Jaspar Carmichael-Jack

First Priority: Founder First duty: Protect The Founder at Foundership

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Struggling to scale your mid-market business? Scaling isn't just about getting bigger – it's about getting smarter. In this week's The Wise Exit newsletter, we're diving deep into scaling strategies for mid-market firms. You'll learn: - The difference between growth and scaling (most get this wrong). - 5 key strategies to scale your business without losing your shirt. - Common mistakes to avoid (we see these all the time). - Case Study: How Zapier scaled without traditional VC funding. Whether you're planning to scale, sell, or just curious about what's next, this issue is packed with insights you can't afford to miss. Read the full newsletter here: https://bit.ly/3LHo7Ra Don’t miss out. P.S.: Follow me for more content like this.

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"It's just a stupid podcast bro..." Well, this distribution-first, product-second approach just got 20VC a $400M fund. Through consistent quality content, the 2015 Harry Stebbings went from: → having no network in tech or VC → having $50 to his name → being a law student To 2024 Harry: → raised three funds for 20VC — of $8.3M, $140M, and $400M → doing podcasts w/ icons like John Doerr, Keith Rabois, Bret Taylor, etc. → huge guests w/ all the hype, like Sam Altman, Gary Vee, & Cathie Wood. 3x episodes per week. Quality content. Provide free value. Do cool sh*t. That's all it takes (kinda). Harry attributes this success to 20VC's media empire too: "We’re a venture fund tied to a media business, and that tangible element really makes a difference in terms of us being attractive to invest in." a16z clearly sees the indisputable value in owning distribution too. That's simply how the dynamics in media are shifting: Borrowing distribution from big "mainstream" media corps are crumbling. Owning distribution (having an audience) is rising. Which means: distribution-first, product-second (as Greg Isenberg talks extensively about too)

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This e-book is your ultimate guide to scaling your SaaS product or startup faster, smarter, and sustainably. Literally a holy grail for SaaS founders. DM 'SaaS Growth' to grab your copy! ✨

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A 92% increase in founder-advisor conversations on our platform says it all. Founders know scaling isn’t just about hard work—it’s about having the right people in their corner. I’ve seen the impact of experienced advisors have on startups: sharper strategies, clearer decisions and accelerated growth. If you’re ready to guide startups and make a difference, let’s connect 👉 https://lnkd.in/gBexuUVh #Startups #Founders #AdvisoryBoard #PortfolioCareer

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People overcomplicate startup fundraising Listen, if you’re a first time founder: Avoid: - Long pitch decks to send out < (15 slides IMO) - Unreasonable financial projections - To much focus on your product/features - Not showing current competition Instead: - Focus on a simple pitch deck that can be skimmed (cause it will) - Reasonable financial projections with assumptions - Focus on the investment opportunity vs product - Show how you are unique vs competition Do this before you send out your pitch deck again. Sent it out from there. Investment is about multiplying money and getting someone to trust that you are the multiplier. Simple yet hard. If you want the exact formula for building up a pitch deck that helped me raise over 4 mio usd. Connect with me and comment PD and I will sent it to you. -MK

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SaaS Valuation Reality Check: Facing the Music Carlsquare's latest Software sector report for Fall 2024 brings some hard truths for the SaaS market. Key Takeaways: • Premium Valuations are Tough: Without top-tier performance, don’t expect valuations over 7-8x. • Growth vs. Profitability: Growth is in demand, but acquirers, especially PE firms, are wary of cash-burners. • Profit Focus for Low-Growth Companies: For growth under 10-20%, valuations lean toward profit multiples. For micro-cap SaaS deals, valuations may be slightly lower, particularly for sub-$25M transactions. Small, profitable SaaS companies often trade at 1.5-4x revenue, with profitability a big factor. Subscribe to ‘Siliconnector’ Telegram channel for insights and news from Tech world and Silicon Valley: https://t.me/siliconnector

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Fundraising for your SaaS startup? Memorize these benchmarks: 1. CAC Payback: 0-6 months 2. OpEx Efficiency: 1.5X+ 3. Net Revenue Retention: 120%+ 4. Time to Cash Out: 24+ months 5. Revenue Growth: 125%+ 6. Logo Retention: 95%+ These are the BEST benchmarks. Anything less is just... less. Investors have their benchmarks. You need to have yours too. Aim high. Grow fast. Retain customers. Be efficient. Then fundraise like a boss. 😎 The metrics tell your story. Make it a bestseller. 📈 — 📌 If you liked this (and want to support my work): - Like - Repost And follow me (Chris Tottman) for more B2B tips. Thank you! #BrainDumps 🧠 💩 // Brain Dump #52

