Bassem Hamdy almost killed his company with an investor-forced pivot before finding the strategy that saved it. In this episode, early-stage B2B SaaS founders will learn the founder-led sales playbook Briq uses to close enterprise deals in just 9 days.
Bassem breaks down the dangers of selling to "Innovation Teams" and why those deals often waste time and money. You will learn how to avoid building "Frankenstein products" from disparate feature requests, why revenue per employee is the efficiency metric that actually matters, and how to bypass long enterprise procurement cycles by delivering immediate, small-scale value.
In this episode, Bassem also shares the reality of "building the plane in the air," why he pivoted from a construction data cloud idea to forecasting, and the specific sales tactics founders need to earn trust with CFOs without relying on traditional product demos.
🔑 Key Lessons
<ul>
<li>🐘 The “Elephant” Trap: Why building exactly what customers ask for creates “bandages on bullet holes” instead of a scalable product.</li>
<li>⚡ 9-Day Enterprise Close: The “Land and Expand” strategy that bypasses long procurement cycles by selling micro-value first.</li>
<li>📉 The Failed Pivot: How investor pressure for “Daily Active Users” led to a forecasting tool that nearly killed the company.</li>
<li>🚫 Innovation Teams: Why selling to the “VP of Innovation” is a trap and how to find the real economic buyer (the CFO).</li>
<li>📊 Revenue Per Employee: Why he stopped measuring success by headcount (300 employees) and focused on efficiency (100 employees).</li>
</ul>
Chapters
<ul>
<li>Why feature requests create “Frankenstein products”</li>
<li>The Construction Data Cloud idea and why it failed</li>
<li>Finding the right ICP and the experience-bias mistake</li>
<li>Building the plane in the air vs. over-interviewing</li>
<li>The investor-forced pivot to forecasting</li>
<li>How to close Enterprise deals in 9 days with micro-value</li>
<li>Vision and value selling vs. product demos</li>
<li>Why CFOs buy and how to earn trust</li>
<li>Pricing lessons from early mistakes</li>
<li>Why revenue per employee beats headcount</li>
</ul>
💌 Get weekly 5-minute SaaS insights: <a href="https://saasclub.io/email">https://saasclub.io/email</a>
SaaS Club Programs
<ul>
<li>Join the SaaS Club founder community: <a href="https://saasclub.co/plus">https://saasclub.co/plus</a>
</li>
<li>Build your $10K MRR SaaS: <a href="https://saasclub.io/launch">https://saasclub.io/launch</a>
</li>
<li>Scale from 6-figures to $1M ARR Faster: <a href="https://saasclub.io/mastermind">https://saasclub.io/mastermind</a>
</li>
</ul>
Resources
<ul>
<li>Full show notes: <a href="https://saasclub.io/465">https://saasclub.io/465</a>
</li>
<li>Subscribe to the podcast: <a href="https://saasclub.io/subscribe">https://saasclub.io/subscribe</a>
</li>
</ul>

<description>Bassem Hamdy almost killed his company with an investor-forced pivot before finding the strategy that saved it. In this episode, early-stage B2B SaaS founders will learn the founder-led sales playbook Briq uses to close enterprise deals in just 9 days.

Bassem breaks down the dangers of selling to "Innovation Teams" and why those deals often waste time and money. You will learn how to avoid building "Frankenstein products" from disparate feature requests, why revenue per employee is the efficiency metric that actually matters, and how to bypass long enterprise procurement cycles by delivering immediate, small-scale value.

In this episode, Bassem also shares the reality of "building the plane in the air," why he pivoted from a construction data cloud idea to forecasting, and the specific sales tactics founders need to earn trust with CFOs without relying on traditional product demos.

🔑 Key Lessons


🐘 The “Elephant” Trap: Why building exactly what customers ask for creates “bandages on bullet holes” instead of a scalable product.

⚡ 9-Day Enterprise Close: The “Land and Expand” strategy that bypasses long procurement cycles by selling micro-value first.

📉 The Failed Pivot: How investor pressure for “Daily Active Users” led to a forecasting tool that nearly killed the company.

🚫 Innovation Teams: Why selling to the “VP of Innovation” is a trap and how to find the real economic buyer (the CFO).

📊 Revenue Per Employee: Why he stopped measuring success by headcount (300 employees) and focused on efficiency (100 employees).


Chapters


Why feature requests create “Frankenstein products”

The Construction Data Cloud idea and why it failed

Finding the right ICP and the experience-bias mistake

Building the plane in the air vs. over-interviewing

The investor-forced pivot to forecasting

How to close Enterprise deals in 9 days with micro-value

Vision and value selling vs. product demos

Why CFOs buy and how to earn trust

Pricing lessons from early mistakes

Why revenue per employee beats headcount


💌 Get weekly 5-minute SaaS insights: https://saasclub.io/email

SaaS Club Programs


Join the SaaS Club founder community: https://saasclub.co/plus


Build your $10K MRR SaaS: https://saasclub.io/launch


Scale from 6-figures to $1M ARR Faster: https://saasclub.io/mastermind



Resources


Full show notes: https://saasclub.io/465


Subscribe to the podcast: https://saasclub.io/subscribe</description>

Bassem Hamdy is the co-founder and CEO of Briq, an AI workforce platform for the construction and manufacturing industries.

