The SaaSiest Podcast

110. Ashley Herbert Popa, Global Director of Product Marketing, Tellent - Product Launch Strategies - the right way to do it!

In this episode, we speak with Ashley Herbert Popa, Global Director of Product Marketing, Tellent, the Talent Management Suite, that enables People teams to improve the full employee lifecycle with a cutting-edge Applicant Tracking System, CoreHR, and Performance Management Software. Today they empower over 7,000 organizations across 100+ countries with their HR tech solutions

We talked with Ashley about the strategies to put in play when releasing new products and features. We are particularly looking into the topic of what makes a good Product Release Strategy:  

- What is the difference between a Product launch vs a Feature Release?
- Which internal stakeholders, and how, are involved in a Product Launch?
- How do you align between product engineering and GTM teams?
- What is the role and output needed from the Product Marketing team to support a launch?
- How and when do you involve external stakeholders such as customers and partners?
- Which KPIs do you track to measure the success of a Product Launch?  

These are some of the many topics we address with Ashley. Please tune in to listen to her learnings from bringing several key launches to the market in recent years.

109. David Heinemeier Hansson, CTO, 37signals - Is it time to leave the cloud?

In this episode, we speak with David Heinemeier Hansson, CTO, 37signals, who built Basecamp, Hey, and created Ruby on Rails!

We talked with David about his decision to leave the cloud. Yes, you read that right, they've moved their offerings out of the cloud setup we all know as standard in B2B SaaS. Here is what we address in this episode:  

- What does it mean to leave the cloud?
- Why and how is it done?
- What are the risks associated with such a move?
- How does this affect internal competence needs?
- What does it do to customer relationships?

These are some of the many topics we address with David. Please tune in to hear from his learnings on doing what many would consider, the unthinkable, moving out of the cloud.

A big thanks to Vanta for sponsoring this episode. SaaSiest listeners get 20% off Vanta at https://vanta.com/SaaSiest

108. Evelien Sanders, Global Director Customer Success, GoodHabitz - Revenue Org = Marketing + Sales + Customer Success

In this episode, we speak with Evelien Sanders, Global Director Customer Success, GoodHabitz, the learning platform used by companies worldwide to support the personal development of their staff.

We talked with Evelien about the setup of a Revenue organization and the role of CS in such a setup.  We are particularly looking into the topic of leadership and process:  

- What is the definition of a Revenue team?
- What is the role of CS in a revenue team?
- What role does internal enablement play in aligning the revenue team?
- Which are the key different roles in a CS team that complete a team?
- How should a revenue team be led?

These are some of the many topics we address with Evelien. Please tune in to listen to her learnings from optimizing the collaboration between CS, Marketing and Sales.

107. Monica Elgemark, CMO, Oneflow - What can SaaS scaleups learn from traditional enterprise organizations?

In this episode, we speak with Monica Elgemark, CMO, Oneflow, the platform that automates the entire contract process from start to finish, all in one place. 

We talked with Monica about her learnings from working with large enterprise companies and which of those learnings we can benefit from in SaaS scaleups.  We are particularly looking into the topic of leadership and process:  

- How are investment decisions being made and prioritized?
- What is the role of the business case?
- How to lead is different in an enterprise organization - how can we leverage that in SaaS?
- How to have a clear emphasis on performance in the cultural values?

These are some of the many topics we address with Monica. Please tune in to listen to her learnings from bringing the best of the Enterprise world into the SaaS scale-up organization.

106. Bastian Karweg, CEO, Dealfront - SaaS Merger - when 2 become 1!

In this episode, we speak with Bastian Karweg, CEO, 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 Bastian about his learnings from the merger of two SaaS businesses with each 10M+ Euro ARR and 100+ strong workforces into one unified organization.  We are particularly looking into the challenging and rewarding elements of a journey of this kind:  

- What was the origin of this merger?
- Why the C-suite merger workshops are key prior to finalizing a full company merger?
- What are the critical stages of a merger of this size that you need to get right?
- How do you bridge two established company cultures into something that unites everyone?
- How do you allocate new roles, teams, and responsibilities in a way that moves the business forward?

These are some of the many topics we address with Bastian. Tune in to listen to his learnings on the key activities to focus on to optimize the chances of a smooth and successful merger.

