SaaS Backwards - Reverse Engineering SaaS Success

Ep. 162 - What Most SaaS Teams Get Wrong About Growth

Apr 17, 2025

Sjoerd Handgraaf, Chief Marketing Officer at Sharetribe, specializes in helping non-technical founders launch successful marketplaces. He shares how redefining product positioning transformed Sharetribe's growth strategy. Key insights include the importance of saying no to enterprise deals to enhance focus and agility. Sjoerd emphasizes that product-market fit is constantly evolving and discusses the risks of AI tools not meeting customer needs. He advocates for content marketing that educates and attracts users, showcasing relatable customer stories to build trust.

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INSIGHT

Positioning Is The Overlooked Growth Lever

Clear product positioning unlocked faster decisions across product, support, and marketing.
Saying no to mismatched customers reduced internal chaos and sped up development.

ANECDOTE

From Campus Project To Marketplace SaaS

ShareTribe evolved from a university sharing project into a SaaS for marketplaces.
They built multiple product versions to solve trade-offs between speed and customization.

ADVICE

Do A Positioning Workshop Early

Use April Dunford's positioning workshop to define who you serve and who you don't.
Explicitly list competitive alternatives and craft a distinct story for each.

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Guest: Sjoerd Handgraaf, Chief Marketing Officer at Sharetribe --

The most overlooked growth lever in SaaS? Positioning.

In this episode, Sharetribe CMO Sjoerd Handgraaf reveals how redefining product positioning transformed their trajectory—and why many SaaS companies are still getting it wrong.

Handgraaf takes us inside Sharetribe’s journey from chasing big logos to doubling down on their true customer: non-technical marketplace founders. Along the way, he shares hard-won insights about product-market fit, AI disruption, and why going “back to basics” in marketing may be more transformational than the next tech trend.

📌 Key Takeaways:

The Power of Saying No
Why Sharetribe walks away from enterprise deals—and how that clarity unlocked faster product development, happier customers, and less internal chaos.
Product-Market Fit is a Moving Target
What feels like “fit” today can vanish tomorrow. Sjoerd explains why it's not a one-time milestone, but a constant process of adaptation.
The AI Threat is Real—but Misunderstood
Low-code and AI-assisted development may lower technical barriers, but they don’t replace the need for reliability, support, and fit-for-purpose tools.
Content Marketing That Converts
Sharetribe’s global growth is powered by giving first—through books, podcasts, and resources that attract high-intent buyers before they’re even in-market.
Global from Day One
How to build a self-serve SaaS product that scales globally—even from a startup hub like Finland.

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