#AskAVC with Ryan Floyd

Welcome to the latest episode of the #AskAVC podcast - and the first in the series of interviews with Dominique Levin, co-CEO of Winning by Design that helps B2B companies grow by turning sales into a science. What are leads and how they are different from opportunities? What is the role of marketing in generating leads? How the type of market you are in and the stage of your business impact your lead-generation strategy? What tools should you use for attacking an existing market versus creating demand in a brand new one? What is the difference between inbound & outbound strategies? Listen to the episode to get answers to all these questions - and much more! Here are the links that were mentioned in the discussion: Glengarry Glen Ross;  How to start a movement

Disclaimer: This podcast is based on the #AskAVC YouTube channel (youtube.com/askavc) - hence, the occasional visual references.

In the latest episode of the #AskAVC podcast, I go back to basics and dive deeper into some of the core concepts behind software as a service (or SaaS).  Why this term should not be confused with "subscriptions"?  What do you need to know about the market size for SaaS businesses?  What are some of the technical challenges you might run into when building a SaaS company? What business models might work for you? Listen to the episode to get answers to all these questions - and much more!

Disclaimer: This podcast is based on the #AskAVC YouTube channel (youtube.com/askavc) - hence, the occasional visual references.

In the latest episode of the #AskAVC podcast, I give founders and entrepreneurs tips on how to deal with acquisition interest. While it's undeniably a great problem to have, there are a few things you need to know to make the most out of the situation. How to make sure you take the right meetings with the right people and don't waste your time? How to build relationships that would help you and your company many years later down the road? What homework needs to be done? All that and much more - in episode 6 of the #AskAVC podcast.

Startup life is inherently complex and unpredictable and no matter how hard we try, failures - small and large - are inevitable. Yet, delivering bad news could be very uncomfortable. In episode #5 of the #AskAVC podcast, I give techniques and tips for leaders, founders - and anyone, really - that, in my experience, make those unpleasant moments easier to deal with.

A few things I talk about: 

1. It’s hard to deliver difficult news - but it's normal. You are not alone. 

2. Don’t bare your soul - focus on the issue at hand and stay professional. 

3. Don’t focus on blame - analyzing past mistakes and learning from them is important, but don't stay stuck in the past. 

4. Paint a path forward - as a leader, show the meaningful action plan to your employees, don't just "dump" the problems on them and walk away

5. Layoffs - one of the most challenging and not very often talked about aspects of going through hard times in business. 

6. Dealing with exec changes - complexity of layoffs multiplied by two. 

Disclaimer: This podcast is based on the #AskAVC YouTube channel (youtube.com/askavc) - hence, the occasional visual references.

Your business might be in great shape, but still, you might be having a hard time delivering your story and convincing potential investors to join you on your journey. What are the components of the successful presentation? How to tell your story? How to keep people's attention? In the new episode of the #AskaVC podcast, I am sharing the best practices I've learned after 20 years of investing in tech startups.

Disclaimer: This podcast is based on the #AskAVC YouTube channel (youtube.com/askavc) - hence, the occasional visual references.

In the previous episode of the #AskaVC podcast, we defined churn and looked at ways to measure it. Losing customers is never fun, but it's not the end of the world! In this video, we are going to figure out how to fix churn if your business metrics are not looking so good. 

Disclaimer: This podcast is based on the #AskAVC YouTube channel (youtube.com/askavc) - hence, the occasional visual references.

One of the advantages of SaaS businesses is that you build a customer base that should not only continue to renew over time but also expand if you are delivering value. The opposite is the dreaded revenue churn. What is it and how to measure it is the topic of episode #2 of the #AskAVC podcast. You can also check out the blog post based on this video, on my personal website. 

Disclaimer: This podcast is based on the #AskAVC YouTube channel (youtube.com/askavc) - hence, the occasional visual references.

In the first episode of the #AskAVC podcast, I talk about sales efficiency - the magic number that, if calculated right, helps tech startups to scale and unlock growth. How it's different from CAC and LTV, the relationship between sales efficiency and go-to-market fit - all this and much more I tackle in this video. For a deep dive, make sure also to check out my TechCrunch post on the same topic. 

Disclaimer: This podcast is based on the #AskAVC YouTube channel (youtube.com/askavc) - hence, the occasional visual references.