SaaS Fuel

Jeff Mains
  • 5.0 (10)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Want to know why some SaaS companies scale while others stagnate? It's not just code and capital. You've found SaaS Fuel, where every Tuesday and Thursday, we're brewing up the kind of conversations you wish you could have over coffee with successful founders and industry experts. Join five-time entrepreneur and adventure seeker Jeff Mains every Tuesday as he gets real with visionary founders and executives who've built stellar software companies. They share the raw truth about their ups, downs, and 'I can't believe that worked' moments. Looking for practical tips you can use right now? Our Thursday 'SaaS Fuel Expert Series' brings you the smartest minds in the game, dishing out actionable advice on everything from AI and marketing to sales strategies and leadership. No fluff, just real tactics that are working right now. This isn't your typical 'how I built this' show. Whether you're figuring out product-market fit, building your first real team, or pushing past that million-dollar milestone, each episode packs the kind of insights you'd normally have to learn the hard way. Let's face it – running a SaaS company can feel like juggling while riding a unicycle. But you're not alone. Join our growing crew of founders and leaders who are figuring it out together, one episode at a time. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Thursday. Fuel your next big move. Hit subscribe and let's grow something amazing.

  1. Employee Disengagement Solutions: Why 70% of Workers Are Checked Out & How Leaders Can Help | Martin Lesperance | 362

    18M AGO

    Employee Disengagement Solutions: Why 70% of Workers Are Checked Out & How Leaders Can Help | Martin Lesperance | 362

    In this episode, Jeff Mains sits down with Martin Lesperance, an engagement specialist and interactive keynote speaker on a mission to help people fall back in love with their work. Martin shares his powerful "Four Not So Surprising Secrets" framework for rebuilding engagement, motivation, and momentum in the workplace. From the symbolism of the yellow smiley ball to practical strategies for combating the engagement crisis (which is now worse than during the pandemic), this conversation offers a refreshingly human approach to leadership. Martin explains why engagement isn't a soft skill—it's strategic, and why bringing energy back to work starts with purpose, presence, gratitude, and fun. Key Takeaways5:18 - The Yellow Ball Philosophy 8:07 - The Founder Roller Coaster 11:39 - The Engagement Crisis 13:41 - Secret #1: Live Your Why 17:32 - Finding Your Why 22:32 - Secret #2: Be Present 24:00 - The Smartphone Problem 27:17 - Secret #3: Be Grateful 31:17 - Wabi-Sabi: Beauty in Imperfection 36:00 - Secret #4: Have Fun 39:34 - The Seattle Fish Market Example 41:50 - Making Dreams Come True 45:15 - Remote Engagement Challenges Tweetable Quotes"Nobody has the permission to choose your attitude. Only you do." — Martin Lesperance"Three out of ten people are actively engaged at work. That means seven out of ten are just pushing through." — Martin Lesperance"We spend 70% of our awakened hours in work mode. If you're doing something for 70% of the time, can you at least love it?" — Martin Lesperance"Being present is a gift. There is no better present than you can give around you and yourself." — Martin Lesperance"Gratitude is an attitude. We forget these little things because of the speed of growth and objectives." — Martin Lesperance"Take what you're doing seriously, but not take yourself so seriously." — Martin Lesperance"You can have the best product in the world, but if people are disengaged, forget about scaling." — Martin Lesperance"It's a question of choice. You get to decide what you walk around with." — Martin LesperanceSaaS Leadership Lessons1. Engagement Is a Growth Issue, Not a Soft SkillWhen people stop caring, performance doesn't crash loudly—it quietly leaks out through missed details, slower execution, and "good enough" energy. With engagement at an all-time low (worse than the pandemic), leaders must treat engagement as strategically as they treat revenue metrics. 2. Purpose Must Point Outward, Not InwardYour "why" isn't about you—it's about who you serve. When teams realize they're serving others (customers, colleagues, end users), the grind becomes meaningful. Help your team answer: Who do we serve? How do we serve them? What makes us proud? 3. Presence Is Your Rarest Leadership CurrencyIn a world of Slack threads, Zoom boxes, and endless mental tabs, attention has become one of the rarest leadership skills. Listen to understand, not just to respond. Put down the devices. Be fully there. Someone on your team deserves more of you. 4. Gratitude Is Strategic, Not...

