The SaaSiest Podcast

135. Markus Ståhlberg, CEO & Co-Founder, N.Rich - Outplay when you can't Outspend!

In this episode, we speak with Markus Ståhlberg, CEO & Co-Founder, N.Rich, the Account-based GTM Platform best suited for fast-growing mid-market and enterprise companies. It's been recognized in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Account-Based Marketing Platforms report and is the only provider Headquartered in Europe.

We talked with Markus about how to approach a market where you are up against competition that has more funding, bigger teams, and greater spending! In particular, we are looking into the process of outplaying them rather than outspending them:

- How do you differentiate your offering in a market with larger competitors, and ensure it resonates with your target customers?

- What tactics can be used to get the initial attention on your terms?

- Can limited resources, in fact, be a competitive edge? How can you leverage that you are a “smaller” player towards the customer?

- What strategies are feasible to build a loyal customer base and meet their needs better than your competitors?

- Which are the common traps to avoid when going up against the big ones?

These are some of the many questions we address with Markus. Please tune in to hear how Markus' learnings from being the up and commer in a market with established large players can inspire you to run strategies and plays that help on your journey.

134. Vincent Jong, VP Product, Dealfront - PLG and Human approach in symbiosis!

In this episode, we speak with Vincent Jong, VP Product, Dealfront, the Go-to-Market Platform giving sales and marketing teams the data, applications, and insights they need to win any European market. 

We talked with Vincent about how you can approach a PLG motion, from a product and commercial perspective! In particular, we are looking into a step-by-step approach:

- How shall a PLG approach be combined with the humans in the Go-to-Market

- What type of small experiments can be leveraged to introduce PLG elements into a human-driven GTM operation

- What key strategies do you employ in the product design to ensure immediate value delivery and a frictionless onboarding experience for new users?

- How do you integrate product analytics and user feedback mechanisms to continuously refine the product experience, prioritize features, and drive user engagement in a PLG context?

These are some of the many questions we address with Vincent. Please tune in to hear how Vincent is paving the way for a PLG & human-led approach, one step at a time, to further improve the customer experience.

133. Janus Klok Matthesen, Co-founder and CTO, Pixelz - Is AI going to replace Software Engineers?

In this episode, we speak with Janus Klok Matthesen, Co-founder and CTO, Pixelz, the post-production software for global brands, retailers, and photo studios, having retouched more than 55 million product images and counting. 

We talked with Janus about the entrance of AI into the day-to-day work tasks! In particular, we are looking into how AI will change the role of the engineering teams going forward:

- What is the role of the Engineer in the AI future?

- Who does what, person vs machine?

- What are the low-hanging efficiency gains with the introduction of AI for engineering?

- Which AI tool sets are you using in your engineering team to maximize efficiency and value?

- What are the risks you foresee with AI in engineering?

These are some of the many questions we address with Janus. Please tune in to hear how Janus sees the future of engineering teams and their roles in this new era of building software.

132. Martin Lidgard, Founder & CEO, Web Manuals - Design your future with strategic projects!

Martin Lidgard, Founder & CEO, Web Manuals, the All-in-One Document Management System For Aviation Professionals that has bootstrapped past 10m Euro in ARR and continues to grow fast globally.

We talked with Martin about empowering team members! In particular, we are looking into the methods of how you can include, enable, and empower younger talent to run key strategic projects with success, and what that does to the culture of the business:

- It all starts with onboarding, how do you do this efficiently in the sense that people are truly ready when the onboarding period is over?

- How can you leverage in-person cohort onboarding periods and bi-yearly company-wide kickoffs to foster co-learning?

- How do you decide when and which strategic projects a new member takes on?

- What is the role of this power of distribution and decision-making?

- How does leadership take form in an organization like this?

These are some of the many questions we address with Martin. Please tune in to hear how Martin's dedicated investment in young talents has turned into a strategic success factor for the business.

131. Nathan Latka, CEO, Founderpath - Get more customer and get them to pay more!

In this episode, we speak with Nathan Latka, CEO, Founderpath, who helps founders get capital without having to raise equity. Founders connect their bank accounts, customer information, and other data to get a credit score. Based on this credit score, Founderpath lends the company money.

We talked with Nathan about his journey in SaaS, about non-dilutive capital, when he is running for President of the United States of America, and much more! Here are some of the topics addressed:

- Lessons learned from his journey as a SaaS founder?

- The role and cost of non-dilutive capital in a SaaS growth journey?

- Which are some of the SaaS companies that impress him for their smart ways of doing things?

- What is the best way for SaaS companies to grow in this day of age?

