The Effective Founder

This habit costs more than you think

I'm (finally) restarting the show. Tune in to discover what's changing...

The Effective Founder isn't going anywhere, but I am making some changes to the show next year. Tune in and discover what's next for the pod...

Today, I’m talking with , a Vice President of SBA lending at , where he specializes in goodwill transactions, which are especially relevant to internet businesses. Jordan has been in banking for 18 years and is well-known in the SBA industry for his public speaking, and that’s actually where I first came across him. Jordan co-hosted a great webinar with FE International (a business broker that specializes in mid-market SaaS, e-commerce, and content businesses) on how to use the SBA lending program to buy a business. That presentation was a crash course on the ins and outs of SBA loans, so if you’re at all interested in this subject, go check that out. I’ll link to it in the show notes. In our chat today, Jordan and I are going to build on that presentation and walk through more of the details on what the loan application and approval process looks like.

Today, I’m talking with , the author of , and the Executive Partner at Independent Security Evaluators (ISE), the company of ethical hackers famous for hacking cars, medical devices, and password managers. Ted has helped hundreds of companies fix tens of thousands of security vulnerabilities, including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix, and more. In our chat, we’re going to talk about the security risks SaaS founders need to be aware of and how to protect their applications.

Today, I’m talking with , the Co-founder and CEO , an online marketplace that connects homeowners with Local lawn care professionals. Before starting GreenPal, Bryan founded Peachtree Inc. one of the largest landscaping companies in the state of Tennessee growing it to over $10 million a year in annual revenue before it was acquired in 2013. In our chat, we dive into how he’s grown GreenPal to more than 100,000 active users as a self-funded company over the last 6 years, everything from their successes to their failures and how these lessons can make you a better founder.

Today, I’m talking with , the Founder and CEO at , an online community and content provider for daily fantasy sports. I always enjoy talking with other founders in the industry, especially people like Brandon who take unconventional approaches to building their businesses. Gup’s Corner has thrived in a crowded market by truly putting members first and building a strong community of subscribers.  This is no easy task which is why I’m excited to have Brandon on today to share how he and his team have pulled it off.

Today, I’m talking with , the Co-Founder and CEO of , where he and his team are modernizing the barbershop experience. Before we jump into the episode, I’ve just got a quick plug for a great project I wanted to mention. Last year, Rob Walling and the MicroConf team launched the 1st annual State of Independent SaaS to give our community of more data so we can make better decisions as we grow our company. The first report was eye opening, to say the least. As of yesterday, October 6th, the survey for the 2nd annual State of Independent SaaS is live at and I just finished filling it out myself. It takes less than 10 minutes, it’s all anonymized, and your responses will help make this year’s report even more valuable. So take a few minutes to head over to and fill out the survey. Now let’s jump back into today’s episode. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, barbershops across the country were closed practically overnight. But rather than sit on the sidelines, Obi and his team adapted and actually grew their business during this challenging time. In our chat, Obi shares how theCut managed to grow in an industry struggling to stay afloat and how he’s navigated the new challenges of managing an ever-expanding team.

Today, I’m talking with , the Co-Founder and CEO of , where he and his team are modernizing the barbershop experience. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, barbershops across the country were closed practically overnight. But rather than sit on the sidelines, Obi and his team adapted and actually grew their business during this challenging time. In our chat, Obi shares how theCut managed to grow in an industry struggling to stay afloat and how he’s navigated the new challenges of managing an ever-expanding team.

Today, I’m talking with , the founder of where he helps startups by matching them with tried & trusted tech teams from Eastern Europe. Offshoring is something a lot of founders in our world turn to because you can get great talent at affordable rates, but it’s also caused a ton of horror stories. At SaberSim, our team has all been based in US and Canada, but it’s getting more and more expensive to do that so we’re looking at all of our options, including offshoring. Being right in the middle of this made it seem like a great time to have Victor on the show. In our chat today, Victor walks through his unique approach to offshoring, how he helps companies avoid the all too common mistakes, and how you can apply the same lessons in your business.

Today, I’m talking with , the Founder and CEO of , where he and his team help founders, investors, and executives install the habits, systems, and processes necessary to reach the next level in their business. Chris is also one of the world’s top online poker players and uses the same frameworks that propelled him to the top of the game to help others achieve world-class performance in their own fields. In our chat, we dig into what those frameworks are and how you can apply them in your business. Chris is one of the most thoughtful and deliberate people I’ve met and the lessons he shares today are ones you don’t want to miss.

Today, I’m talking with , the President and CEO of , a cloud-based bookkeeping, management accounting, and controller service. Having successfully navigated six recessions as an entrepreneur, Stephen knows a company’s in trouble before the owner and has developed a framework for managing cash flow through times of chaos. For my company, SaberSim, revenue went to $0 for 4 months and while we’ve come out of it stronger than before, I cannot tell you how much I wish I had Stephen’s framework at the start of this. As founders and CEOs, it’s our job to make sure there is enough cash in the bank for the business to stay alive and that’s been an incredible challenge with everything going on in the world.  In our chat, Stephen breaks down the 5 steps to take during a crisis—but COVID aside, managing cash flow is never easy and Stephen’s advice today applies in times good and bad.

