Blog Posts, Q&A
Dear SaaStr: Why is Stripe Waiting to IPO?
Q: Why is Stripe waiting so long to IPO? Stripe will IPO. It’s just not in a rush. Why do private companies and startups IPO, anyway? There are 5 basic…
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Blog Posts, Q&A
Blog Posts, Q&A
10 Things That Tell a VC You May Not Be Ready for “Prime Time”
Being an amateur is OK, even endearing — if it’s authentic. And up to a point. But here are some things that founders do that perhaps suggest you aren’t yet…
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Blog Posts, Early, Fundraising, Q&A
10 Criteria To Use To Pick Your Lead VC. If You Have Options.
Q: I’m a startup founder weighing multiple VC term sheets at similar valuations. How should I choose? My force-ranked list of criteria: #1. Who do I truly trust the most?…
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Blog Posts, Growth, Q&A
Salespeople Will Always Exist
Ah, the age-old question of if you really need salespeople these days. Isn’t that kind of … old school? Can’t bots replace them? Well, there are probably at least 3…
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Blog Posts, Fundraising, Q&A
What General Partners at VC Funds Really Do
What is the role of a “General Partner” at a VC Fund? It can be frustrating in many ways to be part of a large venture firm, be the junior…
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Blog Posts, Q&A, Sales
7 Things The Best Sales Reps Get Right
The best sales reps solve my problems: They listen to my actual problems and show me the best solution using their product — and other products. They learn my business…
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Blog Posts, Customer Success, Early, Q&A, Sales
5 Things I Did To Make My First Big Customer a Success. And 1 Key Thing I Didn’t.
Q: What did you give to your first customer of your business? Everything I could. I did 24×7 support myself. I slept with a laptop next to my bed so…
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Blog Posts, Customer Success, Q&A
Outsourcing Support is a Lot Better Than Not Providing Support at All
Q: What are your thoughts on outsourcing customer support? There are certainly cons to traditional outsourced support vs. highly trained support that works right inside your company. But I’d think…
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Blog Posts, Early, Metrics, Product, Q&A
How to Improve Any SaaS Metric: Obsess About It
Q: What core SaaS metrics should we obsess about? Beyond MRR growth + managing the burn rate — which really are all that matters … you should obsess over improving…
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Blog Posts, Human Resources, Leadership, Q&A
8 Ideas to Help Make Sure Your Team … Stays
Q: What are some best practices to minimize employee turnover? A few thoughts: Hire great VPs that folks love to work for. This is how you scale. Hire VPs whose…
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Blog Posts, Early, Marketing, Marketing, Q&A
What Marketing Mostly Means at $0m, $1m, $10m, and $40m ARR
I’m worried. You don’t need a CMO. At least, not yet. Let’s roughly break up what “marketing” means at different stages of a SaaS company: $0-$1m ARR. Marketing = Growth…
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Blog Posts, Q&A
What Will Stay Different After Covid
I have nothing profound to add, but let me share what I see happening in SaaS post-Covid: Office life will vary based on the age of the company: Older tech…
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Blog Posts, Q&A, Sales, Sales
How to Get Ahead in SaaS Sales in 7 Easy Steps
For someone just starting out in SaaS sales (entry-level Salesforce in November), what are your tips to accelerate growth/ability in early stages? A few thoughts to excel as someone new…
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Blog Posts, Fundraising, Q&A
VC Horror Stories Are Real. But They Mostly Happen When You Raise Too Much — And Spend It All.
Q: How often do “VC Horror Stories” happen? Here’s the thing. It doesn’t really happen as often anymore. At least — not the classic stories we’ve heard in the past. …
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Blog Posts, Q&A
5 Top SaaS Companies I Especially Admire
Q: What SaaS companies do you most admire? It’s best not to play favorites in SaaS. There are so many incredible SaaS companies these days. But I’ll make a short…
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