SaaS Backwards
CEOs and CMOs of fast-growing SaaS companies share what’s working (and not working) in B2B SaaS marketing, go-to-market strategies, and lessons learned from scaling SaaS businesses.
Ep. 199 - What AI Taught One Founder About the Future of SaaS
In this episode, host Ken Lempit talks with Ivan Lee, founder and CEO of Datasore, about how the rapid rise of consumer‑grade generative AI upended his company's original data‑annotation SaaS model and forced a pivot to private, secure large language models for regulated enterprises. Lee explains why off‑the‑shelf AI like ChatGPT hits a "capabilities wall" for sectors such as healthcare, finance, and government, and how Datasore now delivers on‑premise LLMs that keep proprietary data and workflows confidential. He also shares hard‑learned lessons about SaaS pricing, the advantage of open‑source dev tools, and the shift from selling a platform to delivering end‑to‑end AI solutions for business units. The conversation highlights the broader industry transition from generic AI services to bespoke, compliant AI deployments.
Ep. 198 - How to Make Your SaaS Company More Fundable
In this episode, host Jason Myers talks with Anthony Nitsos, founder of SaaS Gurus, about turning financial operations into a strategic asset for SaaS founders. Nitsos explains the difference between accounting (backward‑looking) and strategic finance (forward‑looking) and why founders often...
Ep. 197 - The SaaS Retention Problem Starts Before the Customer Signs
In this episode, Jason Roberts, a veteran B2B SaaS executive turned fractional advisor, explains how retention problems often begin long before a contract is signed. He argues that growth‑stage SaaS firms focus too heavily on top‑of‑funnel demand generation while neglecting...
Ep. 196 - The SaaS Opportunity Hidden Inside Services
In this episode, Dylan Ochner, founding partner of The Oak Group and creator of the SaaS platform SiteRise, explains how his professional services firm in retail construction birthed a software solution to streamline document management, data synchronization, and project reporting....
Ep. 195 - Why Code No Longer Drives SaaS Value in the AI Era
In this episode Tim Schumacher, co‑founder of SaaS Group, discusses why traditional code‑centric SaaS value is being upended by AI. He explains how AI creates both existential fear for founders of thin‑margin, UI‑only products and new opportunities for businesses with...
Ep. 190 - The SaaS Founder Bottleneck: Why Founder-Led Sales Stops Scaling
In this episode, fractional CMO Javier Lozano explains why founder‑led sales can’t sustain growth and how to transition to a repeatable, data‑driven go‑to‑market engine. He emphasizes extracting the founder’s successful sales insights, building positioning and a "blue ocean" narrative, and...
Ep. 181 - How Fast-Growing SaaS Companies Are Modernizing Their Revenue Stack
In this episode, Mark Walker, CEO of Nue.io, explains how legacy CPQ and billing systems are failing fast‑growing SaaS and AI companies, prompting a shift to unified, flexible revenue infrastructures that can handle complex, consumption‑based and bank‑billed models. He highlights...
Ep. 180 - Your SaaS Buyer Doesn’t Need Convincing—They Need Confidence
In this episode, Brent Adamson—co‑author of *The Challenger Sale* and founder of A to B Insight—explains that most SaaS deals fail not because of competition but due to buyer indecision, and that sales teams must shift from teaching buyers what...
Ep. 179 - The Smart SaaS Funding Path No One Talks About
In this episode, Ken Lempit talks with Melanie Nabar, Vice President of Volition Capital, about growth‑equity financing as a middle‑ground alternative to traditional venture or private‑equity routes for B2B SaaS companies. Nabar explains how growth equity can provide capital for...