Podcasts about Saas

My guest today is David George. David is a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, where he leads the firm's growth investing business. His team has backed many of the defining companies of this era – including Databricks, Figma, Stripe, SpaceX, Anduril, and OpenAI – and is now investing behind a new generation of AI startups like Cursor, Harvey, and Abridge. This conversation is a detailed look at how David built and runs the a16z growth practice. He shares how he recruits and builds his team a “Yankees-level” culture, how his team makes investment decisions without traditional committees, and how they work with founders years before investing to win the most competitive deals. Much of our conversation centers on AI and how his team is investing across the stack, from foundational models to applications. David draws parallels to past platform shifts – from SaaS to mobile – and explains why he believes this period will produce some of the largest companies ever built. David also outlines the models that guide his approach – why markets often misprice consistent growth, what makes “pull” businesses so powerful, and why most great tech markets end up winner-take-all. David reflects on what he's learned from studying exceptional founders and why he's drawn to a particular type, the “technical terminator.” Please enjoy my conversation with David George. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ----- This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ramp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. ----- This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ridgeline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ridgeline has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ridgelineapps.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more about the platform. ----- This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AlphaSense⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Alpha-Sense.com/Invest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegus help you make smarter decisions faster. ----- Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like The Best (00:04:00) Meet David George (00:03:04) Understanding the Impact of AI on Consumers and Enterprises (00:05:56) Monetizing AI: What is AI's Business Model (00:11:04) Investing in Robotics and American Dynamism (00:13:31) Lessons from Investing in Waymo (00:15:55) Investment Philosophy and Strategy (00:17:15) Investing in Technical Terminators (00:20:18) Market Leaders Capture All of the Value Creation (00:24:56) The Maturation of VC and Competitive Landscape (00:28:18) What a16z Does to Win Deals (00:33:06) David's Daily Routine: Meetings Structure and Blocking Time to Think (00:36:34) Why David Invests: Curiosity and Competition (00:40:12) The Unique Culture at Andreessen Horowitz (00:42:46) The Perfect Conditions for Growth Investing (00:47:04) Push v. Pull Businesses (00:49:19) The Three Metrics a16z Uses to Evaluate AI Companies (00:52:15) Unique Products and Unique Distribution (00:54:55) Tradeoffs of the a16z Firm Structure (00:59:04) a16z's Semi-Algorithmic Approach to Selling (01:00:54) Three Ways Startups can Beat Incumbents in AI (01:03:44) The Kindest Thing

Podcast: Bites & Bytes PodcastEpisode: Realities in the Systems That Produce Our Food with James SlabyPub date: 2025-11-25Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationWhat does a deep fake phone call scamming your grandma have to do with food manufacturing? More than you think. In this episode of Bites and Bytes Podcast, host Kristin King and James Slaby discuss the operational technology challenges in food production—from legacy systems running Windows XP to ransomware threats when production lines go down. James is Director of OT Solutions GTM at Acronis and brings over 20 years of cybersecurity and industry analyst experience from Forrester Research, HFS Research, and technology companies. The conversation covers why food plants can't update their systems, the growing threat of social engineering and deep fakes, and practical strategies like the family password defense. Topics include: Why food manufacturers still run ancient operating systems Deep fake threats and how to protect yourself Air-gapped systems and OT security challenges Social engineering targeting industrial operations Legacy technology in food production environments Whether you're in food manufacturing, cybersecurity, or just curious about the systems behind your food supply, this episode reveals the realities of keeping production running while managing cyber threats. --------------- Guest Contact Information: James Slaby's LinkedIn Company: Acronis Role: Director of OT Solutions GTM at Acronis --------------- Episode Key Highlights ---------------

Jonathan Siddharth is Founder and CEO of Turing, one of the fastest-growing AI companies advancing frontier models. Jonathan has led the company to an astonishing $350M ARR with just $225M raised and a profitable company. A Stanford-trained AI scientist, Jonathan previously helped pioneer natural language search at Powerset, which was acquired by Microsoft. AGENDA: 03:35 Data, Compute, Algorithms: What is Most Abundant? What is Lacking Most? 09:18 What Does No One Know About AI's Data Requirements That Everyone Should? 17:05 The Biggest Challenges Enterprises Have with AI Adoption 20:38 Why Will 99% of Knowledge Work Will be Gone in 10 Years 27:12 How Will Data-Driven Feedback Loops Replace Technology as the Moat 36:08 Who Wins the Data Labelling Market? Who Loses? 38:23 Is Revenue BS in Data Labelling? Are Players Calling GMV Revenue?  45:20 Why is SaaS Dead in a World of AI? 51:23 Will the Phone be the Primary User Interface to an AI World? 57:07 Quickfire Round    

In this episode of the Elevate Media Podcast, Chris Anderson sits down with viral marketing expert and AI creator Austin Armstrong to break down the real art of going viral without chasing shortcuts. From posting 20 to 25 times a day on Facebook to building micro SaaS with vibe coding, Austin shares exactly how he has generated billions of views, built multiple seven-figure businesses, and stacked numerous streams of income using social media the smart way. In this episode, you will learn: Why “the algorithm hates me” is really a discipline and longevity problem.How Austin went from 600 “failed” YouTube uploads to 100K subscribers in three days by narrowing his content and doubling down on what worked The power of creating a repeatable content series with the same hook and structure but fresh “meat in the middle.”Why most creators should stop starting over and instead refine their niche and audience on the channel they already haveHow to niche down, define your ideal client persona, and choose the right platform and format for them. Austin's “START” video framework for turning views into trust and leadsWhy he posts 20 to 25 times a day on Facebook and how collaboration pods and simple text threads are driving tens of millions of viewsHow to walk the line between clickbait, controversy, and ethical engagementWhy perfectionism is just procrastination in disguise and how quantity leads to quality over time What vibe coding is and how non-technical creators can build micro SaaS tools that generate recurring revenueThe mindset, sacrifices, and consistency required to replace your job income with content and online offers This episode is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links, meaning we'll receive a small commission if you buy something.===========================⚡️PODCAST: Subscribe to our podcast here ➡ https://elevatemedia.buzzsprout.com/⚡️Need post-recording video production help? Let's chat ➡ https://calendly.com/elevate-media-group/application⚡️For Support inquires or Business inquiries, please email us at ➡︎ support@elevate-media-group.comOur mission here at Elevate Media is to help purpose-driven entrepreneurs elevate their brands and make an impact through the power of video podcasting.Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all our episodes or videos on the Elevate Media and Elevate Media Podcast YouTube channels. https://elevatemediastudios.com/disclaimer Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

"I spend most days trying to figure out how to do as little as possible. That generally leads me to trying to find and convince the smartest people I can find to help me build the thing."In this business owner spotlight episode, Bradley sits down with serial entrepreneur Graeme Barlow to discuss the blueprint for scaling businesses from $3 million to $30 million and beyond. Graeme shares his unconventional journey from selling video game items on eBay as a kid to building multiple eight-figure companies, including Iversoft, one of Canada's largest custom software development firms.The conversation explores what it takes to transition through different business growth stages, why simplicity beats complexity in operations, and how the role of the founder must evolve as the company scales. Graeme offers candid insights on hiring smarter people than yourself, the "teenage years" of business growth, and his practical 3-1-90 vision-setting framework.Graeme Barlow is a serial entrepreneur who has been building companies since childhood. He is currently a partner at Iversoft, one of the largest custom software development companies in Canada, which he has helped grow from a team of 6 to eight-figure revenue. Graeme has built two companies into eight-figure businesses, co-founded ProPet Software (servicing 5 million customers annually), and runs FounderLink, a community for scaling founders. He has invested in over a dozen companies personally and dozens more through funds, bringing extensive experience in SaaS, venture capital, and high-growth technology companies.Connect with Graeme Barlow:Website: grahambarlow.com,Social Media: @GrahamBarlow (all platforms),Iversoft: iversoft.ca,FounderLink: Founder community for scaling entrepreneurs,Register for The 2026 Annual Planning Workshop: https://annual.blueprintos.comAs we approach the end of 2025, it's time to start thinking about annual planning for 2026. In this solo episode, Bradley Hamner shares his proven framework for creating an annual plan that actually works. Whether you had a killer year in 2025 or you're ready to completely flip the script, this episode will give you the tools and insights you need to set yourself up for success in 2026.When: Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025 at 10:00 AM Central TimeDuration: 3-4 hoursCost: Completely FREERegister Now: https://annual.blueprintos.comConnect with Bradley:1-1 Game Plan Call: Get Above The Business. Think Like an Architect. Design The Blueprint. Ready to Design, Systematize, and Grow a $1m-$3m Business? Begin building your business blueprint when you schedule your Game Plan Call at https://blueprintos.com.Bradley's company, BlueprintOS equips business owners to design and install an operating system that runs like clockwork. Through BlueprintOS, you will grow and develop your leadership, clarify your culture and business game plan, align your operations with your KPIs, develop a team of A-Players, and execute your playbooks. Register to join us at an upcoming...

