理財小故事的與你一起創造「從容投資、品味理財」的態度生活。立即收聽 ➡️ https://fstry.pse.is/7l4x2c —— 以上為 KKBOX 與 Firstory Podcast 廣告 —— 「PLG在打冠軍戰，你們怎麼都沒有討論？」類似的私訊，過去一周多次出現在小人物上籃社群信件夾中。其實有喔！小人物聽眾們應該有注意到每場賽後的會員特輯，現在EP.176全部集結一次公開，來回顧這系列台籃史上少有的7場打好打滿大決戰！ 這次PLG冠軍賽，Roy現場看了G2、G5，小枚看了G3、G7，兩位主持人的現場觀賽心得、加上Kong每場直播督軍、以及隔壁棚海神助教Sean期間的插花，小人物聽眾們可以跟著每場賽後討論既真實又及時的情緒起伏，回想戰況是如何發展到最後的搶七大戰、兩隊如何糾纏到第四節最後時刻。這個被許多球迷笑稱半前年就已經決定好的決賽隊戰組合，兩隊賽前做了哪些準備？期間做了哪些調整？每場賽後討論與預測，哪些有發生？哪些沒有？哪些出乎意料之外？！ 當橘色彩帶撒下，球賽的結局只有一隊能舉起冠軍盃，但能夠出現在這樣堪稱經典的系列賽的最終舞台，兩支球隊、全場球迷、看直播與聽節目的每一個人，一起成就並經歷過程的我們，都是贏家！ 成為

I'm taking you behind the scenes of ProductLed's wild 8-year ride. From our embarrassing original name (“Traffic is Currency” - yikes) to helping 400+ companies generate $1B in self-serve revenue, it's been anything but linear. I share the honest truth about riding the pandemic capital wave, the year I was completely lost, and how accidentally discovering our implementation program changed everything. Key Takeaways: [00:01:55] My first client took a chance on me [00:05:03] I was making $33K/month but was miserable [00:09:44] Writing my book in a 6-month sprint [00:13:23] How COVID forced us to pivot from workshops to cohorts [00:20:07] The accidental discovery that transformed our business model Looking back, my journey followed exactly what Jim Collins calls the “Hedgehog Concept” - first finding what makes money, then following my energy to PLG, and finally creating a unique system that could become world-class. The intersection of these three elements is where unstoppable businesses are built.

This is going to make all the PLG fan boys & girls angry...Today we talk about why Romanticizing PLG is dangerous.With AI companies hitting $50M ARR overnight (amazing product, credit cards, and a golden retriever named Kevin), a dangerous myth is spreading:

Hej – pewnie kojarzycie to stwierdzenie, albo słyszycie je podczas kłótni z drugą osobą bądź jak wściekacie się na swoją latorośl – jednak my razem z Jankiem zwracamy uwagę na absurd odpowiedzi na ważne pytania o przyszłość naszego kraju. Dość eksperymentalnie chcieliśmy wziąć na tapet jeden temat główny i trochę o nim pogadać – wyszły gorące jak ziemniaki z pieca w ostatnim tygodniu Debaty prezydenckie 2025. Trochę o historii, trochę o tym jak wyglądają w USA i o tym dlaczego tak dziwnie wypadają u nas? Chyba nie jesteśmy w stanie znaleźć lepszej formy, a może wy macie jakiś lek na taki stan?Przed głównym tematem nawiązaliśmy do nowej książki Sylwii Czubkowskiej – Bóg cechy – nowa, mająca swoją premierę w mijającym tygodniu książka, pokazująca jak bardzo właśnie te “techy” są miejscem westchnięć – jak lubicie takie mocne reporterskie książki to serdecznie zapraszamy do krótkiej analizy przez Janka. Zachęcamy do kupienia książki Pani Sylwii. Na końcu, krótko o streamingu Maxie albo hbo Maxie, albo Maxie hbo – my już się sami pogubiliśmy. Dodatkowo zdradzamy jaki jest najbardziej ceniony i znienawidzony zawód w Polsce! Dajcie znać czy forma jednego głównego tematu Wam siedzi. Zapraszamy na stronę naszego partnera podcastu firmę Kawawbiurze.pl z kodem – LPK2025 -20% na kawki marki Venezia! Dobrego tygodnia i pamiętajcie o niedzieli! Rozdziały:00:00:00 – Intro00:00:40 – Czy to na pewno maj?00:06:48 – Bóg techy- Sylwia Czubkowska00:11:18 – Minuta na odpowiedź00:49:05 – Max, HBO, HBO max, max HBO itd.00:51:38 – Najgorzej oceniane zawody00:52:52 – Podsumowanie00:53:40 – OutroPozdrawiamyAdam i JanInstagram: @LuznoPrzyKawieTwitter: @LuźnoPrzyKawieFacebook: @LPKpodcastProjekt okładki: Adam BorodoIdentyfikacja wizualna: High5Studio.plGłosy: Adam Borodo, Jan Urbanowicz

