Podcasts about plg

Jennifer went from VC to founder and immediately broke every rule in the book. When she pivoted Scribe from an automation tool to a documentation platform, her investors told her she had just killed the company. She ignored them. Instead of polishing her product, she launched a "janky" offline MVP on Product Hunt to test for real market pull. Scribe is now used by 95% of the Fortune 500. In this episode, Jennifer reveals the brutal truth about ignoring "smart" money, why you should run PLG and Enterprise sales simultaneously from Day 1, and how to tell the difference between pushing a boulder up a hill and chasing one down it.Why You Should ListenWhy you sometimes need to ignore your investors to save your startup.The "Boulder Test": The definitive gut check for knowing if you have true Product-Market Fit.How to validate a massive opportunity with zero marketing budget.Why the conventional wisdom about choosing between PLG and Enterprise Sales is wrong.How to turn executive hiring interviews into free mentorship sessions.Keywordsstartup podcast, startup podcast for founders, product market fit, PLG strategies, MVP testing, enterprise sales, go to market strategy, early stage growth, finding pmf, founder stories00:00:00 Intro 00:02:21 1,200 Customer Interviews as a VC 00:22:07 How to Hire for Excellence 00:30:18 The Pivot from Automation to Documentation 00:39:17 Launching a "Janky" MVP on Product Hunt 00:49:09 The Boulder Test for Product-Market Fit 00:52:50 Doing PLG and Enterprise Sales Simultaneously 01:03:12 Ignoring Investors to Save the CompanySend me a message to let me know what you think!

How do Product-Led Growth (PLG) and Sales-Led Growth (SLG) actually work together…instead of competing against each other? In this Marketingland 2025 session, ClickUp's COO Gaurav Agarwal and Global VP of Marketing Kyle Coleman break down why the “PLG vs. SLG” debate is a false dichotomy, and how the most successful companies blend both to drive real revenue impact. From navigating budget decisions to building demand, delivering intuitive product experiences, and integrating AI in ways that actually help (instead of over-promising), they dig into the mechanics of modern growth engines. And, should incremental ROI really be your real north star? If you're building, optimizing, or scaling a modern GTM engine, this conversation is for YOU.  Optimizely helps thousands of brands create, personalize, and optimize exceptional digital experiences. See how Optimizely Opal, our AI agent orchestration platform, automates real marketing work and helps teams scale their impact at https://www.optimizely.com/ai/?utm_campaign=PS-GL-11-2025-MARKETING-MILLENNIALS-PODCAST&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=marketingmillennials&utm_content=opal-agent-orchestration Follow Gaurav: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gauravragarwal/ Follow Kyle: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyletcoleman/ Sign up for The Marketing Millennials newsletter: https://themarketingmillennials.com/ Daniel is a Workweek friend, working to produce amazing podcasts. To find out more, visit: https://workweek.com/

A growing trend is emerging where a Health Savings Account (HSA) is treated not as spending money, but instead as a "Super IRA" for retirement. Could this be the right call for you?Today's Stocks & Topics: Vertiv Holdings Co (VRT), Marker Wrap, Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (PLG), “The "6-Figure HSA" Retirement Strategy”, Liquidity, Leidos Holdings, Inc. (LDOS), The Auto Industry, Emerging Markets Bonds.Our Sponsors:* Check out Incogni: https://incogni.com/investtalk* Check out Invest529: https://www.invest529.com* Check out NordProtect: https://nordprotect.com/investalk* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/INVEST* Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code INVEST for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

In this special live episode from SaaS Summit Benelux in Amsterdam, Joran sits down with Roelof Otten, founder of SaaSmeister, to explore How PLG Will Change in 2026: AI Agents, Onboarding & Hybrid GTM. Together, they break down the biggest shifts coming to B2B SaaS go-to-market—from the rise of hybrid motions and the evolution of sales roles to the transformative impact of AI-powered demos, agents, and conversational interfaces.Roelof shares actionable, stage-specific insights for founders at every level. You'll hear why PLG is becoming a company-wide strategy instead of a product feature, how onboarding is expanding beyond the UI, why freemium is harder for AI-native products, and what it really takes to build data tracking that supports growth instead of slowing it down.Whether you're moving from sales-led to product-led, building a hybrid GTM, or preparing your SaaS product for an AI-first future, this episode offers a clear roadmap for navigating the changes ahead and meeting buyers where they want to be in 2026.Tune in to learn how to implement PLG effectively, empower your sales team in a consultative model, integrate AI responsibly, and build growth loops that compound over time.Key Timecodes(0:00) – B2B SaaS, PLG, AI onboarding, AI demos, product-qualified pipeline, GTM 2026, SaaS Summit(0:52) – B2B SaaS podcast(0:58) – Roelof Otten, SaaSmeister, PLG(1:07) – GTM 2026, PLG trends(1:42) – Hybrid GTM, PLG, sales-led(2:36) – AI GTM, AI agents, AI demos(3:12) – Interactive demos, AI sales assistant(3:50) – Buyer enablement, AI demo(4:20) – In-product AI, trial support(4:36) – PLG transformation, sales alignment(5:21) – Consultative sales, upsell, PQLs(5:43) – PLG funnel, activation, expansion(6:00) – Conversational UI, AI UX(6:52) – UX transition(7:25) – AI platform, data layer, models(7:37) – MCP, AI integrations, ChatGPT, Claude(8:10) – AI privacy, security, compliance(8:46) – Build vs buy AI, LLMs(9:22) – PLG first, SaaS trial(9:38) – Reditus, SaaS affiliate(10:22) – AI costs, freemium(10:35) – Freemium strategy, CAC, churn(11:39) – Referrals, partnerships, affiliate growth(12:33) – In-app referrals, incentives(13:06) – Onboarding, nurture, reactivation(13:57) – Signup friction, JTBD, ICP(14:57) – Personalized onboarding(15:14) – Founder-led sales, JTBD, messaging(15:45) – ICP focus, activation metrics(16:39) – Product analytics, event tracking(17:01) – Roelof Otten, SaaSmeister(17:15) – Podcast outro, sponsor, Reditus

In episode #333, Ben answers a foundational SaaS metrics question: Should expansion revenue be included in your Lifetime Value (LTV) calculation? Ben walks through the correct LTV formula and highlights how misalignment between LTV and CAC can distort your LTV:CAC ratio. He also covers when expansion should be included. The episode provides a practical framework for SaaS founders, CFOs, and operators to ensure they calculate LTV accurately, compare it properly to CAC, and model unit economics using consistent, reliable inputs. Key Topics Covered The correct LTV formula using average new-customer MRR × subscription gross margin Why the churn input should align with dollar-based metrics using 1 – Gross Revenue Retention (GRR) Why expansion revenue is deliberately excluded from LTV in most SaaS models How including expansion artificially inflates the LTV:CAC ratio The cost mismatch between acquiring new customers (CAC) and generating expansion revenue When PLG motions justify including limited, time-bound expansion revenue in LTV How organic upgrades differ from sales-assisted expansion How SaaS+ businesses must adjust their LTV formula to account for usage revenue The role of gross margin in determining true unit economics The importance of aligning metric definitions when evaluating customer profitability Why This Matters This episode is essential for: SaaS founders calculating LTV for budgeting, pricing, and forecasting CFOs, controllers, and FP&A leaders managing unit economics and CAC payback Finance teams modelling customer profitability and revenue expansion Operators working in PLG environments assessing organic expansion patterns Investors reviewing LTV:CAC ratios in diligence and portfolio monitoring Anyone building SaaS Plus (subscription + usage) revenue models Resources Mentioned Ben's deep dive on SaaS+ LTV: https://www.thesaascfo.com/how-to-calculate-ltv-with-variable-revenue/ SaaS Metrics course: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/the-saas-metrics-foundation

In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ sits down with Greg Henry, CFO of 1Password and one of the most commercially minded finance leaders in tech, to break down why he left the public-company grind at Couchbase for a PLG-driven security business and what he's relearning in the private sphere. Greg explains how forecasting changes when the product does the selling, how to think about comp and pricing in a usage-led world, and the early tells that a model is quietly over- or under-performing. He shares why CFOs should meet far more customers than they do, how finance can drive revenue without stepping on sales, and what it actually takes for a company to plan with clarity instead of reacting. Greg also recounts the near-derailing of the Couchbase IPO, reflects on the “back nine” of his career, and offers grounded advice for aspiring first-time CFOs.—SPONSORS:RightRev automates the revenue recognition process from end to end, gives you real-time insights, and ensures ASC 606 / IFRS 15 compliance—all while closing books faster. For RevRec that auditors actually trust, visit https://www.rightrev.com and schedule a demo.Tipalti automates the entire payables process—from onboarding suppliers to executing global payouts—helping finance teams save time, eliminate costly errors, and scale confidently across 200+ countries and 120 currencies. More than 5,000 businesses already trust Tipalti to manage payments with built-in security and tax compliance. Visit https://www.tipalti.com/runthenumbers to learn more.Aleph automates 90% of manual, error-prone busywork, so you can focus on the strategic work you were hired to do. Minimize busywork and maximize impact with the power of a web app, the flexibility of spreadsheets, and the magic of AI. Get a personalised demo at https://www.getaleph.com/runFidelity Private Shares is the all-in-one equity management platform that keeps your cap table clean, your data room organized, and your equity story clear—so you never risk losing a fundraising round over messy records. Schedule a demo at https://www.fidelityprivateshares.com and mention Mostly Metrics to get 20% off.Metronome is real-time billing built for modern software companies. Metronome turns raw usage events into accurate invoices, gives customers bills they actually understand, and keeps finance, product, and engineering perfectly in sync. That's why category-defining companies like OpenAI and Anthropic trust Metronome to power usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts at scale. Focus on your product — not your billing. Learn more and get started at https://www.metronome.comMercury is business banking built for builders, giving founders and finance pros a financial stack that actually works together. From sending wires to tracking balances and approving payments, Mercury makes it simple to scale without friction. Join the 200,000+ entrepreneurs who trust Mercury and apply online in minutes at https://www.mercury.com—LINKS:Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greghenry23/1Password: https://1password.com/CJ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com—RELATED EPISODES:Behind the Earnings Calls: Couchbase CFO Greg Henry on Consumption Models & Analyst Relationshttps://youtu.be/o_pDfz5a-Hw—TIMESTAMPS:00:00:00 Preview and Intro00:02:57 Sponsors – RightRev | Tipalti | Aleph00:07:03 Back in the Private Sphere: Why Greg Joined 1Password00:07:49 Greg's Four-Part Framework for a Great Role00:10:12 Thinking About the “Back Nine” & Legacy00:13:16 Transitioning to PLG & SLG at 1Password00:15:12 Blending PLG Efficiency with Enterprise Sales00:17:12 Sponsors – Fidelity Private Shares | Metronome | Mercury00:20:03 B2C vs. B2B ARPU Contrast00:22:41 Forecasting in PLG vs. Sales-Led Models00:24:18 Building Toward Chunky Enterprise Upside00:25:39 Comp Plans: Complexity, Pitfalls & the Alexander Group00:27:35 Keep Comp Plans Simple & Focused on ARR00:29:10 Why Mid-Year Comp Plan Changes Are Dangerous00:31:04 Governance & Guardrails for SPIFFs00:33:19 Using the CFO Network to Drive Revenue00:34:52 Why CFOs Must Meet Customers Directly00:36:19 Wallet Share & Being a Buyer AND a Seller00:38:08 Why He Avoids 3-Year+ Commitments00:40:20 How Much Discount Is a “Year” Worth?00:42:31 Greg's Structured Annual Planning Framework00:43:50 3–5% Upside/Downside Menu00:44:57 Comp Plans Must Go Out Early00:47:23 January Compensation & System Cutover Challenges00:48:31 Why Roadmap Alignment Must Kick Off Planning00:50:21 Sustain / Differentiate / Durable Growth / World-Class Teams Framework00:52:29 Couchbase IPO Almost Going Sideways00:54:59 How to Actually Become a CFO01:00:11 Legacy Greg Wants to Leave at 1Password#RunTheNumbersPodcast #CFOInsights #SaaSLeadership #PLGvsSLG #FinanceStrategy This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cjgustafson.substack.com