Bassem Hamdy almost killed his company with an investor-forced pivot before finding the strategy that saved it. In this episode, early-stage B2B SaaS founders will learn the founder-led sales playbook Briq uses to close enterprise deals in just 9 days.

Bassem breaks down the dangers of selling to "Innovation Teams" and why those deals often waste time and money. You will learn how to avoid building "Frankenstein products" from disparate feature requests, why revenue per employee is the efficiency metric that actually matters, and how to bypass long enterprise procurement cycles by delivering immediate, small-scale value.

In this episode, Bassem also shares the reality of "building the plane in the air," why he pivoted from a construction data cloud idea to forecasting, and the specific sales tactics founders need to earn trust with CFOs without relying on traditional product demos.

🔑 Key Lessons


🐘 The “Elephant” Trap: Why building exactly what customers ask for creates “bandages on bullet holes” instead of a scalable product.

⚡ 9-Day Enterprise Close: The “Land and Expand” strategy that bypasses long procurement cycles by selling micro-value first.

📉 The Failed Pivot: How investor pressure for “Daily Active Users” led to a forecasting tool that nearly killed the company.

🚫 Innovation Teams: Why selling to the “VP of Innovation” is a trap and how to find the real economic buyer (the CFO).

📊 Revenue Per Employee: Why he stopped measuring success by headcount (300 employees) and focused on efficiency (100 employees).


Chapters


Why feature requests create “Frankenstein products”

The Construction Data Cloud idea and why it failed

Finding the right ICP and the experience-bias mistake

Building the plane in the air vs. over-interviewing

The investor-forced pivot to forecasting

How to close Enterprise deals in 9 days with micro-value

Vision and value selling vs. product demos

Why CFOs buy and how to earn trust

Pricing lessons from early mistakes

Why revenue per employee beats headcount


💌 Get weekly 5-minute SaaS insights: https://saasclub.io/email

SaaS Club Programs


Join the SaaS Club founder community: https://saasclub.co/plus


Build your $10K MRR SaaS: https://saasclub.io/launch


Scale from 6-figures to $1M ARR Faster: https://saasclub.io/mastermind



Resources


Full show notes: https://saasclub.io/465


Subscribe to the podcast: https://saasclub.io/subscribe

Founder-Led Sales: Closing Deals in 9 Days with Micro-Value | Briq

Saket Saurabh defied standard SaaS advice by skipping SMBs and selling directly to enterprise giants like Instacart and LinkedIn from day one. In this episode, early-stage B2B SaaS founders will learn the "Enterprise First" strategy that helped Nexla become cash flow positive before raising a Series A.
Saket breaks down exactly how to navigate complex corporate buy-cycles without a track record. You will learn how to overcome the "we can build this ourselves" objection from technical buyers, why a "Zero Salary" founder pivot was necessary to reach profitability, and the "Critical Path" leadership advice he learned directly from Jensen Huang at Nvidia.
In this episode, Saket also shares the "Magic Moment" sales tactic where his co-founder live-coded a fix during a pitch meeting to close Instacart, and why consultative selling beats pitching when you are a technical founder.
This episode is brought to you by:
💖 <a href="https://saasclub.io/gearheart">⁠⁠Gearheart⁠⁠</a> → <a href="https://calendly.com/d/cprp-r2c-cf2/discovery-with-a-gearheart-partner">⁠Book a call + get the first 20 hours of development free⁠</a>
🚨 ⁠⁠⁠⁠<a href="https://saasclub.io/nord">⁠⁠NordStellar⁠⁠⁠⁠</a> → ⁠⁠⁠⁠<a href="https://saasclub.io/nord">⁠⁠Book a demo and get 20% off with code blackfriday20⁠</a>
📡 ⁠⁠<a href="https://saasclub.io/signalhouse">⁠⁠Signal House⁠⁠</a> → ⁠⁠<a href="https://saasclub.io/signalhouse">⁠⁠Learn more and get a demo⁠</a>
🔑 Key Lessons
<ul>
<li>🏢 The "Enterprise First" Bet: Why targeting SMBs would have failed and why he went straight for the Fortune 500.</li>
<li>🪄 The Magical Moment: How his co-founder live-coded a fix during a pitch meeting to close Instacart.</li>
<li>📉 The Hard Reset: Cutting founder salaries to $0 and downsizing to achieve cash flow positivity.</li>
<li>🤝 Founder-Led Sales: How to sell "Build vs. Buy" to technical buyers who think they can do it themselves.</li>
<li>🧠 Nvidia Lessons: The "Critical Path" advice from Jensen Huang that guides his leadership today.</li>
</ul>
Chapters
<ul>
<li>Why Nexla started with enterprise customers instead of SMBs</li>
<li>Landing Instacart as the first customer</li>
<li>Founder-led sales without a sales background</li>
<li>Consultative selling vs. pitching</li>
<li>Overcoming the “we can build this ourselves” objection</li>
<li>The live-coding demo that closed Instacart</li>
<li>Going zero salary to reach cash flow positivity</li>
<li>Lessons from Nvidia and the critical path mindset</li>
</ul>
💌 Get weekly 5-minute SaaS insights: <a href="https://saasclub.io/email">https://saasclub.io/email</a>
SaaS Club Programs
<ul>
<li>Join the SaaS Club founder community: <a href="https://saasclub.co/plus">https://saasclub.co/plus</a>
</li>
<li>Build your $10K MRR SaaS: <a href="https://saasclub.io/launch">https://saasclub.io/launch</a>
</li>
<li>Scale from 6-figures to $1M ARR Faster: <a href="https://saasclub.io/mastermind">https://saasclub.io/mastermind</a>
</li>
</ul>
Resources
<ul>
<li>Full show notes: <a href="https://saasclub.io/464">https://saasclub.io/464</a>
</li>
<li>Subscribe to the podcast: <a href="https://saasclub.io/subscribe">https://saasclub.io/subscribe</a>
</li>
</ul>

