The Physics of Startups

Rob Snyder
  • 5.0 (11)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Most founders are stuck in the pain cave - and no one can tell them why. Rob Snyder - 3x founder, Harvard Innovation Lab fellow, has helped 40+ startups go from 0-$1M ARR - is on a mission to understand why some startups take off and other's don't. The startup education that should have been invented decades ago. Practical insights to help founders escape the pain cave and build profitable businesses. PMF newsletter: https://thephysicsofstartups.substack.com/ Work with Rob: https://www.robsnyder.org Contact: rob@reframeb2b.com

  1. 5d ago

    If your product hasn't taken off (radical simplification)

    Your startup has customers. Revenue is growing. So why does growth still feel harder than it should? Rob tackles one of the most frustrating challenges founders face: knowing your product works, but not knowing why growth isn't accelerating. Rob explains why the issue is almost always traced back to just two causes: 1. You haven't identified who truly has PULL for your product, or 2. You're doing something that prevents those people from buying. In this episode, we cover: • Why most founders feel like there are a million possible reasons growth has stalled • The two root causes behind most startup growth problems • How to identify the customers who are weird not to buy your product • Why some customers buy quickly while others never become successful • How to narrow your ICP based on real-world evidence instead of assumptions • Why most sales processes create friction instead of momentum • The difference between what causes a purchase and what prevents one • How demos, sales calls, and onboarding often work against founders • A simple way to audit your sales calls for hidden problems • The signals that tell you whether a prospect actually has PULL Links Pre-order The Power of PULL and get Rob's Claude skill: https://www.robsnyder.org/book Rob's PULL course: https://robsnyder.org/course Work with Rob: https://www.robsnyder.org Connect with Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsnyder1/ Follow Rob's Substack: https://thephysicsofstartups.substack.com/ Chapters 00:00 Book and course updates 04:56 Why founders feel stuck 06:42 The two causes of stalled growth 08:27 Who this framework applies to 10:00 Reason #1: You haven't identified who has PULL 11:41 Narrowing your ICP 13:09 Why PULL isn't knowable in advance 16:56 Reason #2: You're preventing people from buying 19:45 How sales processes create friction 20:29 Auditing your sales calls 21:27 The one-minute demo rule 22:08 A simple test for PULL

    22 min

  2. Jun 12

    Learn from 2 *real* founder sales calls (Rob teardowns)

    Sales teardown #1: https://youtu.be/3TsrrMSXIfg Sales teardown #2: https://youtu.be/9a78RWkaALM --- Pre-order Rob's book and get his Claude sales call analysis skill: https://robsnyder.org/book Work with Rob: https://robsnyder.org/work-with-me Rob's substack: https://thephysicsofstartups.substack.com/

    15 min

  3. Jun 5

    What founders get wrong about pilots / POCs / trials

    Your pilots are going well. Users are getting value. Usage is increasing. So why aren't customers buying? Or buying still is painful? Rob unpacks a common startup assumption: if a pilot succeeds, the customer will buy. He explains why pilots, demos, procurement reviews, and other parts of the sales process never cause a purchase. Instead, they can only prevent one. Understanding that distinction helps founders design shorter sales cycles, avoid endless pilots, and focus on the factors that actually drive buying decisions. In this episode: • The two things that actually cause a purchase • Why pilots belong in a completely different category • How founders accidentally sabotage deals by offering pilots too early • What procurement, security reviews, and compliance really do • How to uncover the reason behind a pilot request • Why "success criteria" can be a trap • How to design pilots that accelerate deals instead of delaying them Links: Pre-order The Power of PULL and get Rob's Claude skill: www.robsnyder.org/book Work with Rob: www.robsnyder.org Connect with Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsnyder1/ Follow Rob's Substack: https://thephysicsofstartups.substack.com/ Chapters: 00:00 One month until The Power of PULL launches 02:02 The founder question: pilots that don't convert 05:18 What actually causes a purchase? 08:43 Procurement, compliance, and other purchase blockers 12:07 Why pilots can hurt your sales process 14:29 Understanding the demand behind a pilot request 18:20 Why "success criteria" often create delays 22:06 Mistaken causality and failed lessons 25:15 Designing pilots around failure conditions 29:29 Design for causes, minimize preventers

    31 min

  4. May 29

    The first two things that matter in a startup ("Aero mode")

    Access to Rob's Claude skill + AMAs: LINK (just upload a screen grab of your pre-order) Rob's book: Amazon, B&N When founder is getting started, they might be juggling multiple different ICPs and value props. Rob in this episode discusses why the goal is to eliminate all the "might work" and get to "weird if it didn't work" --> then translate that into a "weird not to meet" when a customer is in that situation. Full blog on Rob's substack (post "Aero Mode"): ⁠https://thephysicsofstartups.substack.com/⁠⁠ ---- Work with Rob: ⁠ ⁠ https://www.robsnyder.org⁠⁠ Connect w/ Rob on LinkedIn: ⁠ ⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsnyder1/⁠ ⁠Weekly founder insights: ⁠⁠https://thephysicsofstartups.substack.com/⁠ Preorder Rob's book - "The Power of PULL" - ⁠ https://amzn.to/48KC1yv⁠

    29 min

  5. May 22

    What happens after PMF?