Jeanne DeWitt Grosser built world-class GTM teams at Stripe, Google, and, most recently, Vercel, where she serves as COO and oversees marketing, sales, customer success, revenue operations, and field engineering. She transformed Stripe's early sales organization from the ground up and advises founders on GTM strategy.We discuss:1. Why GTM is becoming more strategically important in the AI era2. The rise of the GTM engineer3. A primer on segmentation4. How to build a sales org that engineers and product teams respect5. The changing calculus of build vs. buy for go-to-market tools in the AI era6. Why most customers buy to avoid pain rather than to gain upside—Brought to you by:Datadog—Now home to Eppo, the leading experimentation and feature flagging platform: https://www.datadoghq.com/lennyLovable—Build apps by simply chatting with AI: https://lovable.dev/Stripe—Helping companies of all sizes grow revenue: https://stripe.com/—Transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/what-the-best-gtm-teams-do-differently—My biggest takeaways (for paid newsletter subscribers): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/i/179503137/my-biggest-takeaways-from-this-conversation—Where to find Jeanne DeWitt Grosser:• X: https://x.com/jdewitt29• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeannedewitt—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Jeanne DeWitt Grosser(05:26) Defining go-to-market(08:43) The evolution of go-to-market roles(11:23) The rise of the go-to-market engineer(14:21) Implementing AI in sales processes(15:28) Optimizing sales with AI agents(23:47) Defining sales roles: SDRs and AEs(26:04) When to hire a GTM engineer(29:04) Hiring and scaling sales teams(30:50) The ideal go-to-market engineer(34:24) The go-to-market tool stack(40:39) Advice on building a great sales bot(44:34) Vercel's unfair advantage(46:37) Go-to-market as a product(47:04) Innovative sales tactics at Stripe(52:38) Effective go-to-market tactics(01:00:37) Segmentation strategies(01:09:31) Building a sales org that engineers love(01:14:00) Thoughts on PLG and pricing(01:16:44) Sales compensation and hiring(01:19:24) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• Vercel: https://vercel.com• Stripe: https://stripe.com• Rosalind Franklin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalind_Franklin• Ben Salzman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bensalzman• SDK: https://ai-sdk.dev/docs/introduction• Gong: https://www.gong.io• Lyft: https://www.lyft.com• Instacart: https://www.instacart.com• DoorDash: https://www.instacart.com• “Sell the alpha, not the feature”: The enterprise sales playbook for $1M to $10M ARR | Jen Abel: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-enterprise-sales-playbook-1m-to-10m-arr• A step-by-step guide to crafting a sales pitch that wins | April Dunford (author of Obviously Awesome and Sales Pitch): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/a-step-by-step-guide-to-crafting• Kate Jensen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateearle• Lessons from scaling Stripe | Claire Hughes Johnson (former COO of Stripe): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/lessons-from-scaling-stripe-tactics• Atlassian: atlassian.com—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

John McMahon is widely regarded as one of the greatest enterprise-software sales leaders of all time. He's the only person to have served as Chief Revenue Officer at five public software companies: PTC, GeoTel, Ariba, BladeLogic and BMC Software. He helped scale BladeLogic from a startup into a public company — ultimately leading to its ~$880M sale to BMC — and drove GeoTel into a multi-billion dollar acquisition. Today he sits on the boards of top names such as Snowflake and MongoDB, while also mentoring and influencing a who's-who of modern SaaS sales leaders. AGENDA: 03:33 The Art and Science of Sales: Insights from a Veteran 04:29 Adapting Sales Strategies in the Age of AI and PLG 07:47 The Ultimate Framework to do Deal Qualification 14:13 How to Drive Urgency and Maintain Sales Process 20:06 How to Hire the Best Sales Reps 25:11 Step-by-Step Guide to Training Sales Reps 45:22 The Mindset of the Best Sales Reps 54:55 Single Most Important Skill to Win in Sales  

In this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast, recorded live at the SaaS Summit Benelux in Amsterdam, host Joran sat down with Richard Schenzel from AtScale. Richard and his team act as operating partners for B2B SaaS companies, helping them build, structure, and scale sales operations with a strong focus on improving performance.The conversation centered on how go-to-market (GTM) strategy is changing in 2026. From the rise of blended motions and the evolving role of ACV across PLG and sales-led setups, to how AI will reshape the entire funnel—Richard shared a pragmatic view into what will separate the SaaS companies that scale successfully from those that fall behind. He also explained why now is the time for deep introspection, how to audit your GTM machine, and why roles like SDR/BDR must be rethought in an AI-driven world.Key Timestamps(0:00) – The 2026 B2B SaaS GTM Shakeup: AI, PLG vs Sales-Led & ACV Truths(0:00) – Meet Richard Schenzel: The B2B SaaS Sales Ops Performance Architect(0:01) – GTM in 2026: AI-Driven Plays, Blended Motions & ACV Strategy(0:02) – Why 2026 Demands a Full GTM Audit: Blended Motions + ACV Reality(0:02) – PLG vs Sales-Led: How ACV Decides Your Entire GTM Motion(0:03) – The New Era of Efficient SaaS Growth: AI, Margin & Sales Efficiency(0:04) – Bow-Tie Model Power: Where AI Creates Massive GTM ROI(0:04) – Automate Your Sales Engine: AI Intent, Scoring, SDR Workflows & CS(0:05) – The 2026 SDR: Human Connection Beats Sequencing Automation(0:06) – 2026 Headcount Reset: New SDR/BDR, AE & RevOps Roles(0:07) – Train the Machines: Why People Still Win in AI-Driven GTM(0:07) – Ad Break: Reditus – The AI Affiliate Engine for B2B SaaS(0:08) – What Will Make SaaS Winners in 2026: Adapt Fast or Fall Behind(0:09) – The 2026 Mindset Shift: Stop Fixing Yesterday, Pivot Faster(0:09) – The GTM Implementation Blueprint: Mission → Strategy → Tech → People(0:11) – The “If It Ain't Broke” GTM Trap: How to Spot Hidden Failures(0:11) – The Ultimate SaaS GTM Audit: 1–5 Scoring Across Every Function(0:13) – Bow-Tie Data Mastery: Fix GTM Bottlenecks Faster With AI(0:14) – From 0 → 10K MRR: ICP, Feedback Loops & Avoiding Enterprise Traps(0:16) – Scaling to $10M ARR: ICP Alignment, Feature Pruning & $100M Roadmap(0:17) – Evolving Your ICP: Stay True to Your Customer & Your Mission(0:17) – Connect With Richard Schenzel on LinkedIn

In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Elena Verna, Head of Growth at Lovable—the fastest-growing AI startup to ever surpass $100M in ARR, hitting the milestone in just eight months. With a proven track record leading growth at Miro, Amplitude, Superhuman, and Dropbox, Elena brings unparalleled expertise in driving sustainable, product-led growth across both hyper-growth and turnaround environments.Elena shares how building in the fast-moving “vibe coding” category requires a radical shift in how we define product-market fit, structure growth teams, and measure success. From product-led monetization loops to redefining brand as a product responsibility, Elena outlines a bold vision for what growth looks like in the age of AI-native products.What you'll learn:How Lovable ships at record speed, with daily product updates and a 3-tier launch model.How AI-native products redefine activation, retention, and monetization.Why product teams must now own brand experience—not just featuresHow Elena designs feedback, education, and referral loops that turn users into growth engines.The evolving role of activation, retention, and monetization in AI-native PLG.Key Takeaways

In this episode, Prashant Sridharan, Head of Product Marketing at Supabase, joins Louise Liu to share insights on building trust and winning with developer marketing—from feature‑first messaging and PLG strategies to aligning product, DevRel, and marketing for go‑to‑market success. Prashant also discusses why transparency beats hype and how AI is reshaping the way product marketers work.For more information on AI and product marketing workflows, read Prashant Sridharan's article “How I Use Claude To Build Launch Plans From Chaos“.All rights reserved. © Product Marketing Hive.

We weigh the promise and peril of the AI agent economy, pressing into how overprovisioned non-human identities, shadow AI, and SaaS integrations expand risk while go-to-market teams push for speed. A CMO and a CFO align on governance-first pilots, PLG trials, buyer groups, and the adoption metrics that sustain value beyond the sale.• AI adoption surge matched by adversary AI• Overprovisioned agents and shadow AI in SaaS• Governance thresholds before budget scale• PLG trials, sandbox, and POV sequencing• Visualization to reach the aha moment• Buying groups, ICP, and economic buyer alignment• Post‑sales usage, QBRs, NRR and churn signals• Zero trust limits and non-human identities• Breach disclosures as industry standards• Co-sourcing MSSP with in-house oversightSecurity isn't slowing AI down; it's the unlock that makes enterprise AI valuable. We dive into the AI agent economy with a CMO and a CFO who meet in the messy middle. The result is a practical blueprint for moving from hype to governed production without killing momentum.We start by mapping where controls fail: once users pass SSO and MFA, agents often operate beyond traditional identity and network guardrails. That's how prompts pull sensitive deal data across Salesforce and Gmail, and how third‑party API links expand the attack surface. From there, we lay out an adoption sequence that balances trust and speed. Think frictionless free trials and sandboxes that reach an immediate “aha” visualization of shadow AI and permissions, then progress to a scoped POV inside the customer's environment with clear policies and measurable outcomes. Along the way, we detail the buying group: economic buyers who sign and practitioners who live in the UI, plus the finance lens that sets pilot capital, milestones, and time-to-value expectations.We also challenge sacred cows. Zero trust is essential, but attackers increasingly log in with valid credentials and pivot through integrations, so verification must include non-human identities and agent-to-agent controls. Breach disclosures, far from being a greater threat than breaches, are foundational to ecosystem trust and faster remediation. And while MSSPs add critical scale, co-sourcing—retaining strategic oversight and compliance ownership—keeps accountability inside. If you care about ICP, PLG motions, PQLs, NRR, or simply reducing AI risk while driving growth, this conversation turns buzzwords into a playbook you can run.Vamshi Sriperumbudur: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vamsriVamshi Sriperumbudur was recently the CMO for Prisma SASE at Palo Alto Networks, where he led a complete marketing transformation, driving an impact of $1.3 billion in ARR in 2025 (up 35%) and establishing it as the platform leader.  Chithra Rajagopalan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chithra-rajagopalan-mba/Chithra Rajagopalan is the Head of Finance at Obsidian Security and former Head of Finance at Glue, and she is recognized as a leader in scaling businesses. Chithra is also an Investor and Advisory Board member for Campfire, serving as the President and Treasurer of Blossom Projects.Website: https://www.position2.com/podcast/Rajiv Parikh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajivparikh/Sandeep Parikh: https://www.instagram.com/sandeepparikh/Email us with any feedback for the show: sparkofages.podcast@position2.com

