The Martell Method w/ Dan Martell

Check Out: The Power of Believing in others -  https://youtu.be/TOv8AQUUoEg

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I grew up an introvert.

Hunched over behind a computer in the late 90s, writing lines of code, hoping I never had to talk to anybody.


If you would have told me that one-day people would pay me $10,000+ to give a keynote presentation to an audience of hundreds…


I would have laughed my ass off and called you an offensive word.


...Then I would have vomited. 


Right on the floor.


Public speaking TERRIFIED the absolute %^&* out of me!


The thought of speaking to an audience made my stomach churn to the point of making me sick.


But with time, I learned the value of pushing myself outside of my comfort zone.


That it was possible to overcome fear.


And that out of the ashes of my terror, I could find confidence.


So going back 10+ years, I began to challenge myself to face my fear and learn public speaking. It’s been a long, difficult journey, but damn it’s been rewarding.


From a fumbling, nervous wreck to a confident speaker, I now want to share with you the greatest lessons I’ve learnt.


Here are 5 tips for beginners to improve public speaking... FAST!


“Oh he’s a natural”, they say.


Nope. I did my reps at the microphone, worked that public speaking muscle and practiced.


Now I consider public speaking my art form.


It’s my side business, a hobby that pays for me to fly around the world, meet amazing people and bring home a 5-digit paycheck.


If you’re a beginner… if you’re afraid of public speaking like I was…


Then I hope this video shows you that you can learn to speak confidently, to be entertaining and to provide massive value in a 1-to-many format.


Hopefully, you’ll find it as rewarding as I have.


Drop me a comment if you found it helpful, I love hearing from you.

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Dan Martell is a serial entrepreneur, an investor in 40+ startups like Intercom, Udemy, and Unbounce and the creator of SaaS Academy, helping over 500 B2B SaaS founders scale faster. He’s founded five SaaS companies and successfully exited three of them. If you want to scale faster without hitting the usual roadblocks, make sure to follow him on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn & Twitter.


Check Out: The Power of Believing in others -  https://youtu.be/TOv8AQUUoEg

Exclusive Download: Fundraising Like a Pro - Learn the 3 phases of fundraising and a 7 week process for starting & closing your next round of funding - https://bit.ly/2MlZJta


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Let me demystify this complex, confusing strategy they call:


Startup Funding Rounds.


Yeah, you’ve heard the words thrown around before.


“We’re raising our series B”, and “I’m looking for a pre-seed angel investor” or “We’re gearing up for an IPO”...


They may as well be talking another language, right?


Except that somewhere between those phrases, letters and acronyms is a reliable, rock-solid funding strategy that is PROVEN to work again and again.


It has turned founders into billionaires…


Put CEOs on the cover of Entrepreneur magazine…


And transformed back-of-napkin ideas into living breathing companies.


So let’s cut to the bone and spell out the sequential funding rounds in PLAIN ENGLISH.


Including:

- What each funding round means


- How much money you can expect from each round


- Who provides that money


- How to tell which round a business needs next


- Who leads a company through each round


- Why the rounds even exist in the first place!

If there’s a part of you that feels intimidated because you don’t yet understand all the “CEO talk” (yes, I’m using air quotes here), then don’t worry.


I didn’t either. 


Now I could write a dictionary on “corporate jargon” 3-houses-thick and I would never even recommend anyone reads it.


But in those early days, I was beating down doors to find someone - anyone - that could spell out the basics when I was trying to start my first business.


By the end of this video, startup funding rounds will finally make sense. 


Drop me a comment if you’re still not sure about anything.


I’d love to hear from you.


--


Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell

+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell

+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell


Exclusive Download: Fundraising Like a Pro - Learn the 3 phases of fundraising and a 7 week process for starting & closing your next round of funding - https://bit.ly/2MlZJta

Exclusive Resource: Entrepreneurial Roller Coaster – My Strategy for Overcoming The Daily Ups & Downs of the Entrepreneurial Life and Creating a Bigger Impact - https://bit.ly/34RWZtM

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2020 sucked.

Not only for businesses… but for families, communities and economies around the world.

Working closely with SaaS founders means I’ve heard the pains, seen the panic and talked through the new reality of Covid 19 for many struggling startups.

Some businesses have a model that lets them bend rather than break.

Others… aren’t so fortunate.

I spoke with a business owner recently whose brick-and-mortar company was destroyed by Covid 19, losing 70% of business overnight.

But here’s the thing…

It’s not the pandemic that made entrepreneurship difficult.