Today, I’m talking with Adam Springer, the founder of StartupSales.io where he helps founders develop the sales processes and strategies to scale beyond $1mm ARR.  Before founding Startup Sales, Adam was the first sales person for 3 companies, taking them each from $0 to more than $5mm ARR. With thousands of books, blog posts, and podcasts out there on sales, it’s tough to even know where to begin.  Adam breaks it all down for you today and shares what makes a sales process successful and how to build an effective sales team for your business.

Today, I’m talking with , the CEO at , a curated online retailer that provides a platform for consumers looking to discover the coolest and most innovative fashion, accessories, art, and gadgets from emerging brands and artists across the globe. By building a strong brand and audience, Fancy raised well over $100 million but wasn’t able to find enough traction to sustain the sky-high valuation. Greg was brought in to turnaround the company and in the 18+ months since he’s been there, they’re back on the right track. In , Ben Horowitz talks about the difference between a “peacetime” CEO and a “wartime” CEO. Being a CEO is never easy, but being a CEO when your back is against the wall and you need to turn things around is a special kind of hard. In our chat today, Greg shares how he was able to right the ship, get buyin from the rest of the team, and what the future looks like for Fancy. The way Greg thinks about business and values the people inside is something every founder can learn from.

Today, I’m talking with , the founder of where he helps B2B SaaS companies book more demos & trials. I’ve shied away from covering tactics on the show because I know there is so much of that out there, but after seeing Marc’s approach, I knew I had to have him on because he “gets it.” While we cover the key elements of building a SaaS website optimized for conversions, our conversation goes way beyond that and we discuss how those principles can be applied throughout a business. Whether you want actionable tips on CRO or cold email or you’re looking for a deep dive on what makes a sales process work, we’ve got you covered.

Today, I’m talking with , the Co-founder and CEO at where they empower customer-centric businesses to serve people in the most human, helpful way. After spending two years at Groove, a competitor of Help Scout, I was obviously aware of them and their brand but we were so focused on our own mission that I never dug too deep into their story. I’m glad that I had the opportunity to change that as I prepared for this interview. Help Scout is a fully remote company with more than 100 employees and while they’ve raised some money, they’re profitable and operate as a certified B Corp. B Corps are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. As every founder knows, it’s never easy to grow a business and Nick’s story is no different. The part of the journey we focus the most on is hiring—what went wrong in the early days and how they got it right.  There is a ton of practical advice in here that any team can act on right away, I know it’s changed my thinking about hiring, but the bigger message Nick shares is that when it comes to diversity and inclusion the right thing to do is also the best thing for the business. Especially now, so many companies talk a big game when it comes to diversity and inclusion but few actually back it up. Help Scout is one of those rare exceptions that put their money where their mouth is.

Today, I’m talking with , the CEO at where he and his team help SaaS businesses increase revenue through Revenue Operations, or RevOps. I’ll be honest, before preparing for this interview, I wasn’t so sure what RevOps actually was. Even as I dug into it, it seemed like something only megacorps needed to care about. After talking with Jason, I’ve completely changed my mind on this.  While you probably don’t need a dedicated RevOps team in the early days of your startup, you do need to be thinking about and acting on the principles driving this movement. In our chat today, Jason gets rid of the jargon to explain what RevOps actually means and how to implement these concepts in an early-stage startup.

Today, I’m talking with , the CEO at , the retail operations platform for retailers, wholesalers, and brands. Brightpearl was in bad shape when Derek took the helm, but since then he’s led the retail operations platform from stagnant growth to more than $12 million in revenue, nearly 1,400 customers worldwide, and managing more than $3 billion in orders. In our chat today, we dig into this 2-year transformation and cover everything from how he diagnosed the problems to how he got the buyin to solve them. Successful turnarounds are so hard to pull off and whether you’re struggling or thriving Derek’s insights will help you build a better, more durable business.

Today, I’m talking with , the CEO and Co-Founder of , a simple yet powerful CRM for small businesses selling B2B. I love talking with CRM founders to dig into how they’re standing out in one of the most competitive spaces in SaaS—especially when they haven’t gone super niche with their positioning. Jeroen’s insights today did not disappoint. In our chat, Jeroen shares how he and his team built a “Customer Value Machine” that fuels Salesflare’s rapid growth and how he’s navigated the challenges of scaling a company.

Today, I’m talking with , the CEO of which makes modern task and project management software for teams. Before Flow, he was the Head of Design at Square and has worked for brands like Apple, Nike, Disney, and Target. The project management space is one of the most competitive out there and Flow has stood out by taking an opinionated stance on what they will and won't build and avoiding bloat. You want to continue improving your product but you also don’t want to fall into the trap of adding feature after feature because it’s what customers are asking for. Finding the right balance is crucial to growing your company, but it’s also incredibly hard. In our chat today, Daniel shares his approach to product and design and how that helps Flow strike the right balance. As every corner of SaaS gets more and more competitive, your product development process becomes increasingly important not just to thrive but to survive. Regardless of what your process looks like today, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.