Tom Tunguz

MAY 15, 2022

As the fiscal quarters of many startups draw to a close, board members and management teams are having one of four conversations: The World is Your Oyster, Time to Strategize, Chewing Gravel, or Go Big/Go Profitable. The x-axis is the Zero Cash Date: when the startup runs out of money. Markets reverse in a moment.

Startup 355

Startup Outsourced Development Scale Banking 355

Tom Tunguz

FEBRUARY 26, 2025

Most startups play defense when discussing pricing with customers. They use pricing as an offensive tool to reinforce their product’s value and underscore the company’s core marketing message. Startups operate in newer markets where pricing standards haven’t been set. AWS, Twilio, Heroku, etc.

SaaS Payments 283

SaaS Payments Pricing Strategy Scale 283

Tom Tunguz

FEBRUARY 24, 2020

This is the theoretically ideal organizational chart of a startup. This is the org chart of the typical startup. As a startup evolves from product market fit to scaling, organizational design becomes an executive imperative. In the transition from product market fit to scaling, this is a key step.

Startup 312

Startup Scale Underperforming Technical Team Scaling 312

SaaStr

APRIL 20, 2024

Consistency is key in marketing. Product Marketing and Early-Stage Priorities Product marketing is not a priority for most startups. Founders should focus on simple messaging, effective emails, and valuable webinars before worrying about product marketing.

Sales Hiring 306

Sales Hiring Startup Marketing Technical Review 306

Tom Tunguz

JULY 25, 2020

Howeve you may count and divide marketing skills, marketing is the team with the broadest mandate of different techniques to master. To handle this complexity, some startups have split the role under two leaders: a head of product marketing and a head of demand generation. 464k results. This makes sense.

Sales Recruiting 246

Sales Recruiting Product Marketing Scale Sales Hiring 246

Intercom, Inc.

MAY 16, 2018

In this article, you’ll learn how to: Understand the role of product marketing. Start creating your product marketing plan. Create alignment between product and marketing. Walk into any product-first company and you’ll notice the common misconception that “marketing” is a dirty word.

Product Marketing 223

Product Marketing Strategy Marketing Sales Recruiting 223

SaaStr

JULY 24, 2024

In a recent Workshop Wednesday, SaaStr Founder and CEO, Jason Lemkin sat down to discuss 9 signs a startup isn’t going to make it. So, let’s look at the nine signs a startup will likely not be a real success. Sign #2: You’re Too Slow to Hire VPs If you want to gauge momentum in a startup, see how quickly they hire VPs.

Sales Hiring 306

Sales Hiring Startup Scale SMB 306

Tom Tunguz

NOVEMBER 9, 2019

The most frequent mishire in startups is the first head of marketing. Many different disciplines fall under marketing’s purview. The question facing founders recruiting marketers is: which is the most important to prioritize? Each of these kinds of marketers have critical skills for a startup.

Scale 255

Scale Startup Sales Recruiting Sales Hiring 255

SaaStr

MAY 13, 2024

Dear SaaStr: As a SaaS Founder, Can You Tell Us The Story of How You Found Product-Market Fit? When we launched we had a small but decent number of sign-ups, and once we had a paid product in a few months, a small number of reasonably happy paying customers. But at least a few that were happy. appeared first on SaaStr.

Product Marketing 246

Product Marketing Marketing SaaS B2B 246

SaaStr

APRIL 16, 2024

Dear SaaStr: What Do You Do When Your Startup is Not Growing Anymore? You probably have fallen out of product-market fit, partially or entirely. More on that here : When You Fall Out of Product-Market Fit (Updated) Second, focus on the customers you do have and making them super happy. First, be honest about why.

Startup 312

Startup B2B Metrics Product Marketing 312

SaaStr

JUNE 11, 2024

Dear SaaStr: What does a COO do in a tech startup/company? You need a VP of Sales, Product, Marketing, etc. Image from here ) The post Dear SaaStr: What Does a COO Typically Do at a SaaS Startup? How would the team be structured? Can you give an example? COO is a bit of a made-up job. You need a CEO.

Scale 284

Scale Sales Hiring Startup SaaS 284

SaaStr

AUGUST 27, 2021

Folks want to start startups because they have a chance to look like this: The true definition of a tech startup is probably one that if it truly achieves product-market fit, can scale almost infinitely. That’s the biggest difference between a small business and a classic tech startup. In 2014, it had 6 employees.

