Matt Pieper

I've recently started as "Treasurer" of my son's mountain biking non-profit club. I'm hoping to connect with folks experienced in Quickbooks Online, Stripe, Google Workspace, or small business IT who can offer assistance. One of my initial challenges involves simplifying our money tracking process and reconciling accounts efficiently. I'm looking for guidance on how to effectively connect Quickbooks Online, Stripe, and our bank accounts. Additionally, I need insights on managing access to our accounts, such as whether to use Single Sign-On (SSO), 1Password, or neither. I'm seeking advice on the approaches and trade-offs. Familiarity with non-profits is helpful, but not a requirement.

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If you want more engagement, actually tell your audience something that's useful. Remember when you could read a vendor's website and actually know what the technology did and maybe even how it was different from other tech targeting the same problem?    I get it. You've got a market leading "platform" with AI that gives visibility and helps protect against modern threats. And yes, you've got a video "demo" that's a cute cartoon or animation but doesn't actually show the platform or give real info.  Is there like only 3 people (or LLMs) that write all website content these days? Sure feels like it.  

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Sometimes the ROI is not just cost savings. You need to ensure you are looking at each component of ROI with your technology. This is why we take a holistic approach at Ask Bob AI to addressing internal Q&A. We don't just stop with integrating into your help desk, email and IM platforms. No, we keep continual track of all questions and answers looking for where the documented information might be wrong. This allows for you to keep all of your documentation compliant and up to date, avoiding any costly mistakes. Secondly we leverage AI to analyze the questions being asked and help in determining if there are areas of improvement in communication around onboarding, M&A or any other aspect of the organization. If you are interested in learning more and Ask Bob AI saving you a boatload of money then shoot me a DM. Happy Tuesday!

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Our partnership with Brex now gives us unparalleled insight and breadth in SaaS purchasing reports

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A theory on remote opportunities that might be completely obvious, but maybe not. If you live in a high cost location (HCOL), you won't like this... Scenario (based on actual multiple past experiences): As a hiring manager I have a hypothetical budget of $1M annually to staff my team. I'm currently committed to $750k, leaving $250k available. I'd love to get two project managers to join my team, but know that's going to be difficult with the budget I have. Option 1: I get one PM from a Tier 1/HCOL with a salary of $150k (total of $200k all in w/ benefits, etc.) Journey level PM. For a Senior $250k all in. Option 2: I get one PM from a Tier 2/MCOL with a salary of $120k (total of $160k all in). Senior PM. I come in under budget, and can use that in other ways. I might be able to get another PM from a Tier 3/LCOL. Option 3: I get two Senior PMs from Tier 3/LCOL at a total cost of $250k all in. Based on budget and staffing needs, this is a "no brainer". Bottom line: If you are in a HCOL you not only need to be the best candidate, but you may need to have some type of additional value, fit, or skillset that is going to set you apart from candidates that don't require as much salary. 😑 Is this theory factual, or representative of multiple companies? Of course not, but it is something that does happen and is a factor in interview and hiring decisions even though it may not be explicitly stated that "you're too expensive". But, the position is open to all locations! Sure it is. As a hiring manager, I want the best fit, but also at the best value. And you can guess what option senior leadership would prefer (aggressively suggest) that I take (starts with a "c" and rhymes with heap). My intent is not to drag job searchers down, but to share real potential factors in hiring for fully remote roles.

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For years I found no value in a CRM.  I saw it as a glorified spreadsheet. And that’s what it was. I would use it as a place to store client and prospect information. My reminders and tasks were sticky notes on my desk. Not ideal when you’re grinding it out as a salesman, trying to close deals. The result? Opportunities slipped through the cracks, which is every salesperson's worst nightmare. Fast forward 5 years later, I went to HubSpot and I got my first exposure to what a real CRM looks like. I saw it as a tool that aligned marketing, sales, and client service teams together. It offered a bird's-eye view of every prospect or client interaction: - what pages they visit - the emails they engage with, and - the calls they have with customer service Everyone’s working off the same database and the same records. It gave me the data to make the right moves at the right time. Now my perspective has changed. A CRM isn’t a glorified spreadsheet. It’s a client relationship management tool that is crucial to building meaningful, personalized connections that drive results. #crm #hubspot #sales #marketing

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The holidays can be stressful - but they don't have to be. Check out today's Holiday Soft Skill - compliments. Taking time to compliment someone on something you appreciate is a great way to help folks feel good during the holidays and show you care about them. #softskills #holidays #communication #projectmanagement Follow me for tips on Atlassian products and project management.