<description>Saket Saurabh defied standard SaaS advice by skipping SMBs and selling directly to enterprise giants like Instacart and LinkedIn from day one. In this episode, early-stage B2B SaaS founders will learn the "Enterprise First" strategy that helped Nexla become cash flow positive before raising a Series A.

Saket breaks down exactly how to navigate complex corporate buy-cycles without a track record. You will learn how to overcome the "we can build this ourselves" objection from technical buyers, why a "Zero Salary" founder pivot was necessary to reach profitability, and the "Critical Path" leadership advice he learned directly from Jensen Huang at Nvidia.

In this episode, Saket also shares the "Magic Moment" sales tactic where his co-founder live-coded a fix during a pitch meeting to close Instacart, and why consultative selling beats pitching when you are a technical founder.

This episode is brought to you by:

💖 ⁠⁠Gearheart⁠⁠ → ⁠Book a call + get the first 20 hours of development free⁠

🚨 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NordStellar⁠⁠⁠⁠ → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Book a demo and get 20% off with code blackfriday20⁠

📡 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Signal House⁠⁠ → ⁠⁠⁠⁠Learn more and get a demo⁠

🔑 Key Lessons


🏢 The "Enterprise First" Bet: Why targeting SMBs would have failed and why he went straight for the Fortune 500.

🪄 The Magical Moment: How his co-founder live-coded a fix during a pitch meeting to close Instacart.

📉 The Hard Reset: Cutting founder salaries to $0 and downsizing to achieve cash flow positivity.

🤝 Founder-Led Sales: How to sell "Build vs. Buy" to technical buyers who think they can do it themselves.

🧠 Nvidia Lessons: The "Critical Path" advice from Jensen Huang that guides his leadership today.


Chapters


Why Nexla started with enterprise customers instead of SMBs

Landing Instacart as the first customer

Founder-led sales without a sales background

Consultative selling vs. pitching

Overcoming the “we can build this ourselves” objection

The live-coding demo that closed Instacart

Going zero salary to reach cash flow positivity

Lessons from Nvidia and the critical path mindset


💌 Get weekly 5-minute SaaS insights: https://saasclub.io/email

SaaS Club Programs


Join the SaaS Club founder community: https://saasclub.co/plus


Build your $10K MRR SaaS: https://saasclub.io/launch


Scale from 6-figures to $1M ARR Faster: https://saasclub.io/mastermind



Resources


Full show notes: https://saasclub.io/464


Subscribe to the podcast: https://saasclub.io/subscribe</description>

Saket Saurabh is the co-founder of Nexla, a data unification platform that helps enterprises connect fragmented data across different systems, formats, and data models.

Saket Saurabh defied standard SaaS advice by skipping SMBs and selling directly to enterprise giants like Instacart and LinkedIn from day one. In this episode, early-stage B2B SaaS founders will learn the "Enterprise First" strategy that helped Nexla become cash flow positive before raising a Series A.

Saket breaks down exactly how to navigate complex corporate buy-cycles without a track record. You will learn how to overcome the "we can build this ourselves" objection from technical buyers, why a "Zero Salary" founder pivot was necessary to reach profitability, and the "Critical Path" leadership advice he learned directly from Jensen Huang at Nvidia.

In this episode, Saket also shares the "Magic Moment" sales tactic where his co-founder live-coded a fix during a pitch meeting to close Instacart, and why consultative selling beats pitching when you are a technical founder.

This episode is brought to you by:

💖 ⁠⁠Gearheart⁠⁠ → ⁠Book a call + get the first 20 hours of development free⁠

🚨 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NordStellar⁠⁠⁠⁠ → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Book a demo and get 20% off with code blackfriday20⁠

📡 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Signal House⁠⁠ → ⁠⁠⁠⁠Learn more and get a demo⁠

🔑 Key Lessons


🏢 The "Enterprise First" Bet: Why targeting SMBs would have failed and why he went straight for the Fortune 500.

🪄 The Magical Moment: How his co-founder live-coded a fix during a pitch meeting to close Instacart.

📉 The Hard Reset: Cutting founder salaries to $0 and downsizing to achieve cash flow positivity.

🤝 Founder-Led Sales: How to sell "Build vs. Buy" to technical buyers who think they can do it themselves.

🧠 Nvidia Lessons: The "Critical Path" advice from Jensen Huang that guides his leadership today.