Scrappy ABM returns with host Mason Cosby and guest Liam MacCormack, founder and solopreneur at Growth by Liam, breaking down how real account-based marketing gets built when the ACV is high, the deals are complex, and shortcuts fail. Liam starts at the only place that matters: historical closed won accounts, not guesses. He walks through a massive breakdown of who books demos, who joins calls, who gets added into the product in PLG motions, and how that activity builds a clear picture of the buying group.ㅤThe conversation moves into where those personas actually spend time, why LinkedIn audience assumptions fall apart, how Reddit and niche communities come into play, and why talking directly to happy customers beats any ad platform pitch. Mason and Liam press into problem content versus solution content, high-intent measurement signals beyond revenue alone, and the scrappy, manual, “pain in the ass” direct mail and gifting-style plays that stand out in a world of ignored cold emails and identical ads.ㅤ

"We were adding customers, losing customers, adding customers, losing customers. We were stalling."Gaurav Bhattacharya had $2.5M ARR and 50 customers. On paper, things looked fine. But momentum wasn't there. Instead of pushing harder, he split his company in two – and nine months later, Jeeva AI had 10,000 users and 300 enterprise customers.In today's episode, I'm joined by Gaurav Bhattacharya, Founder and CEO of Jeeva AI. After successfully exiting his first healthcare AI startup, Gaurav spent five years building a data intelligence platform to $2.5M ARR before recognising it would never become the great business he wanted. His solution? Split the team in two – one to keep the lights on, one to prove product-market fit for a completely new idea. The result was Jeeva AI, a sales intelligence tool that exploded to 10,000 users in nine months.Together we unpack:How to decide when a "good" business will never become greatThe two-team strategy: keeping lights on whilst proving new product-market fitWhy pattern recognition is the most underrated founder skillHow to pivot without killing team morale or burning investor relationshipsThe shift from enterprise sales to PLG (and why it required completely different muscles)

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Meet Karthik Balachander, Lead Generation Director at Agendrix, an HR software built for deskless teams in restaurants, hospitality, retail, clinics, and more. He shares how Agendrix simplifies shift scheduling, time tracking, payroll prep, and two-way team communication—complete with offline clock-ins and peer recognition "high fives." Karthik breaks down their growth engine: strong word of mouth in Quebec, SEO-driven content like templates and calculators, and a transparent, self-serve website with a 21-day free trial. We dig into website-to-product continuity, premium design that builds trust, and the thorny challenge of multi-channel attribution amid evolving privacy norms. Actionable takeaways for marketers leading PLG funnels and content programs across multilingual markets.   

Continuum is solving the multi-party return problem in B2B supply chain—a transaction involving distributors, manufacturers, and end users that previously took 30-45 days and now completes in 30-45 seconds. In this episode of Category Visionaries, we sat down with Alex Witcpalek, CEO and Founder of Continuum, to unpack how he's building what he calls "reverse EDI" in a market of 1.5 million distribution and manufacturing companies across North America. After 13 years selling technology into this space, Alex is now growing 8x year-over-year by turning customers into the primary acquisition channel through network effects. Topics Discussed: Why multi-party returns require replicating order management, warehouse management, and procurement systems simultaneously The tactical sequencing of building network businesses: solving for independent value, achieving critical mass, then activating network effects How Continuum navigates deep ERP integrations (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Epicor) plus bespoke business logic across multiple supply chain tiers Facebook retargeting, BDR outbound, events, and customer referrals as the four channels driving growth in a non-PLG market Why business model differentiation is the only remaining moat when technical barriers collapse Building domain expertise distribution systems using AI-powered LMS fed by sales call recordings GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Choose problems where you can capture 100% of addressable market, not fractional share: Alex deliberately avoided competing in CRM, sales order automation, or accounts payable—categories where even dominant players cap at 25-30% market penetration. Instead, he targeted multi-party reverse logistics, a greenfield problem no one else was solving. This strategic choice eliminates competitive displacement risk and allows every prospect conversation to focus on change management rather than competitive differentiation. Founders should map their TAM against competitive saturation: markets where you can own the entire category create fundamentally different growth trajectories than fighting for fragments. Sequence network businesses: independent value → critical mass → network activation: Alex was told by investors 18 months in that network effects "weren't going to work." His insight: "When you don't have a network, you don't sell the network. It's just in your plans and how you're building." Continuum sold P&L impact, manual labor reduction, and customer experience improvements to early adopters while building network infrastructure invisibly. Only after achieving density in specific verticals (HVAC, electrical, plumbing) did they surface the network value proposition. This sequencing prevents the cold-start problem—founders building marketplace or network businesses must design standalone value that makes the first 100 customers successful independent of network density. Exploit high pain thresholds in legacy industries as competitive barriers: Supply chain companies accept 30-45 day return cycles, manual warranty claims on paper, and playing "guess who" by phone to find inventory across distributor branches. Alex notes they have "extremely high pain threshold" from living with broken systems for decades. While this creates longer education cycles, it also means competitors won't enter (too hard) and once you prove ROI, switching costs become prohibitive. Founders should reframe customer inertia: industries tolerating obvious inefficiencies offer category creation opportunities with built-in moats, not just sales friction. Business model architecture is the only defensible moat—technical differentiation is dead: Alex is building his own e-signature platform (Continue Sign) and AI LMS using vibe coding to prove technical moats no longer exist. Continuum's defensibility comes entirely from network lock-in: displacing them requires disconnecting manufacturers like Carrier, Daikin, and Bosch plus their entire distributor ecosystems simultaneously. He references EDI (1960s technology still dominant today) as proof that network effects create permanent advantages. Founders must architect switching costs, network density, or proprietary data advantages into their business model—technology alone provides zero protection in the AI era. Match channel strategy to actual ICP behavior, not SaaS conventions: Continuum's top lead source is customer-driven network growth—distributors recruiting manufacturers and vice versa. Facebook retargeting works because their 50+ year-old supply chain buyers "are trying to comment on their grandkids' pictures," not scrolling LinkedIn. BDR outbound still delivers high win rates in an industry where business happens on handshakes, making events critical. This channel mix would fail for PLG products but works perfectly for enterprise cycles with $40K ACVs and 90-day sales processes. Founders should ethnographically research where their specific buyers actually spend attention rather than defaulting to LinkedIn, content marketing, or PLG based on what works in adjacent categories. Use 90-day enterprise cycles and multi-stakeholder complexity as qualification, not friction: Continuum runs enterprise sales motions for $40K deals because multi-party returns touch 16 constituents across sales, customer service, fleet, supply chain, warehouse, purchasing, and finance. Rather than trying to simplify buying, Alex uses this complexity as a filter—companies willing to coordinate VP of Supply Chain, COO, and CFO alignment are serious buyers. He layers three value propositions (P&L impact, labor reduction, customer experience) knowing different stakeholders weight them differently. Founders selling into complex environments should embrace multi-threading as a qualification mechanism that improves win rates and reduces churn, not overhead to eliminate. //  Sponsors:  Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. www.GlobalTalent.co // Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire  Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role. Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM  

Wisdom AI sells to enterprise data teams, empowering them to deploy AI data analysts that automate analytics functions traditionally handled by human analysts. As a former Rubrik co-founder and Google search ranking engineer, Soham identified the analytics problem firsthand while scaling Rubrik from intuition-driven to data-driven operations. In this episode of Category Visionaries, Soham shares how four Rubrik alumni are building a category-defining solution in the data analytics space, the tactical insights from targeting mid-market accounts to optimize deal velocity and onboarding experience, and how AI buying committees shifted from experimental budgets in 2024 to gatekeepers requiring departmental champions in 2025. Topics Discussed: Leveraging mid-market focus to compress sales cycles while refining onboarding as core product differentiation The transition from gut-based decisions to data-driven operations and why analytics remains unsolved Taming LLMs for precision and explainability requirements in enterprise analytics contexts Strategic navigation of the data ecosystem following the FiveTran-DBT merger and positioning against Snowflake, Databricks, and cloud providers Overlaying product-led trial motions on enterprise sales to maintain momentum during extended procurement cycles AI committee evolution from 2024's experimental phase to 2025's security-focused consolidation mandate Pursuing 10x productivity gains versus incremental improvement in established analytics markets GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Use mid-market to build onboarding velocity as moat: Rubrik deliberately targeted mid-market accounts despite being an enterprise product that closed eight-figure deals. This served two strategic purposes: compressed sales cycles enabled faster learning loops, and the necessity of quick onboarding forced the team to build exceptional admin experiences that became their primary differentiation. For B2B founders, mid-market isn't just easier logos—it's a forcing function for product refinement that creates competitive advantages when moving upmarket. Find problems through operational scar tissue, not market research: Wisdom AI originated when Soham tried moonlighting as engineering's data analyst during Rubrik's scaling phase and discovered he couldn't do it effectively. This wasn't a customer interview insight—it was firsthand recognition that even sophisticated technical leaders with dedicated focus couldn't wrangle data for operational decisions. The problem proved ubiquitous across every business leader optimizing top line, bottom line, and operations. B2B founders building for enterprises should prioritize pain points they've personally hit in operational contexts where existing solutions demonstrably failed them. Engineer time-to-value in minutes for PLG overlay on enterprise sales: Wisdom AI's experiential quality—users get excited when they try it, not when they see slides—creates PLG opportunity despite enterprise positioning. The critical difference: sales-led motions tolerate weeks to first value and build confidence through process, but self-serve requires hook-to-value in minutes with zero support. Soham's insight is using PLG not for credit card swipes but to maintain champion enthusiasm during lengthy procurement processes. B2B founders should architect trial experiences that deliver standalone value pre-data connection, creating internal advocates who sustain momentum through AI committee reviews. Treat ecosystem navigation as first-class GTM workstream: Wisdom AI's success depends on partnership execution with Snowflake, Databricks, and cloud providers—all potential competitors with their own AI initiatives. The FiveTran-DBT merger created immediate dynamic shifts requiring repositioning. Rather than viewing partnerships as business development, Soham frames ecosystem navigation as core GTM infrastructure requiring dedicated strategy and repeatable playbooks. B2B founders in platform-adjacent spaces should staff for partnership complexity early, recognizing that integration points and co-selling motions often determine market access more than direct sales capacity. Architect for AI committee gatekeepers with departmental executive sponsorship: The market fundamentally shifted from mid-2024's "experimental AI budgets, try everything" to 2025's centralized AI committees focused on security, tool consolidation, and preventing organizational wild west scenarios. Soham's tactical response: secure champions owning specific important departments who can navigate approval hierarchies while trial experiences maintain grassroots excitement. The implication for B2B AI founders—assumption of longer cycles, security scrutiny as table stakes, and explicit strategies for climbing from individual enthusiast to organizational deployment become non-negotiable enterprise sales requirements. // Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. www.GlobalTalent.co // Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role. Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM

Head of Global ABM & Campaigns at Datadog, Kevin Driscoll leads a global team driving pipeline through integrated, data-led programs. With experience at IBM and Anaplan, he blends demand generation, growth marketing, and competitive strategy to unite sales and marketing around impact. His focus on scalable personalization, creative testing, and bridging PLG and SLG motions has made him a leading voice in account-based growth.Watch this episode and learn:How Datadog evolved from PLG to a focused, account-based growth model.Why a “two-hat” ABM structure strengthens GTM alignment.What B2C-style creativity can teach B2B marketers about engagement.How AI enhances research and personalization while keeping ABM human-led.

