Grow Your B2B SaaS Joran Hofman

When embarking on the journey of building a Software as a Service (SaaS) company, founders often face a many challenges at different stages of growth. One crucial aspect that cannot be overlooked is the process of finding the right people to fill key positions within the organization. Whether it's identifying the perfect fit for a lead role or building a strong management team, the importance of having the right individuals in place cannot be understated. This task requires a keen eye for compatibility in terms of go-to-market strategies, target audience alignment, and overall vision for the company's growth. 

In the Season 4 opener of the Grow your B2B SaaS podcast, host Joran Hofman engages in a candid conversation with Michael Kamleitner, CEO at Walls.io and Founder at Swat.io. Together, they explore Kamleitner's journey in bootstrapping two successful SaaS companies to a combined $10 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR).

Key Timecodes


Show intro - (0:00)
Introduction of Michael Kamleitner - (0:28)
Founding of SWAT.IO and WALS - (1:09)
SWAT.IO as the first startup - (1:24)
Entrepreneurship aspirations - (1:32)
End goals for both companies - (1:39)
Motivation behind running two companies - (1:48)
Current ARR of both companies -(2:14)
Total number of employees - (2:31)
Funding status of the companies -(2:38)
Decision on bootstrapping vs. funding - (3:04)
Ideation process for startups - (3:53)
Importance of agency experience in product ideas - (4:30)
Achieving product-market fit - (5:05)
Transition from service model to software - (6:18)
Challenges of transitioning from agency to SaaS - (7:28)
Go-to-market strategy evolution - (8:08)
Shift from sales-led to product-led growth - (8:51)
Importance of content marketing and SEO - (10:36)
Challenges with differentiation and pricing - (14:08)
Handling unexpected costs in business - (19:42)
Lessons learned from Twitter API cost incident - (21:32)
Advice on hiring and building a strong team - (29:20)
Importance of networking and community support - (31:18)

In season 3 of the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast, we asked all our guests the same question: "What kind of advice would they give a B2B SaaS founder growing to 10M ARR?". By combining all the advice into one single episode you will be able to hear their answers in less than 40min!

So, are you looking to grow your SaaS and unsure how to surpass the 10M Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) mark? This podcast episode will be packed with advice from industry experts. All the guests will give practical advice on how to grow your SaaS and make it successful in the long term.

If you like the answer of any of the guests, we would recommend jumping into the whole show as there will be a lot more advice!


Season 3 guests of the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast


How to achieve Product Led Growth for your SaaS With Wes Bush
How to audit your SaaS growth? With Asia Orangio
Lessons learned; Bootstrapping a B2B SaaS to 20M ARR in revenue With Emeric Ernoult
How to improve your SaaS Sales With Kevin Dorsey
How to implement the Growth Hacking mindset in your B2B SaaS? With Sean Ellis
How to prepare your SaaS for an exit? With Dirk Sahlmer
How to price your B2B SaaS to accelerate growth? with Wolter Rebergen
How to get your first 1.000 users for your B2B SaaS With Simon Høiberg
How to achieve Product Market Fit for your B2B SaaS With Maja Voje
How to implement a profit-led approach for your SaaS with Guillaume Moubeche
How to Achieve Explosive Growth and Increase Profitability with Stefan Avivson
How to unify Sales, Marketing & SDR’s in your GTM strategy With Chris Walker
How to turn Discovery Calls into Customers with Chris Orlob
How do investors analyse SaaS businesses? With Cameron Hay
 How to scale your SaaS to 1M MRR using processes with Matt Wolach
The Unsexy Truth about Startup Success with Cristobal Alonso
How to setup affiliate marketing for B2B SaaS with Dustin Howes
How Chili Piper is Becoming A Billion Dollar Company With Alina Vandenberghe
How to build a billion dollar business within a year With Adam Robinson
How to sell Enterprise SaaS, Learn from a 100M+ ARR founder With Jim Yu

In season 3 of the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast, we asked all our guests the same question: "What kind of advice would they give a B2B SaaS founder growing to 10K MRR?". By combining all the advice into one single episode you will be able to hear their answers in less than 40min!

So, are you looking to grow your SaaS and unsure how to surpass the 10k Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) mark? This podcast episode will be packed with advice from industry experts. All the guests will give practical advice on how to grow your SaaS and make it successful in the long term.

If you like the answer of any of the guests, we would recommend jumping into the whole show as there will be a lot more advice!

Wondering how to sell enterprise SaaS? Well prepare to learn from a 100M+ ARR founder. In this episode on the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast, Host Joran Hofman dives into a conversation with Jim Yu, the founder and exec chair at BrightEdge, exploring the ins and outs of building and selling enterprise SaaS.