    53 min
  2. Copilot Mode AI for Regulated Industries: What Actually Works | Alex Berkovic | 361

    3D AGO

    Copilot Mode AI for Regulated Industries: What Actually Works | Alex Berkovic | 361

    On this episode of SaaS Fuel, host Jeff Mains dives deep with Alex Berkovic, co-founder and CEO of Sphynx, a company modernizing compliance workflows in financial services with AI-powered agents. Alex shares his journey from design engineering at Imperial College and MIT, through founding Adorno AI, to transforming compliance for fintechs, banks, and payments processors with Sphynx. The conversation explores how AI agents shift compliance teams from manual review to confident decision-making, reducing false positives and enabling scalable, reliable compliance. You’ll hear practical insights on building customer-driven products, adapting for global regulations, scaling teams and culture, and the evolving role of SaaS leadership in the age of AI. Key Takeaways00:00 "AI Transforming Compliance and Branding" 05:53 Manual Compliance Processes in Finance 09:16 AI-Powered Decision Support Systems 11:24 "Ensuring 99% Compliance Confidence" 13:23 "Frictionless AI Integration Process" 19:13 "Chasing PMF Relentlessly" 21:17 Founder-Led Sales Through Conferences 26:08 "Scaring Candidates to Attract Them" 29:08 "Hiring High-Agency Talent Matters" 31:41 "Firing Culture-Fit Employees" 33:30 "Early Startup Hustle Culture" 37:47 "AI Revolution in Compliance" 42:03 "Driving Engagement & Strategy Insights" Tweetable QuotesAI-Assisted Decision Making in Regulated Industries: "But what they can have is an AI agent, giving them a summary of all the different sources that we orchestrated, the reasoning that we had into making a decision, and them being the final point into making that decision." — Alex Berkovic [00:09:52 → 00:10:08] AI and Compliance Risks: "In compliance, you can't have 20% where you're, I'm not sure. You can't even have 1% where you're not sure. If you onboard a sanctioned individual into your, your fintech or your bank, regulators are going to come in and hit you with a million-dollar fine." — Alex Berkovic [00:11:43 → 00:11:56] Frictionless AI Integration: "We don't need an engineering team to integrate our product, right? We don't need you to integrate our API or whatnot. So we'll work on top of existing systems, just like an employee." — Alex Berkovic [00:13:32 → 00:13:42] The Elusiveness of Product-Market Fit: "I always feel like it's like touching it by the tips of your finger, and then there's more to be done." — Alex Berkovic [00:19:18 → 00:19:23] The Value of High-Agency Employees: "People that leave and start their own thing is great. It means that you've hired someone that was really good at what they were doing." — Alex Berkovic [00:29:47 → 00:29:51] Viral Topic - Leadership Burnout: "Most leaders are exhausted from playing the lone hero, and it's killing both your results and your sanity." — Alex Berkovic [00:30:46 → 00:30:52] Startup Hustle Culture: "I would rather work twice as much rather than hire someone that's gonna not be the right person because we feel we need too much help and we need to deliver." — Alex Berkovic [00:33:37 → 00:33:47] SaaS Leadership Lessons1. **Build Products Based on Customer Needs, Not Just Passion** 2. **Start with Co-pilot Mode to Build Trust Gradually** 3. **Escalate Uncertain Cases to Humans—Never Compromise on Accuracy** 4. **Onboard with Minimum Friction and Learn Company-Specific Processes** 5. **Hire Slowly, Fire Fast, and Prioritize Culture Over Credentials** 6. **Sustainable Leadership Means High Ownership and Constant Iteration** Guest ResourcesAlex Berkovic alex@sphinxlabs.ai https://sphinxhq.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandreberkovic/ https://x.com/alexberkovic Episode SponsorThe...