不用如果，真的發生了－這集節目錄音完後幾個小時，新北國王官宣Thank You總教練John Patrick。我們還不確定國王的下一步會怎麼樣，但節目瞬間因此剪掉15分鐘國王段落，小人物贊助會員們可以在群組聽到這段幫國王想東想西、但沒想到會出這招的討論。 回到沒有被剪掉的上週球賽回顧，夢想家跨周三連勝、雲豹開季五連勝，兩支球隊分別做對了哪些事情？情況有些不妙的特攻又有哪些問題？先輸獵鷹超過30分、再贏洋基超過30分的勇士，是什麼造成這麼大的上下限落差？而隊史首戰打了兩節好球的洋基工程，除了投到飽、但投不進的葉惟捷外，小枚的現場回報還看到什麼值得一提的球賽內容？ 話題轉到上集未完待續的【台籃2020年以來的What If?】，這集有不少賣情懷的題目，且聽Roy與Kong帶領小人物聽眾們回想過去的那些時刻：如果裕隆恐龍在PLG元年就加入競爭會怎麼樣？如果揚科維奇(Stefan Jankovic)沒有受傷會怎麼樣？如果攻城獅贏得PLG第二季總冠軍會怎麼樣？如果林書豪跟Dwight Howard一起加入雲豹會怎麼樣？ 還沒完，如果職籃沒有外籍生、洋將只限2名且沒有薪資上限，會怎麼樣？最後，如果李多慧加盟新北國王，會怎麼樣？！謝謝小人物聽眾們提案的What If，如果覺得這樣的討論有意思，歡迎留言或發訊息許願你想聽的討論題目。 此外，世界盃資格賽的中華隊大名單、職籃/籃協/球員之間的難解習題又再次搬上檯面，三位主持人的看法如何？下一次的窗口賽時又要再演一次嗎？跨聯盟、跨時空的討論內容，都在這周的霹靂鍵盤！ 成為

Recorded live at the SaaS Summit in Amsterdam, this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS Podcast dives into a focused conversation with Mark Appel, Chief Marketing Officer at Sendcloud. As one of Europe's fastest-growing B2B SaaS platforms, Sendcloud operates across eight European markets, generating close to 60 million in annual recurring revenue with a team of about 450. In this discussion, Mark reveals how Sendcloud approaches international scaling, builds cross-functional go-to-market alignment, identifies and prioritizes compounding growth loops, and integrates AI agents across marketing and GTM operations. He also reflects on what he would do differently if he could rebuild a SaaS go-to-market motion from scratch, what early-stage founders should focus on to reach their first 10K MRR, and how to evolve from feature-led messaging to a brand-led narrative on the path to 10 million ARR.Key Timecodes(00:00) – Intro: Scaling B2B SaaS, Growth Loops & AI GTM 2026(01:10) – Guest Intro: Mark Appel, CMO of Sendcloud(01:39) – Company Snapshot: €60M ARR, 450 Employees, 8 Markets(02:20) – 2026 Focus: International SaaS Scaling Strategy(02:36) – Cross-Functional GTM: Marketing, Sales & CS Alignment(03:26) – GTM Motion: Hybrid PLG + SLG in B2B SaaS(03:39) – Finding Growth Loops Across 8 Countries(04:34) – Working Growth Loops: Demand to Revenue Flywheel(05:15) – Platform Network Effects: Merchants, Carriers & Partners(06:13) – Built-in Virality: Tracking Emails as Growth Channel(06:51) – Ad Break: Reditus Affiliate & Referral Growth(07:35) – AI for GTM 2026: AI SDRs & Marketing Agents(08:50) – AI Implementation: Challenges & Early Adoption(09:55) – Biggest GTM Shift: Retention, Expansion & Automation(10:22) – PLG in Product: Driving Adoption via In-App Prompts(11:40) – Rebuilding GTM: Cross-Functional Pods by Segment(12:41) – Segmentation: Startup to Enterprise Strategy(13:21) – Future Growth Loops: Consumer Visibility for SaaS(14:41) – 0 to 10K MRR: In-Market Demand & Search Campaigns(15:34) – 10K MRR to €10M ARR: Brand-Led SaaS Growth(16:03) – Connect with Mark Appel: LinkedIn & Email(16:18) – Outro & CTA: Subscribe, Sponsor & Learn via Reditus

In this episode, we sit down with Fabian Veit, CEO of Make.com, to talk about what it really takes to scale not just one but two hyperscale SaaS companies - first in a classic enterprise sales-led motion, and now in a PLG + AI/automation world. Fabian shares how Make has 15x'd revenue and grown from ~50 to nearly 400 people, while racing past 100k+ paying customers and aiming for €100M+ ARR, and why that requires a fundamentally different mindset than selling multi-million euro deals into the Fortune 2000. He contrasts the “one deal can make your quarter” reality of enterprise sales with the high-volume, product-first, self-serve motion of Make, where thousands of users sign up every month and the product has to carry the weight. We also dig into what it means to build in the middle of the AI & agentic wave when your platform is literally how people wire AI into their business processes. Fabian explains why most AI projects are actually 80–90% integrations & automation, where AI is the smart layer inside the flow, not the whole show, and how Make is evolving from classic “if-this-then-that” workflows into visual AI agents that power real operations. You'll hear Fabian talk about: PLG vs Sales-Led: What changed when he went from 9–12 month, high-touch enterprise cycles at Celonis to Make's “sign up free, upgrade yourself” engine. Rebuilding While Scaling: Why everything is always breaking in hypergrowth, and how he decides what to fix for 5× future scale, not just today. Brand & Positioning Pivots: The risky shift from Integromat to Make.com, losing SEO in the short term to win a much bigger global brand in the long term. Culture at Hyperspeed: How they keep their values intact with hundreds of new hires through explicit values & operating principles, and a brutal honesty policy inspired by Radical Candor. The AMA Channel: An internal Ask Me Anything Slack channel where anyone can ask leadership anything (even anonymously), and why Fabian believes answering every question publicly is non-negotiable for trust. We wrap up with Fabian's view on where we are in the AI hype cycle, why he compares this moment more to the industrial revolution than just another tech fad, and what kinds of human skills will matter even more in an AI-driven world.

In this segment, Dan Fougere breaks down how Product-Led Growth (PLG) fundamentally changes the traditional sales playbook. Drawing from his experience at Datadog and advising startups, he explains that PLG companies must rethink how they engage prospects—especially when users begin interacting with the product before any formal sales conversation.Dan emphasizes the importance of usage signals—such as downloading the product or reading documentation—as triggers for sales outreach. He also discusses the risk of force-fitting old playbooks into new environments and advocates for a first principles approach: understanding how users buy, how they use the product, and what commercial conversations are relevant at each stage.On this Veterans Day Week, check out one of the charities that's important to Dan.https://www.nplboutdoors.org/The No Person Left Behind Outdoors charity works with combat veterans to provide outdoor experiences to foster camaraderie, promote wellness, and celebrate resilience. They do everything from hiking trips to Kilimanjaro to turkey hunts. Support their important work.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Chad Peets is one of the greatest sales leaders and recruiters of the last 25 years. From 2018 to 2023, Chad was a Managing Director at Sutter Hill Ventures. Chad has worked with the world's best CEOs and CROs to build world-class go-to-market organizations. Chad is currently a member of the Board of Directors for Lacework and Luminary Cloud and on the boards of Clumio and Sigma Computing. He previously served as a board member for Astronomer, Transposit, and others. He was an early-stage investor at Snowflake, Sigma, Observe, Lacework, and Clumio. In Today's Discussion with Chad Peet's We Discuss: 1. You Need a CRO Pre-Product: Why does Chad believe that SaaS companies need a CRO pre-product? Should the founder not be the right person to create the sales playbook? What should the founder look for in their first CRO hire? Does any great CRO really want to go back to an early startup and do it again? 2. What Everyone Gets Wrong in Building Sales Teams: Why are most sales reps not performing? How long does it take for sales teams to ramp? How does this change with PLG and enterprise? What are the benchmarks of good vs great for average sales reps? How do founders and VCs most often hurt their sales teams and performance? 3. How to Build a Hiring Machine: What are the single biggest mistakes people make when hiring sales reps and teams? Are sales people money motivated? How to create comp plans that incentivise and align? Why does Chad believe that any sales rep that does not want to be in the office, is not putting their career and development first? Why is it harder than ever to recruit great sales leaders today? 4. Lessons from Scaling Sales at Snowflake: What are the single biggest lessons of what worked from scaling Snowflake's sales team? What did not work? What would he do differently with the team again? What did Snowflake teach Chad about success and culture and how they interplay together?  