In this episode of The Identity at the Center Podcast, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman catch up with John Tolbert, Director of Cybersecurity Research at KuppingerCole Analysts, to talk about the rapidly evolving world of Fraud Reduction Intelligence Platforms (FRIP).They explore:The six capabilities of modern fraud reduction systemsHow AI and machine learning are both helping and hurting fraud preventionWhy shared signals and orchestration are critical for financial and e-commerce use casesHow identity verification, device intelligence, and behavioral biometrics work togetherThe role of usability and integration in FRI adoptionPlus, stick around for a fun discussion about concerts, classic rock, and which legendary bands they wish they'd seen live.Listen now to learn how identity, fraud, and AI are colliding — and what's next for fraud intelligence.Connect with John: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-tolbert/Fraud Reduction Intelligence Platforms - Finance (KuppingerCole Report): https://www.kuppingercole.com/research/lc80841/fraud-reduction-intelligence-platforms-financeFraud Reduction Intelligence Platforms - eCommerce (KuppingerCole Report): https://www.kuppingercole.com/research/bc81030/fraud-reduction-intelligence-platforms-ecommerceConnect with us on LinkedIn:Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.comChapter Timestamps:00:00 – Jim's passwordless rant and setup woes05:00 – Introducing guest John Tolbert06:30 – Catching up: four years since John's last appearance07:30 – What is CIAM and how has it evolved?09:30 – Understanding Fraud Reduction Intelligence Platforms (FRIP)10:00 – The six core capabilities of FRI solutions13:00 – Are most vendors point solutions or full platforms?14:00 – How identity verification is improving16:00 – SaaS and API-driven fraud detection models18:00 – What kinds of fraud can (and can't) FRI prevent?21:00 – The growing problem of bots and automation22:00 – Fraud trends in finance: scams, account takeovers, and synthetic identities25:00 – Information sharing and the role of shared signals28:00 – Collaboration vs. competition in fraud prevention31:00 – Fraud in e-commerce: bots, loyalty points, and returns abuse34:00 – Streaming and citizen fraud use cases36:00 – Where do FRI capabilities fit within IAM platforms?43:00 – The importance of orchestration and integration44:30 – The role of AI and ML in fraud prevention47:30 – Smart questions for evaluating FRI vendors50:30 – Concert talk: Pink Floyd, Metallica, and the ones that got away58:00 – Wrap-up and where to find John Tolbert's reportsKeywords:Fraud Reduction Intelligence, FRI Platforms, John Tolbert, KuppingerCole, Identity at the Center, IDAC, IAM, CIAM, Cybersecurity Research, Fraud Prevention, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Behavioral Biometrics, Device Intelligence, Identity Verification, Risk Orchestration, API Security, Financial Fraud, E-Commerce Fraud, Shared Signals, Jim McDonald, Jeff Steadman, IDAC Podcast

In most industries, if you've got a solid idea, a few engineers, and a working prototype, you can at least get in the game. Professional sports is not one of those industries. When Jordy Leiser co-founded Jump with Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, he wasn't just building software — he was trying to rebuild the entire fan experience from the ground up, in a business dominated by legacy players like Ticketmaster.  Four years later, his company is powering the digital backbone for teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves and North Carolina Courage. In this episode, Jordy explains what it actually takes to break into a closed industry, why he reverse-engineers every funding round before he raises it, and the biggest mistake he refused to repeat as a second-time founder. RUNTIME 53:07 EPISODE BREAKDOWN (1:12) Breaking into pro sports, rebuilding fan experience, and reverse-engineering fundraising. (2:03) How Stella Connect (customer service) laid the foundation for Jump (customer experience for fans). (2:58) What Jump does today: a unified fan experience + data platform for teams. (4:11) The unusual founding plan: 3-4 years of R&D, designed to launch with an NBA franchise from day one. (5:46) Why sports is nothing like building a typical SaaS startup — more like a “car company” level of complexity. (6:48)The true barrier: a near-monopoly in ticketing that stops innovation cold. (7:59) Selling into a market where fans have low expectations — and why demand is obvious but still untapped. (9:54) Early customers as classic early adopters — every team already knows the pain points intimately. (11:25) The first hypothesis they had to kill: incumbents don't want to integrate or share data. At all. (12:32) Designing for the actual fan demographic: season ticket holders skew 50+, so “cutting-edge UX” isn't always the answer. (13:25) Jordy's advice to founders: get out of the building, talk to insiders, but keep your “child's mind.” (15:06) Sports as an industry you can't “hack into” — it works more like fashion or Hollywood. (17:31) Moments when he realized he was losing stakeholders — and why being “comfortable in the uncomfortable” is essential. (18:03) Early would-be partners who backed out, the impact on morale, and what they learned from those rejections. (19:45) Jump's origin as a “dynamic seating” idea — and why they had to build the entire platform instead. (21:03) The “invisible platform” ethos: why Jump melts into the background so teams can own the fan relationship. (23:10) Why NWSL teams and NBA franchises have surprisingly similar needs — and what that taught them about productizing. (24:36) Jordy's litmus test for platform vs. point solution: how many people in the org depend on you to do their job? (27:01) Seed to Series A timeline — and how the Timberwolves sale collapsing delayed everything by a year. (28:37HaHow Jordy processed a crisis that was public, sudden, and existential. (31:13) The Long Beach pier walk: the moment he decided to pivot the GTM to a crawl-walk-run strategy. (32:49) Effectuation theory, the “bird in hand,” and how it led to NCAA → NWSL → Timberwolves as a survival sequence. (34:39) What he had to unlearn from Stella Connect: stop zooming in — zoom way out to a 10–20-year vision. (37:05) The habit he kept: talent above all else — and why his first call was to a Chief People Officer. (38:45) Minimum viable people function for early founders: fractional HR > junior recruiter. (42:58) High performance without grind culture: intensity ≠ toxicity — and why durability matters more than speed. (45:40) Hiring from big tech: what's actually transferable, and the dangers of logo-blindness. (50:55) The one answer Jordy would need from a founder-CEO before he'd join their startup. LINKS Jordy Leiser Jump Alex Rodriguez Marc Lore Jump Series A announcement Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose, Tony Shieh Effectuation — UVA Darden School of Business SUBSCRIBE

FOLLOW UP WITH LARALara Guevara is the CEO of Move Supply Chain, a Philippines-based supply chain agency that can help you develop new products, reduce COGS, speed up lead times, get better payment terms, and more. Schedule a call with Lara and her team at www.movesupplychain.com.Schedule time with Lara and Move Supply Chain at https://calendly.com/hello-movesupplychain/move-supply-chain-discovery-call?month=2025-11. Join Move's "Supply Chain Lounge" Slack group to get your questions answered: https://tinyurl.com/move-supplychain-loungeALSO REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODEExplore working with the designer who designed my brand and packaging at https://aronsoncreative.com/FOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/andrewjfaris Email: podcast@ajfgrowth.comWork with Andrew: https://ajfgrowth.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠INTELLIGEMSIntelligems brings A/B testing to business decisions beyond copy and design. Test your pricing, shipping charges, free shipping thresholds, offers, SaaS tools, and more by clicking here: https://bit.ly/42DcmFl. Get 20% off the first 3 months with code FARIS20.RICHPANELCut your support costs by 30% and reduce tickets by 30%—guaranteed—with Richpanel's AI-first Customer Service Platform that will reduce costs, improve agent productivity & delight customers at http://www.richpanel.com/partners/ajf?utm_source=spotify.

