SaaSy Talk S02.01: Growth and Evolving Leadership Style

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03/14/24 • 46 min

About The Guest(s): Alex embarked on his career at CDW, spending eight years immersed in sales, cultivating a passion for customer relations and revenue growth. He led two pivotal chapters, propelling businesses from inception to $9M and later to $22M. As the Co-founder and CEO of SceneDoc, a pioneer in 'mobile-first' data collection for global first responders, he steered the company to acquisition by Tyler Technologies (NYSE: TYL) in December 2018. Post-acquisition, Alex assumed key roles at Tyler, ANDE Corporation, Qumu (acquired by Enghouse Systems), and Spatial Data Logic (acquired by Gauge Capital), showcasing his leadership prowess. Presently, he dedicates the majority of his energy to advising startups, providing fractional and interim CEO/CRO services, and occasionally investing in early-stage ventures. At the helm of Dena Growth, his consulting and advisory venture, Alex boasts a proven track record in steering tech companies to success. Over his career, Alex has advised over 90 startups, led or supported five acquisitions, and helped in the raising of $75 million in venture capital and private equity, Alex is a driving force in the tech ecosystem.

Episode Summary: A candid conversation with Alex Kottoor, co-founder of SceneDoc, sharing significant moments from his journey of conceptualising, growing, and eventually selling his company. Kottoor details SceneDoc's evolution, starting from their days as a note-taking app to their impactful niche as a service for public safety entities. He discusses the challenges and achievements they faced, from hiring the right team to finding product-market fit. He also stresses the importance of being customer-obsessed, having a supportive spouse, and advises new entrepreneurs to trust their gut and start their journey as soon as possible, closing the session with further insights on investment cycles, funding, and sales methodologies.

Key Takeaways:

Building a successful startup requires a combination of domain expertise, sales skills, and the ability to adapt to the needs of the market.
Hiring the right team at each stage of growth is crucial, and founders should prioritize hiring for the stage they are in rather than solely focusing on domain expertise.
Founders should be prepared to weather the storm and have a high pain tolerance, as running a startup is a constant grind.
Founder-led sales can be effective, but it's important to transition to a VP of sales at the right time and hire someone who can scale the sales process.
Understanding the market and focusing on a specific target audience can lead to predictable growth and attract the attention of larger players in the industry.

Notable Quotes:

"You need to hire for the stage of growth you're at and not lose sight of the type of business you're trying to build."
"Pain tolerance is key. You have to be able to weather the storm and crawl through the mud longer than everybody else."
"The more you can be in the trenches with prospects and customers, the more optionality you'll have in funding the business."

Chapters

00:23 The Journey of Building SceneDoc

02:37 The Turning Point: From Picky Note to SceneDoc

04:49 The Growth and Evolution of SceneDoc

05:37 Challenges and Learnings in the Early Days

08:26 Building the First Team and Overcoming Challenges

11:34 The Evolution of Leadership Style and Team Building

18:50 Reflections on the Journey and the Reality of Running SceneDoc

21:38 The Strategy Behind SceneDoc's Success

25:51 The Unconventional Approach to Enterprise Sales

28:20 The Journey to Predictable Growth

28:52 Transitioning from Founder-led Sales

29:31 The Role of a CEO in Sales

30:32 Understanding Investment in Startups

30:57 The Importance of Knowing Your Market

32:15 The Decision to Raise Capital

33:14 The Biggest Mistake and Rewarding Moments

35:32 Advice for Aspiring Founders

37:35 The Next Wave of Dana Growth

41:02 Quick Fire Round

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Key Takeaways:

Building a successful startup requires a combination of domain expertise, sales skills, and the ability to adapt to the needs of the market.
Hiring the right team at each stage of growth is crucial, and founders should prioritize hiring for the stage they are in rather than solely focusing on domain expertise.
Founders should be prepared to weather the storm and have a high pain tolerance, as running a startup is a constant grind.
Founder-led sales can be effective, but it's important to transition to a VP of sales at the right time and hire someone who can scale the sales process.
Understanding the market and focusing on a specific target audience can lead to predictable growth and attract the attention of larger players in the industry.

Notable Quotes:

"You need to hire for the stage of growth you're at and not lose sight of the type of business you're trying to build."
"Pain tolerance is key. You have to be able to weather the storm and crawl through the mud longer than everybody else."
"The more you can be in the trenches with prospects and customers, the more optionality you'll have in funding the business."

Chapters

00:23 The Journey of Building SceneDoc

02:37 The Turning Point: From Picky Note to SceneDoc

04:49 The Growth and Evolution of SceneDoc

05:37 Challenges and Learnings in the Early Days

08:26 Building the First Team and Overcoming Challenges

11:34 The Evolution of Leadership Style and Team Building

18:50 Reflections on the Journey and the Reality of Running SceneDoc

21:38 The Strategy Behind SceneDoc's Success

25:51 The Unconventional Approach to Enterprise Sales

28:20 The Journey to Predictable Growth

28:52 Transitioning from Founder-led Sales

29:31 The Role of a CEO in Sales

30:32 Understanding Investment in Startups

30:57 The Importance of Knowing Your Market

32:15 The Decision to Raise Capital

33:14 The Biggest Mistake and Rewarding Moments

35:32 Advice for Aspiring Founders

37:35 The Next Wave of Dana Growth

41:02 Quick Fire Round

Subscribe to our Newsletter:

https://substack.com/@saasytalkunfiltered

Previous Episode

SaaSy Talk S01.50: Scaling Your Startup with Matt Verlaque: Key Lessons Learned from a CEO's Perspective

About The Guest(s): After spending a decade in the fire department, Matt founded UpLaunch in 2016 and was the CEO through its successful acquisition in 2020. After his exit, he partnered with Dan Martell as the COO of SaaS Academy, the largest coaching & training program for B2B SaaS founders in the world. Inside of SaaS Academy, Matt oversees the Growth Accelerator program, where he coaches early stage founders to find product market fit, hone their go-to-market strategies, and make their first few key hires in the business. Most recently, Matt has utilized his wealth of experience in the world of SaaS businesses to co-author the book “Software as a Science: Unlock Limitless Revenue Growth Without Losing Control”. Outside of his work at SaaS Academy, Matt is a husband, father of three young boys, and spends most of his spare time reading, weightlifting, cycling, and running.