Nie jest tak drastycznie jak wybrzmiewa tytuł odcinka, ale musi być clickabitowo – rozmawialiśmy na początku o papierze toaletowym i jakoś tak wyszło, że zeszliśmy na medyczny temat. To on jest winny tytułu odcinka.Ale – oprócz tego razem z Jankiem w 10 sezonie, pierwszego odcinka #LPKpodcast rozmawialiśmy:A o czym jest ten film. – polecamy, aby podsłuchać Janka w radio – w każdy pierwszy piątek miesiąca.Dokończone gry na PS5 i Switchu – może ktoś z Was będzie chciał spróbować swoich sił – służymy pomocą.Zaczynam ogrywać StarWars Outlast – wiem, że stare ale muzyka i klimat bardzo mi odpowiadają.Nie kupujcie ekspresu do kawy firmy Krups – jest problem z serwisem w Trójmieście. Ale rozmowa o kawie w luźnym podaście przy kawie zaprowadził nas do rozmowy o kapsułkach w ekspresach Nespresso – nie jest źle! – link do ekspresu.Chwilę pogadaliśmy również o dwóch fajnych filmach – może będziecie chcieli obejrzeć.A zakończyliśmy przedziwnym ale istotnym trendem Gen Z – 15 minut w sypialni.To tyle w tym tygodniu. Liczmy, że usłyszmy się za tydzień bądź dwa! Pamiętajcie o kawie na stornie kawawbiurze.pl – partnera naszego podcastu z kodem LPK2025 macie -20%, aż żal nie skorzystać.PozdrawiamyAdam i JanInstagram: @LuznoPrzyKawieTwitter: @LuźnoPrzyKawieFacebook: @LPKpodcastProjekt okładki: Adam BorodoIdentyfikacja wizualna: High5Studio.plGłosy: Adam Borodo, Jan Urbanowicz

《Stan Up！青開麥》Podcast開播！由新竹縣政府教育局推出，六集節目集結青年提案，從選系迷茫、科技人生到地方創生，還有網紅跨界對談，探索竹縣青年的成長路線圖。

AI and PLG are two of the most transformative forces in SaaS today and when combined, they can multiply growth faster than any traditional go-to-market model. In this episode, Wes Bush sits down with Aakash Gupta, one of the leading voices in product and growth (and the creator of the largest newsletter in the space with 200,000+ subscribers), to explore how AI is revolutionizing every layer of product-led growth - from activation and onboarding to pricing and expansion. They break down exactly how top SaaS companies are using AI to reduce time-to-value by 10x, build smarter pricing models, and even automate their internal processes using agents like Claude, NotebookLM, and Relay. Whether you're a founder, product manager, or growth operator, this episode is packed with real use cases, tools, and frameworks that will help you stay ahead of the curve in the AI + PLG era. Key Highlights 02:15 – Top LLMs for product and growth teams 05:07 – Why every PLG practitioner should create a “copilot” inside Claude 07:29 – How AI projects can act as your chief of staff or people ops assistant 11:46 – Building AI executive assistants that replace (or supercharge) your EA 14:26 – Why marketers need to rethink their jobs in the age of AI automation 26:47 – The 10x practitioner mindset: how to become exponentially more effective 27:35 – AI-driven activation: how to reduce time-to-value by 90% 28:56 – Using AI evals and profiling questions to personalize onboarding 31:22 – Rethinking SaaS pricing for AI products 36:01 – How to design sustainable AI free tiers and reverse trials 41:08 – AI-assisted expansion and PQLs Resources

In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, our hosts John Kaplan and John McMahon are joined by Dan Fougere, a venture partner at Index Ventures and former CRO of Datadog. Dan shares insights from his extensive sales career, emphasizing the importance of developing adaptive and context-specific sales playbooks. He discusses the evolution of PLG (Product-Led Growth) strategies, the integration of AI in sales processes, and the critical need for continuous learning and adaptability. The episode also touches on Dan's philanthropic efforts, including his involvement with Homes for Our Troops and other charitable initiatives.ADDITIONAL RESOURCESConnect and learn more from Dan Fougere.Connect with Dan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfougere/Support Homes For Our Troops: https://www.hfotusa.orgSupport Imagine Reading: https://imaginereading.com/Support No Person Left Behind Outdoors: https://www.nplboutdoors.orgRead the Guide on Six Critical Priorities for Revenue Leadership in 2026: https://hubs.li/Q03JN74V0Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT[00:02:24] Advice for New Sales Leaders[00:02:52] Adapting Sales Playbooks[00:03:27] The Importance of Flexibility in Sales Strategies[00:03:54] Understanding Product-Led Growth (PLG)[00:06:44] Case Study: Datadog's Sales Evolution[00:07:57] Challenges in Scaling Sales Strategies[00:08:51] Building a Sales Organization for the Future[00:12:14] The Role of a CRO in Modern Sales[00:14:48] Adapting to Market Changes[00:26:23] Traits of Effective Sales Leaders[00:34:03] The Tip of the Spear: Leading from the Front[00:34:16] Medallia: Building a Sales Process from Scratch[00:36:58] Profile of a Successful Sales Leader[00:37:47] Recruiting and Building a High-Performance Team[00:39:25] The Importance of High Standards in Hiring[00:52:41] AI's Impact on Sales and Forecasting[01:02:07] Giving Back: Charitable EndeavorsHIGHLIGHT QUOTES[00:03:21] “A big mistake is trying to force fit a playbook from a previous company into a new company.”[00:06:01] “Approach it with a beginner's mind… it's actually an advantage you only get once.”[00:10:55] “Build your outbound before you need it, because at some point you're going to need it.”[00:13:33] “98.5% of companies realize, ‘I wish I had a great sales organization to go with this great PLG motion.'”[00:19:07] “The thing that tops people out is the inability to adapt and collaborate—they become too rigid.”[00:22:25] “If you know in your heart your team is mediocre, you're never going to be great. Raise those standards.”[00:31:36] “Don't just assume you can get rid of BDRs and have AI do it. I don't see anybody telling me that's working yet." Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

First Resonance provides factory orchestration and coordination software for scaling hardware companies. Founded by SpaceX veterans in 2019, the company focused on filling the gap between legacy manufacturing systems and the needs of emerging hard tech startups. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, we sat down with Karan Talati, CEO & Co-Founder of First Resonance, to learn about the company's journey building Ion—their manufacturing operations platform—and how they're enabling companies scaling from R&D prototypes to production manufacturing across aerospace, defense, nuclear energy, and advanced manufacturing. Topics Discussed: Karan's time at SpaceX during hypergrowth (employee 2,000 to 6,000+) and the transition from single rocket design to production operations Why First Resonance walked away from pursuing legacy aerospace and defense giants The failed PLG experiment and pivot to enterprise sales with product analytics for expansion How the "new space" pattern is repeating in nuclear energy and other hard tech verticals Market expansion from aerospace into nuclear energy over the past three to four years Advanced manufacturing technology convergence enabling electric aviation (battery density, composite manufacturing, 3D printing) AI's role in breaking down knowledge silos between mechanical, electrical, and software engineering Defense contractor security requirements: CMMC, FedRamp, and NIST 800-171 Brand strategy targeting the new manufacturing workforce versus the retiring old guard GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Kill upmarket plans when your core segment outpaces them: First Resonance planned to move from scale-ups to traditional defense and aviation giants. They didn't execute. Karan found that staying with scaling startups delivered faster growth and higher ROI than "long sales cycles" with customers "averse to modern technology." The lesson isn't about patience with enterprise—it's about recognizing when your initial segment is expanding faster than you can capture it. If your TAM is growing 40%+ annually from customer expansion alone, moving upmarket is a distraction. Test PLG fast, kill it faster in multi-stakeholder environments: First Resonance ran a PLG experiment and "quickly learned it does not" work in manufacturing. The buying process involves "centralized, coordinated, orchestrated, many decision makers, many influencers." But they kept the instrumentation. They use "product utilization and usage and engagement" data to "package subsequent value" for renewals and expansion. The tactical move: instrument your product like PLG, sell like enterprise, and use analytics to drive net dollar retention during annual renewals. Treat cloud service provider status as a wedge, not overhead: As a cloud service provider to defense contractors, First Resonance maintains compliance with CMMC, FedRamp, and NIST 800-171. Rather than viewing this as cost center, Karan noted "regulations are getting easier, not harder" and that this is "a benefit to innovators." For B2B founders selling to regulated industries: invest in compliance infrastructure early, monitor regulatory roadmaps (like FedRamp 20x), and position compliance as competitive moat when competitors can't move as quickly. Pattern match your wedge vertical to adjacent disruption: First Resonance saw their aerospace playbook repeat in nuclear energy "literally in the last three, four years." The pattern: legacy incumbents "too big to fail" but "so large and inertial, so hard to move, that startups are going to have to come in and close that gap." When one vertical shows this pattern, adjacent industries with similar incumbent dynamics are expansion candidates. The key signal: former SpaceX/Tesla talent founding companies in that vertical. Design brand for the incoming generation, not the incumbent buyer: With the old guard "rapidly retiring" and manufacturing becoming "cool," First Resonance built a brand with "bold colors and straight lines" that "combines cybernetic systems with inspiration from the Matrix." Karan explicitly rejected softer design trends: "throw all that out." For technical products in industries with demographic shifts, design for the 30-year-old engineer who will champion your tool, not the 55-year-old executive who signs the contract. Deepen rather than proliferate when customers expand physically: First Resonance doesn't worry about logo count because their customers are "scaling in terms of factory square footage and the number of teams." Their expansion motion: "observe product analytics and customer signals and package subsequent value" for upselling during renewals. The tactic works because aerospace and energy have "a tailwind of decades." For infrastructure software with usage tied to physical operations: if customers are adding factories or production lines, you don't need new logos—you need seat expansion and module attach. // Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. www.GlobalTalent.co // Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role. Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM    

【114年地價稅開徵!!】12/1前，使用手機掃描繳款書上QR Code輕鬆繳納地價稅。11月跟著臧芮萱一起多元管道自由選，ｅ化繳納最輕鬆！114年地價稅開徵宣導短片： https://fstry.pse.is/8apu2n------以上為財政部廣告------ —— 以上為 Firstory Podcast 廣告 —— 200集特別企劃插播：在霹靂鍵盤即將錄第200集之際，好消息是職籃還沒倒，壞消息是不只沒倒、而且依然是兩個...有哪些事情、時刻，是你好奇一旦走向不同，發展可能完全不一樣？10月31日前歡迎提出你心中的【台籃2020年以來的What If?】，200集節目一起來打開想像力！ What If不侷限球賽，場外、節目相關都可以，舉例：