Startup 299

Startup Scaling Investment Product Marketing 299

Tom Tunguz

SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

I’ve playing with a new mental model for early-stage startups: a pendulum. There only two limiting factors in this mental model: product and go to market. At the moment a startup is founded, the business is product limited. You can’t do much without a product. And the pendulum swings back.

VP of Engineering 279

VP of Engineering Startup Sales Hiring compliance 279

SaaStr

AUGUST 9, 2024

From startup to $500M CARR, Spencer Burke, SVP of Growth at Braze, shares how Braze scaled a growth and customer success team. As an early startup team, you’re doing every job under the sun. You have to be scrappy at this stage, and Braze was trying to find product market fit with no product, no revenue, and no customers.

Scale 296

Scale Sales Hiring Scaling Startup 296

SaaStr

MARCH 1, 2025

4 Unexpected Learnings from Dave’s Scaling Journey The $30M Revenue Threshold : Companies that can reach $30M in revenue have typically found sufficient product-market fit to scale to $100M. The best leaders have experience with both startups and scale to navigate the in-between. 10-30M: Pattern matching phase.

Scale 191

Scale Systems Review Scaling Leadership 191

SaaStr

APRIL 18, 2023

Dear SaaStr: What Are The Things Startups Just Have to Get Right? Many startups don’t start off with particularly amazing software. First to Market? Product-market fit. You do have to eventually get to a minimum sellable product. You have to find a product the market wants to buy.

Outsourcing Services 289

Outsourcing Services Startup Outsourced Development Technology 289

SaaStr

FEBRUARY 4, 2024

Dear SaaStr: Can a startup without any prior experience raise money from venture capitalists (VCs)? They can probably raise pre-product. You need to prove product-market fit and strong growth, at least relatively speaking in the early days. Of course, but the answer is a bit more complicated than that.

Venture Capital 278

Venture Capital Startup Product Marketing Marketing 278

SaaStr

MARCH 12, 2025

With 10+ years as a CMO at companies ranging from $1M to $1B in revenue, another 10+ years as CEO of companies in the $0-$100M range, and extensive experience as an independent director on startup boards, Dave offers a 360-degree perspective on marketing’s role in SaaS success. This isn’t a generic Marketing 101 course.

Sales Hiring 207

Sales Hiring Marketing Technical Review Underperforming Technical Team 207

Tom Tunguz

AUGUST 2, 2019

If you must choose a long term headquarters for your startup, call an executive recruiter who focuses in that city. VP Engineering, VP Product, VP Sales, VP Customer Success, VP Marketing, or VP Operations. After establishing product market fit, the startups grow their management team to scale.

Sales Recruiting 255

Sales Recruiting Sales Hiring Startup Scale 255

SaaStr

MARCH 5, 2022

The life of a startup is not a smooth ride. Migrating from the hyper-growth and chaos of the early days seeking product-market fit is critical to managing growth in customers, employees, products, and geographies. Process is a friend, not a foe, in order to scale. Start-ups can be chaotic places.

Startup 316

Startup Leadership Innovation Scaling 316

Tom Tunguz

SEPTEMBER 16, 2017

How much should a SaaS startup invest in sales and marketing at different stages of the business? Sales and marketing investment depends on many different factors including establishing product market fit, the business’s sales model (inside, field, freemium), and not least, cash balance and fundraising capacity.

Investment 274

Investment Startup Marketing Sales 274

SaaStr

AUGUST 12, 2020

So, the company starts getting divided up into functional areas, or silos, product management, sales, customers support, marketing and so on, and this siloing of the org chart I think means that not everyone knows what everyone else is doing, and there’s a general feeling of disorganization or chaos in most startups.

Startup 299

Startup Software Review Scale Systems Review 299

Tom Tunguz

JULY 19, 2018

MMRs are minimum market requirements; basic features that every customer expects and demands. Differentiators are your startup’s competitive advantage. As a product manager, I’d never thought about this type of roadmap segmentation before. The startup must invest in that differentiation to sustain their market lead.