It was ALWAYS hard, from the start.

That’s just how the Entrepreneurial Roller Coaster goes. You’ll experience the greatest highs followed by crushing lows.

So how do you DEAL with that?

How do you survive without quitting or… just falling to pieces?

I’ve been there enough times to have formed a system of thinking that will reignite and reinvigorate you even when the world is cruel and the odds seem stacked against you.

Here it is.

In this video, I’m going to share a high-level set of tactics that will work to:

- Give you hope when your business collapses
- Help you break through unexpected barriers
- Re-define your business goals
- Remain grateful in the face of disappointment
- Keep you motivated despite entrepreneurial challenges

This video includes 5 key questions to ask yourself today. 

Wrong questions always lead to the wrong answers… But these 5 questions are how you can realign your thinking with something positive and actionable.

Here’s to 2021, the year that you can come back stronger than your competition and conquer your market landscape.

Don’t forget to drop me a comment with how you’re going to reframe the next year for your business.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Resource: Entrepreneurial Roller Coaster – My Strategy for Overcoming The Daily Ups & Downs of the Entrepreneurial Life and Creating a Bigger Impact - https://bit.ly/34RWZtM

Exclusive Download: Precision Scorecard™ - Keep Your Leadership Team Focused & Accountable To Growth - https://bit.ly/34nThbm


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I didn’t want to shoot this video.


Honestly, I didn’t even think it was necessary.


I assumed that all scaling SaaS founders must be doing accrual accounting, right?


But I soon discovered about 15% of those that I coach were using cash accounting, and they weren’t clear on the difference between deferred revenue vs accrued revenue.


...or why it matters.


Don’t worry, I’m not pointing fingers.


Over the years, I made almost every business mistake there is, so there’s no shame or judgement here.


But today I want to sell you on what accrual accounting is, WHY your accountant should be doing it...


And how it will set up your SaaS company for success.


In this video, I’m going to give you the perspective of an entrepreneur, a CEO, or a founder… NOT an accountant. You’ll learn:

- Why lots of SaaS founders start with cash accounting

- Deferred revenue vs. accrued revenue

- How to move to accrual accounting

- Why it will make you financially rock-solid

- How it can save you from overpaying taxes

- What bookkeeping software will do it for you


“But Dan, I pay an accountant so I don’t have to think about this stuff.”


So do I. 


For every company I’ve ever started, I had accountants… and I’ve learned more about accounting than I ever wanted or planned to.


But you need to know that your business isn’t a leaky bucket of profits and that you’re optimized for scalable growth. That means knowing some high-level accounting principles.


It’s like eating vegetables. They might not be as tasty as chocolate, but trust me - it’s good for you.


--


Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.


+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell

+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell

+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell


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Exclusive Download: Precision Scorecard™ - Keep Your Leadership Team Focused & Accountable To Growth - https://bit.ly/34nThbm

Exclusive Download: Dream 100 - Learn How to Identify The 100 People That Will Transform Your Life - https://bit.ly/2KepM4z 


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If you want to start a new SaaS business in 2021 without tearing your hair out, my advice is:


Find a co-founder.


You shouldn’t have to do it all on your own… and it’s better that you don’t.


Finding the right co-founder means having someone who will work just as hard as you, can do the things you can’t, and gives your business a fighting chance in the market.


If you’re a non-technical founder, that could mean finding someone technical. 


You grow the business, they build the product.


Or if you are a technical founder, then it means finding someone that can help you assemble a world-class team and market your product effortlessly while you write the code.


But picking the wrong co-founder spells D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R. 


You end up losing a big slice of the most valuable asset in your business:


Equity.


Don’t ever, EVER, EVER give equity to the wrong co-founder.


So how do you find the right co-founder? How do you track them down and get them interested? How do you negotiate a fair equity split?


I’ve got you covered.


This week’s video is the 5-steps to finding the perfect co-founder for your startup.


We’re going to break this down logically and uncover:

- What to look for in a co-founder

- Where to find a technical co-founder

- How to know they are right for you

- What to say on your first introduction

- How to discuss equity

- The safest way to split equity fairly

Every SaaS company I’ve launched has been with co-founders. I even launched Spheric with a co-founding team of 4.


Could I have launched my businesses entirely on my own? Maybe.


But growth would have been slower, I’d have torn my hair out, and my family life would have suffered. 


I like working with people… and my businesses are better for it.


Yours can be too. Check out the video here and drop me a comment if you have any questions.

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Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.