    44 min
  3. How to Turn a Complex Product Into a Brand the Market Remembers | Marlena Sarunac | 360

    FEB 5

    How to Turn a Complex Product Into a Brand the Market Remembers | Marlena Sarunac | 360

    In this episode of SaaS Fuel, host Jeff Mains sits down with Marlena Sarunac, co-founder of The Company Advice and marketing strategist for early-stage startups in complex, regulated industries like HealthTech, FinTech, and InsurTech. Marlena shares her "playbook nicely" approach—a proven framework that helps founders avoid reinventing the wheel while building go-to-market foundations that scale. The conversation explores why letting products "speak for themselves" is a dangerous myth in today's saturated market, how to translate technical complexity into clear messaging that resonates, and why focus beats trying to appeal to everyone. Marlena reveals common messaging traps (including ChatGPT-generated clichés like "turning chaos into clarity"), the critical difference between selling to buyers versus users, and how to navigate pivots without losing credibility. Key Takeaways4:43 - The Playbook Nicely Approach 6:24 - Translating Complexity into Clarity 11:04 - Why "Product Speaks for Itself" is Dangerous 15:34 - Common Messaging Traps 17:42 - Buyers vs. Users 21:05 - Building Trust 22:51 - Navigating Pivots 24:53 - AI and the Human Spark 28:46 - Visual Identity Matters More Than Ever 32:06 - Brand Debt 39:18 - SEO/AIO Strategy 42:36 - Marketing as R&D, Not a Cost Center Tweetable Quotes"Startups don't have time to burn creating playbooks from scratch. Tap into what's been tried and true, then iterate as market signals evolve." - Marlena Sarunac"If I see another company say they 'turned chaos into clarity,' I'm going to scream. That's such a ChatGPT tell." - Marlena Sarunac"Features matter to users. Benefits matter to buyers. Don't confuse the two." - Marlena Sarunac"If you're making the right pivot, the audience you're pivoting away from won't care—they weren't showing traction anyway." - Marlena Sarunac"Treat AI like an early-career intern. It's great for automating tedious tasks, but you need humans in the loop to ensure differentiation."- Marlena Sarunac"Just like technical debt, brand debt accumulates when you take shortcuts. You'll pay for it eventually—and it'll be expensive." - Marlena Sarunac"Marketing isn't a cost center—it's the connective tissue between product and sales. Eliminating it is shortsighted." - Marlena SarunacSaaS Leadership Lessons1. Focus Beats BreadthTrying to sell to everyone dilutes your message and confuses the market. Get disciplined: focus on 1-3 buyer personas maximum. You can always expand later, but early-stage startups need clarity and traction, not broad appeal that resonates with no one. 2. Separate Buyers from UsersYour buyers (decision-makers) and users (end-users) have different needs. Buyers care about business outcomes and ROI; users care about features and usability. Tailor your messaging accordingly: high-level benefits for buyers, detailed use cases and documentation for users. 3. Build in Public, Iterate FastDon't wait for perfection. Put messaging out there when you're "half comfortable," gather market feedback, and iterate quickly. Use flexible systems (landing pages, modular websites) that allow rapid updates without massive overhauls....

    53 min
  4. Deterministic vs Probabilistic AI: What Business Leaders Need to Know | KG Charles-Harris | 359

    FEB 3

    Deterministic vs Probabilistic AI: What Business Leaders Need to Know | KG Charles-Harris | 359