Investment 240

Investment Startup Churn Engineering 240

SaaStr

MARCH 23, 2025

5 Key Learnings from Scaling from 3 to 75 Go-To-Market Team Members in Less Than 12 Months The latest SaaStr CRO Confidential is out and Sam Blond did a great deep dive with Graham Mareno, VP of Worldwide Sales at Codeium. I really liked this one and wanted to write up a few more learnings.

Sales Recruiting 247

Sales Recruiting Sales Hiring Scale AI 247

Tom Tunguz

AUGUST 2, 2023

If a startup raised a top quartile Seed round, Series A, B, & C, they typically would have grown headcount by about 6% in the last twelve months. Startups with more business than they can handle should be scaling their teams to satisfy market demand. The headcount growth rate for all other companies? About double at 12%.

Headcount 244

Headcount Startup AI Scaling 244

SaaStr

MARCH 30, 2023

Dear SaaStr: What Does a Typical Day Look like for an Account Executive at a SaaS Startup With Under $1m ARR? Be an SDR, a demand generation person, a cold caller, a product marketer, an opener and a closer. This is a tough and very specific job. Most sales folks can’t do. Your boss may expect you to do it all. Everything.

Startup 300

Startup SaaS Sales Hiring Sales 300

SaaStr

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023

Lattice has launched four product suites in the last eight years, and the ideas that drove their growth apply to most companies today. This showcases a narrow segment of a niche market, and it’s missing a lot of startups. What Caused This Crowded Software Market? Startups are no longer fringe.

Scale 289

Scale Scaling Startup Sales Hiring 289

Tom Tunguz

JANUARY 17, 2019

This concentration limits the market size, but improves product market fit. AI Agencies use machine learning to disrupt a market dominated by agencies. Often, these startups begin as software companies selling machine learning software into agencies. The startup leverages machine learning under the hood.

Machine Learning 233

Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence AI Startup 233

Tom Tunguz

JUNE 21, 2022

In addition, Lee shared his view on usage-based pricing and defending a startup’s great asset, talent, from poaching during the next recovery. During the Office Hours, we talked about startups repricing their equity with new 409a valuations. Startups must prepare for the inevitable economic rebound. Usage-Based Pricing.

Startup 203

Startup Sales Hiring Outsourced Development Compensation 203

SaaStr

OCTOBER 6, 2023

If you’re a seed-stage startup, Michael shares the best ways for you to present your company to startup investors. This is the same advice they give YC companies to become much more successful at fundraising when they’re pre-product market fit. If this is week two of your startup, you probably don’t have any traction.

Payment Methods 278

Payment Methods Startup Payment Solutions Sales Hiring 278

Tom Tunguz

DECEMBER 9, 2020

Linda’s professional journey has taken her across businesses of all sizes — from startups in hypergrowth mode to mature, multi-hundred million-dollar businesses. She started off in product marketing at Google, helping launch Google Chrome and Android. A company is only as good as the sum of its parts.

Startup 259

Startup Management Systems Review Leadership 259

SaaStr

JUNE 28, 2023

As a founder of two different compound startups, each valued at above a billion dollars, he’s probably the best person in the world to share this alternative perspective. Beyond these two issues, companies face the problem of figuring out how to get to product number two when your entire company is oriented around having just one product.

Startup 264

Startup Software Sales Hiring Pricing 264

SaaStr

JANUARY 28, 2025

The company realizes that the startup space is highly competitive in terms of speed, and therefore, they need to execute extremely fast. The company spends a significant amount of time figuring out its market positioning, comparing against incumbents, creating a new category, or iterating on the message heard from customers.

AI Search 244

AI Search AI Artificial Intelligence Technical Review 244

SaaStr

JULY 3, 2020

349: Startups can get messy. And, wouldn’t it be nice if somehow we could turn this s**t show into an army where instead of having this startup chaos, we could get the team working in lock step. Basically, it’s based on a few very simple insights, but very few startups are actually doing these things.

Software Review 269

Software Review Scale Systems Review Startup 269

SaaStr

FEBRUARY 3, 2021

Be an SDR, a demand gen person, a cold caller, a product marketer, an opener and a closer. A related post here: The post One Tough (But Rewarding) Job: Being the First Sales Rep at a SaaS Startup appeared first on SaaStr. You’ll have to find a way to get more leads on your own. Your boss may expect you to do it all. Everything.

Sales Hiring 279

Sales Hiring Startup Sales SaaS 279