+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell


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Exclusive Download: Dream 100 - Learn How to Identify The 100 People That Will Transform Your Life - https://bit.ly/2KepM4z 

Exclusive Resource: Fundraising Like a Pro - Learn the 3 phases of fundraising and a 7 week process for starting & closing your next round of funding - https://bit.ly/39EybsF 

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How are angel investors different from venture capitalists?


Both invest in businesses. Both can write you big checks. Both have the power to help your business growth with a cash injection you otherwise would never get.


Are they the same?


Heck no.


I found this out the hard way...


When I was raising money for my 4th company Flowtown, I really didn’t know enough about investors.


I got some pretty weird looks when they read my terms sheets.


I didn’t understand their expectations. And all I had to go on were stories from colleagues, and a head full of wrong assumptions about what investors are looking for.


I started on the wrong foot. But eventually, I learned how to do it right...


So, when it was time to raise funds for my next business, Clarity.fm, I knew what the investors were looking for.


And I nailed it.


I closed $1.6M in funding…


...in 3 days!


It pays to know who you’re talking to and what they want. Trust me.


So I want to clear the air so you know the difference and you don’t raise money from the wrong people with the wrong expectations.


That’s what this week’s video is all about.


In this video, you’ll discover the difference between angel investors and venture capitalists down to 5 specific criteria:

- Source of money

- Investment thesis

- Pitching style

- Check size

- Investment filter

By the way, I’m also an investor myself, having invested in 40+ companies. 


But I am an angel investor, and not a venture capitalist.


Hit play on the video and let’s go over the differences.


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Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.


+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell 


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Exclusive Resource: Fundraising Like a Pro - Learn the 3 phases of fundraising and a 7 week process for starting & closing your next round of funding - https://bit.ly/39EybsF 

Exclusive Download: Precision Scorecard™ - Keep Your Leadership Team Focused & Accountable To Growth - https://bit.ly/3o2slW0 


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In 2009, my mentor Dharmesh Shah (co-founder of Hubspot) sat in my office in San Francisco and casually dropped an acronym I hadn’t heard.


“We want to increase our ARPU”, he said.


I smiled and nodded… but the blank stare on my face was a giveaway.


I was clueless.


When someone as abundantly successful as the co-founder of a company now valued at over $14B (Yes, B for BILLION) mentions what his company is trying to do…


You take notes.


Since that day, ARPU has become one of my key SaaS growth metrics that I insist on calculating with my clients.


Then, once you know it… you’ve got to grow it!


So in today’s video, I’m going to explain what ARPU is, how you track it and how to improve it.


Watch it below. Your profit margins will thank you.


In this video, once we cover the basics of what ARPU is, I’ll share with you:


- The difference between ARPU and ARPA

- The 2-minute formula for calculating it

- How to know good from bad ARPU numbers

- Projections depending on business size

- Why ARPU can help smash your SaaS growth ceiling

- Strategies to improve ARPU


You already know I’m pumped about SaaS metrics.


I don’t follow sports.


I follow numbers and work with SaaS founders like you to get true visibility about what is and is not working in a tech business… and then how to DO something about it.


You don’t have to love it as much as I do.


But you’ve got to know what these metrics mean.


Hit play on the video and let’s get us both on the same page, yeah?


--


Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.


+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell 



Exclusive Download: Precision Scorecard™ - Keep Your Leadership Team Focused & Accountable To Growth - https://bit.ly/3o2slW0 

Exclusive Download: High Octane Team Technique™ – Break Down Your Organization Structure by Function & Create An Environment of Results, Not Excuses - https://bit.ly/3916Lgb 


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Many founders throw money at new employees hoping their
business will grow… 


Only to find they don’t know where to ‘put’ their new employees, and they end up wasting cash on salaries for an under-utilized
team.


Ever experienced this before?


I definitely have.


See, I believe a successful founder doesn’t just build a business...


A successful founder builds a team of people and then the
people build the business.


That is my mantra. And as a founder your responsibility is to find, inspire and level up the right people. 


That’s where your time is best invested…


But what’s equally important is structuring your organization so you can fully utilize your team’s time and skills.


And that’s where having the proper organization chart comes into play.


This helps you grow from a startup of 2 or 3 co-founders… to a team of 12… then to 25… then 100… then 250…


It shows you where people fit in. Who reports to who. And what’s the chain of responsibility…


And in today’s video, I’m going to share with you an organization chart that’s SO simple, it’ll take you all the way from a fumbling startup to a scaling corporation ready to go public (if that’s what you want).


