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SaaSy Talk Unfiltered
By Ricky and SeanTechnology
SaaSy Talk Unfiltered episodes
- SaaSy Talk S01.06: Building a Unicorn startup requires aligning culture, hiring the right people, and focusing on key metrics
About The Guest(s):
Ashik Ahmed is the co-founder, ex-CEO of Deputy, now a board member of Deputy, a global workforce management platform for employee scheduling, timesheets and communication.
Summary:
Ashik Ahmed, co-founder of Deputy, shares his journey of starting the workforce management software company and the lessons he has learned along the way. He emphasises the importance of finding the right fit for executives and the need to align their values with the company's mission. Ashik also discusses the challenges of scaling a business and the importance of maintaining a strong company culture. He highlights the need for founders to prioritise their mental well-being and family life, as they are the most important assets for the business.
Key Takeaways:
Executives should be aligned with the company's values and mission to ensure success.
Hiring the right people is crucial, as the wrong fit can lead to negative outcomes.
Founders should prioritise their mental well-being and family life to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Operational excellence is key to success, and companies should strive for continuous improvement.
Building a strong company culture is essential for long-term success.
Quotes:
"Just because they have done very well, it's not that they will do very well over here." - Ashik Ahmed
"Failure is not an option." - Ashik Ahmed
"Culture is the collective behaviour of everybody that works in the company." - Ashik Ahmed
"Don't victimise yourself. You are one of the most fortunate people in the world." - Ashik Ahmed
Chapters:
(00:41) Ashik's journey and how he co-founded Deputy
(02:41) Challenges and doubts faced in the early years
(05:00) Failure in outbound sales and the win with the Xero partnership
(09:27) Learning from mistakes and not giving up
(12:00) Challenges of maintaining culture as a company scales
(15:00) Importance of hiring the right executives
(21:46) Differentiating between valuable advice and "bullshit"
(25:10) The importance of different focuses at different stages of a company
(27:06) Balancing time with team and board as CEO.
(33:39) Quick fire-round
Subscribe on Spotify:
SaaSy Talk Unfiltered | Podcast on Spotify
Subscribe on YouTube:
SAASY TALK UNFILTERED - YouTube
Subscribe on Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/saasy-talk-unfiltered
Subscribe to our Newsletter:
SaaSyTalkUnfiltered | Substack
Visit our Website:
SaaSy Talk Unfiltered (transistor.fm)
Follow Ricky Sevta on Linkedin:
Ricky Sevta | LinkedIn
Follow Sean Diljore on Linkedin:
Sean Diljore | LinkedIn
41 min - SaaSy Talk S01.05: Building a Remote-First Unicorn Company: Challenges and Successes
About The Guest(s):
Co-Founder and Co-CEO Alina Vandenberghe created Chili Piper in 2016, the conversion platform for B2B sales, marketing, and implementation teams. With 45,000+ customers like Spotify, Airbnb, Gong, and Shopify, Chili Piper automates scheduling, lead qualification, and routing throughout all stages of the funnel.
The born entrepreneur started her first company before high school before she even knew what entrepreneurism was. After building mobile products loved by millions — and that were keynoted by Steve Jobs on stage — Alina decided to take her product management talents to B2B software solutions
Summary:
Alina Vandenberghe, CEO and co-founder of Chili Piper, shares her journey from Romania to the US and her passion for entrepreneurship. She discusses the challenges of working in corporate America and the freedom she found in building her own company. Alina also talks about the benefits and challenges of working with her husband as a co-founder and the importance of managing conflict in a relationship. She explains why Chili Piper decided to be a remote-first company and how they maintain a vibrant culture despite being geographically dispersed. Alina also provides insights into their hiring process for remote workers and the key characteristics they look for in candidates. She discusses the importance of onboarding and the need for self-accountability in a remote work environment. Alina shares her excitement for the future of Chili Piper and the challenges of scaling the business. She emphasizes the importance of being a problem solver and the joy she finds in building things.
Key Takeaways:
Alina's drive for independence and freedom led her to pursue entrepreneurship and build her own company.
Working with a spouse can be rewarding if there is trust, respect, and effective conflict management in both personal and professional life.
Remote work offers flexibility and freedom, but it requires self-discipline and the ability to manage loneliness.
Hiring remote workers requires finding individuals who are self-sufficient, have good work habits, and can thrive in a remote work environment.
Onboarding is crucial for remote workers to ensure they understand the company's values, products, and remote work expectations.
Quotes:
"The fact that it's hard and complicated, that's what excites me the most."
"I always wanted to be the CEO of a company ever since I was a child."
"We recommend that (remote workers) work out of an office, a shared office, a co-working space with other people."