Today on the show we have Ryan Seams, the Head of Customer Success at  AssemblyAI.In this episode, Ryan shares his experience transitioning from Deloitte to the fast-paced world of startups, where he spent nearly a decade at Mixpanel scaling customer success and navigating product analytics.We then discussed the evolution of pricing models — from events-based to monthly tracked users and back again — and how that shaped customer behavior, retention, and satisfaction.We wrapped up by discussing how AI-native companies like  AssemblyAI are redefining usage-based pricing, customer segmentation, and churn forecasting in a rapidly changing landscape.Mentioned ResourcesAssemblyAI Mixpanel Google Analytics Adobe Omniture OpenAI Churn FM is sponsored by Vitally, the all-in-one Customer Success Platform.

Most SaaS teams claim they're “doing PLG,” but very few are doing it well. This week on GTM Live, Carolyn and Trevor sit down with Wes Bush, CEO of ProductLed, to unpack why product-led growth often fails—and what to do about it. They explore why PLG isn't just a pricing model or trial strategy, but a deep, systems-level shift that most teams underestimate.Wes shares the “PLG iceberg” framework: how surface-level features (like a free trial) are only a fraction of the equation, and what's really beneath the waterline. Carolyn draws parallels to GTM systems and explains why execution gaps usually stem from unseen issues like misaligned metrics, siloed teams, or weak infrastructure. Trevor reveals why so many companies stall out after initial traction and how to diagnose whether PLG is truly viable for your product and team.If your version of PLG starts and ends with a self-serve signup, this conversation will change your thinking.Key topics in this episode:Why most PLG initiatives stall or fail to scaleThe “iceberg” analogy for understanding real PLG systemsHow internal misalignment derails otherwise solid PLG ideasWhy surface-level success metrics are misleadingWhat CEOs and GTM leaders get wrong when trying to “go PLG”What foundational systems need to be in place before you can succeed with PLG

What turns a free trial user into a paying customer? For Ola Sars, founder and CEO of Soundtrack, the answer is all about behavior. In this episode, we break down how his team uses product-led growth (PLG) and product-qualified leads (PQLs) to drive conversions.  You'll hear how playing 100 tracks became a key signal for purchase intent, the tactics Soundtrack deploys to help self-serve customers experience value fast, and what it takes to scale a SaaS business in a market ruled by consumer giants. If you're building a PLG motion or trying to convert lookie-loos into cash customers, listen in. RUNTIME 45:20 EPISODE BREAKDOWN (3:11) “ It's 20 years now I've been trying to make a living here in the intersection of audio, music and technology.” (5:22) How Ola became a member of Beats' founding team. (9:37) Why he returned to Stockholm to build Soundtrack instead of remaining stateside. (13:38) When Ola started to learn about product-led growth. (15:38) “ It's a $40-50 billion market on an annual basis. And we're kind of the only company going after that market right now.” (18:54) “ We had this approach that everything had to be done self-serve.” (20:33) Creating a framework to ID and leverage product-qualfied leads (PQLs). (26:06) What role will AI play in music distribution and production? (28:23) The gaps Ola sees in today's music technology marketplace. (32:04) Why AI-generated music “ doesn't make any sense.” (35:03) Ola reflects on several cultural shifts that have made it “much easier now” to build in Europe. (38:12) Stockholm's entrepreneurs are “kind of hybrid Americans in a way how we think about business.” (42:08) The biggest myth Americans believe about starting up in Europe. (44:09) If you were interviewing for a job with an early-stage startup, what's one question you'd have to ask the CEO before you could accept an offer? LINKS Ola Sars Soundtrack B2B music streaming service Soundtrack Your Brand raises $15 million, Tech.eu ​​What is “lagom?”, Study in Sweden The English term "mid" matches the Swedish term "bland, mellan,” tok-pisin.com SUBSCRIBE