Jim generously shares his journey, reflecting on the hurdles and lessons learned along the way. He stresses the importance of laying a solid foundation before scaling, understanding the nuances of sales strategies, and cultivating advocates within enterprises. 

Furthermore, Jim delves into the necessity of a structured approach, the creation of effective playbooks, and staying attuned to the macroeconomic landscape. Offering invaluable advice to SaaS founders, Jim advocates for continuous iteration and optimization of value propositions, customer acquisition costs, and lifetime value.

Drawing from his experience in growing BrightEdge to over $100 million ARR, Jim's insights shed light on the intricate world of enterprise SaaS.


Key Timecodes


1. Show Intro - (00:00)
2. Guest Intro - (00:36)
3. Jim's Background and Experience - (01:05)
4. Early Days of SaaS and Salesforce - (02:15)
5. Starting BrightEdge - (03:04)
6. Enterprise SaaS vs. SMB SaaS - (03:18)
7. Importance of Sales Team in Enterprise SaaS - (05:13)
8. Growth of BrightEdge - (08:12)
9. Mistakes Made in Enterprise SaaS - (19:53)
10. Strategies for Selling Enterprise SaaS - (24:50)
11. Challenges Faced in Enterprise Sales - (28:14)
12. Quick Wins in Procurement Process - (33:13)
13. Advice for Starting and Growing SaaS - (35:31)
14. Advice for Scaling to $10 Million ARR - (36:40)
15. General Advice for SaaS Founders - (39:29)
16. One Thing Wished Known 10 Years Ago - (40:28)

Is it possible to build a billion-dollar business within a year? Well, the answer is YES! In this special episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast, recorded live on stage at the SaaS Open event in Austin, USA, show host Joran Hofman sits down with Adam Robinson, the founder of retention.com. This episode covers the critical factors and hacks to building a billion-dollar business within a year. Adam's RB2B companies focus on identifying website visitors on a personal level, with Retention targeting e-commerce and B2B. Adam is striving to bootstrap his company to unicorn status and has a TV series called The Billion Dollar Challenge. Previously, he bootstrapped Rob Lee email marketing to an eight-figure exit as co-founder and CEO. 

Adam shares his experiences and insights on bootstrapping startups, the meaning of building a billion-dollar company, and the importance of radical transparency in business. He also discusses the challenges of scaling a business, the role of product-market fit, and the value of a founder brand. Adam emphasizes the need for financial discipline, focusing on product-market fit, and leveraging social media to spread awareness.


Key Timecodes


(00:00) Introduction and Background
(01:24) The Quest for a Billion-Dollar Business
(05:46) Founder Branding and Social Media
(08:38) Different Approaches to Scaling
(11:05) Balancing Revenue Goals and Free Strategies
(12:29) Navigating Revenue Plateaus and Competition
(15:22) Lessons from Rock Bottom Moments
(20:06) Lessons from Past Mistakes
(22:04) Implementing Processes and Accountability
(25:30) The Importance of External Moderation
(27:24) Advice for Bootstrapping Founders
(30:18) Advice for Scaling to $10 Million ARR
(32:42) The Power of Founder Branding
(35:00) The Journey to Understanding Product-Market Fit
(37:24) Reflecting on Past Mistakes and Learnings

How is Chili Piper becoming a billion dollar company? In this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS Podcast, Joran Hofman interviews Alina Vandenberghe, the co-founder and CEO of Chili Piper, a B2B SaaS company that helps sales teams automatically schedule appointments with leads They Instantly turn inbound leads into qualified meetings. They discuss Chili Piper's journey to becoming a billion-dollar company, including their valuation and mistakes along the way. Alina shares her personal motivation and the challenges she faced as an entrepreneur. She emphasizes the importance of trusting your own path and not listening to others' advice. Alina also provides advice for growing a B2B SaaS company, from zero to 10K MRR and beyond. 

Key Timecodes


(00:52) Chili Piper's Journey and Valuation
(03:13) Personal Questions and Motivation
(04:37) Lessons Learned and Regrets
(05:35) Chili Piper’s Future Plans and Expansion
(07:28) How Chili Piper Was Built on Their Own Terms
(08:26) Growing Talent and Unconventional Decision Making
(09:19) Biggest Challenges and Personal Growth
(10:44) Overcoming Layoffs and Building Trust
(12:01) Looking Back and Building Confidence
(13:57) Chili Piper’s Future Goals and Impact
(14:53) The Value of Trusting Your Own Path
(15:51) Dealing with Competition and Market Dynamics
(20:56) Advice for Growing from 10K MRR to 10 Million ARR
(23:51) Advice for SaaS Founders on Their Journey
(24:47) The Importance of Understanding Different Departments
(26:15) Reflections on Entrepreneurship and Learning