How did MorningScore transform SEO with gamification? In this episode of the "Grow Your B2B SaaS" podcast, host Joran interviews Karsten Madsen, the founder and CEO of Morningscore. This episode delves into Karsten's entrepreneurial journey, the challenges he faced, and the strategies he used to grow his SaaS company. Morningscore is a gamified SEO tool designed to help small companies improve their visibility on Google. Key Timecodes (0:45) - Introduction of Karsten Madsen (1:25) - Company funding and structure (2:36) - Overview of Morningscore (2:57) - Early entrepreneurship journey (8:16) - Challenges and rock bottom moments (9:57) - Learning from mistakes (12:27) - Biggest company challenges (15:08) - Successful strategies and growth tactics (17:57) - Role of partnerships in growth (20:24) - Company culture and remote work (23:39) - Personal enjoyment and team dynamics (24:04) - Regrets and enjoying the journey (25:16) - Leveraging new technologies (26:40) - Future plans and market strategy (30:39) - Advice for SaaS founders

In this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast, Joran interviews Ivana Todorovic, founder of AuthoredUp, a LinkedIn content creation and analytics tool. Ivana shares her journey from editing and blockchain roles to entrepreneurship. The conversation delves into founding and growing a SaaS company, covering challenges, strategies, and lessons learned. Key Timecodes (0:52) - Joran introduces Ivana Todorovic (1:33) - When did AuthoredUp start? (1:46) - Is it funded or bootstrapped? (1:50) - ARR and customer numbers (2:04) - Service vs. product revenue (2:25) - Number of employees (2:33) - Description of AuthoredUp (3:33) - Ivana's goals for AuthoredUp (3:58) - Product and customer focus as motivation (5:02) - Origin of the idea for AuthoredUp (7:20) - Early product validation and customer feedback (8:21) - From 200 free users to 3,000 paying customers (9:28) - How to Transition from free beta to paid subscription (10:58) - Long development period and challenges (13:01) - Financial and personal challenges during development (15:24) - Rebuilding the product from scratch (16:34) - Personal reflections on the challenges faced (18:02) - The importance of having short-term goals (19:15) - Learning from mistakes in previous startups (20:36) - Positive customer feedback and its impact (22:08) - Importance of community management and support (26:35) - Insights on current acquisition channels (35:41) - Leveraging AI and machine learning in the product (37:14) - Advice for SaaS founders aiming for 10K MRR (38:03) - Strategy for scaling towards 10 million ARR

In this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS Podcast, Host Joran interviews Gary Amaral, the co-founder and CMO of two SaaS companies, Unkover and Breadcrumbs. Gary shares his journey, insights, and challenges in building these companies, along with practical advice for SaaS founders. Key Timecodes (00:00) - Introduction of Guest (00:50) - Guest Introduction and Background (01:22) - Startup Origins and Revenue Discussion (02:40) - Product and Service Revenue Breakdown (04:11) - Unkover's Features and Customer Insights (05:32) - Gary's Entrepreneurial Journey (07:31) - Motivation and Personal Goals (08:46) - Birth of Unkover (12:24) - Y Combinator Experience (13:12) - Overcoming Rock Bottom Moments (17:17) - Major Company Challenges (19:35) - Successful Go-to-Market Strategies (22:00) - Rapid Domain Authority Growth (23:17) - Outbound Strategies (26:34) - Scalability and Learning from YC (29:01) - Leveraging AI and New Technologies (32:12) - Advice for Early-Stage SaaS Founders (33:33) - Advice for Scaling to 10M ARR (34:39) - Episode Summary (35:56) - Closing Remarks

