SaaS Origin Stories Phil Alves

In this episode of SaaS Origin Stories, Phil speaks with Andrew Butt, Founder and CEO of Enable, a software development company that helps manufacturers, distributors, and retailers take control of their rebate programs and turn them into an engine for growth. Prior to this, he was the Co-Founder & Managing Director of the E-Commerce Division at DCS Group (UK) Ltd, and the Co-Founder and Director at Enable Infomatrix.
Together, they get into what it’s like going from eighty to five hundred employees and how you cope with that as a CEO, when to stop being a remote SaaS business and move to an office, the difficulties of having such a strong niche, and the differences between fundraising in the UK and the US.

Guest at a Glance:

Name: Andrew Butt

About Dan: Andrew Butt is the Founder and CEO of Enable, a software development company that helps manufacturers, distributors, and retailers take control of their rebate programs and turn them into an engine for growth. Prior to this, he was the Co-Founder & Managing Director of the E-Commerce Division at DCS Group (UK) Ltd and the Co-Founder and Director at Enable Infomatrix.


Andrew on LinkedIn

Enable on LinkedIn

Enable’s Website


Topics we cover:


How Enable helps financial professionals, buyers, and sellers
Customer expectations are at an all-time high
Merging different skills to solve supply chain problems
Being profitable from day one
Word of mouth and networking in order to attain customers
When is it time to stop being completely remote?
Having a unique edge as a business
Raising forty million dollars in the first year
How to spend fundraised money wisely and deploy it effectively
The difference between being a CEO of 80 employees and having 500
Key Takeaways:

A Brilliant Combination of Skills

Andrew and his Co-Founder both had a set of different skills that really complimented each other; Andrew was focused on the tech side while also having an interest in business, and his Co-Founder had an immense knowledge in supply chains, manufacturing, and how customers work. After noticing a technical disconnect between all three of those, they created Enable in order to make the supply chain processes easier! 

“So [my Co-Founder] was a supply chain expert and understood distribution and also business, and then I was really the technical programming guy and I was building applications, building software, web applications in the early days. And I also had a real passion for business as well.”
Being Profitable From Day One!

In the UK, the typical approach when building a SaaS business is by starting small and then growing organically. Instead of straight up looking for an angel investor like so many other businesses, they chose to go the traditional, gradual route of funding the business. Once they started to build a product rather than just provide services, they started using the money they got from previous work as the funding source.

“Initially we were already providing services. We started the company together really as a service provider, and we were building custom software for companies and they were obviously paying us to do that. So, we were kind of profitable from virtually day one, which is a typical approach in the UK: start very small and grow organically.”
Searching for a US Investor

Enable’s goal when they moved to the US was to find an investor that understood what they were about—someone who had a deep understanding of their particular niche. Unfortunately, they learned that a lot of people they pitched to didn’t really understand their product. Eventually, they found someone and managed to raise forty million dollars in the first year, allowing them to build a team in the US and grow organically.

“It really took some visionary investors to see what we had and see through some of those strange kind of aspects and to realize this was a really good thing to invest in.”
From 80 to 500 Employees

When Enable made the move from the UK t

In this episode of SaaS Origin Stories, Phil speaks with Steve Benson, CEO of Badger Maps, a San Francisco based software company that enables field sales teams to manage their territory by combining Google Maps, data from their CRM, route optimization, schedule planning, and lead generation.
Steve is also the Founder and CEO of Badger Sales University, the Host of the ‘Outside Sales’ podcast, the President of Sales Hall of Fame, a LinkedIn Learning Instructor at LinkedIn, and a Field Sales Efficiency Expert at Sales Experts Channel. 
They take a deep dive into the financial implications of starting a SaaS business and what to look for when searching for investors. They also delve into how to do research for your product, how to put the odds in your favor as a business, and what kind of game you want to play as a founder.
Guest at a Glance:

Name: Steve Benson

About Steve: Steve Benson is the CEO of Badger Maps, a San Francisco based software company that enables field sales teams to manage their territory by combining Google Maps, data from their CRM, route optimization, schedule planning, and lead generation.