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Most founders don’t know who to pitch first. (don’t be like them) Reach out in this order: - Friends & Family - Existing investors with pro rata rights - Angels / angel groups - Strategics & CVCs - Warm prior inbounds you spoke to in the past - New Inbound investor leads (use urgency pressure you’ll create) - Customers - Other institutions, e.g. Family Offices - Potential non-lead VCs - Potential lead VCs By the time you get to approaching potential leads, you already have a lot of capital raise traction. With every single soft commitment you get, your headroom starts to evaporate. -- ♻ Repost to share it with others! #investor #pitch #capitalraising #investment #entrepreneurship

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As a founder, hiring your first sales rep is a pivotal moment. It's the bridge between your initial traction and scalable growth. But it's also fraught with risk. Here's how to nail this critical hire: 1. Look for a builder, not just a closer Your first sales rep needs to be comfortable with ambiguity. They're not just selling - they're building your sales process from the ground up. 2. Prioritize industry knowledge At this stage, deep understanding of your market is more valuable than a rolodex of contacts. They need to speak your customers' language fluently. 3. Assess their ability to wear multiple hats Can they handle everything from prospecting to closing to customer success? In the early days, your sales rep might be your entire go-to-market team. 4. Test their resilience Early-stage sales are tough. Rejection is constant. Look for someone who can stay motivated without a big team around them. 5. Align on metrics Be crystal clear on what success looks like. Is it revenue? New logos? Close rate? Make sure you're on the same page from day one. Remember: This hire can make or break your growth trajectory. Take your time, run a rigorous process, and don't settle. What other traits do you think are crucial for an early sales hire?

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👋 Founders, Framers, Funders—Listen Up. Here’s what's in this weeks F42 BRIEF. 📈 Trending Now: Stop Playing Pricing Games. Dynamic pricing is dead. 68% of customers hate it. Want loyalty? Build trust with consistency. Stability sells. 💸 Over $1.3B in Fresh Funds Is Up for Grabs. 16 new funds targeting AI, climate tech, and life sciences launched this week. Pre-seed to growth, your next move could secure the bag. Pitch smarter, pitch now. 💡 Andrew Ng Says Agentic AI Is the Future. Autonomous systems solving tasks solo—this is where AI is headed. Ignore it, and you’re already behind. 🛠️ Tool of the Week: AI Agents Directory Stop wasting time. Use tools that actually work. Automate, scale, dominate. Get all this and more inside The F42 Brief. For Founders, Framers, and Funders, join the 8,000+ staying one step ahead! For the ❤️ of startups. __________________________________ Connect or Follow DeReK WaTSoN #Fusion42 ___________________________________ #startups #founders #cofounders #venturecapital #angelinvestors

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Most founders follow up too much. Or not enough. Here's the sweet spot (so you can 3x your response rates) First, 85% of follow-ups fail because of: • Generic "just checking in" DMs • Following up daily (desperate energy) • Copy-pasting the same message • Giving up after 1-2 attempts Most investor DMs get deleted or forgotten after 15 seconds. It’s just the way it is... Follow-up solution: The 3-7-14 method: If your first message gets ghosted, wait 3 days. Then launch this sequence. DAY 3: Share Relevant Industry Insights "Saw this analysis of AI startups' unit economics. Reminded me of (relevant application) ... " No response to that? Bide your time until 7 days after the initial message. DAY 7: Offer Specific Value: "Saw your recent post about enterprise sales. We’ve interviewed 5 CIOs this week. Here are 3 surprising findings..." If you hear crickets after this, don’t stress. Give it another week. Then slide in with an update: DAY 14: Update On Progress: "Since our first message, we've (Specific Outcome Unlocked) and signed XYZ client. Still interested in connecting?" You can use a simple tracking table and create specific follow-up templates in a tool like Notion to track this. No need to go overboard. Tips to run this strategy smoothly: • Add calendar reminders for each follow-up • Track response rates by message type • Follow their social media for conversation starters • Give without asking for anything If you don’t hear back after this, give it two weeks, then circle back with another update. Benefits of the 3-7-14 method: • Non-pushy relationship development • Regular investor feedback loop • Top-of-mind positioning • Stronger network over time Persistence without pestering is an art. The difference between funded and ghosted often comes down to follow-up strategy. Make yours count. ____________________________ Hi, I’m Richard Stroupe, a 3x Entrepreneur, and Venture Capital Investor I help early-stage tech founders turn their startups into VC magnets

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This is WILD! 🏋‍♀️ 7 day numbers from one of Order Editing's recent launches: 🏌‍♂️ 352 tickets solved 🥂 $4329 earned in upsell revenue 🍾 🍾 🍾 $1760 in cost saving So for each order edit this merchant makes $15.71 in upsell revenue The app has returned 15x the monthly license fee in 1 week DISGUSTING BEHAVIOUR! #shopify #ecommerce #customerexperience

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Early-stage startups are not defensible. They do not have a moat. No matter what their 'secret sauce' is. If they can build something in under 6 months with $1M, then so can the next team. What matters is execution over an extended period of time. Code can be copied. What can't is not limited to customers and users, audience, brand & reputation, intellectual property, organic traffic and so on. Anybody can spin up an Airbnb knockoff today - heck, there are 'marketplaces in a box' that you can literally use to get started today - but you can't spin up the value of having millions of listings and users, nor Airbnb's reputation for quality stays. That sh!t takes time to develop, and it's not something that a pre-seed, seed, or even Series A startup can do. So if you're an investor asking a pre-revenue, pre-seed stage startup how their product is defensible or what their moat is...don't...it's way too early to expect a moat... ask instead what their long-term strategy is when it comes to defensibility, and how they will out-execute their competition.