Episode 379 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Graham Brown, Managing Partner at Lerer Hippeau. It seems like just yesterday when I first interviewed Graham seven years ago back for Episode 32 (https://soundcloud.com/venturefizz/episode-32-graham-brown-partner-at-lerer-hippeau) when Lerer Hippeau was announcing its sixth fund. This puts Graham in elite company as one of the very few people who have made a repeat appearance on The VentureFizz Podcast – which I'm sure is an incredible honor for Graham to achieve… just kidding obviously. But in all seriousness… in that first interview, we discussed Graham's background (he's actually a fellow native of New Hampshire) and the early innings of his career, so in this interview, we were able to get much deeper into other topics around startups and fundraising. As you might know, Lerer Hippeau is one of the top early stage VC firms in the country and they recently announced another new fund, that one being LH Fund IX, a $200M fund which is exclusively focused on early stage companies. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * How to land a job in venture capital. * How our original interview discussed AI seven years ago and what Graham is excited about in terms of this platform shift. * The renewed interest in energy startups and the innovation in this sector. * What he's looking for out of a first meeting with an entrepreneur & the process of getting funded. * PLG versus founder led sales and advice on avoiding entrepreneurial envy. * The latest on the NYC tech ecosystem. * And so much more Episode Sponsor: As a longtime champion of the local startup ecosystem, Silicon Valley Bank supports innovative companies with the solutions and financing they need through every stage of growth. With more than 1,500 bankers and relationship advisors, and $42B in loans as of Q2 2024 – SVB delivers the right people, service and resources to support your entire financial journey. Learn more at SVB.com.

In this episode, we're joined by Gaurav Agarwal, COO of ClickUp, who's led the company's explosive growth to over 10 million users while slashing CAC by 3X and achieving profitability. Gaurav dives into why ClickUp's hybrid motion is crushing it and how to align both for compounding returns, how they reduced CAC by ruthlessly optimizing spend and embracing incrementality over attribution, how to build teams that thrive under high accountability, and more.Thanks for tuning in!Join the revenue leaders redefining growth at Pavilion's CRO Summit 2025, which will be held on June 3rd at the Denver Art Museum. Register today.Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders, share insights, and keep the conversation going beyond the podcast!Subscribe to the Topline Newsletter to get the latest industry developments and emerging go-to-market trends delivered to your inbox every Thursday.Tune into The Revenue Leadership Podcast with Kyle Norton every Wednesday. Kyle dives deep into the strategies and tactics that drive success for revenue leaders like Jason Lemkins of SaaStr, Stevie Case of Vanta, and Ron Gabrisko of Databricks.Key Moments:(00:00) Introduction to Gaurav Agarwal and ClickUp(02:54) Gaurav's Journey from Banking to Startups(06:04) Growth Strategies and Challenges at ClickUp(14:54) Branding vs. Performance Marketing in SaaS(21:54) Navigating Brand Marketing and Measurement(24:44) The Importance of Self-Awareness in Leadership(27:39) The Role of Pain in Leadership and Growth(35:57) The Dichotomy of Being Liked vs. Respected(40:39) Building Resilient Teams Through Real Challenges(51:14) The Dynamics of PLG and SLG(52:37) Fragmentation in Go-to-Market Strategies(56:42) The Role of Marketing in Revenue Generation(01:00:45) Influences and Inspirations in Business

In this short segment of the Revenue Builders Podcast, we revisit the discussion with Matt Nolan, CRO of Redwood Software, to discuss what it really takes to scale a revenue organization beyond the $200M mark. Matt shares what he's learned stepping into the CRO role—shifting from deal-maker to system-builder, navigating cultural integration post-acquisition, managing board dynamics, and building trust through authentic leadership. If you're a sales leader, aspiring CRO, or operating in a private equity-backed company, this candid conversation is loaded with actionable insights.KEY TAKEAWAYS[00:00:30] The shift from deal involvement to systems thinking as a CRO[00:01:40] Navigating complexity: PLG, SLG, and assisted motions in one org[00:02:15] Tackling organizational friction points no one else can move[00:03:00] Building credibility with a board that has a different go-to-market background[00:03:45] The challenge of balancing learning vs. initiating change as a new leader[00:05:00] Why being authentically yourself is the best leadership strategy[00:06:15] How to build trust without gutting legacy teams[00:06:45] Culture wins: no account conflicts, cross-region harmony, and shared mission[00:07:15] Going from “best kept secret” to magic quadrant leaderQUOTES[00:01:45] “My job is to go turn all the ‘what's not working' into ‘what's working.'”[00:02:10] “There are some rocks in the business that only the CRO can move."[00:03:05] “You've got to earn trust to make big moves—especially when your vision differs from the board's.”[00:05:00] “The only way to do it is to be yourself—even if that means being more open than most."[00:06:50] “I'm proud of a very corny thing: no account conflict has ever escalated to me in three years.[00:07:00] “We were the best kept secret in software—now we're in the magic quadrant.”Listen to the full conversation through the link below:https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/navigating-the-cro-role-while-building-a-great-culture-with-matt-nolanEnjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox:https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0Check out John McMahon's book here:Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDCCheck out Force Management's Ascender platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/Force Management is hiring for a Sales Director. Apply here: https://hubs.li/Q02Zb8WG0Read Force Management's eBook: https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