    In this episode, Jeff Mains sits down with KG Charles-Harris, a serial entrepreneur who has founded six companies across industries ranging from genomics to AI. KG is the founder and CEO of Quarrio, a deterministic AI platform that solves a critical problem: getting accurate, consistent answers from corporate data in seconds instead of weeks. KG shares his unconventional path to entrepreneurship, explaining how his companies emerge from late-night conversations with brilliant people who share a common problem. He breaks down the crucial difference between deterministic and probabilistic AI systems, making the case that when decisions involve real money, real lives, or real consequences, accuracy isn't optional—it's essential. Key Takeaways[0:00] Introduction to KG Charles-Harris and his multi-industry entrepreneurial journey [1:18] How companies are born from conversations: The pattern behind KG's six startups [2:30] The genomics company origin story: From 4:30 AM conversation to Norwegian startup [3:28] Why Quarrio exists: Even data company CEOs can't get the data they need [4:31] The Quarrio platform: 100% accuracy, plain language queries, auto-visualization [5:27] Real-world impact: The $60M margin leak that took two quarters to find (would take 5 seconds with Quarrio) [7:00] Deterministic vs. probabilistic AI explained: Why autopilots don't hallucinate [11:30] The cycle time framework: Information → Decision → Action → Results [13:00] Why ChatGPT's inconsistency is a dealbreaker for enterprise decisions [18:30] Organizations as "decision-making machines" and democratizing decisions to every level [20:30] The data explosion: Managing 300+ structured data sources in mid-sized enterprises [23:00] Why Quarrio focuses on structured enterprise data (SAP, Salesforce, Oracle) instead of PDFs [30:00] Go-to-market strategy: Why they started with Salesforce and sales teams [32:30] The Salesforce incubation story: Free office space and immediate investment [33:30] Team building philosophy: Surrounding yourself with people smarter than you [37:00] Stewardship as core ethos: Taking care of family, team, customers, and partners [38:30] The founder's dilemma: Resilience vs. delusion—knowing when to persist [43:00] Where to connect with KG and learn more about Quarrio Tweetable Quotes"An organization is essentially a machine for making decisions and taking actions that have certain types of results." — KG Charles-Harris"Cycle time to information shortens cycle time to decision, which shortens cycle time to action, which shortens cycle time to results." — KG Charles-Harris"Agentic AI without context is useless. You need determinism to trust what is enacted within your system." — KG Charles-Harris"Effectiveness requires redundancy. Efficiency optimizes for the shortest time or best expense, but effectiveness accomplishes the goal." — KG Charles-Harris"I'm not very smart, and because I realize that, I ensure I work with people who are very smart. Then they make me look smart." — KG Charles-Harris"Most of us give up before we should have. The break would have come had we stuck it out one more month." — KG Charles-Harris"If you don't have their back, you cannot expect them to have yours. It's a

    49 min
  5. Why Technical Experts Struggle to Advance—and How to Fix It | Alistair Gordon | 358

    JAN 29

    Why Technical Experts Struggle to Advance—and How to Fix It | Alistair Gordon | 358