In this video, you’ll be able to identify where your SaaS is, and where you need to be next. You’re going to learn:

- The 6 core functions of a software business

- The 5 levels of leadership to aim for

- Who your key ‘C’ level team should be

- How to divide your functions into teams that make sense

- Expected revenue bands per team size

- What $0K – $120K – $500K MRR looks like

- How to cap your direct reports

- Ultimately keeping your business goals manageable

I like to think of SaaS revenue in terms of the talent it can afford.


$1M in ARR might sound nice, but after you factor in costs (let’s say 30%), the rest is just salaries for your team.


Suddenly all that $1M gets you is 7 employees on $100K salaries without a dollar left.


It becomes extremely important to hire the right people at the right time to make sure every dollar spent grows your business to the next revenue band.


Take 10 mins to prepare a simple org chart with this video.


See you in the comments.


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Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.


+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell 



Exclusive Download: High Octane Team Technique™ – Break Down Your Organization Structure by Function & Create An Environment of Results, Not Excuses - https://bit.ly/3916Lgb

Exclusive Download: Precision Scorecard™ - Keep Your Leadership Team Focused & Accountable To Growth - https://bit.ly/38HmL72 

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I don’t think a SaaS founder should be their own accountant.

I’m not, and I wasn’t for all 5 of my companies.

Your job is to get really good at running a business and making
money. 

That’s it.

But to do that, there is ONE type of accounting that I believe you NEED to understand:

Accrual Accounting.

Don’t panic, you won’t need to calculate it yourself. That’s your accountant’s job. 

But knowing the difference between Accrual Accounting and Cash Accounting is vital to making the best business decisions
for your SaaS.

So let’s take a quick 10-minutes to go over what exactly it is and why it’s valuable to comprehend it.

Once you understand Accrual Accounting, you’ll be able to:


- Measure incremental growth


- Clean up your cash flow


- Keep your finger on the pulse of subtle revenue changes


- Respond quickly to downtrends in your bottom line


- Reduce distortion in your metrics


I’ve read 2000+ balance sheets, P&Ls, cash flow statements, and I’ve taught dozens of SaaS founders how to interpret their figures.

Maybe I’m a freak because I love numbers so much.

But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: 

Numbers don’t lie. Expectations do.

Fire up the video here and let’s get you up to scratch on Accrual Accounting. It’ll clean up your cash flow, help you track metrics
accurately and see important business trends.

--


Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually
awesome.


+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell 

Exclusive Download: Precision Scorecard™ - Keep Your Leadership Team Focused & Accountable To Growth - https://bit.ly/38HmL72 

Exclusive Download: Precision Scorecard™ - Keep Your Leadership Team Focused & Accountable To Growth - https://bit.ly/32l5jkC 

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I believe that great SaaS founders stay ahead of the curve.

They’re the trendsetters, not the trend-followers, willing to try something new that makes waves in the market.

The problem is that I’ve encountered many cutting edge SaaS businesses whose marketing efforts are too far behind the times.

They innovate in software, but hedge their bets in marketing.

Then when a new marketing strategy gains momentum, these businesses are left scrambling to catch up to their competitors that have since overtaken them.

Innovators get the lion’s share of the growth.

That’s why I believe that you need to siphon off a portion of your marketing budget for more cutting edge strategies that have the potential for HUGE returns on investment.

But what strategies?

I got you covered :)

I coach hundreds of SaaS founders to help them grow and scale their businesses with innovative new strategies. 

I get to see behind-the-scenes which marketing strategies are working and which aren’t.

Based on what I’ve observed first-hand, here are 3 powerful marketing strategies that are rarely used in SaaS but have created high ROI in 2020 and will continue to in 2021.

If you were to apply all 3 marketing strategies, then you would have:

- Higher customer retention rates

- A system that funds your marketing costs

- A way to leverage volunteer communities

- Direct access to your perfect fit customers

- Authority in your niche

- A platform to showcase your best customers

- A system for 1-on-1s with potential B2B clients

I’ll keep an ear out in my networks for any other scalable, high ROI marketing strategies that are working.

If I find more, I’ll send them to your inbox. 

But for now, I know these 3 marketing strategies work because I’ve seen it first-hand with my clients.

Have you tried any? Are you concerned it won’t work for you?

Let me know in the comments, I’ll do my best to help.

--


Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.


+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell 

Exclusive Download: Precision Scorecard™ - Keep Your Leadership Team Focused & Accountable To Growth - https://bit.ly/32l5jkC