Noah Kagan Presents I’m back as AppSumo CEO
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Sep 30, 2025 After a year of paternity leave, the return to AppSumo has been a whirlwind. Discover the challenges faced and the insightful 'listening tour' to diagnose issues. Emphasis is on clear responsibilities to enhance team accountability. The discussion highlights the urgent need to adapt business models for the AI era and improve deal quality. Noah shares his emotional journey through initial dread to empowerment, focusing on actionable goals for profitability by year-end. Leadership is championed, encouraging proactive initiative among teams.
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Year-Long Paternity Leave And Return
- Noah took a year of paternity leave and returned to find AppSumo struggling with changes and self-inflicted problems.
- He describes checking in occasionally during leave and coming back in September to address mounting issues.
Root Cause: Return-Buyer Decline
- Noah realized revenue drops traced back to declining return-buyer rates and deal quality problems.
- He used open, unstructured meetings to validate beliefs and find root causes before acting.
Run A Listening Tour
- Do run a listening tour: hold unstructured meetings and solicit external feedback to disprove your assumptions.
- Use findings to create a clear company focus and measurable outcomes for teams to execute.