AWS Principal Solutions Architect Wallace Printz explains how agents are reshaping SaaS business models, pricing strategies, and technical architectures.Topics Include:Wallace Printz discusses agentic workloads transforming SaaS with largest AWS customersNew interaction models include generative UI, voice agents, and proactive workAgents extending SaaS products to interact with external systems and businessesVirtual teammates enabling cross-department collaboration and upskilling non-expert users effectivelyMonetization strategies evolving as predictable costs become variable with agentsThree patterns: dedicated agents, shared agents, and multi-tenant personalized agentsMulti-tenant agents enable hyper-personalized experiences using individual tenant context enrichmentAgent-centric business strategy requires real assessment beyond AI hype cycleAgent orchestration complexity grows with multiple specialized agents interacting togetherTenant isolation requires JWT tokens and AWS Bedrock Agent Core identityCost-per-tenant management needs LLM throttling, tiering, and unified control planeMulti-tenancy creates sticky personalized experiences; AWS white paper releasing soonParticipants:Wallace Printz - Principal Solution Architect, Amazon Web ServicesSee how Amazon Web Services gives you the freedom to migrate, innovate, and scale your software company at https://aws.amazon.com/isv/

The 3-2-1 rule is dead. Long live 3-2-1-1-0. For decades, the 3-2-1 rule has been the gold standard for backup strategies - three copies of your data, on two different media, with one copy somewhere else. But ransomware killed it. Not because the fundamentals were wrong, but because threat actors learned to target backups specifically. In this episode, Curtis and Prasanna explain why the traditional 3-2-1 rule isn't enough anymore and what the evolution to 3-2-1-1-0 means for your backup strategy. The extra "1" stands for one immutable, air-gapped copy that attackers can't delete or encrypt. The "0" means zero failures - your backups must actually work when you need them. You'll learn why SaaS platforms don't meet the 3-2-1 rule, how to think about immutability in the cloud era, and why this upgrade isn't optional if you want to survive a ransomware attack.Our interview with Peter Krogh, the one who coined the term:https://www.backupwrapup.com/peter-krogh-who-coined-the-3-2-1-rule-on-our-podcast/

Today I take a close look at Jitbit, a small, remote SaaS company that's been shipping since 2005 without the frantic energy that drains so many teams. Instead of chasing headcount or headlines, they've built a business on clarity,  ownership, and a steady pace and they serve customers around the world, including large enterprises.I break down the mechanics of a remote culture designed on purpose: clear roles so work moves without constant approvals, asynchronous communication that replaces meeting overflow with thoughtful documentation, and a trust-first approach that removes the need for micromanagement. You'll hear how a lean team uses experience and judgment to make better decisions, protect attention, and maintain quality.Refer a Remote Work Expert As a Guest On The ShowLooking for Remote Work?Click here remoteworklife.io to access a private beta list of remote jobs in sales, marketing, and strategy — plus get podcasts, real-world tips and business insights from founders, CEOs, and remote leaders. subscribe to my free newsletter Connect on LinkedIn

Behind every well-known tech company is a leader navigating pressure, uncertainty, and constant change. That's what makes this conversation with Wade Foster — Co-Founder and CEO of Zapier — stand out.Wade doesn't show up with clichés or polished CEO lines. He talks about the decisions that actually shape a $5B company: how he manages his time, how he thinks about hiring and org structure, what AI really means for Zapier, and why leadership gets harder — not easier — as the company scales.This is one of those episodes you watch if you care about real leadership, decision-making under pressure, and what it takes to build a product people depend on every day. It's grounded, tactical, and surprisingly honest.

Vi träffar Erik Fjellborg, grundare av Quinyx som är ett av Europas ledande SaaS-bolag för bl.a. schema-hantering. Erik startade sitt första bolag redan i tonåren och fick idén till Quinyx under sin tid på McDonald's, där han såg hur ineffektivt schemaläggningen fungerade. Det blev startskottet för en resa som tagit bolaget från ett studentprojekt till en internationell aktör med kontor världen över. Samtalet kretsar kring entreprenörskap, produktutveckling, global expansion och vad det egentligen krävs för att bygga ett långsiktigt hållbart SaaS-bolag.

What does it really mean to run a company that aims to be "good" before it ever thinks about becoming "great"? That was the question sitting with me as I sat down with Appfire's CEO, Matt Dircks. The conversation took us straight into the heart of modern leadership, purpose, and the realities of running a global SaaS business during a period of change. Matt has led organisations through rapid growth, mergers, cultural resets, and shifting market expectations. What stood out in our discussion was how open he is about the parts of leadership that are messy. He talked about transparency, dealing with hard decisions, and the challenge of building a culture where people feel safe enough to be honest without losing accountability. His philosophy is grounded in something simple. You cannot scale trust unless you behave in ways that earn it every day. We explored how Appfire is evolving beyond its acquisition roots, expanding from Atlassian aligned tools into cross platform solutions that support enterprises across Microsoft, Salesforce, GitHub and more. Matt explained why the company is investing heavily in new AI native products and why being close to customers is becoming a priority as their needs become more complex. He also shared how openness, active communication, and a willingness to be challenged guide the way he leads through uncertainty. The more we talked, the clearer it became that Appfire's next chapter is a blend of product innovation, cultural maturity, and a renewed focus on service. Matt's story offers a useful lens for anyone wrestling with questions about values, growth, and the human side of technology. What does a "good company" look like in practice, and how does that shape the road to long term success? I'd love to hear what resonated with you, so let me know your thoughts. Useful Links Connect With Matt Dircks on LinkedIn Learn more about Appfire The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't by Robert I. Sutton  Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein Tech Talks Daily is Sponsored by NordLayer: Get the exclusive Black Friday offer: 28% off NordLayer yearly plans with the coupon code: techdaily-28. Valid until December 10th, 2025. Try it risk-free with a 14-day money-back guarantee.  

The episode discusses the increasing complexity of endpoint security, driven by the rapid proliferation of devices due to remote work, BYOD policies, and the rise of shadow IT. Data indicates that shadow IT has surged by 59% since remote work became mainstream, with nearly half of cyberattacks linked to these unauthorized applications. Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are facing challenges in managing this expanded attack surface, as traditional security measures often fail to account for the multitude of devices and applications that employees use outside of corporate oversight.Panelists highlight that the lack of visibility and management of these endpoints creates significant blind spots, making organizations vulnerable to attacks. The conversation emphasizes the importance of understanding the various types of endpoints, including IoT devices and SaaS applications, which can often be overlooked. Additionally, the discussion touches on the role of human factors in security, noting that employees frequently bypass official channels to install their own tools, further complicating the security landscape.The episode also addresses the issue of tool sprawl, where MSPs may utilize an excessive number of security tools, leading to alert fatigue and operational inefficiencies. With some organizations reportedly using up to 40 different security solutions, the panelists argue for a more streamlined approach to security management. They suggest that consolidating tools can enhance efficiency and improve response times to incidents, ultimately benefiting both MSPs and their clients.For MSPs and IT service leaders, the key takeaway is the necessity of implementing a layered security strategy that includes comprehensive visibility, effective management of endpoints, and robust employee training. By prioritizing these elements, organizations can better protect themselves against the evolving threat landscape and ensure a more resilient operational framework.

Welcome to this classic episode. Classics are my favorite episodes from the past 10 years, published once a month. These are N of 1 conversations with N of 1 people. Palmer Luckey is a relentless builder and original thinker. He founded Oculus, bringing virtual reality to the mainstream, and is now reshaping the future of defense and technology with Anduril. I hope you enjoy this conversation. Palmer is the founder of Anduril, which makes next-generation military technology for the US and its allies. Since bringing the company to life in 2017, Palmer and Anduril have disrupted the established order in the Defense industry. Prior to Anduril, Palmer founded Oculus VR, a virtual reality business that he sold to Facebook for $2 billion. Palmer is only in his early 30s, but he has already experienced more than most people will in a 40-year career. We talk about innovation, invention, differentiated thinking, and so much more. Please enjoy this great discussion with Palmer Luckey. Listen to Patrick's Business Breakdowns with Anduril CEO. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by WorkOS. WorkOS is a developer platform that enables SaaS companies to quickly add enterprise features to their applications. With a single API, developers can implement essential enterprise capabilities that typically require months of engineering work. By handling the complex infrastructure of enterprise features, WorkOS allows developers to focus on their core product while meeting the security and compliance requirements of Fortune 500 companies. Visit WorkOS to Transform your application into an enterprise-ready solution in minutes, not months. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.  Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @joincolossus Show Notes (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:01:15) Meet Palmer Luckey (00:02:03) The importance of synthetic long-chain hydrocarbon fuel (00:08:12) Ranking America's potential for innovation (00:11:18) Why there aren't more ⁠Thiel Fellowships⁠ (00:13:31) The principles that motivate and drive him (00:16:56) What it has been like working in the world of defense after the attack on Israel (00:19:09) Surprising lessons learned when building a large company (00:22:37) How to approach a new field initially (00:27:20) Meeting other out-of-the-box thinkers (00:31:46) Inventors working backward from existing systems versus forward from their ideals (00:33:26) The most pressing issue in national security (00:39:36) What matters most for America from a defense perspective (00:42:33) How to determine which problems to prioritize (00:48:59) Lessons learned from working with AI (00:55:56) How Apple is shaping the future of VR (01:00:11) Which videogame a prospective employee should excel at (01:02:41) Why ⁠Oculus⁠ was so successful in marketing (01:09:48) The kindest thing

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 Thought Behind Things, we sit down with Yasir Suleman Memon, Founder & CEO of Salesflo, one of Pakistan's biggest enterprise SaaS companies, now used globally across multiple markets.We explore:Why second-tier Pakistani cities never developedHow AI is reversing Pakistan's freelancing boomWhy Pakistani founders lack “IPO hunger”Why startups MUST list publicly to retain talentWhy government will NOT fix anything and private enterprise mustSocials:TBT's Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thoughtbehindthings/⁠⁠⁠TBT's TikTok:⁠⁠⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@tbtbymuzamil⁠⁠⁠TBT's Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/thoughtbehindthings⁠⁠⁠TBT Clips: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@tbtpodcastclips⁠⁠⁠Muzamil's Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/muzamilhasan/⁠⁠⁠Muzamil's LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/muzamilhasan/⁠⁠⁠Yasir's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasirsmemon/Endeavor's LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/endeavor-pakistan⁠⁠⁠Special thanks to Kickstart for providing us with the studio space.You can find out more about them at: ⁠⁠⁠https://kickstart.pk/⁠⁠⁠Credits:Executive Producer: Syed Muzamil Hasan ZaidiAssociate Producer: Saad ShehryarPublisher: Talha ShaikhEditor: Jawad Sajid