In today's episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast, host Joran welcomes Liam Martin, the co-founder of Time Doctor, a SaaS company specializing in time tracking and productivity monitoring. Liam's background is quite diverse, having worked as a journal editor, a research and teaching assistant, and the co-founder of staff.com. His entrepreneurial journey took a significant turn when he founded Time Doctor in April 2012, driven by a need to solve a problem he faced with an online tutoring business. Key Timecodes (00:00) Introduction to Scaling Customers and Remote Work Impact (01:00) Spotlight on Liam Martin, Co-founder of Time Doctor (01:35) Genesis of Time Doctor: Solving a Crucial Problem (02:26) Tracing Time Doctor's Origin Story (02:29) Early Challenges in Time Doctor's Development (02:50) Current ARR and Business Model Insights (03:09) Exploring Employee Count and Remote Work Dynamics (03:42) Overview of Time Doctor’s Services (04:18) Journey into Entrepreneurship (04:49) Academic to Entrepreneurial Transition (05:58) Driving Forces Behind Time Doctor (06:10) Mission and Impact of COVID-19 on Remote Work (07:29) Customer Testimonials and Their Impact (08:10) Growth Strategies Amidst COVID-19 (09:52) Personal Challenges and Navigating Burnout (11:11) Managing Workload and Achieving Balance (12:03) Steps to Recover from Burnout (15:04) Strategic Decisions During Growth (15:16) Differentiating Through Growth Strategies (18:23) Go-to-Market Strategy and Sales Approach (21:08) Transition to a Combined Sales Approach (22:54) Customer Qualification and Sales Funnel Management (24:34) Scaling Opportunities with Large Customers (28:32) Addressing Major Technical Challenges (29:08) Managing Significant Technical Failures (31:08) Reflecting on Past Decisions and Potential Regrets (31:29) Strategic Learnings from COVID-19 Challenges (36:19) Role of AI and Machine Learning in Time Doctor (37:35) Vision for Future Product Development (38:11) Advice for Early-Stage SaaS Founders (38:22) Insights for Scaling from 10K MRR to 10M ARR (41:20) Summary and Advice for SaaS Founders

In a recent episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast, host Joran interviewed Preston Keller, also known as PK, the founder of Emergent 3 and creator of e3, a safety and emergency SaaS platform targeting governments, educational institutions, and businesses. PK's journey from launching e3 in 2021 to achieving a million dollars in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) is filled with valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs. His diverse background includes internal sales, consulting with professors, partnership at Thresik Group, and founding a company in Asia. Key Timecodes (00:53) - Guest Introduction (01:25) - Starting e3 (01:56) - Company Overview (02:21) - Personal Background (03:03) - Motivation and End Goals (03:26) - Origin of the Idea for e3 (04:04) - Initial Funding and Growth (07:32) - Challenges and Lawsuits (14:35) - Post-Lawsuit Strategy (18:49) - Go-to-Market Strategy (20:06) - Customer Retention and Challenges (20:45) - Processes and Systems (23:04) - Learning from Mistakes (23:55) - Advice and Outsourcing (25:22) - Motivation and Team Trust (25:58) - Family and Friends in the Business (27:07) - Final Advice for Founders

Are you wondering how to bootstrap a B2B SaaS to $5M and Beyond? In this captivating episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast, host Joran explores the journey of Bridget Harris, co-founder and CEO of You Can Book Me. Managing over 20,000 customers and 1.5 million bookings each month, Bridget reveals key insights on bootstrapping a successful SaaS business, obsessing over customers, and leading a remote team. Learn how Bridget's strategic decisions and focus on top-notch products propelled You Can Book Me to $5 million in annual revenue. Discover essential frameworks and tips to scale your own B2B SaaS startup, all without external funding. Tune in now for practical advice that could reshape your entrepreneurial path! Key Timecodes The Origins of You Can Book Me (00:52) Business Metrics and Growth (01:30) Product Overview (02:10) Entrepreneurial Journey (03:05) Achieving Success (03:24) Motivations and Goals (04:13) Pivoting to Success (05:53) Bootstrapping Philosophy (07:15) Rock Bottom Moments(09:09) Handling Growth and Change (12:41) Viral Growth and Market Strategy (18:18) Internal Processes and Traction (23:29) Focusing on Customers and Pricing (29:51) Advice for Startups (37:22) Scaling to 10 Million ARR (40:32)

