The Official SaaStr Podcast: SaaS | Founders | Investors

SaaStr 207: 13 Years To 20 People; 3 Years Later 350 People and $50m ARR, Why Thinking There Is A Price Point You Need For A Rep Is BS & Why SMB First Works And You Must Not Design For Enterprise

Jan 15, 2019

Jason VandeBoom, Founder and CEO of ActiveCampaign, shares insights on his journey from a small business to a leading SaaS platform. He strongly believes in starting with SMBs, explaining how it fosters better product feedback and team dynamics. VandeBoom discusses the right timing for hiring a VP of Sales and why funding isn’t always necessary for team scaling. He emphasizes the importance of customer engagement and maintaining a product-first mindset, debunking myths about pricing models and funding in the SaaS landscape.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Scaling Success: From Startups to SaaS Growth Strategies

01:32 • 3min

Sustainable Growth in SaaS: Lessons from SMBs

04:21 • 14min

The Power of Direct Customer Engagement

18:46 • 5min

Evolving Leadership in SaaS

23:21 • 4min

Exploring the Pros and Cons of Multi-Year Deals in SaaS

27:10 • 4min

Jason VandeBoom is the Founder and CEO of ActiveCampaign, a sales and marketing automation platform that enables small businesses around the world to meaningfully connect and engage with their customers. Jason founded the company in 2003 and under Jason's leadership, ActiveCampaign has flourished from a successful but small company and then in 2013, they transition to SaaS, since they have grown to more than $50 million in ARR in less than five years, while still maintaining profitability and its culture. They have also only raised a single $20m PE round to accelerate their growth, making them a market leader in terms of funds raised/ARR generated.

In Today’s Episode We Discuss:

How Jason made his way into the world of SaaS and came to found ActiveCampaign?
Why is Jason so bullish that “SMB first, works”? What are the inherent benefits from starting at SMB? How does it affect product feedback? How does it affect how you build and scale your team? How does one start to layer in market and enterprise over time? Why does it give you additional leverage?
What does Jason think is the right way to scale your sales team> Why does one not need funding to scale sales teams? When does Jason believe is the right time to hire your first VP of Sales? What were the biggest mistakes that Jason made in the scaling of his sales team? Why should hire 3 reps to start at one time?
How does Jason view the current fundraising environment? Why does Jason believe that “no one cares if you get funding”? Why does Jason believe there is a fear around needing fast growth? Who is to blame for this? How should founders in the messy middle feel when seeing large fundraises in the media?
Why does Jason believe that all leaders need to be consuming all feedback? How does Jason consume feedback on a daily basis? What metrics and elements does he look for in this assessment? How has Jason’s role changed over the 16-year CEOship? Does it get easier over time in Jason’s mind? What has been the biggest challenge?

Jason’s 60 Second SaaStr:

What does Jason know now that he wishes he had known at the beginning?
No man’s land of SaaS pricing, exist or a myth?
Multi-year deals, all they are cracked up to be or overrated?

Read the full transcript on our blog.

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