#382 - How Martin Balaam chose depth over scale and built to $7M ARR

This episode is for SaaS founders tired of the "grow at all costs" playbook—who suspect there's power in saying no to the wrong customers.

Most SaaS companies don't fail because of bad product. They fail because they try to please everyone. Martin Balaam, CEO of Pimberly, chose restraint over reach. Former physicist turned serial entrepreneur, he'd already scaled and exited Jigsaw24 at 3x returns. At Pimberly, he refuses customers his team can't delight—even when they're ready to sign.

And this inspired me to invite Martin to my podcast. We explore how qualifying customers as rigorously as they qualify you creates compound advantages. Martin shares hard-won insights about why he walked away from license-only models, when to choose service depth over customer volume, and what happens when you give your product roadmap to customers instead of VCs. You'll discover why maintaining sub-5% churn matters more than doubling growth rates.

We also zoom in on two of the 10 traits that define remarkable software companies:

• Aim to be different, not just better
• Focus on the essence

Martin's story is proof that sustainable SaaS growth comes from doing what others call unscalable.

Here's one of Martin's quotes that captures his contrarian philosophy:

"I really don't want to lose customers. I know from my life experience how much time and effort, blood, sweat, and tears you have in trying to acquire a customer. We'll openly put our hand up and say I can't see that this is actually gonna add the value—even though they might be happy to sign."

By listening to this episode, you'll learn:

• Why saying no to willing customers protects your business
• What "VIP leads" actually means (hint: not big orders)
• When founder-led sales should naturally transition
• Why physical presence beats remote-first for market entry

For more information about the guest from this week:

Guest: Martin Balaam, CEO & Founder Pimberly

Website: pimberly.com