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We took this course to $50K MRR within 2 weeks of launching. Here’s the exact 17 step landing page we used to convert 7% of visitors. (save this) 1. Hook the reader in with a problem statement 2. Add context and emphasise pain in sub head 3. Buy Now and Read More button 4. VSL explaining problem and solution 5. List key features (with imagery) 6. Callout ICP  7. Buy button 8. Value proposition  9. Before vs After comparison  10. CTA based on value proposition 11. Buy button 12. Highlight problem and position product as solution 13. Preview product (with imagery) 14. Value stack  15. Summary 16. Price option 1 + Price option 2 17. FAQs My team are the best in the game. But I’m sharing all our strategies here. If you want to see more content like this, comment your questions below ⬇️

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Niche doesn't mean single-product. Data from TideMark's 2024 Vertical & SMB SaaS Benchmark Report backs this up. The sauce for Vertical SaaS is owning a niche and layering new products over time to grow 'share of wallet'... Here’s what I’ve learned from acquiring and operating Micro SaaS: // Product Expansion: - Start with your core offering, but always be mapping out adjacent pain points - Look for low-hanging fruit - features users are cobbling together with spreadsheets or third-party tools - Aim for products that increase switching costs and make your solution "stickier" // Acquisition vs. Development: - Sometimes it's faster to acquire a complementary product than build in-house - Look for small, bootstrapped tools in your vertical that solve adjacent problems - Assess potential acquisitions based on tech stack compatibility and integration ease // Pricing and Packaging: - Bundle strategically - not all products need to be sold separately - Use add-ons to increase ARPA without scaring off smaller customers - Consider usage-based pricing for auxiliary products to lower the barrier to adoption // Sales and Marketing: - Retrain your sales team on solution selling rather than product pitching - Develop clear ideal customer profiles for each product combination - Use your existing customer base as a testbed for new products // Technical Considerations: - Plan for integration from day one - whether building or buying - Prioritize a consistent user experience across products - Consider a modular architecture to facilitate future expansion // Metrics to Watch: - Track product adoption rates within your customer base - Monitor support ticket volume as you add products - Keep a close eye on churn rates for single-product vs. multi-product customers The multi-product approach isn't just about making more money. In smaller verticals, it's often the only path to building a substantial business. It's about creating an ecosystem that comprehensively serves your niche, making it harder for competitors to dislodge you. Depth plus breadth. But don’t diversify for the sake of it — be strategic, based on actual user needs and market dynamics. Follow me if you want to learn more about my journey of acquiring & operating Micro SaaS. For the love of the game 🏴‍☠️ ⚡ #Growth #Product #Strategy #Sales #Marketing

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This guide outlines the funding journey from Pre-Seed to Series C and beyond: - Pre-Seed: Focus on concept, team, and initial validation. - Seed: Prove market fit and scalability. - Series A: Demonstrate revenue growth and user base. - Series B: Scale operations with solid financials. - Series C+: Prepare for major expansion and exit strategies. Insight: Each funding stage builds on the previous one. Early rounds focus on validation and product-market fit, while later stages emphasize scaling and financial stability. The goal is to show continuous growth and potential to attract investors. Subscribe to ‘Siliconnector’ Telegram channel for insights and news from Tech world and Silicon Valley: https://t.me/siliconnector

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Dear founders, building an investor funnel isn't just about quantity—it's about being strategic with your time and resources. Better to have 30 highly qualified prospect VC you can properly engage with than 300 cold leads. Quality prospects come from focused relationship building, not casting the widest net possible.

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🚀 Transform One Meeting a Month into Massive Engagement 🚀 Imagine trading just one mundane meeting a month for an opportunity to supercharge your brand on social media. That’s exactly what our new Creator Packages at Trapdoor Productions offer. After two decades of producing top-notch videos for big corporates, I finally found the time to work on my personal brand. Now, I’m committed to helping founders and busy executives craft powerful content that fuels business growth.💪 The outcome? A 5x boost in LinkedIn engagement in just 30 days! Interested in learning more? Send me a message or drop a comment below. Let's make your brand shine! 💥 #TechEntrepreneur #ContentCreation #ThoughtLeadership #LinkedInGrowth #TrapdoorProductions #BrandBuzzing #BusinessGrowth #PersonalBrand #VideoProduction #ContentStrategy #SocialMediaMarketing

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