In a world where anyone can generate a “perfect” email with AI, does perfection even matter? According to Christopher Gannon, founder of Captivate Talent, what truly matters are the fundamentals: relationships, brand, and aesthetics. In this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast, hosted by Joran from Reditus, Chris breaks down how startups should think about hiring go-to-market (GTM) talent, structuring teams, leveraging AI, and expanding into the US. This article summarizes their conversation into clear, actionable insights every founder should know.Key Timestamps(00:00) The Perfect Email Myth: Why Human Connection Still Wins(00:55) Meet the Masters of B2B SaaS Growth(01:31) Why Headcount Won't Scale Your SaaS Revenue(01:51) From Filling Seats to Building a GTM Powerhouse(02:10) The Birth of Captivate Talent: A Founder's Bold Pivot(03:33) The $1M ARR Question: When to Hire Your First GTM Pro(03:50) The Founder's Dilemma: Sell It Yourself or Hire Early?(04:58) The Brutal Truth About Early-Stage Onboarding(05:39) Who Comes First—Sales or Marketing? The Real Answer(05:54) Never Outsource Your Superpower(07:20) Overhiring vs. Underhiring: The Startup Goldilocks Problem(08:16) The Rolodex Trap: Why Big Titles Burn Startups(09:22) Forget Titles—Hire for 12-Month Outcomes Instead(10:15) Inside the Ideal GTM Team Structure for SaaS Growth(11:08) The Secret Weapon: Your Customer Call Library(11:39) AI Is Taking Over GTM (But Here's the Catch)(12:11) Beyond ChatGPT: How to Spot True AI Fluency(13:48) Reditus Break: The Affiliate Engine Powering B2B SaaS(14:11) How to Measure Real AI Impact in Your Workflows(15:06) “At the Table or on the Menu?” AI Skills That Protect Your Career(15:44) The Truth About GTM Hiring in a Post-Layoff World(16:24) Why Relationships Beat Perfect AI Emails Every Time(17:44) The Costly Mistake: Hiring an SDR for US Expansion(18:10) The Founder-Led Playbook for Cracking the US Market(19:09) The Full-Stack Expansion Model Every SaaS Needs(20:22) Stop “Testing” the US with One Hire—Here's Why(22:08) PLG vs. Enterprise: When Remote Expansion Stops Working(23:33) Why Big Logos Abroad Don't Impress US Buyers(24:24) US to Europe: How to Win with Local Talent and Presence(25:29) The Hidden Legal Maze of US Hiring(26:26) The Real Cost of US Expansion (and Cultural Fit)(28:34) The Culture Clash: Vacations, Burnout, and Commitment(29:21) Burn the Boats: The Only Way to Win in the US(30:12) The Future of GTM: How AI Is Rewriting Hiring Rules(31:16) From 0 to $10K MRR: Discipline Over Everything(32:47) From $10K to $10M ARR: Hire Ahead and Pay for Talent(36:49) Connect with Christopher Gannon and Captivate Talent

Guy spent 2 years and $4M building Snyk to $100K ARR. Thousands of developers loved the product. They just wouldn't pay.Then he figured out the problem: he had product-user fit, but not product-buyer fit. Developers loved Snyk. Security teams (the actual buyers) didn't care about it. The distance between user and buyer was killing him.So Guy spent a year building governance features, reporting, and enterprise capabilities—all the stuff developers didn't care about but security teams needed to write checks. Four months later, Snyk hit $650K ARR. A year after that, $4.5M. Then $19M. Today it's over $300M ARR.This episode breaks down the brutal reality of PLG when your user isn't your buyer, why Guy thinks the worst outcome for a founder is getting stuck (not failing), and how he's now raising $125M for his next company Tessl.If you're building PLG, selling to enterprise, or wondering why your users love you but won't pay—this is required listening.Why You Should Listen:Learn why thousands of users loving your product means nothing if they won't payDiscover the difference between product-user fit and product-buyer fitUnderstand why the worst outcome isn't failure—it's getting stuck in the grey zoneMaster the art of anchoring in the future instead of just filling today's gapsKeywords:startup podcast, startup podcast for founders, product market fit, PLG strategy, product-user fit vs product-buyer fit, developer tools, security startup, enterprise sales, bottoms-up GTM, Snyk founderChapters:(00:00:00) Intro(00:01:37) The first start up :Blaze.io"(00:06:16) The Beginning & Concept of Skyk(00:15:27) Why use Snyk(00:23:41) The Product Led Growth for Snyk(00:33:08) Raising for Snyk(00:38:58) The Beginning & Concept of TESL(00:46:39) Raising for TESL(00:48:52) Finding PMF(00:49:26) One Piece of AdviceSend me a message to let me know what you think!

#297 Leadership | I sat down with Kelly Cheng, CMO at Goldcast, to talk about her path from growth marketer to marketing leader, how she's built and scaled Goldcast's marketing org, the shift from PLG to sales-led, and why she believes great CMOs play the long game.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (03:08) - – Kelly's path from Hong Kong to Boston (06:08) - – Joining Goldcast and the PLG pivot (09:08) - – Moving from growth marketer to CMO (12:08) - – The role of mentors in her career (20:08) - – Questions to ask before taking a CMO role (27:43) - – Inside Goldcast's marketing org structure (33:43) - – How Kelly measures brand and mindshare (40:43) - – Why the BDR team reports to marketing (46:43) - – The link between brand, content, and pipeline (51:43) - – Leading with vulnerability and the “long game” Join 50,0000 people who get our Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterLearn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/ ***Today's episode is brought to you by Knak.Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.It's the only way you can truly “own” your audience.But when it comes to building the emails - if you've ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. That's why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.Tired of ‘hoping' the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

Welcome back to our new miniseries Vertical SaaS: Fintech Disruption by a Thousand Cuts, sponsored by our friends at Pipe. In episode 5, hosts Alex Johnson and Luke Voiles (CEO of Pipe) sit down with Lacey Ford, CMO at ABC Fitness, to unpack how vertical SaaS companies go to market (through the lens of fitness tech, of course). ABC Fitness is a vSaaS platform focused on serving businesses in the fitness and health industry, from massive, multi-location gyms to independent personal trainers, studios, and boutiques. Given the breadth of different businesses that ABC Fitness serves, across multiple countries, it's easy to see just how important a strong go-to-market strategy is for the company.  (Not to mention, gyms are becoming a third place community – one where Gen Z is driving growth, and wearables, biometrics, and AI are all raising expectations). This is a true B2B2C motion where owners are hands on and tiny moments at the front desk (or a declined payment) are greater than the sum of their parts.  Here's how Lacey maps it across segments: enterprises move through consultative cycles, studios want speed with clear time to value, and coaches live in a PLG flow inside ABC Trainerize.  Big picture, Lacey brings it home to the operating cadence: put the customer at the center, get the right people in early around a shared narrative and shared metrics, and close the loop.  Do that, and go to market and retention become the same muscle (pun intended). And remember to subscribe to catch our LAST episode! Thanks for listening!  This episode was brought to you by Pipe. Pipe helps vertical SaaS platforms unlock fast, flexible capital, right inside their product. Learn more at pipe.com/fintechtakes. Sign up for Alex's Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ And for more exclusive insider content, don't forget to check out my YouTube page. Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Follow Luke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-voiles/ Follow Lacey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceyaford/ Learn more about Pipe here.

Tematy odcinka:Początek zaczynamy od pytania jak Playstation 5 i wrażenia z grania przez Jaśka. Nie jest źle! Okazuje się, że może być to towar, którego wartość będzie rosła.GeminiPlus AI od Google za darmo do 9 grudnia dla studentów. Warto skorzystać bo gratis to uczciwa cena a narzędzia mogą być przydatne. Pod tym linkiem możecie przejść do rejestracji.Jasiek znalazł tą jedyną, piękną i podświetlaną klawaitruę od firmy Satechi. Link do sklepu.Na koniec przestrzegamy przed sklepem z żarówkami.Zapraszamy po kawę z rabatem -20% z kodem LPK2025 – na stronie kawawbiurze.pl!PozdrawiamyAdam i JanInstagram: @LuznoPrzyKawieTwitter: @LuźnoPrzyKawieFacebook: @LPKpodcastProjekt okładki: Adam BorodoIdentyfikacja wizualna: High5Studio.plGłosy: Adam Borodo, Jan Urbanowicz

In this episode of the B2B Go-To-Market Leaders Podcast, Vijay Damojipurapu sits down with Alon Ahronberg, VP of Customer Success at Atera, to explore how customer success drives sustainable revenue and long-term retention in modern B2B companies.From his early career in engineering and BI consulting to leading customer success at global SaaS startups, Alon shares lessons from scaling teams, building onboarding frameworks, and transforming a PLG motion into a hybrid sales-led growth (SLG) strategy.Together, they unpack:How to define go-to-market holistically across product, sales, marketing, and customer success.The critical role of onboarding and re-onboarding in improving renewal rates and product adoption.Why internal collaboration between CSMs, marketing, and sales determines customer lifetime value.The cultural shift needed to elevate customer success from “call center” to strategic growth partner.How AI will reshape customer success, bridging high-touch strategy with scalable automation.Whether you're a founder, go-to-market leader, or customer success professional, this episode offers a masterclass on aligning post-sale execution with growth.Connect with Alon Ahronberg on LinkedInConnect with Vijay Damojipurapu on LinkedInBrought to you by: stratyve.com

At what stage should SaaS companies start segmenting their metrics? In episode #320, Ben Murray breaks down when and how to segment your SaaS metrics — from revenue segmentation to go-to-market efficiency metrics — so your data actually reflects how your business operates. Ben explains how segmentation becomes essential as you scale past $10M ARR or diversify product lines (for example, enterprise vs. SMB or PLG vs. sales-led models). He also shares how finance and ops teams can collaborate to align their chart of accounts, cost centers, and customer metadata to get meaningful insights that improve valuation and decision-making. What You'll Learn When to start segmenting SaaS metrics (typically around $10M ARR, but earlier for multi-product businesses). The difference between revenue segmentation and financial metric segmentation. How to align your chart of accounts and cost centers for accurate CAC, CAC payback, and LTV:CAC by segment. Why aggregate CAC or payback metrics are misleading without segmentation. The importance of metadata consistency between systems (HubSpot, CRM, accounting, billing). How clean segmentation improves your company valuation and investor confidence during fundraising or exit. Why It Matters For CFOs & Finance Teams: Segmentation reveals where efficiency and retention differ by product line or customer cohort. For Founders & Operators: Understanding metrics by segment helps you scale profitably and target the right growth motion. For Investors: Segmented financial reporting and SaaS metrics reduce uncertainty and strengthen valuation models. For Accounting Leaders: Accurate cost allocation enables better financial modeling and Board reporting. Resources Mentioned The SaaS Metrics Foundation Course: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/#section-1744932157830 Quote from Ben “You can't say your CAC payback is 12 months when it combines enterprise and SMB customers — that data is worthless.”