We explore the adage “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” with two leaders who are redefining how organizations safeguard their clients and scale strategic services. Jesse Miller—Founder of PowerPSA Consulting and creator of the PowerGRYD vCISO System—shares how “cracking the code” starts with asking the right questions, learning from your best customers, and building value pillars that simplify focus and accelerate growth. His message is clear: you don't need to sell, you need to provide value, and the next best thing to “yes” is a fast “no.” We then shift to cyber crisis readiness with Noam Morginstin, CEO & Co-Founder of Exigence, who emphasizes that incident response cannot live in a static document. Leaders must plan, practice, and continuously evolve their ability to prevail when breaches occur. From automated runbooks to GenAI-powered response agents, Noam outlines the importance of helping teams and organizations prepare for the inevitable and confidently navigate high-pressure situations. Highlights include: Build two buckets of value pillars to scale your vCISO services effectively. “Focus is your friend”—eliminate complexity and create clarity. Incident response must move beyond Word docs to a dynamic, actionable SaaS system. “Plan, Practice, Prevail”—a three-step mindset for crisis and cyber-incident readiness. Leveraging GenAI agents to enhance prevention, detection, and coordinated response.   Timestamps: 01:12 – Part 1: Jesse Miller 30:25 – Part 2: Noam Morginstin   --- more --- If you want to master the art of audience engagement while learning how to conquer speaking anxiety, deliver persuasive presentations, and close more deals, this is the program for you. Twins Talk It Up is hosted by identical twin brothers Danny Suk Brown and David Suk Brown, who share leadership communication strategies designed to help professionals embrace the power of their authentic voice. Together, we'll explore tips and tools to unlock the full potential of your voice, dominate every stage you step onto, and elevate your influence and value. Along the way, we'll crush goals and share plenty of laughs. Book a Free 15-minute discovery call: dsbleadershipgroup.com/schedule-a-call/ Website: appmeetup.com/twinstalkitup/ Community: facebook.com/groups/publicspeakingpoints Patreon: patreon.com/twinstalkitup

Raju Patel founded eShow over 25 years ago after building a speaker portal for a magazine company and realizing he had a repeatable software product. What began as a one-man shop in suburban Chicago evolved into a robust event-management platform serving associations that needed complex, multi-module functionality. His business grew steadily as he delivered registration, booth management, speaker portals, and onsite systems for demanding event teams.  Today eShow has 125 employees, more than 14 integrated modules, and supports hundreds of events each year for 300+ customers, including large association conferences with tens of thousands of attendees. The company has always been profitable, self-funded, and built through careful reinvestment, steady hiring, and deep product expansion. Raju rebuilt the platform multiple times, including a shift to a modern stack. Still independent with over $10 million in revenues, Raju is now building a VP-level leadership team, exploring practical growth capital, and planning a hybrid event model that blends in-person and virtual experiences. His story highlights long-term passion, practical growth, and a deliberate shift from hands-on founder to capable CEO after decades in the game. Key Takeaways Deep Domain Focus – Serving the most complex association events created defensible differentiation. Slow, Steady Compounding – Year-over-year growth came from incremental improvements, not big bet. Passion Over Money – Raju built for love of the work, not an exit, which sustained him through decades of change. Multiple Rewrites Needed – Long-term SaaS requires full platform rebuilds, and Raju completed two with a third underway on a modern stack. Late-Stage Professionalization – Hiring VPs, defining ICPs, and strengthening leadership came only after passing the $10M threshold. Quote from Raju Patel, founder of eShow "Looking back after 20 years running this as a small business in software,  think I would have figured out how to pull a little bit more money out. It would have given me a better peace of mind."  "I wouldn't have even known how to spend if I pulled a million out back then, it would have been wasted. I was very frugal and investing in my business every year."  "But now I could figure out how to spend a million dollars, on savings and other personal spending that would be meaningful. It would be liberating. I deserve it, so I'm going to spend a little bit more, not be frugal. I can be frugal in my business and in my personal life not be so frugal!" Links Raju Patel on LinkedIn eShow on LinkedIn eShow website Podcast Sponsor – Full Scale This podcast is sponsored by Full Scale, one of the fastest-growing software development companies in any region. Full Scale vets, employs, and supports over 300 professional developers, designers, and testers in the Philippines who can augment and extend your core dev team. Learn more at fullscale.io. The Practical Founders Podcast Tune into the Practical Founders Podcast for weekly in-depth interviews with founders who have built valuable software companies without big funding. Subscribe to the Practical Founders Podcast using your favorite podcast app or view on our YouTube channel. Get the weekly Practical Founders newsletter and podcast updates at practicalfounders.com. Practical Founders CEO Peer Groups Be part of a committed and confidential group of practical founders creating valuable software companies without big VC funding.  A Practical Founders Peer Group is a committed and confidential group of founders/CEOs who want to help you succeed on your terms. Each Practical Founders Peer Group is personally curated and moderated by Greg Head.

Andrew returns from SF Ruby with a lot more than conference swag! He brings a clear snapshot of where Ruby, Rails, and AI are headed right now. In this episode, he and Chris walk through the most impactful talks from SF Ruby, share highlights of engaging discussions with other developers and friends, reminisces about nostalgic tech items, and explores insightful conversations on the future of Rails, startup culture, AI's impact on programming, developer anxiety, and they share product ideas from Chris new SaaS series on GoRails to Andrew's concept for a serious GitHub Actions monitoring tool. Hit download now to hear more! LinksGoRails Black Friday SaleJudoscale- Remote Ruby listener giftAction Cable NextSF Ruby 2025 Ruby ConferenceGitButlerWaymoSimple File UploadCallback HellAction Cable Next Ruby Was Ready From The Start by Obie Fernandez (Medium) FluxGoRails: Markdown MIME Type & RendererSF Ruby Sponsors Chris Oliver X/Twitter Andrew Mason X/Twitter Jason Charnes X/Twitter

https://spotlightonstartups.com/hot-orange-county-tech-startups-to-watch-in-2026Discover the tech and AI companies shaping Orange County's next wave of innovation. From defense-tech giants to rising SaaS and healthtech stars, here are the top startups to watch in 2026—and why the region's becoming a hotspot for unicorn hunters. Spotlight on Startups City: Laguna Niguel Address: 110 Chandon Website: https://spotlightonstartups.com Phone: +1 909 354 6605

Rishi Rana is the CEO of Cyara, a global leader in AI-powered customer experience assurance, helping top brands deliver seamless interactions across voice, digital, and AI channels. Under his leadership, Cyara has expanded testing to 135+ countries, partnered with 330+ carriers, won the 2024 Silver Stevie Award for CX Transformation, and serves clients like Microsoft, Salesforce, IBM, and Walmart. With 25+ years in enterprise SaaS — including over a decade at Microsoft — Rishi is passionate about using technology to enhance customer journeys and operational efficiency, with expertise in omnichannel assurance and generative AI. In this episode… Customer experience can make or break a brand, but delivering seamless interactions across every channel is easier said than done. How can companies ensure their customers always receive fast, accurate, and consistent service, no matter how they reach out? According to Rishi Rana, a seasoned SaaS leader with over 25 years of experience, the key lies in testing, monitoring, and continuously optimizing every customer interaction. He highlights the importance of understanding customer intent, reducing friction, and automating processes to reach where humans cannot. By leveraging AI and advanced testing tools, businesses can ensure omnichannel consistency, prevent failures before they happen, and create experiences that truly retain customers. This approach transforms not only operational efficiency but also customer trust and loyalty. In this episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast, host Dr. Jeremy Weisz sits down with Rishi Rana, CEO of Cyara, to talk about transforming customer experience with AI-powered solutions. They discuss automating contact center workflows, ensuring seamless omnichannel interactions, and leveraging generative AI for smarter service. He also shares his insights on enterprise implementation strategies and lessons from leading global teams.

What drives execution velocity—better tools or better clarity? Loïc Houssier, CTO of Superhuman Mail (post-Grammarly acquisition), argues that most velocity problems stem from unclear team missions, not inadequate tooling. From steering DocuSign's French acquisition through complex carve-out negotiations to building Superhuman's offline-first architecture with a 100-millisecond interaction rule, Loïc shares hard-won lessons about engineering metrics that actually matter (PR per engineer per week trends over absolutes), when to resist microservices (until it's genuinely painful), and why promotion frameworks determine product quality. Technical leaders will learn how vertical team alignment eliminates dependencies, why guild structures maintain consistency without blocking speed, and how European safety nets create under-appreciated opportunities for technical risk-taking.