Steve is also the Founder and CEO of Badger Sales University, the Host of the ‘Outside Sales’ podcast, the President of Sales Hall of Fame, a LinkedIn Learning Instructor at LinkedIn, and a Field Sales Efficiency Expert at Sales Experts Channel. 

Steve on LinkedIn

Badger Maps on LinkedIn

Badger Map’s Website

Topics we cover:

The purpose of Badger Maps
Why field salespeople’s results are tracked
Get to know your user base
The process of SaaS product funding
Should you use debt?
Putting the odds in your favor
What investors are looking for in a successful SaaS product
Should you sell when your company grows larger?
What game do you want to play as a founder?
Key Takeaways:

Get to Know Your User Base

Badger maps was designed to make salespeople’s lives easier by planning their routes and figuring out the best ways to get somewhere in the most efficient way possible. Steve achieved this by speaking with multiple salespeople, figuring out what they needed and what the most common issues in their jobs were. By doing this, he wasn’t just trying to find out if his product was a good fit for the market, but was also creating his first generation of customers. You can find them on LinkedIn and ask specific questions without sounding salesy, and once they understand who you are and what you’re doing, you can start to ask if they’d be interested.

“I spoke with hundreds of people who were either the end user of the product,  the manager of the end user of the product, the trainer, VP of sales - I spoke to a ton of them. That’s a really important thing to do I think, because you’re not just figuring out if this is a good fit for the market, but that becomes your lead generation for your first deals.”

Funding the Business

Steve was very lucky in the beginning of his career - he used to work at Google and had saved up quite a bit of money, so he had that side of the company sorted! But he needed to find three employees: an engineer, a product/general technologist, and a general business strategist. At first, he was paying only for those three but not himself, and after three years he eventually managed to get there. Starting a business is a risky game, but it worked out.

“Most people aren’t sophisticated enough to understand the risk of these things. If you were to ask someone what’s riskier: investing in a bank that’s in the news for being shaky or this startup. They’re probably going to say the bank because they’re in the news for being risky. It’s like, no no, the startup is way riskier.”

Be Careful About Getting Into Debt

A lot of startups will take out loans from bigger companies, and although Steve did this, he recommends that most people don’t, because at the end of the day you still have to pay it back. If your company doesn’t go the way you thought it would,

In this episode of SaaS Origin Stories, Phil speaks with Dan Fernandez, Co-Founder of SoStocked, the first and only customizable inventory management and forecasting software built for Amazon sellers by Amazon sellers. Not only that, but he is also the Co-Founder of Tomoson, a Board Member at Birdies4Brains, and is the lead consultant at WebBizIdeas.com!
They delve into how poker helped Dan become the entrepreneur he is today, how to manage the hiccups and struggles that come with running a business, and why the people you work with can make a massive difference to your business’ success. He also explains what the ‘three legged stool’ analogy is in business and why it’s so beneficial.

Guest at a Glance:

Name: Dan Fernandez

About Dan: Dan Fernandez is the Co-Founder of SoStocked, the first and only customizable inventory management and forecasting software built for Amazon sellers by Amazon sellers. Not only that, but he is also the Co-Founder of Tomoson, a Board Member at Birdies4Brains, and is the lead consultant at WebBizIdeas.com!


Dan on LinkedIn

SoStocked on LinkedIn

SoStocked’s Website


Topics we cover:


The journey of a serial entrepreneur in SaaS
How poker helps you be a better business person
Stomaching the ebbs and flows of being an entrepreneur
The three legs of the business stool
Developing the architecture of your SaaS business
Learning to manage the hiccups and the development burn
Don’t take on everything yourself
Surrounding yourself with people who can correct your shortcomings
Key Takeaways:

Can Poker Help You Become a Better Business Person?