Chapters


Why Nexla started with enterprise customers instead of SMBs

Landing Instacart as the first customer

Founder-led sales without a sales background

Consultative selling vs. pitching

Overcoming the “we can build this ourselves” objection

The live-coding demo that closed Instacart

Going zero salary to reach cash flow positivity

Lessons from Nvidia and the critical path mindset


💌 Get weekly 5-minute SaaS insights: https://saasclub.io/email

SaaS Club Programs


Join the SaaS Club founder community: https://saasclub.co/plus


Build your $10K MRR SaaS: https://saasclub.io/launch


Scale from 6-figures to $1M ARR Faster: https://saasclub.io/mastermind



Resources


Full show notes: https://saasclub.io/464


Subscribe to the podcast: https://saasclub.io/subscribe

Founder-Led Sales: Landing Instacart & LinkedIn Without a Sales Team | Nexla

Ibby Syed accidentally built a consulting agency while trying to build software. In this episode, early-stage B2B SaaS founders will learn how Cotera escaped the "services trap" and pivoted to AI agents to hit $1M ARR.
Ibby breaks down why hitting $150k ARR in consulting revenue was actually a "local maxima" that nearly killed the startup. You will learn how his co-founder replaced months of data science work with a 100-line OpenAI API experiment, and the painful but necessary decision to fire legacy customers to focus on a scalable product.
In this episode, Ibby also reveals his "value-first" LinkedIn outbound strategy that books 25+ meetings a week, why horizontal AI platforms (like Cotera) will outlast narrow vertical tools, and how they transitioned from custom enterprise contracts to a product-led growth model.
This episode is brought to you by:
💖 <a href="https://saasclub.io/gearheart">⁠Gearheart⁠</a> → <a href="https://calendly.com/d/cprp-r2c-cf2/discovery-with-a-gearheart-partner">Book a call + get the first 20 hours of development free</a>
🚨 ⁠⁠⁠⁠<a href="https://saasclub.io/nord">⁠NordStellar⁠⁠⁠</a> → ⁠⁠⁠⁠<a href="https://saasclub.io/nord">⁠Book a demo and get 20% off with code blackfriday20</a>
📡 ⁠⁠<a href="https://saasclub.io/signalhouse">⁠Signal House⁠</a> → ⁠⁠<a href="https://saasclub.io/signalhouse">⁠Learn more and get a demo</a>
🔑 Key Lessons
<ul>
<li>📉 The Consulting Trap: Why early service revenue can trick you into building an unscalable agency instead of a software product.</li>
<li>🤖 The AI Pivot: How 100 lines of OpenAI API code outperformed a massive data science stack and sparked the pivot.</li>
<li>📧 LinkedIn Outbound: The "Value-First" playbook (sending free leads, not pitches) that books 25+ meetings a week.</li>
<li>🛠️ Horizontal vs. Vertical: Why broad tools (like Zapier/Cotera) are more defensible than niche AI wrappers.</li>
<li>💰 Pricing Strategy: Moving from custom enterprise contracts to a $20/mo usage model to fuel PLG.</li>
</ul>
Chapters
<ul>
<li>The consulting trap and false traction</li>
<li>Why $150K ARR nearly killed the company</li>
<li>The 100-line OpenAI experiment that changed everything</li>
<li>Firing customers and stopping services</li>
<li>Pivoting to AI agents and prompt-based workflows</li>
<li>Why deals became easier after the pivot</li>
<li>LinkedIn outbound by sending free value</li>
<li>Horizontal vs. vertical AI startups</li>
<li>Pricing from enterprise contracts to PLG</li>
</ul>
💌 Get weekly 5-minute SaaS insights: <a href="https://saasclub.io/email">https://saasclub.io/email</a>
SaaS Club Programs
<ul>
<li>Join the SaaS Club founder community: <a href="https://saasclub.co/plus">https://saasclub.co/plus</a>
</li>
<li>Build your $10K MRR SaaS: <a href="https://saasclub.io/launch">https://saasclub.io/launch</a>
</li>
<li>Scale from 6-figures to $1M ARR Faster: <a href="https://saasclub.io/mastermind">https://saasclub.io/mastermind</a>
</li>
</ul>
Resources
<ul>
<li>Full show notes: <a href="https://saasclub.io/463">https://saasclub.io/463</a>
</li>
<li>Subscribe to the podcast: <a href="https://saasclub.io/subscribe">https://saasclub.io/subscribe</a>
</li>
</ul>

<description>Ibby Syed accidentally built a consulting agency while trying to build software. In this episode, early-stage B2B SaaS founders will learn how Cotera escaped the "services trap" and pivoted to AI agents to hit $1M ARR.

Ibby breaks down why hitting $150k ARR in consulting revenue was actually a "local maxima" that nearly killed the startup. You will learn how his co-founder replaced months of data science work with a 100-line OpenAI API experiment, and the painful but necessary decision to fire legacy customers to focus on a scalable product.

In this episode, Ibby also reveals his "value-first" LinkedIn outbound strategy that books 25+ meetings a week, why horizontal AI platforms (like Cotera) will outlast narrow vertical tools, and how they transitioned from custom enterprise contracts to a product-led growth model.

This episode is brought to you by:

💖 ⁠Gearheart⁠ → Book a call + get the first 20 hours of development free

🚨 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NordStellar⁠⁠⁠ → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Book a demo and get 20% off with code blackfriday20

📡 ⁠⁠⁠Signal House⁠ → ⁠⁠⁠Learn more and get a demo

🔑 Key Lessons


📉 The Consulting Trap: Why early service revenue can trick you into building an unscalable agency instead of a software product.