If you're a startup selling to enterprises, understanding how a CIO discovers and evaluates you can change everything. Most founders believe that cold emails and polished decks drive attention, but Karthik Chakkarapani, CIO of Zuora shares that nearly 80% of the startups he evaluates are found through outbound - while researching solutions, through peers, or even on LinkedIn. For many startups, this alone can reshape how they think about go-to-market.How does an enterprise decide whether to buy from a startup or not? Karthik walks us through Zuora's three-step buying process. It starts with understanding the problem the startup solves and how quickly the product can show value. If the early signals are strong, the next step is a deeper look at ROI, integration, security and whether the company is mature enough to be a long-term partner. The final stage is legal and procurement, which is where many early-stage startups slow down.If you're building a startup, this episode offers a practical look into how CIOs think, how they make decisions and what it really takes to go from a first conversation to a signed contract.0:00 – Trailer0:53 – Buying process of startups05:19 – How Zuora's SaaS portfolio looked 2 years ago09:00 – Inbound vs outbound10:53 – How initial contact with potential customers works13:34 – Startups should be thought partners16:57 – How long it takes to create value for customers19:59 – Where startups draw the line in growth vs efficiency23:06 – Top 5 largest spends24:01 – Why only 1-year contracts for new AI startups?26:12 – Why legal & procurement struggle to understand startups29:46 – 20% of portfolio is 0–5 year old companies30:46 – Are startups not backed by VCs a red flag?34:29 – 60% in growth + 40% in day-to-day37:42 – Learnings from peer CIOs41:38 – Featurely: Case Study45:14 – Atomicwork: Case Study46:55 – Trupeer: Case Study47:51 – How Zuora uses OpenAI & Anthropic49:39 – How AI is helping personal productivity51:26 – How agents will be managed54:02 – Number of SaaS apps will go down, agents will go up55:45 – Building the right security for AI56:31 – India vs US: where founders are building from-------------India's talent has built the world's tech—now it's time to lead it.This mission goes beyond startups. It's about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.What is Neon Fund?We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that's done it before.Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we're doing it all at Neon.-------------Check us out on:Website: https://neon.fund/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShowwConnect with Siddhartha on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7-------------This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us a text

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

Some industries are easy to disrupt. Infrastructure isn't one of them. But by focusing on adoption over features, clarity over complexity, and tempo over comfort, Shelley Copsey has built FYLD into a company reshaping how frontline operations work.In this episode, she breaks down the real levers of transformation: making work visible, removing friction, earning trust in high-risk environments, and rebuilding leadership as the company scales. Her insights go far beyond infrastructure - they're a blueprint for any CEO trying to grow a company inside a resistant or complex market.What you'll learn:

"... best model in the world..."

Recorded live at AutoCon4, William Collins and Eyvonne Sharp join forces with John Capobianco for some in the moment thoughts and reflections on the AutoCon experience – from the in-person connections to the workshops to the stage presentations.  John gives us the inside story on his very own workshop and the latest version releases in... Read more »

On the podcast we talk with Ravi about subscriptions as a force multiplier for consumables, why narratives matter more than metrics in goal-setting, and why you might want to try a longer onboarding, or a shorter one.

Most entrepreneurs never scale because they're trapped in a business that consumes their time instead of creating it. Dan Martell, bestselling author of Buy Back Your Time and one of the top coaches in the SaaS and entrepreneurship world, went from juvenile detention to running 100-hour weeks before discovering the framework that changed everything: buy back your time instead of trying to out-hustle your problems. In this episode of The Next Level Podcast with Jeremy Miner, Dan explains how elite CEOs use time-and-energy audits, buy-back rate math, and the four forms of leverage to scale without drowning in low-value work. If you want to eliminate burnout, reclaim your calendar, and build a business that grows without costing you your life, this conversation gives you the blueprint.   Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (02:23) Why Dan Wrote "Buy Back Your Time" (09:07) The Sales Story That Changed His Career (15:43) Burnout, 100-Hour Weeks, and Losing Balance (21:55) Building the Foundation (26:49) How CEOs Buy Back Their Time (32:44) Saying No and Rebuilding Your Calendar (36:57) Richard Branson and the Art of Delegation   Connect with Dan Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/danmartell/?hl=en ⁠ YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@danmartell ⁠ X: ⁠https://x.com/danmartell?lang=en ⁠ Website: ⁠https://www.danmartell.com/ ⁠   Got a question about sales, persuasion, or objection handling? Text me directly: ⁠+1-480-481-6755⁠ Join the 7q.ai waitlist: ⁠https://7q.ai/waitlist⁠ The 7th Level U WHOP Community: ⁠https://nepqtraining.com/primer?utm_c⁠ Join the 7th Level Sales Team: ⁠https://hardlyselling.hirebus-careers.com/closer-7th-level⁠ The exact NEPQ script I used to earn $2.4M/year as a W-2 sales rep: ⁠https://nepqtraining.com/smv-yt-splt-opt-org⁠ Want the full NEPQ framework? This is what 350,000+ reps use to close more deals: ⁠https://go.nepqblackbook.com/learn-more⁠ Prefer to understand the psychology behind NEPQ first? Grab The New Model of Selling: Selling to an Unsellable Generation on Amazon: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/1636980112⁠ Book a Clarity Call with my team: ⁠https://7thlevelhq.com/book-demo/⁠ Connect with Jeremy Miner YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@jeremeyminer⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jeremyleeminer/⁠ LinkedIn:⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyleeminer/⁠ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/jeremy.miner.52⁠

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 of The Product Experience, host Randy Silver sits down with product veteran John Cutler to explore why creating great products remains one of the hardest things organisations do. They dive into why so many companies adopt off‑the‑shelf models (“Spotify”, “SAFe”, etc) and still struggle, and how the secret often lies not in what you build but how you build it—specifically the game you design for how you work.Chapters00:00 — The stigma around “how you work”00:54 — Introducing John Cutler (again)01:25 — What John's building at Dotwork02:46 — From fun to formal: doing discovery at scale04:04 — Why process became a bad word05:10 — The “cavalier PM” mindset06:28 — Empowered teams vs. harsh realities08:00 — What great pockets of practice have in common09:03 — Managing up vs. doing the right thing10:24 — Playing the game vs. designing the game11:20 — What makes a great internal game12:33 — Defining success: thriving, surviving, progressing13:46 — Environmental design: why leaders hesitate15:10 — Making intentional design less intimidating16:42 — Tools, rituals, and the power of checkpoints18:23 — The behaviour design playbook20:41 — Removing blockers: access, repetition, reflectionWe're taking Community Questions for The Product Experience podcast.Got a burning product question for Lily, Randy, or an upcoming guest? Submit it here. Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A...

In the fast-growing world of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), competition for attention is fierce. Companies are constantly looking for ways to clearly explain their complex products, highlight value propositions, and build trust with users. Video marketing has become one of the most effective tools for SaaS brands to educate, convert, and retain customers. High-quality product demos, explainer...

In this episode, we talk to Jason Eubanks, CEO and Co-founder of Aurasell (our brand NEW Sponsor!), about his transition from a 20-year go-to-market operator to a builder and founder. Jason shares the exact moment he became obsessed with solving a major product problem, the complexity and low productivity caused by massive tool sprawl (over 20 products) and unintentional data silos in the go-to-market stack. He details the crucial steps of founding Aurasell: partnering with a complementary CTO, validating the huge market problem (estimating over $1 billion in services spend), and securing a significant seed round to build the world's first AI-native CRM platform focused on customer-problem-centric design.

If you know exactly what problems your customers face before and after they buy from you, you could build offers that practically sell themselves.In this episode, Greg breaks down his simple but powerful "before and after" formula. It starts by understanding the before: the frustrations, questions, and roadblocks your customers face long before they make a purchase. Solve that, and you earn the sale. But once you've solved it, new problems appear, and that's your opportunity to build trust, add value, and guide customers deeper into your ecosystem. We also look at how to map the entire customer journey so you can clearly see each problem in sequence. When you know the full chain of needs, you can build a product lineup that supports your customers at every step. Finally, we explore vertical integration: how smart businesses automate this whole process by owning more steps in the value chain. If you want a simple, repeatable way to grow, this episode is for you. Topics Discussed in this episode: The before and after formula (What problems are your customers facing?) (01:52) Implementing the formula by mapping out the customer journey (05:44) Curating your product offering (07:28) Examples (10:47) eCommerce (10:47) SaaS (13:37) Marketing Agencies(16:55) Course Creators (21:16) Using vertical integrations to automate this problem-solving process (23:58) Mentions:  Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to our newsletter Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to increase customer lifetime value, expand your offer stack, and build a business that people stick with!  