Po dwóch tygodniach przerwy wracamy z nowym odcinkiem – tym razem nagrywanym w wyjątkowo sielankowych warunkach, bo z ogrodu, w przedmajówkowym słońcu. A tematy? Różnorodne jak zawsze – od technologii i promocji, przez blackouty, aż po reklamację rysika i gwiezdne wojny. Zobaczcie, co przygotowaliśmy! 

票選連結

Go-to-market is defined as a cohesive, interconnected machine involving sales, marketing, product, and customer needs working together like a flywheel. A successful GTM strategy centers on four key elements: understanding the customer's pain points, delivering clear product value, ensuring ease of consumption, and aligning cross-functional teams toward common goals.In this insightful podcast, Ramesh Prabagaran, a Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur and two-time founder, shares his journey from product manager to successful founder and CEO. With over 20 years in the computer networking industry, Ramesh discusses his experiences at Juniper Networks, his co-founding of Viptela (acquired by Cisco), and his latest venture, Prosimo. He dives deep into go-to-market strategies, the iterative process of startup development, and the challenges of finding the right customer segments and value propositions. Ramesh provides valuable lessons on fundraising, mentorship, and navigating the shifting landscape of cloud networking, with particular emphasis on product-led growth (PLG) and enterprise sales. His story highlights the importance of capital constraints, building the right team, and developing a cohesive, customer-centric strategy.Connect with Ramesh Prabagaran on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramsbaConnect with Vijay Damojipurapu on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijdam/Brought to you by: stratyve.comChapters: 00:00 - How Ramesh Defines B2B Marketing in Startups 06:47 - From PM at Juniper to Multi-Time Founder: Ramesh's Career Journey 12:35 - Why Ramesh Entered the Networking Space 15:22 - First Startup: Identifying Market Disruption Through Cost Arbitrage 18:40 - Second Startup: Lessons in Timing, Buyer Personas, and Messaging 39:32 - How to Fundraise Smartly Based on Market Readiness 48:56 - Ramesh's Three Deepest Sources of Support 53:50 - The Power of Giving Back and the Silicon Valley Culture 56:00 - Advice to His Younger Self: Deprivation Drives Clarity 

In this episode, Wes Bush, founder and CEO of ProductLed, joins the Passetto team to discuss the critical shifts SaaS companies must make to win with product-led growth (PLG). Wes breaks down the misconceptions around PLG, why so many companies fail at it, and the 9 components needed to build a scalable PLG motion. We unpack what it takes to move beyond surface-level PLG and into a strategy that actually drives conversion, retention, and revenue. From onboarding mistakes to pricing psychology and team alignment, Wes brings a tactical, no-fluff approach to adopting PLG the right way. Key Takeaways: [00:03:19] Why most SaaS free trials fail with