In the latest episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS Podcast, host Joran engages in a candid conversation with Joe Lewin, founder of Foundy, an acquisition fundraising portal. Joe shares his entrepreneurial journey, offering valuable insights and experiences. His background includes the successful founding and subsequent sale of Swings, a tech company, providing him with a wealth of knowledge on building a successful business from the ground up. Joe emphasizes the importance of validating business ideas early on. He advises aspiring entrepreneurs to ensure their market model and customer base are supported by real potential customers, not just friends and family. This validation can save time and resources by steering efforts toward viable opportunities. Key Timecodes (0:44) Introduction to Joe Lewin and Foundy (1:21) Joe's Background and the Inception of Foundy (1:27) Motivation Behind Starting Foundy (1:59) Foundy's Start Date and Current ARR (2:08) Business Model Pivot and Revenue Breakdown (3:07) Current Team Size and Use of AI Assistants (4:15) End Goal for Foundy (4:48) What Keeps Joe Motivated? (6:04) Early Stages of Foundy and Getting the Idea Validated (6:54) Initial Uncertainties and Risks Faced (7:29) Experiencing Rock Bottom and Overcoming Challenges (8:43) Fundraising Challenges and Pivots (11:08) Advice for First-Time Founders (12:27) Key Growth Strategies for Foundy (12:27) Importance of Referrals and Organic Content (17:16) Processes and Frameworks Used in Foundy (17:29) Deep Dive into Automation and Efficiency Tools (19:02) Biggest Failures and Lessons Learned (19:15) Importance of Pivoting and Refining the Business Model (20:40) Foundy’s SaaS Model and Subscription Approach (23:00) Optimizing for Profitability While Raising Funds (23:12) Importance of Healthy, Sustainable Growth (25:46) Advice for Growing from 0 to 10K MRR (26:55) Importance of Domain Expertise and Problem Validation (28:18) Advice for Scaling to 10 Million ARR

In this episode of the "Grow Your B2B SaaS" podcast, host Joran interviews Mike Heap, the founder of My Ask AI, an AI customer support solution. Mike shares his entrepreneurial journey, the challenges he faced, and the strategies he employed to grow his company to 40,000 users and $300K ARR within one and a half years. Mike urged founders to stay focused on their vision and to avoid getting distracted by every new technological trend. He underscores the importance of doing the "boring things" consistently to achieve long-term success.. This episode offers a comprehensive look into the journey of building a successful B2B SaaS company, highlighting the importance of adaptability, customer focus, and strategic marketing. Key Timecodes (00:52): Introduction to Mike Heep and My ask AI (01:17): Mike's entrepreneurial journey and early career (02:53): From corporate to startup: Mike's transition (03:28): Goals and motivations for My ask AI (04:08): Overcoming challenges and rock bottom moments (09:27): Go-to-market strategy and distribution channels (16:14): Critical decisions and building with Bubble (21:08): Managing the company and prioritizing tasks (29:01): Advice for SaaS founders at different stages

In this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast, host Joran sits down with Marie Martens, the dynamic co-founder of Tally, to delve into her remarkable journey of building a successful SaaS company from scratch. Tally, a streamlined and free form-building tool, skyrocketed from inception in 2020 to achieving a staggering 1.3 million ARR with over 300,000 users, all while maintaining a lean team of just two. Marie shares invaluable insights on navigating the early stages of a startup, leveraging communities like Product Hunt and Indie Hackers, and the importance of doing things that don't scale to secure those crucial first users. Tune in to uncover how Tally's product-led growth strategy and passionate user base have driven their success, and get inspired by Marie's practical advice on managing work-life balance and scaling sustainably. Don't miss this episode packed with actionable tips for SaaS founders aiming to replicate Tally's impressive trajectory. Key Timecodes (00:46): Introduction of Guest - Marie Martens (01:22): Starting Tally During the Pandemic (02:35): The Birth of Tally and Its Challenges (03:24): Current Success Metrics of Tally (04:07): Journey to Entrepreneurship (06:45): Motivation and Community Support (08:09): Achieving Product-Market Fit (12:47): Overcoming Early Challenges (20:00): Current Growth Strategies and Future Plans

In this insightful and engaging podcast episode, Vlad Gozman, the founder of Involve.Me, shares his entrepreneurial journey and valuable lessons learned along the way.  From starting his first company straight out of university to pivoting and growing Involve.Me into a successful SaaS company, Vlad's experiences offer a wealth of wisdom for aspiring SaaS founders. He emphasizes the importance of validation, building a strong team, leveraging AI effectively, and the power of partnerships in scaling a SaaS business.  Tune in to discover practical advice and inspiring insights from Vlad's entrepreneurial journey to help you navigate the challenges and opportunities in the SaaS world. Key Timecodes (00:29) Introduction and Background (01:25) Evolution of Involve.Me's Product (02:58) Mission and Product Description (03:54) Entrepreneurial Journey and Motivation (05:34) Long-Term Goals and Motivation (08:02) Pivoting from VR to Interactive Content (10:51) Overcoming Challenges and Rock Bottom Moments (16:22) Leveraging Reditus for Marketing (22:54) Leveraging AI in InvolveMe (25:51) Advice for SaaS Founders at Different Stages