Ep. 111 - Boosting SaaS Collaboration & Retention in a Hybrid World - with Jonathan Fields, CEO & Co-founder of Assembly
02/23/24 • 33 min
Having moved from a miserable culture in investment banking to an incredibly positive one at tech startup ZipRecruiter, Jonathan Fields learned early in his career the profound impact culture has on an organization.
So inspired, in fact, that he and his co-founders worked nights and weekends to create a platform that could make those elements scalable and easy for companies to adopt.
The result is Assembly, a platform that focuses on creating opportunities for coworkers to connect beyond work-related tasks has enhanced the overall employee experience and fostered a sense of community within organizations.
Initially, when they surveyed people about what they want from work culture, there weren’t a lot of surprises: they want to feel recognized, appreciated, and acknowledged for their hard work. They also want mentorship and career development opportunities.
But as companies moved to more hybrid work during the pandemic (and remain so today), one new concept dwarfed the others in comparison: the “work best friend.”
So, to emulate those types of interactions in their platform (beyond Zoom happy hours), they created channels for culture ideas, such as pets, volunteering, and favorite company moments channels, to facilitate interactions between coworkers beyond work-related tasks.
Profitable since day one, Assembly has successfully positioned itself as a thought leader by focusing on content development early and today has attracted $14.5M in funding.
This episode is ideal for SaaS CEOs and CMOs looking to accelerate growth and enhance profitability through employee recognition, engagement, and rewards platforms.
Key takeaways from this episode:
- How investing in thought leadership and content creation early helped establish credibility and drove sales inbound.
- How to position your SaaS as a “must have” versus a “nice-to-have”
- The importance of researching the landscape, competitors, and buyers before diving into a venture.
Other resources to check out:
Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publishes a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.
The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.
And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.
---
Not Getting Enough Demos?
Your messaging could be turning buyers away before you even get a chance to pitch.
🔗 Get a Free Messaging & Conversion Review
We’ll analyze your website and content through the eyes of your buyers to uncover what’s stopping them from booking a demo. Then, we’ll give you a personalized report with practical recommendations to help you turn more visitors into sales conversations.
And the best part?
💡 It’s completely free.
No commitments, no pressure—just actionable advice to help you book more demos.
Your next demo is just a click away—claim your free review now.
Having moved from a miserable culture in investment banking to an incredibly positive one at tech startup ZipRecruiter, Jonathan Fields learned early in his career the profound impact culture has on an organization.
So inspired, in fact, that he and his co-founders worked nights and weekends to create a platform that could make those elements scalable and easy for companies to adopt.
The result is Assembly, a platform that focuses on creating opportunities for coworkers to connect beyond work-related tasks has enhanced the overall employee experience and fostered a sense of community within organizations.
Initially, when they surveyed people about what they want from work culture, there weren’t a lot of surprises: they want to feel recognized, appreciated, and acknowledged for their hard work. They also want mentorship and career development opportunities.
But as companies moved to more hybrid work during the pandemic (and remain so today), one new concept dwarfed the others in comparison: the “work best friend.”
So, to emulate those types of interactions in their platform (beyond Zoom happy hours), they created channels for culture ideas, such as pets, volunteering, and favorite company moments channels, to facilitate interactions between coworkers beyond work-related tasks.
Profitable since day one, Assembly has successfully positioned itself as a thought leader by focusing on content development early and today has attracted $14.5M in funding.
This episode is ideal for SaaS CEOs and CMOs looking to accelerate growth and enhance profitability through employee recognition, engagement, and rewards platforms.
Key takeaways from this episode:
- How investing in thought leadership and content creation early helped establish credibility and drove sales inbound.
- How to position your SaaS as a “must have” versus a “nice-to-have”
- The importance of researching the landscape, competitors, and buyers before diving into a venture.
Other resources to check out:
Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publishes a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.
The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.
And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.
---
Not Getting Enough Demos?
Your messaging could be turning buyers away before you even get a chance to pitch.
🔗 Get a Free Messaging & Conversion Review
We’ll analyze your website and content through the eyes of your buyers to uncover what’s stopping them from booking a demo. Then, we’ll give you a personalized report with practical recommendations to help you turn more visitors into sales conversations.
And the best part?
💡 It’s completely free.
No commitments, no pressure—just actionable advice to help you book more demos.
Your next demo is just a click away—claim your free review now.
Previous Episode
Ep. 110 – The Dangerous 8 Mistakes SaaS Companies Make in their Messaging
Are you making one or more of these mistakes in your messaging?
Given the number of websites that we review regularly, chances are that you are—and that means leaving revenue on the table.
In this episode, Ken and Jason from Austin Lawrence Group discuss the eight common mistakes that SaaS companies make with real-life examples.
So if you’re a SaaS CEO or CMO revisiting messaging and content strategy this year, or you’re frustrated with the quality of leads coming through your website, this episode is for you.
A few key takeaways:
- How to avoid making vague statements that cause cognitive dissonance with some prospective buyers.
- Why you shouldn’t lead with AI
- Why it’s crucial to gain problem agreement by clearly identifying and addressing the problem they’re trying to solve.
Other resources to check out:
Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publishes a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.
The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.
And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.
---
Not Getting Enough Demos?
Your messaging could be turning buyers away before you even get a chance to pitch.
🔗 Get a Free Messaging & Conversion Review
We’ll analyze your website and content through the eyes of your buyers to uncover what’s stopping them from booking a demo. Then, we’ll give you a personalized report with practical recommendations to help you turn more visitors into sales conversations.
And the best part?
💡 It’s completely free.
No commitments, no pressure—just actionable advice to help you book more demos.
Your next demo is just a click away—claim your free review now.
Next Episode
Ep. 112 - Stumbling onto SaaS Product-Market Fit by Accident – with Morten Poulsen, CEO of Plytix
Originally, the founders of Plytix set out to create an analytics platform for e-commerce that measured the performance of a product (instead of a website) so brands could see how end users interact with them, even when sold on a third-party website.
But even after positive early traction and investment, they were stalled—many of the brands didn’t have their product information at the ready.
So, they built a simple source of truth—a Product Information Management (PIM) so they could get access to the product information that they needed.
As it turns out, that was the larger need from SMBs—a PIM they could afford.
After realizing the broader market opportunity, Plytix leaders made some hard choices and pivoted.
This episode of SaaS Backwards is ideal for SaaS CEOs and CMOs looking to accelerate growth and enhance profitability, especially those interested in PIM systems for small and medium-sized businesses.
Key takeaways from this episode:
- The nuances of being a European-based SaaS targeting the US market
- The importance of understanding the customer creation engine before implementing an attribution model
- The challenges of scaling beyond the ceiling of just in-market leads
Other resources to check out:
Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publishes a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.
The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.
And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.
---
Not Getting Enough Demos?
Your messaging could be turning buyers away before you even get a chance to pitch.
🔗 Get a Free Messaging & Conversion Review
We’ll analyze your website and content through the eyes of your buyers to uncover what’s stopping them from booking a demo. Then, we’ll give you a personalized report with practical recommendations to help you turn more visitors into sales conversations.
And the best part?
💡 It’s completely free.
No commitments, no pressure—just actionable advice to help you book more demos.
Your next demo is just a click away—claim your free review now.
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