🤖 The AI Pivot: How 100 lines of OpenAI API code outperformed a massive data science stack and sparked the pivot.

📧 LinkedIn Outbound: The "Value-First" playbook (sending free leads, not pitches) that books 25+ meetings a week.

🛠️ Horizontal vs. Vertical: Why broad tools (like Zapier/Cotera) are more defensible than niche AI wrappers.

💰 Pricing Strategy: Moving from custom enterprise contracts to a $20/mo usage model to fuel PLG.


Chapters


The consulting trap and false traction

Why $150K ARR nearly killed the company

The 100-line OpenAI experiment that changed everything

Firing customers and stopping services

Pivoting to AI agents and prompt-based workflows

Why deals became easier after the pivot

LinkedIn outbound by sending free value

Horizontal vs. vertical AI startups

Pricing from enterprise contracts to PLG


💌 Get weekly 5-minute SaaS insights: https://saasclub.io/email

SaaS Club Programs


Join the SaaS Club founder community: https://saasclub.co/plus


Build your $10K MRR SaaS: https://saasclub.io/launch


Scale from 6-figures to $1M ARR Faster: https://saasclub.io/mastermind



Resources


Full show notes: https://saasclub.io/463


Subscribe to the podcast: https://saasclub.io/subscribe</description>

How 100 lines of code triggered a pivot from consulting to a $1M ARR AI Agent platform.

Ibby Syed accidentally built a consulting agency while trying to build software. In this episode, early-stage B2B SaaS founders will learn how Cotera escaped the "services trap" and pivoted to AI agents to hit $1M ARR.

Ibby breaks down why hitting $150k ARR in consulting revenue was actually a "local maxima" that nearly killed the startup. You will learn how his co-founder replaced months of data science work with a 100-line OpenAI API experiment, and the painful but necessary decision to fire legacy customers to focus on a scalable product.

In this episode, Ibby also reveals his "value-first" LinkedIn outbound strategy that books 25+ meetings a week, why horizontal AI platforms (like Cotera) will outlast narrow vertical tools, and how they transitioned from custom enterprise contracts to a product-led growth model.

This episode is brought to you by:

💖 ⁠Gearheart⁠ → Book a call + get the first 20 hours of development free

🚨 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NordStellar⁠⁠⁠ → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Book a demo and get 20% off with code blackfriday20

📡 ⁠⁠⁠Signal House⁠ → ⁠⁠⁠Learn more and get a demo

🔑 Key Lessons


📉 The Consulting Trap: Why early service revenue can trick you into building an unscalable agency instead of a software product.

🤖 The AI Pivot: How 100 lines of OpenAI API code outperformed a massive data science stack and sparked the pivot.

📧 LinkedIn Outbound: The "Value-First" playbook (sending free leads, not pitches) that books 25+ meetings a week.

🛠️ Horizontal vs. Vertical: Why broad tools (like Zapier/Cotera) are more defensible than niche AI wrappers.

💰 Pricing Strategy: Moving from custom enterprise contracts to a $20/mo usage model to fuel PLG.


