Dear SaaStr: How Big Should The Addressable Market Be to Go into Vertical SaaS?
Dear SaaStr: How Big Should The Addressable Market Be to Go into Vertical SaaS? To win in Vertical SaaS: – Can you charge at least $10k a year?– Can you add enough value to hit 110%+ NRR?– Can you get to 60% market share? If so, in many markets,...
A Few VP of Sales / CRO Personas to Stay Far Away From
We’ve talked a ton about How to Hire a Great VP of Sales on SaaStr, but I wanted to highlight a few VP of Sales / CRO “personas” that I rarely, if ever, see work out. Because again and again, many of you will hire this VP of Sales / CRO. So many...
If Times Are Tough — Don’t Hide. Be Present.
What I see CEOs at struggling start-ups do: – Go dark– Hide– Lash out– Tweet about lots of things non-work– Invest time on tiny expenses– Argue internally What should do: – Be Present– Be Honest– Be the Rock–...
Dear SaaStr: What Qualities Make a CEO The Best In Their Industry?
Dear SaaStr: What Qualities Make a CEO The Best In Their Industry? I’ve invested in 5 start-ups that had a $1,000,000,000+ cash exit or IPO. The CEOs were all quite different. Some extroverted, some introverted. Some wicked smart, some merely very smart. Some direct,...
7 Of The Top Things Founders Get Wrong When They Start a B2B Company
Dear SaaStr: What do startup founders typically get wrong when starting a business? My list: Not committing to 24 months upfront to getting to Real Revenues and a Minimum Sellable Product. We’ve written about this before, but I see it again and again and again. It...
Dear SaaStr: What Should I Do if My Co-founder is a Complete Jerk?
Dear SaaStr: What Should I Do if My Co-founder is a Complete Jerk? It if’s that bad — it’s just not going to work. The issue isn’t so much that he’s a complete jerk. Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t, or most likely, it’s somewhere in the...
Dear SaaStr: Is it Wisest to Approach One Investor at a Time?
Dear SaaStr: Is it Wisest to Approach One Investor at a Time? No. First, it takes too long. If a VC doesn’t know you, and you aren’t a “super hot” start-up, even if you do get a term sheet — it may take months. Yes, term sheets get done in one day. I haven’t done...
Dear SaaStr: My Investor Wants Weekly Meetings. Is This Too Much Time?
Dear SaaStr: I am a startup founder that writes extensive monthly report to investors. We are also doing weekly meetings, are they asking for too much of my time? Yes. Some rough rules: For every 1% of a company an investor owns, an investor should get one meeting a...
Dear SaaStr: How Do You Know When It’s Time to Leave Your Current Company and Move On?
Dear SaaStr: How Do You Know When It’s Time to Leave Your Current Company and Move On? There are a lot of valid reasons to leave your job for a potentially better one. But — if your job isn’t bad, and your boss is pretty good, it’s worth...
Dear SaaStr: What Are The Top 5 Things I Should Know Before Starting a B2B Startup?
Dear SaaStr: What Are The Top 5 Things I Should Know Before Starting a B2B Startup? My Top 5: It will take you at least 24 months to really get anywhere. Everyone mentally budgets 10–12 months. It’s never enough. At least, not to get enough paying customers from Code...
Dear SaaStr: What is The Biggest Pain for a CEO?
Dear SaaStr: What is The Biggest Pain for a CEO? Competition is stressful. Raising funding can be hard. Partnerships can be frustrating. But the hardest part is always recruiting. And it never gets easier, not really. Every CEO I see past $2m in ARR or so, be it...
Dear SaaStr: As a CEO, How Do You Know That Your New Employee is an A,B, or C Player?
Dear Saastr: As a CEO, How Do You Know That Your New Employee is an A,B, or C Player? You might not at first. So get help. But you’ll get better at this. As a first-time manager, you really won’t have the experience to know really who is an A, B or C player for any...
Five “Cons” To Adding a Free Edition
Dear SaaStr: Is There Any “Con” In Giving Our Sales Tool For Free to Early-Stage Startups? Free can absolutely work. Done right, it’s built some of the biggest companies in B2B + AI: ChatGPT. Claude. Cursor. Slack. Zoom. Canva. Notion. Figma. Almost...
Dear SaaStr: How Do We Close Bigger Deals?
Dear SaaStr: How Do We Close Bigger Deals? If you already have a few bigger deals under your belt, but most are smaller … a few higher-level suggestions: #1. Hire a Very Good VP of Sales that has sold at your “high end” price point. They will be much better at you...
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