Most teams are messing up their opportunity to scale their product into higher-value deals—without even realizing it.They're following someone else's Product-Led Sales playbook. ICPs are fuzzy. Qualification is weak. Sales motions aren't landing.Some teams are stuck in the messy middle: a PLG motion that's working (sort of), but sales is jumping in too early—or not at all. Customers are confused. Deals stall.Others know it's time to evolve beyond pure PLG—but aren't sure how to layer in sales without breaking what's already working.In this episode of The Forget the Funnel Podcast, Georgiana Laudi and April Dunford break down the real meaning of product-led sales, and the common mistakes that keep even experienced teams stuck—like unclear ICPs, poor qualification, and misapplied sales motions. Whether you're adding sales to a PLG motion, or trying to make your sales-led org more product-led, this episode will help you avoid costly missteps and find clarity fast.What you'll learn:Why PLG alone isn't enough to close bigger dealsThe real role of sales in a product-led motion (and how to get it right)How to identify product-qualified accounts and avoid jumping the gunWhat's in the episode:(00:00) What is product-led sales, really?(03:00) Why your users ≠ your buyers—and why that matters(06:00) The shadow IT opportunity most teams miss(09:30) Postman's evolution from PLG to strategic sales(14:00) The biggest misstep: Sales jumping in too early(20:00) What smart outbound looks like today(25:00) Faux freemium and low-risk PLG experiments(30:00) How to know when your product is ready to support salesLinks & ResourcesLenny's newsletter on GTM motions of 30 startups Explore April's workCheck out April's books Follow Georgiana on LinkedInForget The Funnel Podcast Forget The Funnel on YouTube As always, you can learn more about Forget The Funnel here: Read the Forget The Funnel Book Check out Forget the Funnel's website

人家罷賽會被沒收比賽，但我們就算天打雷劈也是會繼續錄音。本週台籃有個令人振奮的消息，鋼鐵人終於拿下第二勝啦！擊敗的不是別人，正是聯盟龍頭aka台籃模範生桃園領航猿，到底他們施了什麼魔法，讓領航猿like a baby一樣，敗在他們手上？ 除了PLG，TPBL的卡位戰依舊激烈進行中，本以為雲豹前一週輸給戰神後要下去了，沒想到上週馬上討回來，屋漏偏逢連夜雨，戰神輸完雲豹還要再對上聯盟龍頭國王，毫無懸念吞下二連敗。目前戰神只領先雲豹1場，第三的海神更是和特攻只差0.5場，到底誰能搶到季後賽的最終席次，我們拭目以待。 聊完本週比賽，我們要跟大家隆重宣布，一年一度的台籃非官方獎項正式開跑啦，不管是哪個聯盟，哪支球隊，都都有參賽的資格，在開始投票前，我們預先討論了年度洋將和自創獎項：最佳副手獎，還沒想到投誰嗎？不妨收聽我們的節目，看看誰才是你心中最佳人選吧~ 成為

In the latest episode of “Path to Market,” Natasha and Micah are joined by Fanny Talagrand, Head of EMEA sales for startups and SMBs at Stripe to discuss key sales strategies from startups to enterprises. Drawing from her extensive experience in global tech companies like Google Cloud and Stripe, Fanny emphasizes the importance of understanding user needs and journeys, leveraging user feedback, and the different dynamics between selling to startups versus enterprises.  She also provides advice for hiring the first sales reps, highlighting the need for candidates to be smart, driven, and coachable. She stresses the significance of onboarding processes and embedding new hires with users early on. Additionally, she explores how to balance product-led growth with enterprise sales and shares metrics to optimize sales performance. Tune in to learn about: - how to align sales strategies with the needs and journeys of different types of users; - how PLG and enterprise motions can coexist with careful planning and differentiation in user journeys; - why as companies grow, including a sales team becomes vital to extend market reach and support users who require more comprehensive solutions; - and more practical strategies for founders looking to enhance their sales operations and build successful teams. Show Notes: Fanny Talagrand - linkedin.com/in/fanny-talagrand-a51a81b Natasha Lytton – linkedin.com/in/natasha-lytton Micah Smurthwaite – linkedin.com/in/micah-smurthwaite-2283b49 Overview: 00:00 Introduction to Path to Market 01:17 Meet Fannie Talegrand, Head of EMEA Sales for Startups and SMBs at Stripe 02:13 Fannie's Career Journey 04:29 Comparing Sales at Google Cloud and Stripe 06:58 The Importance of Product and User Feedback 13:31 Sales Metrics and Funnel Optimization 16:32 Differences in Selling to SMBs vs. Enterprises 24:07 Hiring the Right Sales Leader 34:29 Onboarding New Sales Hires 40:09 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Shalin Jain is the founder and CEO of HappyFox, a successful bootstrapped company that provides modern help desk management software for customer service, support, and IT management organizations. Shalin and his small team in India built many successful products from 2000-2010, then focused on HappyFox and moved to the US in 2011. HappyFox is a mid-market product that sells across industries and departments with an efficient product-led growth (PLG) approach. The product has matured with successful add-on products for live chat, AI support, business intelligence, and workflows. The company has over 2200 customers, 110 employees, and now $20 million in revenue. Shalin plans to keep growing and leverage modern AI technology to become a much bigger company based on the disciplined product culture they have created. Quote from Shalin Jain, founder and CEO of HappyFox “I think software and its pricing need to be deflationary, just like hardware, where memory prices, hardware prices, and server prices have all been deflationary. But we are now going through a phase where software is actually getting more and more expensive. “With the advent of AI and automation, software will become cheaper and more usage-driven. So, the best survivors in that phase would be the efficiently run companies that have not bloated themselves by charging more today to have more employees and spend more on ads. “I believe software needs to get cheaper because it's getting cheaper to run software every day; it's getting cheaper to outsource to AI and build stuff with the help of AI as well. So software cost should not go up; it should go down.” Links Shalin Jain on LinkedIn HappyFox on LinkedIn HappyFox website The Practical Founders Podcast Tune into the Practical Founders Podcast for weekly in-depth interviews with founders who have built valuable software companies without big funding. Subscribe to the Practical Founders Podcast using your favorite podcast app or view on our YouTube channel. Get the weekly Practical Founders newsletter and podcast updates at practicalfounders.com.