"As long as the values that are important to us are instilled and we are supporting their growth... then I think they're going to be okay."
"Every stage of the company is really hard because you've not been exposed to it before... it's an ever-evolving skill set."
Chapters:
(0:00:30) Alina's desire to come to the US for more opportunities
(0:02:35) Alina's dissatisfaction with corporate America and desire for independence
(0:03:44) Alina and her husband's successful working relationship at Chili Piper.
(0:08:19) Characteristics sought in remote workers: self-sufficiency and self-accountability.
(0:15:35) Moments of realization that the business was taking off
(0:18:44) Transitioning from founder-led sales to external leadership
(0:21:19) Work life integration vs work life balance
(0:25:52) Balancing CEO responsibilities and collaborating with the board
(0:32:39) Excitement about growing Chili Piper and facing new challenges
(0:33:57) Quick Fire-Round
Subscribe on Spotify:
SaaSy Talk Unfiltered | Podcast on Spotify
Subscribe on YouTube:
SAASY TALK UNFILTERED - YouTube
Subscribe on Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/saasy-talk-unfiltered
Subscribe to our Newsletter:
SaaSyTalkUnfiltered | Substack
Visit our Website:
SaaSy Talk Unfiltered (transistor.fm)
Follow Ricky Sevta on Linkedin:
Ricky Sevta | LinkedIn
Follow Sean Diljore on Linkedin:
Sean Diljore | LinkedIn
36 min - SaaSy Talk S01.04: Chris Orlob Discusses Sales, Hiring, and Scaling at Gong and P Club
About The Guest(s):
Chris Orlob is the CEO of pclub.io - the #1 online learning and skills platform for revenue professionals. Prior to that, he helped grow Gong from $200k to $200M ARR and a $7.2 billion valuation within 5 years.
Summary:
Chris shares his journey into sales, starting with selling golf balls as a child and later realizing the potential for a lucrative career in sales. He joined Gong, a startup in its early stages, and played a key role in its growth. Chris emphasizes the importance of a clear hiring profile and a repeatable sales process. He also discusses the impact of AI on sales and the future of the industry. Chris advises founders to invest in marketing and build an audience of superfans. He also highlights the need for business acumen and intellectual horsepower in sales reps.
Key Takeaways:
Chris emphasizes the importance of hiring people with business acumen and raw intellectual horsepower.
Investing in marketing and building an audience of superfans is crucial for success.
The future of sales may involve AI-driven skill assessments and AI role plays.
The first comp plan for early hires should be focused on new customer acquisition and be generous with accelerators.
Quotes:
"Business acumen is probably the most underrated body of knowledge when it comes to sales success."
"If you don't piss somebody off by noon each day, you're not marketing your business hard enough."
"Most startups are trying to acquire new customers, so you should orient the commission payout to be almost exclusively on new customer acquisition."
"Be generous when people perform, but be stingy if they don't."
Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction and discussion about how Chris got into sales
(04:10) Gong was a small company with $178,000 ARR when Chris joined
(10:41) Gong cracked the code by creating a playbook for success
(14:41) Developing hiring profiles for salespeople.
(21:06) Hiring for ambiguity is still a challenge for P Club.
(25:15) Need to hire builders as the company scales
(26:37) Overview of P Club and its vision
(31:37) Future of sales and AI
(35:20) Biggest mistake founders make when scaling
(46:41) Quick Fire-Round
Subscribe on Spotify:
SaaSy Talk Unfiltered | Podcast on Spotify
Subscribe on YouTube:
SAASY TALK UNFILTERED - YouTube
Subscribe on Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/saasy-talk-unfiltered
Subscribe to our Newsletter:
SaaSyTalkUnfiltered | Substack
Visit our Website:
SaaSy Talk Unfiltered (transistor.fm)
Follow Ricky Sevta on Linkedin:
Ricky Sevta | LinkedIn
Follow Sean Diljore on Linkedin:
Sean Diljore | LinkedIn
50 min - SaaSy Talk S01.03: Ian Paice opens up about his journey from private equity to becoming an operator
About The Guest(s):
Ian Paice is the Chief of Staff at Panopto. Prior to joining Panopto, Ian was the Senior Director of Business Acceleration with the K1 Operations Team. Ian has worked with B2B Enterprise SaaS businesses for over 7 years focusing on implementing value creation strategies across Operations, GTM, M&A, and Change Management. Ian received a B.S. in Business Administration from Boston University.
Summary:
Ian discusses his journey from private equity to becoming Chief of Staff at Panopto, a software company. He shares his background and how he discovered his passion for working in the tech industry. Ian explains the reasons behind his transition and the challenges and rewards of being an operator. He emphasizes the importance of alignment, communication, and prioritization in his role as Chief of Staff. Ian also discusses the shift in focus from new customer acquisition to customer expansion and retention at Panopto.
