Startups For the Rest of Us
Episode 807 | The "Core Four" SaaS Skills and Knowing When You Should Find a Co-Founder (A Rob Solo Adventure)
AI Summary
Rob Walling answers listener questions about whether technical SaaS founders should bring on a sales‑and‑marketing co‑founder, introducing his "Core Four" model of essential early‑stage SaaS skills. He explains how to prioritize or outsource these skills, argues that sales‑led growth can beat pure self‑serve models, and offers tactics for handling shifting enterprise contracts and a flood of non‑ideal sign‑ups. The episode also features a listener’s exit story, underscoring the practical impact of mastering these fundamentals.
Episode Description
Is hiring a sales and marketing co-founder the secret sauce for technical SaaS founders?
In this solo episode, Rob Walling tackles a fresh batch of listener questions, starting with one of the most common dilemmas for technical founders: should you hire a sales and marketing co-founder or go it alone?
He introduces his “Core Four” mental model, the essential skills every SaaS team needs early on, and shares insights on dealing with enterprise clients who keep moving the goalposts, handling a flood of non-ICP users, and a heartfelt message from a listener who just exited their startup.
Want to get your question answered? Drop it here.
Episode Sponsor:
Are you looking to hire world-class engineering talent without the headache?
You should check out today’s sponsor, G2i. They give you access to over 8,000 pre-vetted developers, no AI-generated resumes, no time wasters, just experienced engineers with at least five years of proven results.
G2i handles the vetting for you, including customized live technical interviews so you can see how a candidate would actually work with your team. Trusted by companies like Meta, Microsoft, and Shopmonkey, and especially helpful for first-time founders who need to get hiring right the first time.
As a listener, you’ll get a 7-day free trial plus $1,500 off your first invoice when you mention this podcast.
Head over to https://www.g2i.co/microconf to get started.
Topics we cover:
(3:11) – Should you find a co-founder for sales and marketing?
(5:29) – What are the Core Four SaaS Skills?
(11:41) – Can you succeed without mastering all four, or should you outsource?
(16:39) – Why sales-led growth might outperform self-serve SaaS
(21:48) – Dealing with big companies who change your contract terms
(27:06) – What to do with thousands of unqualified signups
Links from the Show:
Discretion Capital – M&A for B2B SaaS
Exit Strategy by Sherry & Rob Walling
MicroConf - SaaS Community
TinySeed - SaaS Institute
If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you!
Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify
Show Notes
Is hiring a sales and marketing co-founder the secret sauce for technical SaaS founders?
In this solo episode, Rob Walling tackles a fresh batch of listener questions, starting with one of the most common dilemmas for technical founders: should you hire a sales and marketing co-founder or go it alone?
He introduces his “Core Four” mental model, the essential skills every SaaS team needs early on, and shares insights on dealing with enterprise clients who keep moving the goalposts, handling a flood of non-ICP users, and a heartfelt message from a listener who just exited their startup.
Want to get your question answered? Drop it here.
Episode Sponsor:
Are you looking to hire world-class engineering talent without the headache?
You should check out today’s sponsor, G2i. They give you access to over 8,000 pre-vetted developers, no AI-generated resumes, no time wasters, just experienced engineers with at least five years of proven results.
G2i handles the vetting for you, including customized live technical interviews so you can see how a candidate would actually work with your team. Trusted by companies like Meta, Microsoft, and Shopmonkey, and especially helpful for first-time founders who need to get hiring right the first time.
As a listener, you’ll get a 7-day free trial plus $1,500 off your first invoice when you mention this podcast.
Head over to https://www.g2i.co/microconf to get started.
Topics we cover:
-
(3:11) – Should you find a co-founder for sales and marketing?
-
(5:29) – What are the Core Four SaaS Skills?
-
(11:41) – Can you succeed without mastering all four, or should you outsource?
-
(16:39) – Why sales-led growth might outperform self-serve SaaS
-
(21:48) – Dealing with big companies who change your contract terms
-
(27:06) – What to do with thousands of unqualified signups
Links from the Show:
-
Exit Strategy by Sherry & Rob Walling
-
MicroConf - SaaS Community
-
TinySeed - SaaS Institute
If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you!
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