In this episode, Pendo's senior vice president of product and u/x Nichole Mace talks with host Shannon Peavey about the growth mindset that infiltrates her company's culture. She illuminates the differences between core product work and product growth work and shares her tips on ways companies can cultivate a collaborative environment, where the spirit of experimentation becomes contagious. Chapters:4:05 Why growth needs to be prioritized6:19  Organizing your mind for pursuing multiple goals7:50 Cultivating team spirit9:30 Knowing when the time is right for a growth push10:50 Why experimentation can be contagious13:40 Nichole's path into growth15:45 Skills for great growth leaders18:50 How pivots happen: the ZipCar example21:00 Growth loops are golden23:00 Nichole's 6 Core Product Growth Principles 31:00 What's AI's impact?32:15 Life in balanceWhere to find Nichole:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nichole-mace-44bb65/Nichole Mace's PLG websitehttps://www.nicholemace.com/Resources:Pendo https://www.pendo.io/Constant Contact https://www.constantcontact.com/LastPass https://www.lastpass.com/BevSpot https://bevspot.com/ZipCar https://www.zipcar.com/

Most businesses guard their intellectual property like it's Fort Knox. They lock their frameworks behind paywalls, gate their methodologies, and keep their best insights for paying clients only. We're doing the exact opposite - and it's actually better for business. In this episode, Wes reveals why ProductLed invested $150,000 to create The Product-Led Playbook and then decided to give it away completely free. He breaks down the counterintuitive business strategy behind democratizing product-led growth knowledge and why sharing your best IP actually attracts better clients. Key Highlights: 01:04: Why all ProductLed books are free (and always have been)02:09: Turning down publishers 02:50: The $150,000 investment and 16 iterations it took03:10: Why guarding knowledge is actually stupid for business03:53: Democratizing PLG - it's a skill anyone can learn04:39: How free content attracts doers who've already made hundreds of thousands05:28: Using free books to align entire teams on PLG strategy06:37: Why sharing makes onboarding company-wide adoption effortless06:56: The long-term mission - making ProductLed the de facto SaaS scaling system07:40: Why product-led companies can out-give anyone in their market08:29: What's inside - the same frameworks clients pay $30K+/month for08:51: The three core outcomes you'll unlock with the system09:19: Testimonials from Nathan Barry, Esben (Userflow), and G (Empire)

Jeff sits down with Alex Kean, Director of Revenue Operations at Merge, to explore what it really takes to run RevOps across two go-to-market motions, enterprise sales and a new PLG product launch.Alex unpacks how his lean RevOps team supports Merge's sales-led engine while prepping for a parallel PLG motion, without breaking existing systems. He shares how his team is leveraging AI and agentic workflows for internal use, including customer health summaries and Slack-ready exec dashboards.

The Topline crew breaks down the fastest growing startups of 2025.   Chapters: 02:20 Welcome to Top Line  02:57 Discussion on AI Company Investments  08:47 Fastest to $10 Million in Revenue  09:53 Debate on AI Market Sustainability  15:58 AI's Impact on Business Strategies 29:58 Fastest to $50 Million in Revenue  33:16 PLG vs. Sales-Led Growth  34:08 Choosing the Right Business Model 37:03 Fastest to $100 Million in Revenue  38:07 Revenue Milestones and AI Companies  42:00 Challenges with AI Accuracy  45:35 Fastest to $500 Million  50:29 Fastest to $1 Billion, $5 Billion, $10 Billion  56:37 Final Thoughts and Investment Picks   Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Wednesday.  Subscribe to Topline Newsletter. Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast!

In this special republished episode of the ProductLed Podcast, Wes Bush and Laura Kluz discuss The Product-Led Playbook—and announce that we're giving away the entire book for FREE on October 7, 2025. This playbook is the no-BS guide to actually implementing PLG, based on analysis of 324+ companies, and explores why some product-led companies see millions in ARR while others crash and burn. The book is structured around nine components, which guide companies from building a solid foundation to scaling for exponential growth. The first stage includes crafting a winning strategy, identifying the ideal user, and creating an intentional product model. The second stage involves establishing a frictionless onboarding process and developing powerful pricing strategies. The final stage focuses on actionable data, growth processes, and team development. The playbook offers a step-by-step approach to operationalizing PLG and is full of templates and canvases designed for team collaboration. Intended primarily for B2B software founders and early-stage go-to-market teams, this playbook provides a structured method for effectively implementing PLG—and it's yours for free next week. Sign up at productled.com/newsletter to get the free playbook on October 7th. Key Moments: 02:01 – Why the playbook was created: analyzing 324+ companies to find what separates winners from losers. 04:52 – The surprising discovery: founders were more successful with PLG than senior product executives. 06:19 – The 9 components of the ProductLed System and why strategic order matters. 11:37 – How to use the playbook (hint: it's not a one-time read). 13:34 – Who this book is for and who should be involved. 14:54 – The 3 main outcomes: Effortless Revenue, Lean Scale, and Durable Growth. 17:46 – What didn't make it into the book (and why less is more). 20:37 – How to get the free audiobook starting next week.

Ashley Lewin has audited 30+ companies in her career and seen the same pattern: marketing teams stuck chasing MQLs while revenue stalls. In this episode, Carolyn and Trevor dig into Ashley's perspective on why MQLs keep organizations trapped in short-term thinking, and how she's applying those lessons now as Head of Marketing at Aligned.We talk through what it takes to stand up a marketing function from scratch at a hybrid PLG + sales-assisted company, why implementing HubSpot's Lead object was a foundational bet, and how “fail fast” disqualification changed the way BDRs and sales managers manage their pipeline. Ashley also shares her playbook for winning executive buy-in: showing CEOs a predictable growth equation that replaces lead volume with qualified pipeline and product activation.What You'll Learn:Why 30+ audits taught Ashley that MQLs create waste, not growth.How to split the funnel: PLG activations vs. sales-assisted pipeline.The power of clean infrastructure: standing up a true lead object in HubSpot.Why “fail fast” leads to better conversion, stronger feedback loops, and less waste.How to navigate culture change so sales isn't afraid to close lost.Why exec scorecards (not dashboards) determine whether change sticks.If your growth plan still relies on lead math, you're running on outdated assumptions. Ashley shows how to build a system that actually scales revenue, not just reporting.

Chris Frantz is the Co-founder and CEO of Loops, the email platform for software companies.We get into why sending emails is still a big problem, his hilariously simple framework for building products, getting in to YC with a last minute application, and why they skipped raising a Series A.We also talk through Chris decade of working in marketing, like when to lean into PLG vs Sales vs hype led growth, early stunts they did to get their first users, why they do no marketing now, and why Loops' customer support team is all engineers.Thanks to Ramp for supporting this episode. It's the corporate card and expense management platform used by over 40,000 companies, like Shopify, CBRE and Stripe. Time is money. Save both with Ramp. Get $250 for signing-up here: https://ramp.com/ThePeelTry Hanover Park - the modern, AI-native fund admin https://www.hanoverpark.com/TurnerTimestamps:(4:37) Email for software companies(8:28) Why email is a big deal(14:05) The future of email(17:00) Product vs Sales vs Hype led growth(24:33) Coming up with the idea for Loops(29:36) Building one of the first GPT wrappers in 2020(34:34) Lessons selling his first company(37:13) Doing their YC app in 10 minutes(40:53) Avoiding VC's who add value(46:58) Skipping a Series A(51:37) Building in stealth for 18 months(53:21) Marketing stunts to get the first waitlist sign-ups(58:44) Four step cadence of building Loops(1:01:58) Personally onboarding every new customer(1:04:03) Balancing 996 with family(1:11:11) Cleaning wasp nests with a shop vacReferencedLoops: https://loops.soCareers at Loops: https://loops.so/careersCuriosity: https://curiositystream.comSnazzy AI / Unbounce: https://unbounce.com/product/smart-copyAtlas customer support: https://atlas.soFollow ChrisTwitter: https://x.com/frantzfriesLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ctfrantzFollow TurnerTwitter: https://twitter.com/TurnerNovakLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnernovakSubscribe to my newsletter to get every episode + the transcript in your inbox every week: https://www.thespl.it/

想吃麥當勞早餐，卻爬不起來？太晚睡了吼……今天起，養成早睡體質吧！麥當勞攜手政大睡眠實驗室，創新再現費玉清《晚安曲》以60-80 BPM的音樂節奏融合具催眠感的視覺讓你聽了真的好想說【晚安 早餐見】＞＞ https://fstry.pse.is/86z7q6 —— 以上為 KKBOX 與 Firstory Podcast 廣告 —— 東超第四季即將在10/8開打，擴編為3組、12隊的新戰局，台籃球隊還能像上季一樣打出精彩表現嗎？東超球隊超不熟，葛蘭特大來救火！Roy邀請亞洲籃球觀察室的Grant來聊聊來自日本、韓國、菲律賓、香港、澳門、蒙古的9支參賽球隊。 台北富邦勇士所在的A組，有BLG頂級強權宇都宮皇者，從主場開幕就會是一場苦戰，永仁教練率隊重返東超，有機會搶進分組前二嗎？桃園璞園領航猿所在的B組，有BLG勁旅琉球黃金國王、堪稱PBA全明星隊的馬尼發電氣、還有神秘的澳門黑熊，想複製上季成功經驗會是高難度任務；新北國王所在的C組，包括來自KBL的昌原LG獵隼、BLG的東京電擊都有一定實力，還有近年在亞洲籃壇崛起的烏蘭巴托野馬，少了林書豪坐鎮的國王，能在新教練執教下打出全新氣象？ 雖然有人覺得東超不就是幾支俱樂部球隊湊著打？但幾季下來也確實越來越成氣候，10/8首次從台北與東京兩地點燃戰火，歡迎小人物們一起為代表台籃的隊伍加油！ 焦點回到台灣籃球，職籃開季前迎來短暫的平靜期，正好可以花點時間聊聊TPBL的賽季啟動記者會，以及「口號」對於職業聯盟的意義。Kong與小枚都提議了霹靂鍵盤版本的口號，三人還討論了聯盟行銷該怎麼跟球隊行銷做出區隔，歡迎小人物聽眾們也能留言或私訊分享想法。 最後，對外經營二二六六的鋼鐵人球團，果然內部問題也很多，期待受災戶能夠循管道為自己討回公道外，也期待續存球團都能引以為鑑。都能大撒幣投資球員了，當個正規經營的球團，相信一定是可以做到的！ 成為

Most AI companies launched after ChatGPT went viral in 2022. Fireflies.ai started in 2016 - years before the AI revolution began. This week, Co-founder and CEO Krish Ramineni shares how he built a unicorn AI company with 80% organic growth. Krish and Alex discuss: - How being "too early" to AI became their biggest competitive advantage. - Why they chose a PLG motion when sales-led was still the norm. - Building AI products before LLMs existed and the products they can return to now the technology has caught up. - Scaling to unicorn status with 80% organic growth and creating viral loops. - The future beyond note-taking: AI teammates that attend meetings for you. - How Krish manages his time while working seven days a week. - Advice for founders navigating the AI bubble. Guest links: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krishramineni/ Website - https://fireflies.ai/ References: SaaStock YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@SaaStock       Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move their business forward: 

