The SaaS Podcast - SaaS, Startups, Growth Hacking & Entrepreneurship

415: Customer.io: 18 Months to $10K MRR, 10 Years to $70M ARR - with Colin Nederkoorn

Oct 10, 2024

Colin Nederkoorn, co-founder and CEO of Customer.io, shares insights from his journey growing the company to $70M ARR. He discusses the pivotal challenges in securing initial customers and achieving product-market fit. The conversation unveils how Customer.io empowers businesses with personalized messaging through first-party data. Colin emphasizes the importance of user feedback in product development and touches on the significance of personal passions, like food and cooking, in his entrepreneurial life.

54:00

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Episode guests

Colin Nederkoorn

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Customer.io's journey emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement and engaging customers through valuable educational content for successful growth.

The founders discovered that building relationships and understanding customer needs fostered sustainable business success over traditional advertising approaches.

Deep dives

The Early Days of Customer.io

Colin Nettekorn and his co-founder launched Customer.io with a simple goal: to gain five paying customers before quitting their jobs. Starting with limited technical skills and no background in email marketing, they faced significant struggles, including slow growth and financial instability as they lived off savings and credit cards. The initial product version was basic, requiring manual input for customer campaigns, and it took them a full 18 months to reach $10,000 in monthly recurring revenue. Their journey highlights the challenges of achieving product-market fit and emphasizes their commitment to continuous improvement and customer education.

Intro

4min

The Meaning of Time: Insights from 'The Bear'

2min

Harnessing Customer.io for Targeted Messaging

4min

Unveiling Business Growth and Scale

2min

From Idea to Product: The Customer.io Journey

26min

Engagement and Empowerment in Market Strategy

12min

Personal Passions and Closing Reflections

3min

Colin Nederkoorn is the co-founder and CEO of Customer.io, a platform that helps businesses send personalized messages to customers based on their behavior and actions.

Show Notes: https://saasclub.io/415

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