    In this episode, Jeff Mains sits down with Alistair Gordon, founder of Expertunity and author of "Master Expert," to explore why technical excellence alone isn't enough to drive career momentum and organizational impact. Alistair reveals how subject matter experts (SMEs) can unlock influence without abandoning their technical edge through what he calls "expert ship"—a set of enterprise skills that translate expertise into clear business value. The conversation challenges the assumption that management is the only path forward for technical professionals and offers practical frameworks for founders looking to retain and grow top technical talent. Key Takeaways[5:00] - The leadership development gap: Only 11% of first-time leaders receive training in their first year, leaving 89% to sink or swim [7:50] - Why "knowledge leader" failed: Technical experts don't want to be leaders—they want to avoid "useless meetings where nothing gets done" [12:00] - The invisibility problem: Much of experts' work (like keeping email systems running) is completely invisible until something breaks [14:30] - Expert as coach: The most transformational skill is learning to ask better questions before providing technical advice [19:30] - The coaching paradox: Half of stakeholders love the questioning approach; the other half just want immediate answers [23:00] - The negativity trap: Experts often spend 22 minutes explaining why something is difficult before mentioning it's actually a good idea [29:00] - The promotion trap: Three out of four times, forcing technical experts into management roles is "a train wreck" [40:30] - The remuneration shift: In successful tech companies, technical experts often earn more than leaders because they add more value Tweetable Quotes💡 "The era of people leaders dominating organizations is over. It's technical experts who are keeping the lights on and inventing the future." - @AlistairGordon 💡 "You can't teach a technical subject matter expert anything. They have to learn it. They have to want to learn it themselves." - @AlistairGordon 💡 "Most experts think their value should be obvious. But if your work is invisible and you can't describe it clearly, it won't be noticed." - @AlistairGordon 💡 "Career progress doesn't equal promotion. Most technical experts want to invent stuff that's cool and makes a difference—not fill in appraisal forms." - @AlistairGordon 💡 "The transition from individual contributor to first-time leader is the hardest transition in leadership—and it's five times harder for introverted technical experts." - @AlistairGordon 💡 "Find something positive to say first. Don't let technical complexities dominate the conversation before understanding what they're trying to achieve." - @AlistairGordon SaaS Leadership Lessons1. Understand What Actually Motivates Your Technical TalentMost leaders assume everyone wants career progression through management. Technical experts often want to build cool things that make a difference, not manage people. Ask what drives them before creating development paths. 2. Create Multiple Career Paths Beyond ManagementDon't force technical experts into management roles they don't want. Establish technical career tracks with comparable compensation and recognition. The best chip designer at Nvidia isn't being "weighed down with management responsibilities." 3. Invest in Enterprise Skills, Not Just Technical TrainingTechnical experts need coaching, stakeholder engagement, business acumen, and communication skills to translate their work into business value. These "enterprise skills" (not "soft skills") are what unlock their full

    46 min
  6. Why Product Teams Miss Revenue Goals | Ryan Debenham | 357

    JAN 27

    Why Product Teams Miss Revenue Goals | Ryan Debenham | 357

    Ryan Debenham, CEO of Grin, shares his unconventional journey from software engineer to leading a nearly billion-dollar creator management platform. In this candid conversation, Ryan reveals how he "accidentally" became a CEO by following challenges rather than titles, and why that mindset shift transformed how he builds products and companies. He discusses the critical disconnect between engineering and go-to-market teams, the revolutionary potential of AI agents in influencer marketing, and why democratizing influence could unlock a massive untapped market. Ryan also shares insights from his time at Qualtrics (acquired by SAP for $8B) and Route, offering practical wisdom on connecting product teams to revenue outcomes and building AI that feels "alive." Key Takeaways[4:30] - The Accidental CEO Path: Ryan explains how becoming a CEO was never his plan—he loved building products but never built companies around them. His career evolved by chasing challenges rather than titles or money. [10:30] - The Product-to-Company Graveyard: Ryan candidly shares how his early product ideas (including a ride-sharing concept 20 years ago and a photo categorization tool) died because he focused only on building, not on solving the hard business problems. [12:15] - The Mindset Shift: The biggest change from engineering to CEO? When revenue numbers became Ryan's responsibility, he finally understood what customers truly needed—not just what they said they wanted. [14:30] - Breaking Down Silos: Ryan discusses why the tension between product, engineering, marketing, and sales "will kill the business" and how he's connecting these departments at the hip. [19:30] - The Qualtrics Lesson: A powerful story about spending six months building the wrong text analytics product at Qualtrics, despite sitting next to customers repeatedly. The lesson: understanding business needs requires deeper connection than just listening to feature requests. [26:00] - AI as Electricity: Ryan's compelling analogy comparing LLMs to the development of electricity and CPUs—powerful building blocks that are worthless alone but transformational when paired with the right infrastructure. [28:30] - Mandatory AI Adoption: Ryan required all engineers at Grin to use AI coding tools. One engineer quit over the pressure but came back, realizing it was a mistake. His prediction: in a few years, you won't get hired as an engineer if you don't know AI tools. [32:00] - Building Software That's "Alive": Ryan describes Gia, Grin's AI agent that journals daily, runs standups with other agents, creates action items, and can discuss what she's learning and what features should be built next. [35:00] - The Influencer Marketing Problem: Why Grin's growth stalled—aspirational customers bought the software but failed at influencer marketing because the operational complexity was too high, leading to churn. [38:30] - The Two-Sided Platform Gap: Most influencer platforms built for merchants and forgot creators. Ryan explains why supporting creators is the most important part of the solution. [44:30] - Democratizing Influence: Ryan's vision that "everybody is an influencer"—the real opportunity is capturing and rewarding the micro-influence that happens in everyday conversations between millions of people. [49:00] - The Collision Course: Why affiliate marketing and influencer marketing are merging into something new—it's all about capturing word-of-mouth at different scales. Tweetable...

