385: CommandBar: Mastering Cold Emails to Grow a 7-Figure SaaS - with James Evans
Feb 8, 2024
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James Evans, co-founder and CEO of CommandBar, shares his journey in building a successful SaaS business. He discusses using product demonstration to show value and assess fit, the struggles and challenges of founders, book recommendations, and the benefits of angel investing.
Utilizing personalized loom videos in cold emails can improve outreach and increase response rates.
Pivoting to become a better version of an existing category can help streamline sales conversations and achieve greater market traction.
Finding the right work-life balance as a founder is an ongoing challenge, and each founder must navigate this balance in a way that works best for them and their team.
Deep dives
Building a User Assistance Platform: The Journey of Command Bar
James Evans, the co-founder and CEO of Command Bar, shares the story of how the platform evolved from an edtech product to a user assistance platform. The team at Command Bar struggled to explain the value of their unique product, but found breakthrough success when they created loom videos for potential customers and demonstrated how Command Bar could be integrated with their app. This personalized approach resulted in a high response rate and helped the company land their first 10 customers. Today, Command Bar is a successful seven-figure ARR SAS business with a growing customer base. James discusses the key insights gained from Y Combinator and how developing a Chrome extension significantly helped the company demonstrate its value to potential customers.
The Power of Personalized Outreach: Using Loom Videos in Cold Emails
James Evans reveals how Command Bar utilized personalized loom videos in cold emails to improve their outreach and increase response rates. By demonstrating how Command Bar could solve specific pain points for potential customers, they were able to create a more meaningful connection and secure valuable partnerships. This tactic, combined with effective targeting and customization, helped Command Bar acquire their first 10 customers and drive early growth.
Transitioning from Category Creation to Category Improvement
Command Bar initially faced challenges as a category creation product, with the team spending significant time explaining its uniqueness. However, they observed that customers compared them to existing digital adoption tools. Recognizing the opportunity, Command Bar pivoted to become a better version of the digital adoption category. This shift allowed the company to leverage existing market understanding, reduce buyer confusion, and streamline sales conversations. By embracing the comparison and highlighting their unique approach, Command Bar achieved greater market traction and clearer positioning.
Balancing Work and Life: The Journey of a Founder
James Evans candidly discusses the ongoing challenge of finding the right work-life balance as a founder. From struggling with how much to work to learning the art of pushing and resting, James shares his personal experiences. He emphasizes the importance of understanding that there is no one-size-fits-all answer and that each founder must navigate this balance in a way that works best for them and their team.
The Value of Being an Angel Investor as a Founder
James Evans highlights the benefits of being an angel investor as a founder. He mentions that angel investing provides opportunities to step outside of one's own business and gain insights into other companies, strategies, and challenges. This experience allows founders to learn from their portfolio companies, expand their network, and gain a wider perspective on the startup ecosystem.