Before Dan even started SoStocked he would play poker with his friends and feature in tournaments; when starting a business, it will always require some gambling, but he isn’t suggesting that’s all there is to business. Rather, it allowed him to learn how to stomach the unknown and face problems with confidence. He also argues that, if you really believe in something, you have to sometimes gamble on yourself - it’s all about risk, and the best entrepreneurs are risk takers. 

“I think as an entrepreneur, you have to have the stomach for the unknown. You need to be able to know when to gamble. That’s not to say that being an entrepreneur you’re gambling all the time, but you’re taking the gamble on yourself. You are that pit in your stomach.”
Finding the Third Leg of the Stool

Every successful SaaS product has to have the three legs of the stool: a subject expert, an operations person, and a marketing professional. Without those, you’ll find yourself in a tricky situation. And this isn’t exclusive to just SaaS brands, it’s actually something that anyone in any business can learn from - those three legs will hold your business up and keep you balanced; the last thing you want is for it all to fall apart.

“Every SaaS product that I’ve had success with, I’ve had those three legs of the stool. What brought the odds in our favor was finding that subject expert that could truly articulate the hole in the market and then had passion enough to do social media, to go to conferences etc.”
How Long Can You Sustain the Development Burn?

Your business will require a lot of sustainability in how much development you can burn. You need to be able to balance as much as you can without fully burning out or exhausting yourself and your expenses. Dan points out that every SaaS product he’s been a part of has never stayed on budget, and that if you can plan for the hiccups, then you can move on and you’ll prove yourself.

“In SaaS, business, or whatever, if you can plan for the hiccup and it happens, then it doesn’t faze you. It’s very rare in SaaS that you’re breaking even; sometimes it’s a year or eighteen months of burning cash…but you’re seeing results and users sticking. The metrics can tell you that it’s working, it’s just that you’re waiting for that lag in the bank account to catch up.”
Don’t Do Ev

In this episode of SaaS Origin Stories, Phil speaks with Indus Khaitan, CEO of Quolom, the best way to buy SaaS through the use of a simple card. Prior to this, he was the Chief of Growth at Chargebee, an Advisor at Sequoia Capital, the Senior Director of Product Management at Oracle, and the Co-Founder of Bitzer Mobile.
They discuss how Indus found the problem points of SaaS and marketing products, how to handle feedback rejection as a startup (as well as why timing is so important), and the best way to find new customers in different communities. They also take a deep dive into how difficult it can be to start an entirely new product with no one to compare against.
He is a very experienced individual and we’re lucky to have him as a guest.
Guest at a Glance:

Name: Indust Khaitan

About Indus: Indus Khaitan is the CEO of Quolom, the best way to buy SaaS through the use of a simple card. Prior to this, he was the Chief of Growth at Chargebee, an Advisor at Sequoia Capital, the Senior Director of Product Management at Oracle, and the Co-Founder of Bitzer Mobile. 

One of his past colleagues, Melanie Fortman, said: “Indus has been a great coach, mentor and inspiration to me at Chargebee. He challenges me to be creative, think out of the box, and continually learn.”


Indus on LinkedIn

Quolom on LinkedIn

Quolom’s Website


Topics we cover:


The straightforwardness of Quolom
Picking out the problem points of industry data
Finding those first few customers
Taking on feedback and handling rejection
Discovering new methods of outreach
Aligning yourself with the customer’s problems
What to do when your product is almost too unique
Balancing the investor’s and the customer’s needs
Key Takeaways:

The Abuse of Sales and Marketing Tools

When starting Quolom, Indus was looking out for the problem points that plagued content and marketing tools. He noticed that businesses were using up to five products to do one job; he didn’t want to cancel these products out, he wanted to make sure the customers were happy with the product and that he could provide the best service for them. Such an overabundance of clashing products meant that they were being abused, and he wanted to mitigate that.