Chapters


The consulting trap and false traction

Why $150K ARR nearly killed the company

The 100-line OpenAI experiment that changed everything

Firing customers and stopping services

Pivoting to AI agents and prompt-based workflows

Why deals became easier after the pivot

LinkedIn outbound by sending free value

Horizontal vs. vertical AI startups

Pricing from enterprise contracts to PLG


💌 Get weekly 5-minute SaaS insights: https://saasclub.io/email

SaaS Club Programs


Join the SaaS Club founder community: https://saasclub.co/plus


Build your $10K MRR SaaS: https://saasclub.io/launch


Scale from 6-figures to $1M ARR Faster: https://saasclub.io/mastermind



Resources


Full show notes: https://saasclub.io/463


Subscribe to the podcast: https://saasclub.io/subscribe

AI Agents: Pivoting from Consulting Services to $1M ARR | Cotera

Bilal Aijazi turned a casual Slack polling bot into a serious enterprise platform used by millions. In this episode, early-stage B2B SaaS founders will learn how Polly became a multi-million ARR business on top of Slack.
Bilal breaks down the reality of building a multi-million dollar business on top of a major platform like Slack. You will learn the "Pain Tolerance" metric that validated his idea (80% completion on a 5-step install), how he pivoted from an $8/month fantasy football use case to 5-figure HR contracts, and the survival playbook for when a platform "Sherlocks" your core feature.
In this episode, Bilal also shares the exact mechanics of his 12% "Respondent to Creator" viral loop, why he forced a horizontal product into vertical use cases to reduce churn, and his "Just Don't Die" philosophy for technical founders navigating sales.
This episode is brought to you by:
💖 <a href="https://saasclub.io/gearheart">Gearheart</a> → <a href="https://calendly.com/d/cprp-r2c-cf2/discovery-with-a-gearheart-partner">Book a call + get the first 20 hours of development free</a>
🚨 <a href="https://saasclub.io/nord">NordStellar</a> → <a href="https://saasclub.io/nord">Book a demo and get 20% off with code blackfriday20</a>
📡 <a href="https://saasclub.io/signalhouse">Signal House</a> → <a href="https://saasclub.io/signalhouse">Learn more and get a demo</a>
🔑 Key Lessons
<ul>
<li>🚀 The "Pain Tolerance" Metric: Why 80% of users endured a nightmare install process (and what it proved).</li>
<li>💰 Pricing Evolution: Moving from $8/month fantasy football leagues to 5-figure Enterprise deals.</li>
<li>💡 Surviving "Sherlocking": How to pivot and thrive when the platform builds your core feature.</li>
<li>🔥 Viral Loops: Leveraging "Respondent to Creator" conversion to drive organic growth.</li>
<li>⚖️ The Platform Paradox: The risks and massive rewards of building on Slack, Teams, and Zoom.</li>
</ul>
Chapters
<ul>
<li>The "punch in the face" reality of startups</li>
<li>Leveraging Product Hunt for viral growth loops</li>
<li>Validating demand with a 5-step "nightmare" onboarding</li>
<li>From $8/mo fantasy football to enterprise deals</li>
<li>Freemium to paid: Converting free users to revenue</li>
<li>Surviving "Sherlocking": When Slack copies your feature</li>
<li>The mistake of betting on Slack Workflow Builder</li>
<li>Horizontal vs. Vertical SaaS strategies</li>
<li>Why technical founders must sell (and how to do it)</li>
<li>The "Just Don't Die" philosophy</li>
</ul>
💌 Get weekly 5-minute SaaS insights: <a href="https://saasclub.io/email">https://saasclub.io/email</a>
SaaS Club Programs
<ul>
<li>Join the SaaS Club founder community: <a href="https://saasclub.co/plus">https://saasclub.co/plus</a>
</li>
<li>Build your $10K MRR SaaS: <a href="https://saasclub.io/launch">https://saasclub.io/launch</a>
</li>
<li>Scale from 6-figures to $1M ARR Faster: <a href="https://saasclub.io/mastermind">https://saasclub.io/mastermind</a>
</li>
</ul>
Resources
<ul>
<li>Full show notes: <a href="https://saasclub.io/462">https://saasclub.io/462</a>
</li>
<li>Subscribe to the podcast: <a href="https://saasclub.io/subscribe">https://saasclub.io/subscribe</a>
</li>
</ul>

<description>Bilal Aijazi turned a casual Slack polling bot into a serious enterprise platform used by millions. In this episode, early-stage B2B SaaS founders will learn how Polly became a multi-million ARR business on top of Slack.

Bilal breaks down the reality of building a multi-million dollar business on top of a major platform like Slack. You will learn the "Pain Tolerance" metric that validated his idea (80% completion on a 5-step install), how he pivoted from an $8/month fantasy football use case to 5-figure HR contracts, and the survival playbook for when a platform "Sherlocks" your core feature.

In this episode, Bilal also shares the exact mechanics of his 12% "Respondent to Creator" viral loop, why he forced a horizontal product into vertical use cases to reduce churn, and his "Just Don't Die" philosophy for technical founders navigating sales.

This episode is brought to you by:

💖 Gearheart → Book a call + get the first 20 hours of development free

🚨 NordStellar → Book a demo and get 20% off with code blackfriday20

📡 Signal House → Learn more and get a demo

🔑 Key Lessons


🚀 The "Pain Tolerance" Metric: Why 80% of users endured a nightmare install process (and what it proved).

💰 Pricing Evolution: Moving from $8/month fantasy football leagues to 5-figure Enterprise deals.

💡 Surviving "Sherlocking": How to pivot and thrive when the platform builds your core feature.

🔥 Viral Loops: Leveraging "Respondent to Creator" conversion to drive organic growth.

⚖️ The Platform Paradox: The risks and massive rewards of building on Slack, Teams, and Zoom.


Chapters


The "punch in the face" reality of startups

Leveraging Product Hunt for viral growth loops

Validating demand with a 5-step "nightmare" onboarding

From $8/mo fantasy football to enterprise deals

Freemium to paid: Converting free users to revenue

Surviving "Sherlocking": When Slack copies your feature

The mistake of betting on Slack Workflow Builder

Horizontal vs. Vertical SaaS strategies

Why technical founders must sell (and how to do it)

The "Just Don't Die" philosophy


💌 Get weekly 5-minute SaaS insights: https://saasclub.io/email

SaaS Club Programs


Join the SaaS Club founder community: https://saasclub.co/plus


Build your $10K MRR SaaS: https://saasclub.io/launch


Scale from 6-figures to $1M ARR Faster: https://saasclub.io/mastermind



Resources


Full show notes: https://saasclub.io/462


Subscribe to the podcast: https://saasclub.io/subscribe</description>

Bilal Aijazi reveals how Polly scaled to millions of users on Slack and pivoted when the platform launched competing features.

Bilal Aijazi turned a casual Slack polling bot into a serious enterprise platform used by millions. In this episode, early-stage B2B SaaS founders will learn how Polly became a multi-million ARR business on top of Slack.

Bilal breaks down the reality of building a multi-million dollar business on top of a major platform like Slack. You will learn the "Pain Tolerance" metric that validated his idea (80% completion on a 5-step install), how he pivoted from an $8/month fantasy football use case to 5-figure HR contracts, and the survival playbook for when a platform "Sherlocks" your core feature.