    53 min
  7. Radical Product Thinking: Solving the Right Problems Instead of Hitting Numbers | Radhika Dutt | 356

    JAN 22

    Radical Product Thinking: Solving the Right Problems Instead of Hitting Numbers | Radhika Dutt | 356

    In this episode, Jeff Mains sits down with Radhika Dutt, author of Radical Product Thinking, to challenge the conventional wisdom around goal-setting, KPIs, and OKRs. Radhika reveals why chasing metrics can actually distort behavior and undermine long-term growth, introducing a powerful alternative: treating growth like a puzzle rather than a scorecard. The conversation explores how well-intentioned targets create perverse incentives, why measures should be tools for insight rather than evaluation, and how a curiosity-driven approach—using the OHLA framework (Observe, Hypothesize, Learn, Adapt)—helps teams make smarter decisions in real-world conditions. Radhika shares compelling examples from OpenAI, maritime SaaS platforms, and robotics companies to illustrate how puzzle-solving beats goal-setting for sustainable growth. Whether you're drowning in dashboards or hitting targets while feeling like something's off, this episode offers a refreshing lens on progress, leadership, and building momentum without the performance theater. Key Takeaways[0:00] - Episode introduction and overview of why goal-setting may be backfiring [4:48] - The fundamental problem with KPIs and OKRs: Goodhart's Law and Campbell's Law explained [6:28] - Dutt's Law: "A measure is only useful as a tool for insight, not a yardstick for evaluation" [7:16] - Real-world example: How OpenAI's user engagement targets led to dangerous "sycophantic AI" [10:37] - The hidden dangers of hitting targets while ignoring negative indicators [11:44] - Introduction to puzzle-setting vs. goal-setting mindset [12:09] - The OHLA framework explained: Observe, Hypothesize, Learn, Adapt [17:51] - Case study: Why improving filters wouldn't have solved the real problem [28:47] - The performance theater trap: Why jumping to solutions feels comfortable but fails [30:28] - How to get customer meetings when people say "you should already know this" [33:00] - Why in-person observation matters more when mental models differ [36:27] - Growth comes from matching user mental models, not forcing adoption of yours [37:47] - The Tesla UI example: When "cool" design ignores user mental models [37:47] - Top-down vs. bottom-up: How to introduce puzzle-solving in organizations [39:27] - Why leaders fear losing control and how to address it [43:01] - Vision-driven vs. iteration-led: Crafting a detailed, actionable vision statement [45:41] - Example vision statement that tells the whole story without mentioning the product [48:03] - Why detailed visions create ownership better than memorable slogans [50:01] - One mindset shift founders can make this week to reduce performance theater Tweetable Quotes"When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure. We've known this since 1975, yet we keep setting goals for metrics.""A measure is only useful as a tool for insight, not a yardstick for evaluation. That's the critical mindset shift.""When you set targets, everyone's incentive is to show you they've hit that target. You don't look at the negative numbers to see what's actually happening.""Puzzles trigger curiosity and questioning. If you already know the answers, there's no puzzle. That's the...