“Our job was to figure out how you, as a customer, can be the happiest user of the product, rather than having five overlapping tools and then canceling them properly at the end of the year.”
Searching LinkedIn for Customers and Handling Rejection

Indus didn’t have any CFO connections on LinkedIn when he first started Quolom, something which he thought would be a massive problem. However, through his own contacts he was given recommendations and immediately started connecting and building his network. All of them gave him the same feedback: the product was good, just not something that they’d use right now. 

This, naturally, got Indus down a little. But after a few days, he went back to the drawing board and made it what it is today!

“So, the first version of the product only focused on tracking the usage [...] But what the tool does is, you have to be in the flow of money. How much money are we spending on products, and then tell me what to do.”
Search for Customers in New Places

There are more places than LinkedIn to find B2B and SaaS customers (despite what others might have you believe). If you scour the internet for communities on places like Twitter and Reddit, you’ll be able to find an abundance of new customers. These people might not even be customers, they might just help to inform you on how to alter your business. This can be extremely valuable for you to grow. 

“We also looked at people who were complaining about software waste and software usage on either forums on Reddit, LinkedIn, or Twitter, and then we started doing an outreach. We also started looking at companies who were using some of these bigger tools.”
The Challenges of Starting a New Category

Being innovative and disruptive in an ind

In this episode of SaaS Origin Stories, Phil speaks with Scott Hurff, Founder and Chief Product Officer at Churnkey, a SaaS product that fixes every type of churn for you, supercharges all aspects of customer retention, and optimizes your company’s growth. They explore Scott's journey to founding and growing Churnkey, the differences between running a B2B versus a B2C SaaS company, and what every SaaS founder should do to scale a successful business.
Guest at a Glance:
Name: Scott Hurff
About Scott: Scott Hurff is a product maker, designer, and writer. He is the Founder and Chief Product Officer at Churnkey, a SaaS product that fixes every type of churn for you, supercharges all aspects of customer retention, and optimizes your company’s growth. Before Churnkey, Scott was the Founding Designer and Head of Design at Casa, Director Of Product Design at Philosophie Group (now InfoBeans), and Product Manager and Lead Designer at Tinder.
He wrote Designing Products People Love, a book that highlights how product designers work at places like Twitter, Product Hunt, Facebook, and more. He is a keen writer who works on science fiction stories and is a member of the Sudowriters' writing group. In 2019, Scott graduated from the Taos Toolbox workshop.

Scott on LinkedIn

Scott’s Website

Churnkey on LinkedIn

Churnkey’s Website


Topics we cover:

How does Churnkey handles retention for you?


What can SaaS founders do to reduce their churn?


The difference between running a B2B versus a B2C SaaS company


Insights for SaaS founders to succeedKey Takeaways:Cracking the Customer Churn CodeReducing customer churn is a top priority for every company, particularly in the SaaS industry. To tackle this issue, start by identifying the customers who haven't paid for two months but are assumed to be interested in continuing their subscription. This step alone can reduce churn by twenty to forty percent.

Additionally, launch a well-designed survey at the point of cancellation to understand why customers are leaving. It's crucial to ensure that the survey is discreet, thoughtful, and crafted to elicit valuable feedback.

To further decrease churn, consider implementing a cancel flow and regularly review as a team why customers are leaving on both the product and customer success sides. Make this an ongoing part of your routine and iterate as necessary to keep improving.

“De-stigmatize the notion that that data can't be helpful because it's biased, and I think you'll make some great gains.”

B2B Versus B2CWhen running a B2B company, you develop a more personalized relationship with your customers compared to B2C, where the focus is on scaling. B2B companies concentrate on resolving specific problems at a more human level.

Additionally, B2B SaaS companies typically have smaller and more proficient teams, while B2C companies tend to have a more pronounced separation and specialization of various functions as they grow.

