Joining the show this week is an entrepreneur with a work ethic that is second to none. Dedicating himself to helping SaaS companies grow and supporting founders, this guest is none other than the founder and CEO of SaaStock, Alex Theuma.
Alex joins host David Politis to discuss his journey building the largest SaaS community in the world. Alex examines the importance of having an executive coach, the benefits of growing your community, and the risks of a founder led business. He delves into the significance of hiring a mission-driven team and how SaaStock overcame Covid-19.
Takeaways:
- The Impact of an executive coach. Alex spent much of his early time in SaaStock helping other entrepreneurs, but wasn’t helping himself in the same way. Having an executive coach allowed him to navigate the company through Covid-19 and grow to be a better leader.
- Community building first. SaaStock started as a collection of blogs, podcasts, and chat groups dedicated to supporting founders. It wasn’t until he received overwhelming support and a desire for more that the conferences began and a business formed around it.
- Growing into the future. In addition to the conference, SaaStock has begun expanding to better fill the needs of founders. This includes a membership to build a SaaS focused YPO and a fund to help support founders financially as well.
- Risks of a founder led business. When a founder’s identity is closely attached to the business, the overall impact and growth potential of that business is at risk if the founder decides to step away.
- Building a mission-driven team. The work that SaaStock does, especially in events, is both hard and rewarding. Having a team that is motivated by that reward and aligns with company values is crucial in building a successful team.
- Overcoming Covid-19. Covid-19 brought in-person events to a halt and threatened the stability and cash flow of SaaStock. They were able to quickly pivot and became one of the first start-up events to hold a virtual conference, running for two days to capture the global community.
Quote of the Show:
- “When you're there and you see the smiles on the faces and you see the value that people are getting from it, it does energize you.” - Alex Theuma
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