Chapters:
(0:00:28) Transition from working in private equity to joining Panapto
(0:04:12) Value of being an operator in the software industry
(0:04:53) Challenges faced in transitioning from the investment side
(0:08:13) Importance of daily check-ins for alignment and communication
(0:09:13) Learning to let others take ownership and scale oneself
(0:11:23) The value of being a "Swiss Army knife" in a company
(0:16:46) The challenges of transparency and communication
(0:24:21) Leveraging AI to add value to customers
(0:26:00) Shifting focus from new customer acquisition to expansion
(0:29:48) Tips for transitioning from investor to operator
(0:36:32) The current state of the market and being choosy
(0:37:12)Quick Fire-Round
Key Takeaways:
Transitioning from private equity to an operator role requires time to learn and understand the company's dynamics and culture.
Building alignment and communication across the organization is crucial for effective operations.
Prioritizing customer expansion and retention is essential for long-term success.
Transparency should be balanced with the need for fully baked plans and clear communication.
The power of choice and differentiation are key factors in the tech industry's future success.
Quotes:
"One of the biggest challenges and rewards of being a button-seat operator is the deeper understanding and appreciation for what goes on day-to-day." - Ian
"The right people can make things way easier, and making the wrong hire can be detrimental to the business." - Ian
"Transparency should be thoughtful and strategic, avoiding communication for the sake of communication." - Ian
"The companies that can harness human capital in the most efficient way will be the ones that achieve huge success." - Ian
"The future of the tech industry will require differentiation and a focus on human capital." - Ian
Subscribe on Spotify:
SaaSy Talk Unfiltered | Podcast on Spotify
Subscribe on YouTube:
SAASY TALK UNFILTERED - YouTube
Subscribe on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/saasy-talk-unfiltered
Subscribe to our Newsletter:
SaaSyTalkUnfiltered | Substack
Visit our Website:
SaaSy Talk Unfiltered (transistor.fm)
Follow Ricky Sevta on Linkedin:
Ricky Sevta | LinkedIn
Follow Sean Diljore on Linkedin:
Sean Diljore | LinkedIn
41 min - SaaSy Talk S01.E02: Journey from being the first sales hire at the company to expanding Internationally
About The Guest:
Roi is the CRO of Uptick, a company that provides asset maintenance software for Fire & security companies. Founded in 2014, Uptick now employs 80+ full time staff, and its customers maintain 800k+ buildings and 10+ million assets across both the UK and ANZ. Roi was the first commercial hire in the company straight out of university.
Episode Summary:
Roi Abraham, CRO of Uptick, shares his journey from being the first sales hire at the company to leading the expansion into the UK market. He emphasizes the importance of being hands-on and doing the work, as well as the value of hiring the right people and building a strong team. Roi also discusses the significance of consistency, failure, and learning by doing in sales. He highlights the importance of focusing on the right customers and providing excellent customer service. Roi also shares his thoughts on multi-year contracts and the need to prioritize the customer's best interests. He emphasizes the importance of simplicity in compensation structures and aligning incentives with the company's goals. Roi also discusses the role of marketing in sales and the importance of a unified approach. He shares his favorite sports team, music genre, movie, and travel destination.
Chapters:
(0:00:00) Lack of marketing department and importance of doing the work
(0:00:43) Luck led to joining Uptick as first commercial hire
(0:02:00) Started in sales as an SDR, facilitating founder's sales
(0:03:55) No playbook, just pick up the phone and be relentless
(0:15:00) Choosing to expand Uptick to the UK market.
(0:17:19) Building a model and making key hires for UK expansion.
(0:26:26) Customer profiling and targeting innovative iguanas for success
(0:34:47) BDRs and SDRs are the marketing team
(0:37:18) Quick-Fire Round
Key Takeaways:
- Being hands-on and doing the work is important, even as a leader.
- Hiring the right people and building a strong team is crucial for success.
- Consistency and learning from failure are key to growth in sales.
- Focusing on the right customers and providing excellent customer service is essential.
- Multi-year contracts may not always serve the customer's best interests.
- Simplicity in compensation structures and aligning incentives with company goals is important.
- Marketing and sales should work together as one team.
Quotes:
- "I think it's super important that you're still doing the doing in some way or form, and your team will love you and appreciate you."
- "If you're good, trust me, I'll do anything to retain you and I'll find a role for you."
- "Consistency, like all things in all businesses, is the key."
- "If you can be consistent at something and you can keep doing those things and if you understand the base metrics of what you need to achieve and you do it, you figure it out, success follows."
- "Let them go and leave a good taste in their mouth and yours."