想吃麥當勞早餐，卻爬不起來？太晚睡了吼……今天起，養成早睡體質吧！麥當勞攜手政大睡眠實驗室，創新再現費玉清《晚安曲》以60-80 BPM的音樂節奏融合具催眠感的視覺讓你聽了真的好想說【晚安 早餐見】＞＞ https://fstry.pse.is/86t2ay —— 以上為 KKBOX 與 Firstory Podcast 廣告 —— 霹靂鍵盤3X3籃球專題來到第二集，Roy高規格邀請在圈子裡佔有重要一席之地的Absolute 3X3創辦人Andrew黃嘉德，從另一個角度來聊台籃3X3。 雖然同樣是由籃協作為對接FIBA賽事的窗口，3X3籃球有不同於5X5籃球的運作機制、國際賽制、以及積分排名，當我們樂見中華隊在亞洲盃重返八強、讓世界排名再次回到70名之內，台灣的3X3排名是更靠前的世界第37、亞洲第9－這是怎麼計算的？小枚點名曾經的鋼鐵人球員竟然是台灣賺積分的功臣之一，又是怎麼回事？！ 從國際再聊回台灣，國內3X3比賽不少，A3也不是近年唯一有規模與組織性的賽事，能夠持續穩健舉辦的自我定位是什麼？營運關鍵是什麼？除了Andrew的觀察之外，Kong還分享了一些香港3X3賽事的做法，四人也簡單討論了台籃3X3的商業可能性與發展方向，雖然都不是一蹴可及，但如同我們關心5X5，也呼籲小人物聽眾們持續關注同為籃球的3X3！ 最後在這周的台籃更新檔，當然不能漏掉夢想家主場迎戰領航猿的簡浩引退賽！在這場最後平手收場的賽事中，主持人們發現...簡浩根本還很準嘛！祝福他轉換執教角色也能有好發展的同時，對「新猿軍」阿提諾與陳將双的看法如何？此外，飛米加盟勇士會帶來好的化學效應嗎？TPBL的熱身賽與例行賽程有什麼看點？還有突然消息一個接一個來不及聊的洋基工程，都請小人物們持續鎖定霹靂鍵盤的追蹤！ 成為

Whatagraph has evolved from a bootstrap marketing reporting tool to a comprehensive marketing intelligence platform processing data from 12+ sources for marketing teams globally. With over $10 million in funding and a decade of iteration, the Lithuania-based company recently launched "Whatagraph 3.0"—a fundamental shift from pure sales-led to hybrid PLG motion. In this episode of Category Visionaries, Justas Malinauskas shares the technical and strategic decisions behind their transformation from agency tool to enterprise marketing intelligence platform, including their multi-agentic AI implementation and the SEO strategy that generates 500+ MQLs monthly. Topics Discussed: Technical architecture evolution from reporting automation to full-stack marketing intelligence Strategic pivot from sales-led to hybrid PLG/sales-led motion triggered by mission misalignment Advanced SEO methodology using competitor pain point analysis and search behavior reverse engineering AI implementation using multi-agentic systems rather than simple LLM integration Lithuania's bootstrap-first ecosystem and knowledge-sharing networks among unicorn companies Go-to-market evolution across three distinct phases over 10 years GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Engineer time-to-value as your primary PLG enabler, not feature breadth: Whatagraph achieved 5-minute time-to-value from data connection to dashboard generation—versus the industry standard of hours—by rebuilding their onboarding around AI-powered automation rather than manual drag-and-drop configuration. Justas notes this wasn't just UI optimization but fundamental product architecture changes: "It's basically a lot of knowledge from our last 10 years...we're able to build it like really multi-agentic platform which helps to build those things in steps, not just like drop something randomly." For PLG success, optimize your technical stack for immediate value delivery, not comprehensive feature exposure. Weaponize competitor technical limitations through content strategy: Rather than competing on generic "best marketing tool" keywords, Whatagraph dominated by creating authoritative content around specific competitor pain points. Their "Looker Studio being slow" content strategy captured high-volume searches from frustrated users by actually helping solve the problem while positioning their technical advantages. Justas explains: "The biggest problem was it's actually very slow...when we have everything in house we can make things like very quick and speedy compared to there." Target technical pain points your architecture inherently solves rather than fighting brand-to-brand keyword battles. Align your ICP strategy with your actual technical capabilities, not market perception: Whatagraph's shift to hybrid PLG wasn't market-driven but mission-driven. Justas realized their technical product could serve smaller organizations, but their sales-led approach artificially excluded them: "We were not empowering in the first place people, everyone to make those data driven decisions fast...we were not allowing everyone into the product even if our product was allowing to." Audit whether your go-to-market motion matches your product's actual technical capabilities and addressable market, not just your current revenue optimization. Build SEO moats through search behavior psychology, not keyword tools: Whatagraph's SEO dominance came from Justas thinking like customers in problem-solving mode rather than using standard keyword research. He reverse-engineered the complete buyer journey: "People go through a very much regular process...they search for a problem...find a blog post...find a product...competition...pricing...reviews...then actually buy the product." They attempted to own multiple touchpoints in this journey through strategic content placement across different domains. Map your customer's actual research psychology, not just search volumes. Implement freemium with full core functionality, not feature limitations: Whatagraph's new freemium tier includes their complete AI-powered report generation ("Whatagraph IQ") with only data source limitations, not feature restrictions. This approach lets small users experience the full product value while creating natural upgrade triggers as they grow. Justas notes: "All the core functionality...you're able to talk with your data within AI capabilities and ask questions about your data as you would pay a couple of thousands a month." Design freemium around usage scaling, not capability restrictions, to demonstrate full product value.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co   //   Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role. Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM   

What do you do when everyone loves your product but no one's paying for it? That was the challenge facing Beautiful.ai. Founder Mitch Grasso nailed the product, but to build a sustainable business, he brought in operator Jason Lapp as CEO. In this conversation, Jason shares how Beautiful.ai killed its freemium tier, introduced a credit-card-gated trial without losing momentum, and learned to serve both self-serve and enterprise customers at the same time. He also explains how to listen to customer feedback without becoming a feature factory, and why non-technical founders shouldn't try to know everything about the tech stack. If you're a founder wondering when to put up a paywall — or how to balance PLG with enterprise sales — here's a playbook. RUNTIME 46:20 EPISODE BREAKDOWN (3:35) “ The timing of us coming together was really fortuitous for beautiful because he had already built the first version of beautiful and put it in market.” (6:28) “ Microsoft and Google report that there's close to a billion people that use presentation software on a monthly basis.” (10:51) “ At a certain point after getting in market, you start to get a different set of signal.” (14:52) The free trial period is a great opportunity to learn about what customers value most. (19:56) Leverage “emotional” feedback to improve the customer experience. (23:46) “ We do have a guiding principle, which is: on the customer side, we generally don't build for one customer need.” (26:17) Beautiful.ai uses NPS surveys to gather feedback from enterprise and individual users. (28:49) Since pivoting to paid, they have separate teams for enterprise and individual customers. (23:02) “ We think about an ICP, and then we think about an IECP, meaning the enterprise as a whole.” (33:57) Capturing behavioral and attitudinal data to understand customer behavior. (37:18)  How the broader rise of generative AI has influenced GTM strategy. (42:33) Jason shares some advice for non-technical CEOs. LINKS Jason Lapp Beautiful.ai AI Isn't Coming For Jobs, It's Coming For Inefficiency Continuous Discovery Habits: Discover Products that Create Customer Value and Business Value, Teresa Torres Everything You Need to Know About Freemium Pricing, Kyle Poyar, OpenView Partners SUBSCRIBE

In today's rapidly evolving sales landscape, the integration of product-led growth (PLG) and sales-led growth (SLG) strategies has become a crucial differentiator for successful companies. As the Chief Revenue Officer of Webflow, Adrian Rosenkranz shares invaluable insights on effectively blending these two approaches to create a unified go-to-market engine. This episode explores how Webflow has successfully combined PLG and SLG motions, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance customer experiences, streamline sales processes, and drive revenue growth. Adrian provides a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities presented by this hybrid approach, offering practical strategies for sales and marketing professionals looking to optimize their go-to-market strategies.                              Key Takeaways Understanding the distinctions between product-led and sales-led growth motions Leveraging AI to enhance relevancy and personalization in customer interactions Implementing AI-driven content refreshes to improve discoverability and SEO performance Utilizing AI for sales enablement, including personalized onboarding and coaching Adapting metrics and KPIs to evaluate the effectiveness of blended PLG and SLG strategies As we navigate this AI-driven sales landscape, it's clear that the companies who can effectively blend PLG and SLG strategies while leveraging AI will have a significant competitive advantage. It's an exciting time to be in sales, and I'm eager to see how these strategies evolve. Innovative AI Applications in Sales and Marketing Creating AI-generated onboarding podcasts for new hires Developing custom GPTs for sales reps to streamline prospecting and communication Implementing AI-powered customer support to resolve cases faster in PLG motions Utilizing AI for content optimization and real-time conversion rate improvements The Future of AI in Sales As AI continues to reshape the sales landscape, Adrian emphasizes the importance of maintaining authenticity and personalization. He introduces the concept of a "Go-to-Market AI Engineer" role, dedicated to reimagining sales workflows and processes through AI integration. This episode provides a wealth of actionable insights for sales leaders, marketers, and revenue operations professionals looking to harness the power of AI and create a more effective, blended approach to growth. Don't miss this opportunity to stay ahead of the curve and drive your organization's success in the AI-powered sales era. Key Moments 00:00:00 - Blending Product-Led and Sales-Led Growth Webflow successfully combines product-led and sales-led growth strategies. Few companies effectively blend these approaches into a single go-to-market engine. The key is solving for customer experience rather than separate teams, using AI to meet customers' needs faster and provide more relevant interactions across both motions.                                                       00:04:31 - AI's Impact on Marketing and Sales AI is automating relevancy in marketing and sales. Webflow uses AI to refresh content, optimize landing pages, and personalize outreach. They've built custom GPT models to assist SDRs and automate processes. AI enables faster, more personalized customer interactions across product-led and sales-led motions. 00:23:22 - Implementing AI in Go-to-Market Strategy Webflow hired a Go-to-Market AI Engineer to reimagine workflows. They use AI for sales enablement, coaching, and onboarding. The CRO created an AI-generated podcast to onboard the new CMO. AI helps scale knowledge sharing and provides faster feedback loops for sales reps.                                                                    00:39:15 - AI Impact on Metrics and Customer Experience                       Webflows CRO identifies the type of metrics they measure the sales team by and how they use AI to drive a better set of KPis that drive a better customer experience.            About Adrian Rosenkranz Adrian Rosenkranz is Chief Revenue Officer at Webflow, where he leads Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, Partnerships and Revenue Operations. He is helping grow Webflow into the leading AI-powered visual development platform for ambitious brands. Before Webflow, Adrian was Chief Operating Officer of Tableau Americas at Salesforce, where he scaled a multi-billion dollar enterprise business. A firm believer in innovation with purpose, Adrian is helping Webflow harness AI to drive smarter growth and better customer experiences, from go-to-market systems that learn and adapt to tools that amplify what creative teams can build. His focus is on unlocking leverage, not just automation. Adrian also serves on the board of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and previously advised Harvard Business School's Kraft Precision Medicine Accelerator. He earned his bachelor's degree from Stanford University, where he was a Division I football player. Follow Us On: ·         LinkedIn ·         Twitter ·         YouTube Channel ·         Instagram ·         Facebook Learn More About FlyMSG Features Like: ·         LinkedIn Auto Comment Generator ·         AI Social Media Post Generator ·         Auto Text Expander ·         AI Grammar Checker ·         AI Sales Roleplay and Coaching ·         Paragraph Rewrite with AI ·         Sales Prospecting Training for Individuals ·         FlyMSG Enterprise Sales Prospecting Training Program Install FlyMSG for Free: ·         As a Chrome Extension ·         As an Edge Extension