Ishan Mukherjee is the Co-Founder/CEO of Rox, a Sequoia-backed AI-powered sales productivity platform. Before Rox, he was the Chief Growth Officer at New Relic where he scaled the self-serve business from $0-$100M in ARR. Prior to New Relic, Ishan founded Pixie Labs (acq by New Relic). Before that he led product at Siri Knowledge Graph at Apple, Lattice Data (acquired by Apple), Premise Data, and Amazon Robotics. Ishan was also an early engineer in Kiva (acquired by Amazon) where he joined after graduating from MIT. In Today's Episode We Discuss: 04:50 Biggest Lessons Scaling New Relic's PLG to $100M in ARR 05:59 How to Do PLG and Enterprise at the Same Time 07:00 How to do Content in a PLG World 08:50 Performance Marketing or Organic Content: What Works for PLG 10:27 Why You Should Stop Marketing at Events 11:47 Why SEM is a Cartel 14:15 Why Unpaid Design Partners are BS 17:17 How AI Changes the World of Enterprise Sales: Commit-Based vs. Usage-Based  20:49 How to do Sales Compensation Plans 24:44 How to Ramp New Sales Reps 25:03 The Impact of AI on Sales Research 29:18 How to do Deep Customer Research in an AI World 35:56 Changing Spending Patterns in SaaS 41:41 Retention and Churn in Enterprise AI 43:31 The Future of Sales Teams with AI 44:45 Hiring and Scaling Sales Teams 54:28 Quickfire    

In this episode of McKinsey on Building Products, host Rikki Singh and Zeynep Ozdemir, CMO at Atlassian, discuss the critical role of marketing in product-led growth (PLG). They explore the alignment between marketing and product teams, the interplay between PLG and sales-led growth (SLG), and insights on leveraging data, fostering innovation, and navigating market expansion to drive success in product management. This conversation originally took place as part of the McKinsey Product Academy speaker series.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Clay is one of THE success stories of the last years.  But in early 2022, after 5 years of building, Clay did close to 0 in revenue. Two years later, Clay did approximately 30 million in ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue). Kareem Amin, co-founder and CEO of Clay, shares the journey of building one of the most innovative AI-powered tools for go-to-market teams. From the early days of experimentation in 2017 to achieving hypergrowth and scaling to over $30 million ARR, Kareem dives deep into the challenges and lessons of building a product-led growth (PLG) company. He explains how Clay helps teams turn ideas into reality by leveraging AI for data enrichment and personalized outreach, and why focusing on customer feedback, community building, and iterative improvements were key to their success.  What You'll Learn in This Episode: The Journey to Product-Market Fit: How Clay evolved from a no-code builder to a go-to-market tool for sales and marketing teams Why narrowing down the product's focus was critical to finding the right customers Building a Product-Led Growth Engine: The importance of removing friction in the user journey to drive adoption How Clay used community-driven growth and partnerships with agencies to scale Iterating Based on Customer Feedback: Why Kareem believes in focusing on the few customers who love your product to build momentum How Clay's Slack community became a key driver for product improvements and user engagement Lessons in Leadership and Team Building: How to balance flexibility and structure when scaling a team during hypergrowth The importance of hiring people who bring unique perspectives and foster a culture of learning The Future of Go-To-Market Teams: How AI and tools like Clay are reshaping sales and marketing roles Why the rise of GTM engineers is changing how companies approach growth ALL ABOUT UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery  Where to find Kareem: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kareemamin/  Clay (3.000 free credits): https://clay.com?via=73e581 Join our Founder Tactics Newsletter: 2x die Woche bekommst du die Taktiken der besten Gründer der Welt direkt ins Postfach: https://www.tactics.unicornbakery.de/  Chapters: (00:00:00) The early beginnings of Clay (00:08:08) Moving from developers to sales people (00:16:20) Kareem's advice for teams currently building (00:21:36) How Kareem approaches the launch of new features (00:25:39) How close was the team to ending Clay? (00:33:45) How to make momentum stay (00:45:17) Current mayor shift in go to market (00:52:06) The hardest part about hyper growth (00:57:16) How Kareem manages his schedule (01:01:52) The best early-stage team members (01:06:17) The hardest part about building a product-led-growth motion