    56 min
  8. Tech Trends and Transformation: Innovation Insights for Legacy Industries | Mark Walker | 355

    JAN 20

    Tech Trends and Transformation: Innovation Insights for Legacy Industries | Mark Walker | 355

    Mark Walker, CEO of NUE, joins Jeff Mains to discuss how modern SaaS companies can transform revenue operations from fragmented systems into a unified lifecycle. With $30M in funding and customers like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Jasper, NUE is redefining quote-to-cash by treating revenue as a continuous flow rather than disconnected handoffs. Mark shares insights on disrupting entrenched markets, building high-performance cultures, and why speed and flexibility have become the ultimate competitive advantages in an AI-driven world. Key Takeaways0:54 - The hidden complexity tax 4:42 - Curiosity as a career compass 8:59 - Skating to where the puck is going 11:44 - The unified truth 14:26 - The $2M discovery 18:03 - Speed as strategy 21:29 - Flexibility unlocks enterprise deals 26:45 - The Trojan horse strategy 28:09 - Productized implementation 29:56 - Lightning-fast deployments 38:21 - Market disruption wisdom 45:47 - Culture starts at the top 46:16 - NUE's three core values Tweetable Quotes"The purpose of producing quotes isn't to produce quotes—it's to produce bills. Contracts are just a step toward invoicing and collecting money." - Mark Walker"If it takes you a year to stand up a system, how long will it take you to change it? Once you set that system up, changing it can often take longer than setting it up the first time." - Mark Walker"We have a saying at NUE: This is so hard not to love it. If you don't actually love working here, you should go." - Mark Walker"If you want to be trusted, be trustworthy. If you want to be respected, be respectful. If you want great partnership, be a great partner." - Mark Walker"The fastest-moving companies are over-indexing on what they don't know, whereas everybody else is buying systems based on what they think they know." - Mark WalkerSaaS Leadership Lessons1. Treat Revenue as a Lifecycle, Not a TransactionStop thinking of quoting, billing, and invoicing as separate steps. They're part of one continuous flow. When these systems are disconnected, you bleed 3-5% of ARR annually (per MGI research) and create unnecessary friction for customers and teams. 2. Speed and Flexibility Trump Feature CompletenessIn a world where the pace of change has changed, the most critical attributes in technology partners are speed, flexibility, and time to value. Companies that can implement and iterate quickly have a massive competitive advantage over those locked into rigid, year-long implementations. 3. Use a "Trojan Horse" Strategy—But Make It GoldWhen attacking entrenched markets, find a wedge product that serves as your entry point. But that wedge must be exceptional on its own merits. NUE's CPQ is so good that customers buy it standalone, then discover the billing platform inside. 4. Build for Where Customers Are Going, Not Where They AreNUE targeted the hardest problems first—multi-attribute pricing, complex enterprise scenarios—because they wanted to help companies grow. If you're good at where customers are headed, small companies can use your platform to compete with giants. 5. Culture Is What You Tolerate, Not What You PostValues on the wall mean nothing if leadership...

    54 min
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About

Want to know why some SaaS companies scale while others stagnate? It's not just code and capital. You've found SaaS Fuel, where every Tuesday and Thursday, we're brewing up the kind of conversations you wish you could have over coffee with successful founders and industry experts. Join five-time entrepreneur and adventure seeker Jeff Mains every Tuesday as he gets real with visionary founders and executives who've built stellar software companies. They share the raw truth about their ups, downs, and 'I can't believe that worked' moments. Looking for practical tips you can use right now? Our Thursday 'SaaS Fuel Expert Series' brings you the smartest minds in the game, dishing out actionable advice on everything from AI and marketing to sales strategies and leadership. No fluff, just real tactics that are working right now. This isn't your typical 'how I built this' show. Whether you're figuring out product-market fit, building your first real team, or pushing past that million-dollar milestone, each episode packs the kind of insights you'd normally have to learn the hard way. Let's face it – running a SaaS company can feel like juggling while riding a unicycle. But you're not alone. Join our growing crew of founders and leaders who are figuring it out together, one episode at a time. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Thursday. Fuel your next big move. Hit subscribe and let's grow something amazing.

Information

  • Creator
    Jeff Mains
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    363
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Jeff Mains
  • Show Website
    SaaS Fuel