In this episode, Bilal also shares the exact mechanics of his 12% "Respondent to Creator" viral loop, why he forced a horizontal product into vertical use cases to reduce churn, and his "Just Don't Die" philosophy for technical founders navigating sales.

This episode is brought to you by:

💖 Gearheart → Book a call + get the first 20 hours of development free

🚨 NordStellar → Book a demo and get 20% off with code blackfriday20

📡 Signal House → Learn more and get a demo

🔑 Key Lessons


🚀 The "Pain Tolerance" Metric: Why 80% of users endured a nightmare install process (and what it proved).

💰 Pricing Evolution: Moving from $8/month fantasy football leagues to 5-figure Enterprise deals.

💡 Surviving "Sherlocking": How to pivot and thrive when the platform builds your core feature.

🔥 Viral Loops: Leveraging "Respondent to Creator" conversion to drive organic growth.

⚖️ The Platform Paradox: The risks and massive rewards of building on Slack, Teams, and Zoom.


Chapters


The "punch in the face" reality of startups

Leveraging Product Hunt for viral growth loops

Validating demand with a 5-step "nightmare" onboarding

From $8/mo fantasy football to enterprise deals

Freemium to paid: Converting free users to revenue

Surviving "Sherlocking": When Slack copies your feature

The mistake of betting on Slack Workflow Builder

Horizontal vs. Vertical SaaS strategies

Why technical founders must sell (and how to do it)

The "Just Don't Die" philosophy


💌 Get weekly 5-minute SaaS insights: https://saasclub.io/email

SaaS Club Programs


Join the SaaS Club founder community: https://saasclub.co/plus


Build your $10K MRR SaaS: https://saasclub.io/launch


Scale from 6-figures to $1M ARR Faster: https://saasclub.io/mastermind



Resources


Full show notes: https://saasclub.io/462


Subscribe to the podcast: https://saasclub.io/subscribe

Building a SaaS on Slack: From $8/Mo to Multi-Million ARR | Polly

James Ashford sold his bootstrapped B2B SaaS for an 8-figure exit to Sage. In this episode, early-stage B2B SaaS founders will learn the exact exit strategy he used to outperform competitors with $75M in funding.
James breaks down how he built a "sellable asset" from day one with zero external capital. You will learn how a $5,000 WordPress MVP beat enterprise-grade competitors, why "Customer Proximity" (speaking to an accountant every day) was his unfair advantage, and the "Extreme Onboarding" play that impressed acquirers.
In this episode, James also details the PATH sales method (Pain, Aspiration, Traps, How) that drove predictable growth, and the specific playbooks he implemented to ensure the business could run—and sell—without him.
This episode is brought to you by:
💖 <a href="https://saasclub.io/gearheart">Gearheart</a> → <a href="https://calendly.com/d/cprp-r2c-cf2/discovery-with-a-gearheart-partner">Book a call + get the first 20 hours of development free</a>
📡 <a href="https://saasclub.io/signalhouse">Signal House</a> → <a href="https://saasclub.io/signalhouse">Learn more and get a demo</a>
🚨 <a href="https://saasclub.io/nord">NordStellar</a> → <a href="https://saasclub.io/nord">Book a demo and get 20% off with code blackfriday20</a>
🔑 Key Lessons
<ul>
<li>🚀 MVP Leverage: How a simple WordPress-based MVP led to an 8-figure SaaS exit.</li>
<li>💡 Customer Proximity: Why speaking to a customer every day beat $75M-funded competitors.</li>
<li>💰 Built to Sell: Designing systems and playbooks with acquisition in mind from day one.</li>
<li>🧠 PATH Method: The sales framework (Pain, Aspiration, Traps, How) that drove predictable SaaS growth.</li>
<li>🎁 Extreme Onboarding: Creating a "Shock and Awe" customer experience that acquirers couldn’t ignore.</li>
</ul>
Chapters
<ul>
<li>The GoProposal problem and market opportunity</li>
<li>Productizing services before building software</li>
<li>Bootstrapping versus venture-funded competitors</li>
<li>The PATH sales method explained</li>
<li>Customer proximity as a growth advantage</li>
<li>Building with acquisition in mind</li>
<li>The 8-figure acquisition process</li>
<li>Life after exit and preparing for the second act</li>
</ul>
💌 Get weekly 5-minute SaaS insights: <a href="https://saasclub.io/email">https://saasclub.io/email</a>
SaaS Club Programs
<ul>
<li>Join the SaaS Club founder community: <a href="https://saasclub.co/plus">https://saasclub.co/plus</a>
</li>
<li>Build your $10K MRR SaaS: <a href="https://saasclub.io/launch">https://saasclub.io/launch</a>
</li>
<li>Scale from 6-figures to $1M ARR Faster: <a href="https://saasclub.io/mastermind">https://saasclub.io/mastermind</a>
</li>
</ul>
Resources
<ul>
<li>Full show notes: <a href="https://saasclub.io/461">https://saasclub.io/461</a>
</li>
<li>Subscribe to the podcast: <a href="https://saasclub.io/subscribe">https://saasclub.io/subscribe</a>
</li>
</ul>

<description>James Ashford sold his bootstrapped B2B SaaS for an 8-figure exit to Sage. In this episode, early-stage B2B SaaS founders will learn the exact exit strategy he used to outperform competitors with $75M in funding.