These are some of the many questions we address with Nathan. Please tune in to this conversation with one of the modern SaaS legends, to hear his thoughts on SaaS and life!

130. Liza Collin, Product Director, Visma - The rule of 78th - the real impact of a delay is much greater than you think!

In this episode, we speak with Liza Collin, Product Director, Visma, the group behind mission-critical business software for a more efficient and resilient society. With 15,000 employees, 1,700,000 private and public sector customers across Europe and Latin America, and a net revenue of €2,000+ million this is a giant in the SaaS space.

We talked with Liza about Using the rule of 78 to calculate delayed GTM impact, and how to avoid GTM delays! In particular, we are looking into the financial impact of a delayed GTM process:

- Why 78? What does the rule of 78 mean and showcase?

- How do you calculate the financial impact of a GTM delay?

- What are the most common reasons for GTM delays, and how can companies anticipate or mitigate these challenges upfront?

- Given the complex nature of launching new products or services, what are some strategies companies can use to streamline their GTM process?

- Who owns the main responsibility for avoiding GTM delays?

These are some of the many questions we address with Liza. Please tune in to hear here describe how you can use the rule of 78 to highlight the importance of speed to avoid a big financial impact, Even if it is just a month or two of a delay, the financial burden of such a delay is exponentially heavy to take on, which is what the rule of 78 will showcase.

129. Niclas Lilja, Founder & CEO, Younium - Going to the promised land for SaaS - the ups and downs!

In this episode, we speak with Niclas Lilja, Founder & CEO, Younium, the subscription management tool that integrates into your existing systems to streamline subscription management, invoicing/billing, financial reporting, and data insights.

We talked with Niclas about how it is to take your SaaS to the US! In particular, we are looking into the good, bad, and the ugly that the first year of business in the US brings:

- When is your SaaS business ready to establish a local presence in the US?

- What have been the main challenges in the first year in business in the US?

- What adjustments and potential compromises must you make to make it fly in the US?

- From a personal perspective, what do you need to consider when moving your entire family over?

These are some of the many questions we address with Niclas. Please tune in to hear what Niclas has to say about the first year in the US with his European HQ SaaS, the lessons learned and the advice to other leaders planning do the same. 

128. Michael Versluis, CEO & Founder, Expansify - How to land your first customer in the US?

In this episode, we speak with Michael Versluis, CEO & Founder, Expansify, the GTM agency helping European SaaS companies to a successful market entry in the US.

We talked with Michael about landing your first customer in the US when your home market is the EU! In particular, we are looking into some of the proven steps and actions required to be successful from his learnings taking his previous business to the US:

- How did you identify the specific needs of the U.S. market for your SaaS product, and what steps did you take to tailor your solution to meet these needs?

- Could you share the story of how you acquired your first customer?

- What were the key challenges and how did you overcome them?

- What sales strategies were most effective in the early stages of your business, especially in a competitive market like the U.S.?

These are some of the many questions we address with Michael. Please tune in to learn from Michael's experience and his top three pieces of advice to follow when trying to acquire your first customers in the U.S.

127. Mats Nyberg, CEO, Trippus Event Solutions - How to become an Event champion?

In this episode, we speak with Mats Nyberg, CEO, Trippus Event Solutions, the event platform that enables organizers of events, conferences, trade fairs, and training courses to create websites and mobile applications for their events.

We talked with Mats about what it takes for a SaaS company to build a successful events program! In particular, we are looking into the processes needed, and the resources required to be successful:

- What are the key ingredients to be successful with your events?

- How should you measure success?

- How do you calculate ROI short-term vs long-term?

- What internal resources vs external resources are often required to pull off successful events?

- What are the most common mistakes people make with their event planning, and how to overcome them?

These are some of the many questions we address with Mats. Please tune in to learn Mats' main tips on how you also can become an event champion, host your audience, and be in control of the narrative.

126. Jesper Larsen, Partner Director, Voyado - How to build Partnership Programs that drive real business value!

In this episode, we speak with Jesper Larsen, Partner Director, Voyado, the loyalty platform, Voyado unifies data and insights so marketers can understand their customers throughout the entire customer lifecycle. 

We talked with Jesper about what it takes to build Partnerships & Alliances that drive real business value! In particular, we are looking into the dynamics of defining a partner program that is fundamentally aligned with the business's overall objective:

- Which are the 3 main business cases to build a partner program around?

- Where do you need to allocate resources to get your partnership program off the ground?

- How does a partner organization need to be structured, based on what kind of partnership programs you run?

- What are some key KPIs that you can use to track the success of the 3 different partner models?

These are some of the many questions we address with Jesper. Please tune in to learn how Jesper and the team are leveraging partnerships to accelerate their business growth.