However, some B2B founders make the mistake of adopting B2C practices that they believe would work similarly. This is not always the case. If you run a B2B company, your priority should be finding ways to connect with your customers as efficiently as possible.

“You have to go through the process and figure out what not to do. Take the wins and then go in and build something of your own and build it your own way.”

Wisdom for SaaS FoundersBe open to fundraising and showcasing your product. You won't know if it works if you don't try. Without trying, you won't know if it's effective and capable of scaling. Avoid assuming that your efforts are not good enough. Instead, consider it a motivation to drive you and your company forward. Going through the process can help in identifying your values, abilities, and limitations.

“We didn't know if this was gonna work at scale. It's working now. And maybe there's that part of us that we don't want to be told that what we're doing is not good enough.”

In this episode of SaaS Origin Stories, Phil speaks with Daniel Fayle, Co-Founder of Chekkit, an all-in-one customer interaction software helping companies get more reviews, more social proof, message your website leads, and more! Prior to this, he was a Small Business Advisor at Scotiabank and was an Intern Analyst at Roynat Capital. One of his previous clients says he has “outstanding customer service skills,” and that it is “always a pleasure working with him and his team.”
They discuss how Chekkit succeeded despite Daniel’s lack of experience in tech; why a good business pitch is so vitally important; how reviews can be super polarizing; and how a small business can begin to expand globally. They also delve into why coming into an industry a little later can actually be a benefit more than a hindrance! 
Guest at a Glance:

Name: Daniel Fayle

About Daniel: Daniel Fayle is the Co-Founder of Chekkit, an all-in-one customer interaction software helping companies get more reviews, more social proof, message your website leads and more! Prior to this, he was a Small Business Advisor at Scotiabank and was an Intern Analyst at Roynat Capital. One of his previous clients says he has “outstanding customer service skills,” and that it is “always a pleasure working with him and his team.”


Daniel on LinkedIn

Chekkit on LinkedIn

Chekkit’s Website


Topics we cover:


How Chekkit solves customer service problems
The emergence of the Chekkit idea
No background in tech? No worries!
The importance of a good pitch
The polarizing nature of audience reviews
How to find your customers
Globally expanding your brand
Think through your business plan!
Key Takeaways:

No Background in Tech? That’s Okay!

Daniel talks about how, when they first started Chekkit, he didn’t have much experience, if any, in tech, and neither did his co-founder! In fact, he started off in finance of all industries. They decided to make an app for fun, one that could look at the analytics of restaurants and bars, but it wasn’t until a little later on that they decided to build on that idea and create Chekkit. Later, they pitched the idea to investors, and the rest is history. 

It just goes to show, you don’t always need a background in tech to create something great. Whilst it can certainly help, if you just believe in your product enough and are dedicated to making it work, you can make it happen.

“I have a finance background. I was a commercial banker - no background in tech, no education, no knowledge. Nothing! I was working up north at the time [...] I met one of my co-founder and he had no background, education or network in tech and software, and we were just extremely poor. We basically said ‘why don’t we just create an app for fun.’” 
The Importance of a Good Pitch

When they first started Chekkit, they went door to door at different restaurants and bars, pitching their business idea to them. Their pitch was so good and useful for the customer reviewing aspect of businesses, they even managed to get a dental practice as a client, something which Daniel was surprised by. Afterall, he thought that hospitality businesses would make up all of their business, so finding out that there’s a need for Chekkit’s services in other industries was a pleasant revelation.

“I knew a friend that had a dental clinic and, us being new to the space and not really knowing, I didn’t really think of reviews as a big thing for other [industries], I just thought about restaurants and hospitality. But I pitched it to my friend and he was like ‘yeah, reviews are huge for us’, so that definitely caught us by surprise.”
The Polarization of Reviews

When trying to attain organic reviews for a business, they can be extremely polarizing. Most of the time, people will only leave reviews if they’ve had a negative experience; it has to be a really good experience for someone to go out of their way for a positive one. That’s where