James breaks down how he built a "sellable asset" from day one with zero external capital. You will learn how a $5,000 WordPress MVP beat enterprise-grade competitors, why "Customer Proximity" (speaking to an accountant every day) was his unfair advantage, and the "Extreme Onboarding" play that impressed acquirers.

In this episode, James also details the PATH sales method (Pain, Aspiration, Traps, How) that drove predictable growth, and the specific playbooks he implemented to ensure the business could run—and sell—without him.

This episode is brought to you by:

💖 Gearheart → Book a call + get the first 20 hours of development free

📡 Signal House → Learn more and get a demo

🚨 NordStellar → Book a demo and get 20% off with code blackfriday20

🔑 Key Lessons


🚀 MVP Leverage: How a simple WordPress-based MVP led to an 8-figure SaaS exit.

💡 Customer Proximity: Why speaking to a customer every day beat $75M-funded competitors.

💰 Built to Sell: Designing systems and playbooks with acquisition in mind from day one.

🧠 PATH Method: The sales framework (Pain, Aspiration, Traps, How) that drove predictable SaaS growth.

🎁 Extreme Onboarding: Creating a "Shock and Awe" customer experience that acquirers couldn’t ignore.


Chapters


The GoProposal problem and market opportunity

Productizing services before building software

Bootstrapping versus venture-funded competitors

The PATH sales method explained

Customer proximity as a growth advantage

Building with acquisition in mind

The 8-figure acquisition process

Life after exit and preparing for the second act


💌 Get weekly 5-minute SaaS insights: https://saasclub.io/email

SaaS Club Programs


Join the SaaS Club founder community: https://saasclub.co/plus


Build your $10K MRR SaaS: https://saasclub.io/launch


Scale from 6-figures to $1M ARR Faster: https://saasclub.io/mastermind



Resources


Full show notes: https://saasclub.io/461


Subscribe to the podcast: https://saasclub.io/subscribe</description>

James Ashford shares the playbook for building a highly sellable asset with zero external funding and achieving an 8-figure exit to Sage.

James Ashford sold his bootstrapped B2B SaaS for an 8-figure exit to Sage. In this episode, early-stage B2B SaaS founders will learn the exact exit strategy he used to outperform competitors with $75M in funding.

James breaks down how he built a "sellable asset" from day one with zero external capital. You will learn how a $5,000 WordPress MVP beat enterprise-grade competitors, why "Customer Proximity" (speaking to an accountant every day) was his unfair advantage, and the "Extreme Onboarding" play that impressed acquirers.

In this episode, James also details the PATH sales method (Pain, Aspiration, Traps, How) that drove predictable growth, and the specific playbooks he implemented to ensure the business could run—and sell—without him.

This episode is brought to you by:

💖 Gearheart → Book a call + get the first 20 hours of development free

📡 Signal House → Learn more and get a demo

🚨 NordStellar → Book a demo and get 20% off with code blackfriday20

🔑 Key Lessons


🚀 MVP Leverage: How a simple WordPress-based MVP led to an 8-figure SaaS exit.

💡 Customer Proximity: Why speaking to a customer every day beat $75M-funded competitors.

💰 Built to Sell: Designing systems and playbooks with acquisition in mind from day one.

🧠 PATH Method: The sales framework (Pain, Aspiration, Traps, How) that drove predictable SaaS growth.

🎁 Extreme Onboarding: Creating a "Shock and Awe" customer experience that acquirers couldn’t ignore.


Chapters


The GoProposal problem and market opportunity

Productizing services before building software

Bootstrapping versus venture-funded competitors

The PATH sales method explained

Customer proximity as a growth advantage

Building with acquisition in mind

The 8-figure acquisition process

Life after exit and preparing for the second act


💌 Get weekly 5-minute SaaS insights: https://saasclub.io/email

SaaS Club Programs


Join the SaaS Club founder community: https://saasclub.co/plus


Build your $10K MRR SaaS: https://saasclub.io/launch


Scale from 6-figures to $1M ARR Faster: https://saasclub.io/mastermind



Resources


Full show notes: https://saasclub.io/461


Subscribe to the podcast: https://saasclub.io/subscribe

Bootstrapped SaaS Exit: Selling to Sage for 8-Figures | GoProposal

The SaaS Podcast is the go-to resource for B2B SaaS founders and entrepreneurs who want to build, launch, and scale successful software businesses. Hosted by Omer Khan, we deliver honest, in-depth interviews with proven SaaS founders who share the specific strategies they used to generate recurring revenue and reach product-market fit.

Whether you are bootstrapping a micro-SaaS, seeking venture capital funding, or scaling past $10M ARR, you will find actionable tactics here. We unpack the real stories behind the wins, failures, and pivots, covering essential topics like SaaS growth, enterprise sales, product-led growth (PLG), marketing, and customer acquisition.

From early-stage startups getting their first 100 customers to established companies planning an exit, The SaaS Podcast provides the playbook you need to grow your MRR and build a product people love.

Join the SaaS Club community and start leveling up your business today. New episodes weekly.

The SaaS Podcast: Build, Launch & Scale Your SaaS

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