Product-Led vs. Sales-Led Growth: Which model is right for your agency? In this episode, Corey breaks down the key differences between product-led growth (PLG) and sales-led growth (SLG) for agencies. Learn how each approach impacts scaling, client acquisition, and long-term success—and why specialization is the secret to standing out in a crowded market. Whether you're building self-serve solutions or relying on high-touch sales, this conversation will help you choose the best strategy for sustainable growth. Here's what we cover in this episode: - The Founder-Led Sales Trap: Why many agencies rely on the founder's reputation and referrals, and how this limits long-term growth. - Master Your Vertical: How to build a better product, better client experience, attract better clients, and charge more. - When to Make the Shift: Signs that an agency needs to transition from product-led to sales-led growth for sustainable scaling. - Building a Predictable Sales System: Steps to transition from founder-driven sales to a repeatable, team-driven sales process. - The Role of Specialization in Scaling an Agency: Why narrowing focus and refining expertise can help agencies break out of stagnation. - Gift-Based Outbound: The simple method Corey uses to establish trust and book more sales calls with high-value prospects. Bottom Line: - Strengths and Weaknesses of a Product-Led Agency: Strong client relationships, high retention, but limited scalability and founder dependency. - Strengths and Weaknesses of a Sales-Led Agency: Scalable growth, predictable revenue, but higher costs and potential sales-delivery misalignment. “As you begin to build expertise in the market serving that vertical market, you'll be able to build a better product, a better experience for your clients… then you'll be able to attract better clients and charge more.” - Corey Quinn The resources mentioned in this episode are: Escape the generalist trap with Corey's best-selling book “Anyone, Not Everyone” and discover how to become the go-to agency in a vertical market https://www.AnyoneNotEveryone.com

My guest today is Steve Rotter, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at DeepL, a global communications platform that enables over 100,000 businesses to transform communications, reach new markets, and improve productivity. Steve is an entrepreneur, evangelist, and author, bringing over two decades of tech marketing leadership experience to his role as CMO. A two-time founder, he has had three successful exits and has been part of three unicorn companies. Steve is deeply passionate about innovative marketing, AI, and branding. Prior to DeepL, Steve served as CMO of FourKites, where he spearheaded remarkable growth and revenue increases through targeted, account-based, and product-led growth (PLG) strategies, serving industry titans like Coca-Cola, Walmart, and Ford. His expertise also extends to CMO roles at OutSystems and Acrolinx, where he drove unicorn growth, established category leadership, and facilitated successful acquisitions. He has also held leading marketing positions at Adobe. 

Everyone's journey before and after abortion is different. For some, the days before and after their abortion have been reduced to a fuzzy haze, where the mother or father may struggle to recall almost any detail, large or small, as their mind and body has attempted to erase the entire event from their memory. For others, these memories are crystalized in their mind, and may return with a flood of emotion at a moment's notice.In today's episode, host Cam is joined by Janelle Stickell, who courageously shares about her own journey through having three abortions before finding forgiveness and healing in the arms of Jesus. Her powerful recounting of her heart-breaking years as an isolated and abused youth, before her three abortion, and finally her heart-warming recovery through her new-found faith are sure to not only bring a tear to your eye, but help each of us better understand the journey so many in our communities are on.Please like and subscribe to help the PLG podcast reach more people with valuable tools for changing hearts and minds!Reach out to Cam with your comments, questions, and ideas at email@prolifeguys.com

PLG stopped by to present Kidd's Kids with a HUGE donation! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices