Grow Your B2B SaaS

In entrepreneurship, the path is full of ups and downs, with both triumphs and challenges. David Baum CEO & Co-founder @ Relato, a veteran entrepreneur with 25 years of experience, has navigated this journey, building and scaling several businesses. In a recent podcast episode on the Grow Your B2B SaaS Podcast hosted by Joran, David shared important lessons from his experiences, emphasizing perseverance, problem-solving, and engaging with the community. This episode is full of his key insights, providing valuable guidance for both new and experienced entrepreneurs. Key Timecodes (00:55) - Introduction of David Baum (01:49) - David's Background and Starting Relato (02:15) - Relato's Mission and Current Status (03:05) - David’s Entrepreneurial Journey (05:43) - Motivation and Challenges in Entrepreneurship (07:02) - The Origin of Relato (11:46) - David’s Programming Experience (14:08) - Relato's Development and Market Strategy (21:53) - Using AI in Relato (26:50) - Overcoming Challenges and Rock Bottom Moments (31:02) - Company Challenges and Funding Issues (35:59) - Lessons from Past Ventures for Relato (40:07) - Advice for Early-Stage SaaS Founders (43:10) - Advice for Scaling to 10 Million ARR (44:28) - Episode Summary and Closing

In this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast, host Joran sits down with Farzad Rashidi, the co-founder and driving force behind Respona. Farzad reveals how Respona, a startup born within VisMe, a massive platform with 20 million users navigated the exciting journey of growing from an in-house tool to a thriving business. Farzad shares the ups and downs of building a startup inside a big company, the critical role of SEO in their growth, and the valuable lessons learned from engaging directly with customers. Plus, he offers insider tips on how Respona uses AI to stay ahead and why focusing on the right audience is key to success. Tune in for actionable tips and real-world advice from someone who’s turned a startup dream into a profitable reality. Key Time Codes (00:00) - Onboarding Customers and Changing Affiliates (01:00) - Introduction to Farzad and Respona (01:52) - How Respona Was Born (04:56) - Respona's Growth and Team (05:47) - Respona's SaaS Features (07:09) - Farzad’s Career and Entrepreneurial Spirit (08:01) - Future Goals for Respona (08:47) - Motivations and Beta Challenges (10:51) - Startup Life Under VisMe (13:55) - Lessons from Tough Times (22:51) - Effective Growth Strategies (28:04) - AI and Affiliate Tips (32:36) - Farzad’s Tips for SaaS Success (39:34) - How to Connect with Farzad

Are you thinking about exiting your SaaS business? Unsure about where to start, who to talk to or what it’s worth is? This episode will guide you through buying and selling SaaS businesses with expert advice! In this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS Podcast, Joran chats with Blake Hutchinson, CEO of Flippa. They dive into how to prepare for a business exit, the details of buying and selling SaaS businesses, and Blake’s own journey as an entrepreneur. This discussion is packed with valuable tips for anyone involved in the SaaS world.This episode looks at SaaS business transactions and gives helpful advice for new and experienced entrepreneurs. Key Timecodes (0:46) - Introduction to Blake Hutchinson (1:26) - What is Flippa? (2:27) - Flippa's Revenue and Business Model (3:24) - Employee Distribution and Offices (3:53) - Blake's Entrepreneurial Journey (4:08) - Transition from Entrepreneurship to Corporate (7:41) - Dealing with Entrepreneurial Failure (17:45) - Importance of Preparing for an Exit (10:52) - Common Misconceptions in SaaS Exits (14:50) - Valuation and Multiples for SaaS Companies (22:37) - Maximizing Exit Outcomes (25:01) - The Selling Process on Flippa (30:52) - Why Buy an Existing SaaS? (28:54) - Challenges in Buying and Selling SaaS (35:27) - Advice for Growing a SaaS to 10K MRR (36:57) - Advice for Scaling to 10 Million ARR (39:37) - Summary and Key Takeaways (39:49) - How to Contact Blake Hutchinson

In this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS Podcast, Joran hosts Thomas De Clerck, founder of Luzmo (formerly Cumul), a company specializing in AI-powered analytics solutions for businesses. Thomas, who brings extensive experience from previous roles at Google and other tech companies, shares his journey from Luzmo’s inception in 2015 to its current status with over €5 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR).  Thomas’ story provides a masterclass in navigating the complexities of scaling a SaaS startup and offers invaluable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs. Tune in to explore the key takeaways from his experience that can guide you on the path to success. Key Timecodes (00:43) - Guest Introduction (01:13) - Company Overview (01:48) - Funding and Growth (02:27) - Product and Services (02:30) - Company Description (03:00) - Personal Journey (03:39) - Motivation and Goals (04:48) - Challenges and Learning (06:15) - Founding Story and Pivot (08:16) - Market Feedback and Success (09:38) - Early Customers and Growth Tactics (11:01) - Equity and Incubator Programs (11:16) - Rock Bottom Moments (12:07) - U.S. Market Entry (13:10) - Company Challenges (14:13) - Go-to-Market Strategy (15:21) - Successful Strategies (16:25) - Additional Go-to-Market Techniques (18:03) - Critical Decisions (19:24) - New Initiatives and AI (20:29) - Rebranding (21:51) - Outbound and Sales Scaling (22:58) - AI and Machine Learning (25:09) - Reflections and Learnings (26:54) - Practical Advice for Founders (28:05) - Advice for Early-Stage Founders (30:24) - Advice for Scaling Founders (32:22) - Summary (33:11) - Closing Remarks

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)