- "Your customers, if they're super happy with the terms, they will stay."
- "The health of my sales guys and girls, how packed their calendar is, is the health of the company."
- "If you're fishing in the right place with the right tools, with the right rod, you will catch fish."
- "Keep it simple. It incentivizes them more if it's complicated."
- "We're one slack channel. We're all working together towards a common goal."
- "Your BDRs and SDRs are literally the marketing team out there."
- "Your marketing team is in Asylum on the side, it's a complete waste."
Subscribe on Spotify:
SaaSy Talk Unfiltered | Podcast on Spotify
Subscribe on YouTube:
SAASY TALK UNFILTERED - YouTube
Subscribe on Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/saasy-talk-unfiltered
Subscribe to our Newsletter:
SaaSyTalkUnfiltered | Substack
Visit our Website: SaaSy Talk Unfiltered (transistor.fm)
Follow Ricky Sevta on Linkedin:
Ricky Sevta | LinkedIn
Follow Sean Diljore on Linkedin:
Sean Diljore | LinkedIn
40 min - SaaSy Talk S01.E01: Building a Successful Sales Team, Key Tips for Founders
About The Guest:
Matt has led sales and operations for multiple hyper-growth, venture backed tech companies. In these roles, he oversaw personnel management, strategic planning and sales leadership in multiple markets across the U.S. He now helps run Sales Assembly, an organization trusted by the GTM teams of hundreds of B2B SaaS companies.He's also a pretty good husband, an even better father, an international travel enthusiast, and if there's a Simpson's quoting competition he would undoubtedly place in the top 3 (provided the focus was on seasons 1 through 11).
------------------------------------------------------------Episode Summary:Matt Green, co-founder of Sales Assembly, shares his insights on building successful sales teams and developing a strong sales playbook. He emphasizes the importance of finding the right people for your team, rather than relying on big logos or established organizations. Matt also discusses the challenges of transitioning from a founder-led sale to a true go-to-market motion and the need for consistency in training and development. He highlights the shift in Sales Assembly's focus from training for job titles to training for skills, and the impact it will have on their organization.------------------------------------------------------------Chapters:(00:00) Mistake of founders thinking big logos guarantee success in hires(01:09) Accidental entry into sales after studying criminal justice(03:40) Sales Assembly started as a solution to common sales complaints(06:46) Importance of finding the right people when building a team(08:45) Sales playbook should be written by the first sales hire(10:28) Critical elements of a sales playbook: process, methodology, language(14:25) Onboarding new sales teams can be challenging without consistency(20:57) Hiring slower and firing quicker improves team quality(22:07) Focusing on hiring A players only is crucial for success(26:44) Revenue being seen as a team sport, but sales getting blamed in tough times(31:36) Excelling in sales as an introvert(33:06) Excitement for training for skills rather than job titles(35:31) Quick-Fire Round------------------------------------------------------------Key Takeaways:- Finding the right people is crucial when building a sales team, rather than relying on big logos or established organizations.- Transitioning from a founder-led sale to a true go-to-market motion requires careful planning and consideration.- Consistency and alignment towards a mission are essential for building a strong sales team and company culture.- Building a sales playbook should focus on defining the sales process, methodology, and language used in communication with prospects.- Hiring slower and firing quicker can lead to better long-term success in building a sales team.------------------------------------------------------------Quotes:- "A mistake that we see a lot of founders make when they start making their first hires on the go-to-market team is they think that working at big logos or established organizations like Salesforce is going to automatically translate to success." - Matt Green- "If it's not a fuck yes, it's a fuck no. We're A players only over here." - Matt Green- "Consistency and alignment towards a mission are crucial for building a strong sales team and company culture." - Matt Green------------------------------------------------------------Subscribe on Spotify: SaaSy Talk Unfiltered | Podcast on Spotify
Subscribe on YouTube: SAASY TALK UNFILTERED - YouTube
Subscribe on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/saasy-talk-unfiltered
Subscribe to our Newsletter: SaaSyTalkUnfiltered | Substack
Visit our Website: SaaSy Talk Unfiltered (transistor.fm)
Follow Ricky Sevta on Linkedin: Ricky Sevta | LinkedIn
Follow Sean Diljore on Linkedin: Sean Diljore | LinkedIn
Follow Matt Green on Linkedin: Matt Green | LinkedIn
38 min
About SaaSy Talk Unfiltered
From the publisher's feed
Join Ricky and Sean as they chat with phenomenal guests – the top SaaS Founders, Leaders, Investors, and Individual Contributors out there. Our mission? To share their stories, the rollercoaster…
journeys they've taken, and the invaluable lessons they've acquired. Tune in for an unfiltered and enlightening exploration of the world of SaaSy Talk!