Mastering B2B SaaS Pricing: Expert Strategies from Dan Balcauski of Product TranquilityIn this episode, host Josh Elledge sits down with Dan Balcauski, Founder and Principal Consultant of Product Tranquility, to uncover the true science behind effective B2B SaaS pricing. With over two decades in software and deep expertise in pricing strategy, Dan explains why pricing is often misunderstood, what founders consistently overlook, and how SaaS leaders can turn pricing from a liability into a powerful growth lever. This blog breaks down the episode's most actionable insights to help SaaS founders and product leaders build value-driven, scalable pricing systems.Why Most SaaS Pricing Fails—and What to Do InsteadDan explains that the biggest mistake in SaaS pricing is choosing numbers before validating whether customers actually perceive value. Founders often rush to set a price—$49, $99, $1,000—without first understanding the customer's pain, alternatives, or what makes the product meaningfully different. Instead, Dan recommends charging something early, engaging customers in honest conversations about value, and validating willingness to pay through real-world interactions rather than internal assumptions.He emphasizes that pricing is ultimately about value, not features. Early-stage founders frequently offer too much for too little, or price too high without proving outcomes. Avoiding these pitfalls requires asking the right questions, initiating value conversations early, and documenting everything customers say about cost, alternatives, and perceived ROI.Dan also stresses the importance of selecting a pricing model that aligns with how the customer receives value. Whether subscription-based, usage-based, or outcome-based, the model must match customer expectations and internal economics. This approach helps avoid unnecessary friction in the buying process while increasing expansion potential over time.About Dan BalcauskiDan Balcauski is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Product Tranquility, where he helps B2B SaaS companies build value-based pricing and packaging strategies. With over 20 years of experience in product management and pricing, Dan works with SaaS CEOs and product leaders to align pricing with customer value and business goals. Connect with Dan on LinkedIn.About Product TranquilityProduct Tranquility is a boutique consulting firm specializing in pricing, packaging, and product strategy for B2B SaaS companies. Through proven frameworks and deep market analysis, Product Tranquility helps SaaS founders create pricing systems that accelerate revenue, improve customer alignment, and scale sustainably across growth stages.Links Mentioned in This EpisodeDan Balcauski LinkedInProduct Tranquility WebsiteKey Episode HighlightsPricing must begin with validating customer value—not picking numbersWhy charging something early leads to stronger product feedbackHow to start pricing conversations earlier in the customer journeyChoosing the right pricing model based on value deliveryWhy packaging and tiered pricing increase conversionsHow to use the Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity MeterCommon pricing pitfalls (anchoring too low, freemium overuse, feature-based pricing)Why pricing is an iterative, evolving process—not a one-time...

This episode focuses on a security incident that prompts an honest discussion about transparency, preparedness, and the importance of strong processes. Sean Martin speaks with Viktor Petersson, Founder and CEO of Screenly, who shares how his team approaches digital signage security and how a recent alert from their bug bounty program helped validate the strength of their culture and workflows.Screenly provides a secure digital signage platform used by organizations that care deeply about device integrity, uptime, and lifecycle management. Healthcare facilities, financial services, and even NASA rely on these displays, which makes the security posture supporting them a priority. Viktor outlines why security functions best when embedded into culture rather than treated as a compliance checkbox. His team actively invests in continuous testing, including a structured bug bounty program that generates a steady flow of findings.The conversation centers on a real event: a report claiming that more than a thousand user accounts appeared in a public leak repository. Instead of assuming the worst or dismissing the claim, the team mobilized within hours. They validated the dataset, built correlation tooling, analyzed how many records were legitimate, and immediately reset affected accounts. Once they ruled out a breach of their systems, they traced the issue to compromised end user devices associated with previously known credential harvesting incidents.This scenario demonstrates how a strong internal process helps guide the team through verification, containment, and communication. Viktor emphasizes that optional security features only work when customers use them, which is why Screenly is moving to passwordless authentication using magic links. Removing passwords eliminates the attack vector entirely, improving security for customers without adding friction.For listeners, this episode offers a clear look at what rapid response discipline looks like, how bug bounty reports can add meaningful value, and why passwordless authentication is becoming a practical way forward for SaaS platforms. It is a timely reminder that transparency builds trust, and security culture determines how confidently a team can navigate unexpected events.Learn more about Screenly: https://itspm.ag/screenly1oNote: This story contains promotional content. Learn more.GUESTViktor Petersson, Co-founder of Screenly | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vpetersson/RESOURCESLearn more and catch more stories from Screenly: https://www.itspmagazine.com/directory/screenlyLinkedIn Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/vpetersson_screenly-security-incident-response-how-activity-7393741638918971392-otkkBlog: Security Incident Response: How We Investigated a Data Leak and What We're Doing Next: https://www.screenly.io/blog/2025/11/10/security-incident-response-magic-links/Are you interested in telling your story?▶︎ Full Length Brand Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#full▶︎ Spotlight Brand Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#spotlightKeywords: sean martin, marco ciappelli, viktor petersson, security, authentication, bugbounty, signage, incidentresponse, breaches, cybersecurity, brand story, brand marketing, marketing podcast, brand story podcast, brand spotlight Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send me a text (I will personally respond)Are you struggling to scale your cybersecurity sales team without ramping up headcount or getting drowned in technical complexity? Wondering if AI can really move the needle for high-value, complex sales cycles? Curious how leading founders are reimagining go-to-market operations to win in today's fast-paced, AI-driven environment? This episode of the Cybersecurity Go-To-Market Podcast dives right into these pressing questions.In this conversation we discuss: 

What happens when an enterprise SaaS seller discovers that improv and stand-up can make you a better salesperson, teammate, and leader?Kevin Hubschmann, founder of Laugh.Events, joins Anya to break down how humor, active listening, and “yes-and” thinking can transform high-stakes sales conversations, especially in emotional industries like homebuilding.In this episode, you'll learn:Why comedy skills = better communication, curiosity & connectionThe difference between being funny and using humor effectivelyHow to shrink the fear of failure (yes… bombing on stage helps)Improv rules every salesperson should steal (active listening, yes-and, F-your-good-idea!)How humor lowers defenses, builds trust, and boosts customer satisfactionSimple, low-stakes exercises any sales team can use to collaborate betterWhether you're in new home sales, leadership, or just want to communicate like a human again, Kevin's approach will help you sell with more confidence, and have a lot more fun doing it.

Limelight is building the infrastructure layer for B2B creator marketing, processing payments and managing campaigns for companies spending six figures monthly on creator partnerships. With $2.1 million in funding from Signal to Noise Ratio, Ascend Ventures, Savion Ventures, and strategic angels including the head of AI at Amazon and the former Chief Product Officer at Lyft, Limelight powers creator programs for Clay, Webflow, ZoomInfo, and Bill.com. In this episode of BUILDERS, we sat down with David Walsh, Founder and CEO of Limelight, to learn how he validated the market by interviewing 100+ creators, why he deliberately chose not to build an agency despite customer demand, and how his platform tracks engagement data at scale to prove ROI for performance-focused buyers. Topics Discussed: The pivot from referral software to B2B creator infrastructure after 100+ creator interviews How creator attitudes shifted from refusing brand partnerships to actively monetizing Clay's playbook: building custom Clay tables for creators before asking them to post Why Limelight chose to power agencies rather than compete with them The data infrastructure required to justify $100K+ monthly creator budgets Tracking organic engagement, converting content to paid ads, and attributing pipeline The split between brand/social buyers and performance/demand gen buyers Launching social listening to challenge legacy social media management platforms GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Validate with 100+ user interviews before pivoting: David didn't just chat with a handful of potential users—he conducted and recorded over 100 interviews with B2B creators, asking detailed questions about monetization interest, partnership preferences, and content strategies. He then repeated this process with marketing leaders. This level of research rigor before committing to a pivot is rare but critical when entering emerging categories. The depth of qualitative research gave him conviction to make a contrarian bet when most creators were still refusing brand partnerships. Build where network effects are structural, not hoped for: David specifically chose a creator marketplace after a previous marketplace failure because the unit economics included built-in virality. When Limelight pays a creator $10,000, that creator has tens of thousands of followers who see the transaction result (the sponsored content). Every payment notification becomes inbound interest. He understood that in consumer marketplaces you compete on supply quality, but in creator marketplaces the supply actively markets your platform. Founders should identify whether their marketplace has structural network effects in the transaction itself, not just theoretical ones. Target micro-creators with niche audiences over vanity metrics: The counterintuitive insight: creators with 10,000-25,000 followers often outperform those with 100,000+ in B2B because deal sizes are $25K-$50K, not $100 sunglasses. Smaller creators have higher engagement rates, unsaturated audiences, authentic expertise in specific domains, and haven't been "bought and sold for" yet. When brands face the choice between a 100K-follower creator at $2,000 per post with 200 likes versus a 25K-follower creator at $1,000 per post with 300 likes, they irrationally choose the larger following. Founders should educate buyers that in B2B, targeted influence within specific buyer committees matters more than reach. Build data infrastructure to win performance buyers, not just brand buyers: Limelight tracks every piece of content in real-time (not waiting weeks for creator screenshots), monitors all engagement and segments it by ICP fit, provides self-reported attribution from demo forms, tracks website traffic spikes correlated to posting schedules, and generates qualified lead lists from content engagement. This comprehensive data layer is what allows demand gen leaders to reallocate spend from paid channels. The market is splitting 50/50 between brand/social buyers and performance/demand gen buyers—the latter has larger budgets and treats creator spend like paid media that requires attribution. Founders entering new marketing channels should build attribution infrastructure from day one, not as an afterthought. Deliberately choose infrastructure over services even when customers ask for help: Despite customers like Webflow, ZoomInfo, and Bill.com spending $100K+ monthly and requesting more hands-on support, David chose to build product and enable agencies rather than hire account managers and become a service business. His reasoning: people have tried to replace agencies in recruiting for decades and failed because buyers want the human in the middle. The bigger opportunity is being the infrastructure that powers all agencies, not competing with them. This fork-in-the-road decision—hire CSMs and influencer marketing managers versus build more product—defines whether you're building a scalable platform or a services business disguised as SaaS. Use your first customer to custom-build product, then scale it: Clay became Limelight's first customer when the platform was early. David essentially custom-built features for Clay's creator program, learning their workflow for building Clay tables for creators, their onboarding process, and their approach to creative freedom. This deep partnership gave Limelight the product foundation to scale from managing 20 creators to 200+ for Clay within nine months, then apply those learnings to other customers. Rather than building in a vacuum, founders should find a sophisticated first customer willing to co-develop the product, even if it means initially building something custom. // 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