In this episode, Matt Verlaque shares his journey from being a firefighter to becoming a tech entrepreneur and eventually the COO of SaaS Academy. He discusses the challenges he faced as a first-time founder and the importance of focusing on a specific niche. Matt also emphasizes the value of effective time management and the power of having an assistant. He provides insights into the future of SaaS and the impact of AI on businesses. Tune in to gain valuable insights from Matt's experiences and expertise.

Key Takeaways:

Scaling a startup requires focusing on a specific niche and solving a problem for a target audience. By narrowing your focus, you can better understand your customers' needs and provide a solution that truly meets their requirements.
Overcoming self-doubt as a founder involves focusing on solving the next problem in front of you and working the process. By breaking down challenges into manageable steps and staying focused on the task at hand, you can overcome self-doubt and make progress towards your goals.
The calendar is a tool for organizing and protecting your time, allowing you to prioritize what matters most.
Hiring an assistant can be a game-changer for founders, as it frees up time and allows them to focus on high-value tasks.

Notable Quotes:

"The calendar is actually a defense mechanism against chaos and not the thing that causes chaos."
"The first hire outside of the founding team should be an assistant who can make you better and help you do the things you need to do."
"Interviewing is a skill to be developed just like writing code or doing a sales call."
"I just want to figure out how to unlock entrepreneurship for young people who have the predisposition and the personality traits to be great at it."

Chapters 00:34 The Birth of a Side Hustle

02:03 Challenges of Early Stage Founding

02:46 The Role of SaaS Academy in Growth

03:41 The Transition from Founder to CEO

05:12 The Importance of Customer Interaction

09:59 Building and Scaling the Team

12:42 Overcoming Self-Doubt and Embracing the Journey

24:32 The Future of SaaS and AI

26:44 The Struggles of First-Time Founders

27:22 The Power of Time Management and Calendar Organization

29:10 The Importance of Hiring an Assistant

34:19 The Value of a Test Project in Hiring

42:59 The Future of Entrepreneurship Education

45:04 Quick Fire Round

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Next Episode

SaaSy Talk S02.02: The Evolution of Demand Generation

About The Guest(s): Janine Laughlin is a seasoned global marketer with over 20 years of experience driving revenue and growth for B2B SaaS companies. She is a data-driven marketing leader with expertise in go-to-market strategy, integrated marketing, advertising, digital strategy, ABM, campaign management, and field marketing. She has helped high-growth startups scale faster through pipeline management and funnel optimization. An empowering leader, Janine has a history of building collaborative and productive teams. She has proven success in increasing market share and revenues, driving business growth, and improving ROI.
Currently, Janine is the Head of Demand Generation at Lighthouse, the leading commercial platform for the travel and hospitality industry, headquartered in London, England. She leads a team of digital and field marketers in North America, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM, and is responsible for driving marketing-sourced pipeline.
Episode Summary: In this episode, Janine discusses the evolution of demand generation and the importance of adapting to changes in the B2B SaaS industry. She shares her journey into marketing and the role mentorship has played in her career. Janine also provides insights into the challenges and strategies in SaaS businesses, the process of building and restructuring a global demand gen team, and the key metrics she tracks in the marketing funnel. She emphasises the importance of sales and marketing alignment and offers advice for finding the right mentor. Janine concludes by sharing her typical work week and tech stack, as well as her excitement for emerging technologies like ABM and AI in marketing.

Key Takeaways:

Buyers are doing extensive research on their own before making a purchasing decision, so it's important to have a strong digital presence and social proof.
Mentorship is crucial for career growth, and it's important to give back by mentoring others.
When joining a new organization, take the time to understand the business, market, and competitors before making any major changes.
Restructuring the demand gen team can lead to increased efficiency and collaboration across regions.
Key metrics to track in the marketing funnel include traffic, engagement, conversion rates, and ROI.
Nurturing leads is essential for building relationships and increasing conversion rates.
Sales and marketing alignment is crucial for success, and regular communication and goal-setting are key.
A well-rounded marketing team should include roles such as product marketing, brand strategy, content creation, marketing operations, and digital marketing.
Emerging technologies like ABM and AI are exciting opportunities for marketers to improve targeting and efficiency.

Notable Quotes:

"You don't know what you don't know. Having someone that really exposed me to all facets of marketing and being there for me... I couldn't have gotten to where I am today without her."
"ABM is a real thing that buyers are doing a lot of research on their own before they even go to your website... It's constantly shedding light on the dark funnel and how to use lead scoring and grading to get someone identified and then be able to retarget them." - Janine on the importance of ABM in marketing. Chapters

0:00 The Evolution of Demand Generation

00:32 Introduction and Greetings

00:42 Getting to Know Janine and Her Role at Lighthouse

01:32 Janine's Journey into Marketing

02:53 The Importance of Mentorship in Janine's Career

05:29 Challenges and Strategies in SaaS Businesses

07:17 Building and Restructuring a Global Demand Gen Team

11:57 Understanding Conversion Metrics and Funnel Optimization

19:01 Sales and Marketing Alignment in an Organization

21:26 Janine's Typical Work Week and Tech Stack

37:42 The Future of Marketing