PRODUCTEA with Leah, Growth & Senior Leadership

Adam Robinson, CEO of Retention.com & RB2B, is the CEO who builds in public on LinkedIn and is crushing it by discovering the power of product-led growth as he is doing it. He’s very specific about what works and what doesn’t and how he got started.He explains the power of organic reach through LinkedIn and building a personal brand through social media, particularly LinkedIn, and how important it is to not be too rigid in your assumptions. Adam shares his experience with video content and its impact on building trust and affinity with his audience to sell and scale an impressive B2B product-led flywheel.We talk about the concept of freemium product-led growth (PLG), the value of free users, and why it’s worth it to keep them around, even if they never buy.TakeawaysBuilding a personal brand through organic reach on social media platforms like LinkedIn can create trust and affinity with the audience, especially in B2B.Video content allows for a richer and more dynamic connection with the audience, enhancing the impact of your brand.Retaining free users is valuable for organic distribution and building domain authority.The combination of AI and influencer-type founders can enable bootstrapped startups to scale and compete with larger companies. We are just at the beginning.Point solution products with a massive free offer and a focus on viral expansion can disrupt traditional SaaS models.Sound Bites"I want to challenge myself to just keep adding value to the paid plan until we get decent conversion rates instead of taking value away from the free one.""I think video builds an affinity for you in a way that nothing else can because people are sitting there, they're observing your mannerisms and the way that you say things and like the sound of your voice and everything.""No user is a free user. You get something from everyone."Chapters02:16 The Impact of Video Content on Building Trust and Affinity08:45 Understanding Customer Churn and Market Dynamics23:38 The Value of Offering a Free Product to Build Brand Presence24:07 Freemium PLG and the Actual Value of Free Users25:37 What can and should you “automate” about personal connections?33:00 The Importance of Retaining Free Users35:26 The Future of AI and Bootstrapping, hyper-efficiencyAdam's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retentionadam/Send us a textLeah on Linkedin / Twitter / Youtube

Casey Hill, a Senior Growth Manager at ActiveCampaign, discusses the value of email marketing, repurposing content, balancing short-term wins with long-term strategies, and improving onboarding flow by asking tailored questions in this insightful podcast.

Exploring the power of intuition in decision-making and the importance of combining it with logic. Discussing clear communication, building honest relationships, and embracing personal growth. Insights on leadership, diversity, and the balance between simplicity and complexity in creative work.

SummaryJamie Gier, - CMO at DexCare and former Director of Product Marketing at Microsoft - and I talk about the importance of understanding the customer and the challenges of marketing in regulated industries. We also touch on the process of learning marketing, the concept of account-based marketing in B2B, and how to connect it to revenue through ROI cases for our customers. The conversation concludes with a focus on relevant outreach and communication concepts with the aid of AI.TakeawaysGood Marketing plays a strategic role in product development, informing product strategy and ensuring a unified voice in the marketplace.Marketing in regulated industries, such as healthcare, requires balancing compliance with innovation and user experience.Learning marketing involves understanding the customer, creating value, and staying up to date with industry trends.Account-based marketing in B2B involves aligning with sales, understanding ideal client profiles, and deploying the right sales and marketing motions. Effective processes and personalization are crucial in marketing and sales.Making the ROI case for customers from Marketing is essential.Chapters06:42 The Importance of Personal Board of Directors12:18 Measuring Marketing Impact16:29 The Role of Marketing in Product Development22:02 The Challenges of Marketing in Regulated Industries38:14 Learning Marketing and Creating Value45:38 Account-Based Marketing in B2B47:30 Effective Processes and Personalization that doesn't feel artificial49:17 Making the ROI Case through Account-based MarketingMy Blog / Newsletter: www.leahtharin.comLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahtharin/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeahThar#productledgrowthSend us a textLeah on Linkedin / Twitter / Youtube

SummaryPeter Walker, Head of Data Insights at Carta discusses with me various aspects of startup funding and investment. We explore the value of small angel investments, the obscurity of startup funding letters, the selectivity of startup advisors, and the potential of angel investments as marketing assets.We also touch on the excitement for the future of startups, the impact of accelerators and venture studios, and the importance of distribution and growth and whether a downround really is such a bad thing.TakeawaysThere is a growing trend of companies exploring non-VC growth paths and aiming to achieve venture-scale outcomes without raising additional funding.The use of startup funding letters, such as Series A and Series B, can obscure the wide variation in funding amounts and create unnecessary pressure for founders.Angel investments can serve as marketing assets for startups, as investors with a strong brand can enhance a company's image.The current generation of startups is building on a higher foundation of knowledge and asking different questions compared to previous years.Chapters13:35 The Shift Towards Non-VC Growth Paths25:24 The Impact of Liquidation Preferences and Equity Education43:52 The Value of Small Angel Investments44:50 The Obscurity of Startup Funding Letters46:14 Angel Investments as Marketing Assets48:02 Excitement for the Future of Startups, Accelerators and Venture StudiosSend us a textLeah on Linkedin / Twitter / Youtube

Eytan Bensoussan, CEO of a banking service, discusses the importance of ruthless prioritization to achieve productivity and success. He highlights the problem of cashflow mismanagement in small businesses and the challenges of financial management in early stages. He also talks about the decision to seek VC funding, managing negative emotions, and the value of creating valuable content like a podcast for businesses.

Jeff Gothelf, an expert on OKRs and being outcome-driven, discusses humility and accountability in executives, setting outcome-driven goals for exploratory research, the role of humility in organizational success, common failure points in organizations, and the future of impactful startups.

Melissa Kwan, CEO of eWebinar, discusses bootstrapping vs. venture capital funding. Topics include understanding customers, challenges of building a product, determining financial goals, personal branding, self-serve options, and vertical SaaS businesses.

Chris Tottman and Richard Blundell discuss their operator's perspective on investing in successful businesses. They highlight the importance of being customer-focused in a narrow market and the dangers of going too broad. They also explore the metrics to evaluate businesses and the significance of where customers communicate and recommend.

Former CPO of Eventbrite, Casey Winters, shares insights on career transitions, organizational alignment, and the future of technology. Topics include: dealing with misalignment, the impact of company strategy, taking care of OKRs, planning the return to work, technology and distribution changes, and the future of advertising and SEO.