Ian and Aaron talk about the launch of Database School - the branding, everything he did the morning of the launch, building the site with Gemini, and so much more.  Plus the world championship of….bagels?Sponsored by Bento, Flare, No Compromises, and Ittybit.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical?  Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - Every Second Mattered (08:40) - The Morning Of (15:30) - The Last Launch? (18:07) - Walking With Adam (20:01) - Pricing (28:28) - Doing It Live (36:21) - We're Talking Logos (44:14) - Closing Thoughts On The Launch (49:21) - Built With Gemini (01:06:23) - World Championship of Bagels Links:NightwatchOG KitForgeLaravel CashierJamey Gannon on TwitterAaron's Blooper ReelAdam's Morning WalkLaravel VPSNano Banana ProGemini 3FilamentStarship Bagel

In this episode of the Transform Sales Podcast: Sales Software Review Series, Amir Reiter, CEO at CloudTask, sits down with Luke Marshall, CEO at Baremetrics, to reveal how Baremetrics turns raw Stripe data into the actionable insights founders need to scale. Baremetrics delivers real‑time dashboards for MRR, churn, LTV, cohort retention, and more, lets you annotate revenue spikes, segment by any customer attribute, and recover failed payments automatically—so you can ditch clunky spreadsheets and incomplete Stripe reports. The result? Faster, data‑driven decisions that cut churn, boost expansion, and supercharge growth. If you're a SaaS founder, CFO, or growth lead, Baremetrics is your single source of truth for subscription analytics. Try Baremetrics here: https://software.cloudtask.com/baremetrics-ce250d #TransformSales #SalesSoftware #Baremetrics #StripeAnalytics #SaaSmetrics #RevenueGrowth

Download Gary's 13 Keys to Creating a Multi-Million Dollar Business from https://www.DitchDiggerCEO.com/Tim Stojka (@TimStojka) is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and board leader who has spent three decades building technology companies from the ground up. From programming an Apple II in his parents' basement to founding three major SaaS firms — including one that raised $40 million during the dot-com boom — Tim has lived the full arc of innovation, hype cycles, and hard-earned product-market fit. His latest chapter: applying AI and language models to reshape enterprise software through his new venture, Nexus Three Capital.In this conversation with Gary Rabine, Tim breaks down the real mechanics behind creating, scaling, and surviving as a founder — from vitamins vs. painkillers, to why most tech is overhyped early and under-hyped later, to how AI will transform the next decade of entrepreneurship.In this episode, Gary and Tim discuss:Product-Market Fit: why vitamins lose money and painkillers scaleHow a failed stuffed-animal startup taught him everything about inventory and demandThe dot-com rollercoaster: raising $40M, preparing for a $1B IPO, then crashing to zeroWhy founders should go slow now to go fast laterLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timjstojka/  Website: https://nexus3capital.com/ Connect with Gary Rabine and DDCEO on: Website: https://www.DitchDiggerCEO.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DitchDiggerCEOTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ditchdiggerceopodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DitchDiggerCEOTwitter: https://twitter.com/DitchDiggerCEO YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ditchdiggerceo 

Maor Shlomo is the Founder and CEO of Base44, the AI building platform that Maor built from idea to $80M acquisition by Wix, in just 8 months. Today the company serves millions of users and will hit $50M ARR by the end of the year. Before Base44, Maor was the Co-Founder and CTO of Explorium. AGENDA: 00:05 – 00:10: How Vibe Coding is Going to Kill Salesforce and SaaS 00:13 – 00:15: Do Vibe Coding platforms have any defensibility? 00:22 – 00:24: I am not worried about Replit and Lovable, I am worried about Google… 00:28 – 00:29: Margins do not matter, the price of the models will go to zero 00:31 – 00:32: Speed to copy has never been lower; has the technical moat been eroded? 00:47 – 00:48: How does Base44 beat Cursor? 00:56 – 00:57: Do not pay attention to competition: focus on your business 00:57 – 00:58: How Base44 is helped, not hurt by not being in Silicon Valley? 00:58 – 00:59: What percent of code will be written by AI in 12 months? 01:01 – 01:02: OpenAI or Anthropic: Why Maor is Long Anthropic? 01:03 – 01:04: If I could have any board member in the world it would be Jack Dorsey      

Interview with Ravid Circus Ravid will discuss why security and engineering misalignment is the biggest barrier to fast, effective remediation, using data from Seemplicity's 2025 Remediation Operations Report. This is costing some teams days of unnecessary exposure, which can lead to major security implications for organizations. Segment Resources: https://seemplicity.io/papers/the-2025-remediation-operations-report/ https://seemplicity.io/news/seemplicity-releases-2025-remediation-operations-report-91-of-organizations-experience-delays-in-vulnerability-remediation/ https://seemplicity.io/blog/2025-remediation-operations-report-organizations-still-struggle/   Topic Segment: Thoughts on Anthropic's latest security report Ex-SC Media journalist Derek Johnson did a great job writing this one up over at Cyberscoop: China's ‘autonomous' AI-powered hacking campaign still required a ton of human work There are a number of interesting questions that have been raised here. Some want more technical details and question the report's conclusions. How automated was it, really? I found it odd that Anthropic's CEO was on 60 minutes the same week, talking about how dangerous AI is (which is his company's primary and only product). I think one of the more interesting things to discuss is how Anthropic has based its identity and brand on AI safety. While so many other SaaS companies appear to be doing the bare minimum to stop attacks against their customers, Anthropic is putting significant resources into testing for future threats and discovering active attacks.   News Segment Finally, in the enterprise security news, vendor layoffs have started again the sins of security vendor research the pillars of the Internet are burning selling out to North Korea isn't worth what they're paying you ransom payments, in 24 easy installments? a breach handled the right way we probably shouldn't be putting LLMs into kids toys ordering coffee from the terminal All that and more, on this episode of Enterprise Security Weekly.   Visit https://www.securityweekly.com/esw for all the latest episodes! Show Notes: https://securityweekly.com/esw-434

Pete Syme talks with Drew Falkman about vibe coding, a way for tour operators to build custom software tools using plain English prompts instead of traditional programming. Drew explains how AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude have been trained on code repositories, allowing them to generate working applications from simple descriptions. The conversation covers why this matters for small operators, what you can build, the learning curve, costs, security considerations, and how this technology could shift the relationship between tour operators and the software they depend on. Pete emphasizes that operators already have the same AI access as hundred million dollar companies and encourages spending at least an hour daily experimenting with these tools.Top 10 TakeawaysYou can build tools without coding knowledge. AI tools trained on code repositories can generate working applications from plain English descriptions, making app building accessible to anyone.Most SaaS tools don't fit your exact workflow. You end up paying for applications where 80% of features you're not using because they're designed for other industries, but the things you do use aren't quite refined enough.Start with internal workflows, not customer-facing apps. Build tools for internal processes first. Don't go public with what you build until you have experience, as you can get 80 to 90% correct quickly, but that last bit is more challenging.Map your processes before building. Write down all your processes on paper, rank what's most important, and list what you really don't like doing. This helps identify where custom tools can have the biggest impact.The learning curve has three main steps. First, learn to plan what you want to build (20 to 30 hours). Second, design the workflow and user interface (a few hours). Third, understand data and databases (a couple days). Total time to get comfortable is roughly a few weeks of focused learning.Tools like Lovable cost around $20 per month. There are small monthly fees for vibe coding platforms, plus hosting costs if your tool is public-facing. Tools like Lovable, Bolt, Replit, Magic Patterns, and N8n each serve different purposes.Keep data storage minimal for security. Don't store sensitive information like credit card numbers or social security numbers. Use third-party authentication (Google, Microsoft, Apple) and payment processors like Stripe to handle sensitive data.You can build custom booking flows and optimize conversions. Create your own booking engine where you control every step, then use analytics tools to see where people drop off and experiment with improvements to increase completion rates.This threatens the traditional SaaS industry. Large companies spending millions monthly on SaaS are already exploring vibe coding to reduce costs. What happens at that level will cascade down through the industry to the tools small operators use today.Just try it to understand the possibilities. Go to lovable.dev, run a prompt, and build something. You won't fully understand what you can do until you experiment. You have nothing to lose with free versions, and no one else will see your experiments.Want to learn vibe coding yourself? Drew teaches courses on building apps without code. Visit drewfalkman.com to explore free resources and paid courses that walk you through the process step by step.

