Blog Posts, Growth, Marketing, Marketing, Q&A
Dear SaaStr: What makes the ideal Demand Generation candidate for a growth-stage SaaS company? 90% of the candidates you meet will not have: owned a funnel revenue goal/KPI: pipeline, leads,…
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Blog Posts, Q&A
Dear SaaStr: What Are the Danger Signs a Startup Isn’t Going to Work Out? Let me share my list. It’s more about things I worry about after: Founders’ understanding of…
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Blog Posts, Career Growth & Advice, Early, Fundraising, Leadership, Q&A
Q: There are a lot of examples of VCs taking advantage of entrepreneurs. What are some examples of entrepreneurs taking advantage of VCs? I can name a few. But, it…
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Career Growth & Advice, Q&A
Dear SaaStr: What’s the #1 Thing That Sets Great VPs Apart From the Rest? The truly great VPs, They have a stream of great candidates coming through the door (or…
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Blog Posts, Career Growth & Advice, Early, Leadership, Q&A
Dear SaaStr: What Should I Do if My Co-founder is a Complete Jerk? It’s not going to work. The issue isn’t so much that he’s a complete jerk. It’s that…
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Blog Posts, Career Growth & Advice, Early, Leadership, Q&A
Dear SaaStr: My Co-Founder Takes All The Public Credit. Should I be OK With This? No, you shouldn’t. Not because it matters. But because clearly it’s gotten under your skin,…
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Compensation, Early, Leadership, Q&A
Dear SaaStr: At What Point Should Founders Pay Themselves a Market Salary? The right answer is: just as soon as the company can afford it. Taking a market salary when…
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Blog Posts, Career Growth & Advice, Compensation, Early, Leadership, Q&A
Dear SaaStr: How Much Equity Do You Give to Extremely Early Employees? It’s a tough one because they really do deserve a lot. You really want to give the early…
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Blog Posts, Early, Fundraising, Leadership, Q&A
Dear SaaStr: Should I Tell VCs How Much I Want Them to Invest? Yes. At least, 95% of the time. It helps a VC quickly get context, and figure out if…
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Blog Posts, Growth, Hiring, Human Resources, Q&A
Q: Dear SaaStr: What Were The First Five Hires You Made After Product-Market Fit? My first 5 hires at Adobe Sign / EchoSign, beyond the core founding+ team, once we…
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Blog Posts, Career Growth & Advice, Human Resources, Q&A
Dear SaaStr: What Are The Traits That Define a Great VP? The difference between a Good, a Great, and a Mediocre VP: A Good VP Maintains Velocity in Their Functional…
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Blog Posts, Career Growth & Advice, Company Culture, Growth, Hiring, Leadership, Q&A
Q: Dear SaaStr: What Differentiates a “Real” VP? While the answer may sound obvious, I’m not sure it always is in early-ish stage start-ups. The role of a VP is…
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Blog Posts, Career Growth & Advice, Growth, Q&A, Sales, Sales
Q: Dear SaaStr: When Should The CEO Step Away From Sales? Never. It’s just, as you scale, what you do in the sales process as CEO evolves and changes. I…
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Blog Posts, Career Growth & Advice, Q&A, Sales, Sales
Q: Dear SaaStr: Is It Worth Working as a Sales Rep? Absolutely. Being a sales rep is the hardest job that almost anyone can get and at least try to…
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Blog Posts, Early, Fundraising, Leadership, Q&A
Q: Dear SaaStr: If a VC Backs Out of a Signed Term Sheet, Should the Entrepreneur Spread the Word? No. First, there’s a good chance it’s at least 1% your…
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