    Rob's buddy found PMF a few months ago and went from ~bankrupt to more than $1M ARR in less than three months. What happens in that case? Rob and RC discuss what changed to find PMF, and what the experience is post-PMF. Also, what do you do as a founder - where do you focus? And how does your approach pre-PMF affect your post-PMF life? (tl;dr: a lot) Preorder Rob's book - "The Power of PULL" - ⁠and take a screenshot of your receipt! (we'll tell you what to do with it soon) ⁠https://amzn.to/48KC1yv⁠⁠---- Workwith Rob: ⁠ ⁠ https://www.robsnyder.org⁠⁠ Connect w/ Rob on LinkedIn: ⁠ ⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsnyder1/⁠ ⁠Weekly founder insights: ⁠⁠https://thephysicsofstartups.substack.com/⁠ Preorder Rob's book - "The Power of PULL" - ⁠ https://amzn.to/48KC1yv⁠

    23 min

  6. May 15

    The PULL Quickstart Guide (a PMF hierarchy)

    Rob has distilled PULL into its most important elements - arranged in hierarchical order so that a founder knows where to focus first. This conversation includes the common error of getting the order wrong, Rob's commentary on the three most important parts of PULL, and examples of how these show up with founders. Highly recommend reading the full substack post, "The PULL Quickstart Guide", available on Rob's substack: https://thephysicsofstartups.substack.com/ ---- Work with Rob: ⁠ https://www.robsnyder.org⁠ Connect w/ Rob on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsnyder1/ ⁠Weekly founder insights: ⁠https://thephysicsofstartups.substack.com/ Preorder Rob's book - "The Power of PULL" - https://amzn.to/48KC1yv    #PMF #B2BSales #VC #Startup #VentureCapital #Founderledsales

    27 min

  7. May 8

    Investor PULL (what VCs actually want)

    This is about VCs but also isn't about VCs. PULL can be found all over a startup - obviously with customers, but also, investors have PULL and they're trying to accomplish something specific. Rob works with founders to shape pitch decks and has fundraised - there's a hard-won lesson about what VCs are trying to accomplish, and the HUGE trap that smart, thoughtful founders building solid businesses fall into. This is an example of a broader lesson - things that look the same "when you're squinting" - are often fundamentally different, and that drives how you sell, how you build, and more. Check out Rob's full lecture: "Notes on the physics of startups": ⁠LINK⁠ Preorder Rob's book: ⁠LINK⁠ ---- Rob's website: ⁠www.robsnyder.org⁠ Connect w/ Rob on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsnyder1/⁠ Rob's (free) Substack: ⁠https://thephysicsofstartups.substack.com/⁠

    29 min

  8. May 1

    Buying is weird and rare (a reality check)

    Founders are inherent optimists - that's why (despite all the warnings of battle-scared entrepreneurs) we continue to start businesses. It is the cheerful burden we carry as we march into the abyss. But GIVEN THAT'S THE CASE - how can we avoid that optimism crippling our chances at finding product-market fit? In this convo, Rob discusses the cold, harsh reality of launching a startup, the risks that optimistic founders run, and how to avoid them. Also, Rob deadlifted 400lbs. Check out Rob's full lecture: "Notes on the physics of startups": LINK Preorder Rob's book: LINK ---- Rob's website: www.robsnyder.org Connect w/ Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsnyder1/ Rob's (free) Substack: https://thephysicsofstartups.substack.com/

    26 min
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5
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

Most founders are stuck in the pain cave - and no one can tell them why. Rob Snyder - 3x founder, Harvard Innovation Lab fellow, has helped 40+ startups go from 0-$1M ARR - is on a mission to understand why some startups take off and other's don't. The startup education that should have been invented decades ago. Practical insights to help founders escape the pain cave and build profitable businesses. PMF newsletter: https://thephysicsofstartups.substack.com/ Work with Rob: https://www.robsnyder.org Contact: rob@reframeb2b.com

Information

  • Creator
    Rob Snyder
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    48
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Rob Snyder
  • Show Website
    The Physics of Startups

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