Why you should listenDiscover the simple formula for calculating ROI on AI tools before you implement them, so you stop wasting money on platforms you'll never use.Leandra reveals how she helps burnt-out business owners fall back in love with their companies while scaling revenue—without adding more to their plate.Learn why the most effective automations aren't the flashy AI agents everyone's talking about, but strategic tweaks to tools you already own.You're stuck at a revenue ceiling and drowning in delivery work. Every "AI solution" promises to save you time, but you're paralyzed by options and skeptical of the hype. Meanwhile, you're working harder than ever with nothing to show for it.In this episode, I sit down with Leandra Nisbet from Stingray Advisory Group to cut through the AI noise. Leandra shares her battle-tested approach to helping consultants scale without burning out using practical automation that actually moves the needle. We dig into why chasing every new AI tool is killing your productivity, how to know if an implementation will pay off before you start, and why human expertise still wins over bots.About Leandra NisbetLeandra Nisbet is the Founder & Owner of Stingray Advisory Group, a woman- and minority-owned advisory firm based in Michigan. With a background in finance, marketing, computer technology and team operations, Leandra helps small business owners and entrepreneurs scale with confidence by combining streamlined systems, strategic decision-making and a deep understanding of what drives sustainable growth.Stingray Advisory Group specializes in marketing strategy, financial management and business planning by meeting clients where they are, whether clarifying goals, navigating cash flow challenges or preparing for expansion. The firm is focused on community impact, with a mission to support under-resourced entrepreneurs and empower women and BIPOC business owners to build sustainable, purpose-driven companies.Resources and LinksStingrayadvisorygroup.comLeandra's LinkedIn profileLeandra on Instagram: @LeandraCreatesPrevious episode: 650 - How to Turn a Quiet List into a Revenue MachineCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins PodcastSubscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

Would you like access to our advanced agency training for FREE? https://www.agencymastery360.com/training If you're one of the many owners concerned that AI will end the agency model, what are you doing to stay relevant? How are you building lasting relationships that help clients see your value beyond executing tasks? Artificial intelligence, automation, and enterprise-level change have everyone in the agency world wondering what's next. However, agencies have managed to stay relevant with past technological disruptions and the answer has always been: you need to adapt. Today's featured guest has scaled his business through seven iterations for over fourteen years by being willing to adapt to change, and the AI era is no exception. He'll unpack how agencies can stay relevant when technology, data, and client expectations are evolving faster than ever. He also talks about the importance of partnership-based client relationships and why soft skills (not just smart systems) are the real differentiator in the next decade. Ben Childs is the President of Digital Reach, a full-stack B2B marketing consultancy serving SaaS, cybersecurity, AI, and data-driven technology clients. With deep expertise in paid media, SEO, RevOps, and digital experience, Ben's team helps enterprise companies integrate their marketing, data, and operations to drive real revenue growth. Since launching in 2011, Digital Reach has evolved through multiple "versions" as it adapted to the changing marketing landscape, becoming one of the most respected players in modern B2B marketing. In this episode, we'll discuss: The soft skills edge that outperforms AI. Why you should start running toward the problem. The power of in-person connections in a remote-forward industry. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources This episode is brought to you by Wix Studio: If you're leveling up your team and your client experience, your site builder should keep up too. That's why successful agencies use Wix Studio — built to adapt the way your agency does: AI-powered site mapping, responsive design, flexible workflows, and scalable CMS tools so you spend less on plugins and more on growth. Ready to design faster and smarter? Go to wix.com/studio to get started. How Agencies Can Stay Relevant in AI Revolution At a recent Ad Week event, Ben heard a fellow agency leader predict that all agencies would be "dead in two years" because of AI. Her point: enterprise companies are developing their own language models and internal data systems, cutting agencies out of the picture. Ben does admit this is true. However, his outlook is more optimistic, seeing several possible solutions. Should agencies be partnering with third-party data providers? Should they adjust their skill set? In his view, the need for strategic expertise and technical problem-solving won't disappear anytime soon. The agencies that thrive will be those who adapt to new tools while deepening their human value—helping clients navigate complexity, not just execute tasks. "The reality," Ben explains, "is that hiring people to help you solve hard problems isn't going away. Business is always changing, and that's a huge opportunity for agency owners willing to think and integrate, not panic." Why Soft Skills Outperform AI in the Agency World As agencies evolve, the differentiator isn't going to be who can use AI faster, it's who can understand and support people better. When it comes to enterprise clients, marketing execution has become table stakes. What truly sets a great agency apart is the ability to navigate organizational politics, manage internal friction, and act as a trusted advisor inside complex companies. "We're armchair psychologists half the time," he laughs. "Our clients know we're good at SEO or paid media. What they really need is someone who helps them get things approved, makes their life easier, and has their back when things get tough." Soft problems will never go away and, Ben argues, may even increase in value when the execution problems potentially become commoditized. Agencies that ignore human connection will lose, just like traditional firms that refused to go digital twenty years ago. In the end, the "people part" never goes out of style. Adapting Your Agency: Lessons from 7 Business Iterations Ben started Digital Reach in 2011 using his grandmother's dresser as a desk and charging $200 a month for Google Ads management. Since then, the agency has reinvented itself seven times—each evolution aligning to new markets, services, and technologies. From scrappy freelancer to B2B consultancy, Ben's philosophy has stayed the same: build, learn, and change before you're forced to. "We're on Digital Reach 7.0 in 14 years," he says. "We'll probably hit version 12.0 in the next ten. You can't just ride your old business idea into Valhalla. Some people will always be better at adapting, and that will never change." WhyPartnership (Not Performance) Determines Client Retention When agencies talk about "partnership," it often sounds like marketing fluff. But Ben explains that true partnership is built on trust and reliability, not just metrics. Most clients don't fire agencies because of poor performance; they leave because of broken trust, poor communication, or lack of understanding. "When clients say, 'You don't get our business,' that's when numbers start to matter," Ben explains. "If they can't trust you when things go wrong, you're done." Ben understands that helping clients solve internal problems like procurement delays or team politics can do more to build loyalty than a great campaign. Running toward the problem, taking ownership, and communicating transparently are the fastest ways to strengthen relationships that last across multiple companies. Build Client Trust Fast by Running Toward the Problem Other than delivering results and making your clients' lives easier, Ben believes another powerful way to build trust is not being afraid to admit your mistakes and being quick to fix them. Honesty builds staying power. When agencies take responsibility for missteps and present a clear plan for fixing them, clients respond with respect, not resentment. Do not avoid the problem. In fact, you should run towards the problem and face the situation head on. You'll get more benefit of the doubt from clients with this attitude. Ben's team once led a client call with bad news—the metrics were down. Instead of hiding it, they explained what went wrong, what they learned, and how they'd adjust. "The client was ready to run through a wall for us after that," he says. "They loved that we owned it." The Power of In-Person Connection in a Remote-Forward Industry As agencies lean more into remote work, Ben calls for agencies to make an effort to meet with clients in person: "In-person will always be in vogue." It'll help your clients understand who you are, rather than just staring at your picture on Zoom, and trying to form a true connection. He encourages owners to set a clear revenue threshold for when to invest in face-to-face meetings—whether that's a kickoff, annual review, or shared conference. When clients meet you over pizza and a drink, it transforms the relationship from vendor to partner. Do You Want to Transform Your Agency from a Liability to an Asset? Looking to dig deeper into your agency's potential? Check out our Agency Blueprint. Designed for agency owners like you, our Agency Blueprint helps you uncover growth opportunities, tackle obstacles, and craft a customized blueprint for your agency's success.