105. Jacob Top Møller, Founder, Top Møller Venture & Consult - MEDDIC, the way to reverse engineer a purchase decision!

In this episode, we speak with Jacob Top Møller, Founder, Top Møller Venture & Consult, about MEDDIC and why it has grown so popular in the SaaS industry!

In particular, we dig into the inner concepts of MEDDIC and what it really means to run this methodology in your revenue team:  

- What does MEDDIC stand for?
- How is it different from other sales methodologies? 
- Who is it for?
- How do you start with MEDDIC?
- What are the Pros and Cons of the methodology and pitfalls to be aware of?

These are some of the many topics we address with Jacob. Tune in to learn about MEDDIC and how it may be relevant for your organization too.

104. Bridget Harris, CEO & Co-Founder, YouCanBookMe - Reflections from a bootsrapping journey to $5M in ARR?

In this episode, we speak with Bridget Harris, CEO & Co-Founder, YouCanBookMe, the scheduling and booking platform that is fully customizable to each and every customer's needs, with more than 1m users across 100 countries!

We talk with Bridget about what it takes to bootstrap a business to a scale-up with millions in ARR - particularly looking into the challenging and rewarding elements of a journey of this kind :  

- What is the true definition of a bootstrapped SaaS business?
- How does one decide whether to be bootstrapped or not?
- What is the best way to strike a balance between control & autonomy vs. extra fuel & adjusted timelines that VC investments can give you?
- What are some of the key benefits vs. critical limitations to be aware of when bootstrapping a business?

These are some of the many topics we address with Bridget. Tune in to learn from her amazing journey to get a look behind the scenes of a bootstrapped scale-up. 

103. Nils Vold, Partner, Verdane - How will Generative AI transofrm B2B SaaS?

In this episode, we speak with Nils Vold, Partner, Verdane, the equity investment firm that partners with tech-enabled and sustainable businesses based out of Europe to help them reach the next stage of international growth!

We talk with Nils about how this latest disruption in tech, Generative AI, will impact the B2B SaaS world - particularly looking behind the short-term AI hype to understand the long-term effects:  

- How is the introduction of Generative AI compared to other historical tech disruptions?
- What different levels of AI exist today?
- How will AI affect the different disciplines in SaaS?
- What are some of the risks and challenges with AI at this point that we need to navigate as SaaS operators?
- Will we see a dedicated Chief AI Officer in every organization?

These are some of the many topics we address with Nils. Tune in to get his perspective on how Generative AI will impact B2B SaaS and what you may want to think about getting in place today to be ready for the future. 

102. Osen Akkemik, Senior Director Customer Success, Genesys - How to avoid churn in your CS team!

In this episode, we speak with Osen Akkemik, Senior Director Customer Success, Genesys, the all-in-one Experience as a Service Platform that manages billions of of interactions for organizations in more than 100 countries - a true global leader in its space!

We talk with Osen about how to keep the CS team motivated, energized, and incentivized - particularly what methods they are using to keep staff churns down in the CS team:  

- How do you keep people engaged and motivated?
- What is the role of the open door policy?
- Why do 1–1 ones with the Director matter for the individual CSMs? 
- What is the power of individual career plans and personal journey tracks?
- What are are 3 main tips to avoid churn in the CSM org?

These are some of the many topics we address with Osen. Tune in to learn from her experience in managing a large Customer Success organization to learn what you can be doing on your end to keep your CS organization continuing to excel with energy. 

101. Marie Ahlberg, CFO, Quinyx - Here’s how the CFO role evolves over time as your business grows?

In this episode, we speak with Marie Ahlberg, CFO, Quinyx, the all-in-one Frontline Platform that helps over one million workers keep track of their daily schedules for a better work-life balance, trusted by enterprises worldwide.

We talk with Marie about the role of the CFO - particularly how the role and responsibility evolve as the business evolves! Topics that are being addressed in this episode are:  

- At what point do you need a CFO? Why?
- What is the dynamic and role split between the CFO and CEO?
- What does the evolution of the CFO role look like over time?
- How does the CFO team evolve over time and why?
- How to find balance between the short-term tactical execution vs long-term strategic advisor role?

These are some of the many topics we address with Marie. Tune in to learn from her journey as a CFO through the phases of startups to large enterprises with global presence. Great insights on how the role and responsibility need to evolve to support the business objectives in the best way possible.