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Most of you won’t know till it’s too late The year is wrapping up and companies are going to continue to do layoffs Every org I’ve worked for in the Saas space has now done a round or more of layoffs ultimately affecting people I’m close with Each person saying they’re going to take some time before looking again They got a decent severance and they’re going to use it to rest and recover My one piece of advice to anyone thinking the same thing DON’T WAIT Listen up… Applications and resumes don’t mean shit anymore There are AI platforms people have develop to apply at mass, clogging the application well Which results in screening apps making it nearly impossible to move from a blind application to the intro call Timeline…get ready for the long haul Average time it takes for people to land there next role, 4-5 months With a single interview process taking an average 2-3 months to complete And that’s if they don’t decide to push it, which, rid the season Show up and show off Competition is crazier than ever and if you’re not willing to go the extra mile, bet your ass someone else will If you aren’t networking like a sales person at a SaaS convention, here’s your sign 💢 80% of my interviews came from referrals or intros from connections I’ve made on here 💢 19% came from previous customers or prospects that I built rapport with 💢 1% came from applications I submitted directly…and I applied like it was going out of style No one has ever said “I wish I didn’t connect with so many people” Build now and thank yourself later #hiring

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MN friends with an LLC: Dread the annual LLC renewal? Don't. It's easy. Here's how ... Plus bonus good news! 💩 It's that time of year when scammy companies send you dire-looking letters that warn of boils on your ears if you don't let them renew your LLC for you and pay them gobs for it. 🏁 Except, it's EASY to do yourself and may be free. 🤔 I just always forget the steps. If you're in the same boat, here's how. Yeah it's 11 steps. But just because I included every detail. (🧑‍⚖️ Obviously not legal or professional advice. Only you are responsible for knowing your requirements and completing them. Don't come after me for a general PSA.) 0️⃣ Before filing, know (1) roughly what your company’s gross revenues were in the past year, (2) your business's relevant NIACS code, and (3) your login info. 1️⃣ Sign into the State of MN Business Filings Online Portal: https://lnkd.in/g88dBUMy 2️⃣ On the Business Filings Online page (https://lnkd.in/g8hdNZB3), search for your company name. 3️⃣ If needed, scroll down until you see the box titled “Search Results”. 4️⃣ To the right of your business name. Click on “Details.” 5️⃣ At the top of the Business Record Details page, among the buttons, click on the one called “File Amendment/Renewal”. 6️⃣ From the list of “Amendments-Available for Filing,” choose the applicable one for you, e.g., “Annual Renewal - Limited Liability Company (Domestic)” if that applies to you. 7️⃣ Verify/ add to the pre-filled information. 8️⃣ Click “Next” to review the filing, then click “Submit”. 9️⃣ On the webpage itself (not the browser navigation bar), in the “Items” section, click the “Refresh” button. You’ll now see a link to the “Filing.” 🔟 Download and save the “Filing.” ✅ That's it. 🥳 Bonus good news: Remember the new federal BOIR filing? Seems like that only needs filing when stuff changes. Not needed annually! (Again, not legal advice. Check your own needs.) More here from FinCen: https://lnkd.in/eiUQsDe2

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I just got back from #GTM2024, and wow—so many inspiring conversations and connections! One thing I’m truly passionate about is hearing how people are creatively weaving Revenue Architecture and GTM Systems thinking into their organizations. The models and tools of Revenue Architecture can be transformative, but getting everyone on board and speaking the same language can be a real challenge. That’s why I’m on a mission to collect and share your stories about what’s working! Have you found an innovative way to introduce these concepts to your team or leadership? Maybe you’ve nailed a strategy for getting internal buy-in, or you’ve seen a light bulb moment from a CEO after explaining the impact of a well-aligned GTM system. Big wins, small wins—I want to hear them all! DM or email me a quick summary of what you’ve done and the difference it’s made. Every few weeks, I’ll share these stories here, giving credit where it’s due, so we can all learn and grow together. Let’s build a community of shared insights and help each other drive change! Tagging just a few folks I know have ideas - feel free to tag others you know in the comments! Jacki Leahy ✨Jonathan Moss Tracy Sestili Sean Piket Giovanni Salvador #revenuearchitecture @gtmsystems

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"Even at $1.3M ARR, I didn't think we had product-market fit -- they were buying US, not our product." 🎯 That's what Doug Barnett, co-founder & CEO of Remi shared today about the hard conversations that led to their pivot. Such a powerful reminder about being honest with yourself as a founder! 🔥 Some other highlights from Doug's journey: ✅ Interviewed 1,200 people to hire just 12 - sometimes finding the right fit means only 1% of applicants get in. Crazy! ✅ Values radical honesty in interviews over polished perfection My favorite piece: "Before asking for more opportunity and more to do, you need to dominate your world first." ⚡️ Love hearing these real experiences -- these leaders are just people like us, waiting for permission to do great things. 💪 Huge thanks to Doug for the candid conversation today. Sometimes the most valuable insights come from hearing about the hard decisions! 🙏🏼 And thank you to Tyler Jennings and Reference Group for putting on this event at the beautiful Pelion Venture Partners office! PS: If you're a young entrepreneur looking for opportunity -- apparently roofing is where it's at! 🏠

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I’ve been keeping up with this story and it’s so interesting. Another reminder that transparency is key, over-transparency is even better. With user data, privacy, potential AI-training, etc — leave nothing to chance and keep it 100 with your customer base from the start. https://lnkd.in/eSXcXeZ3

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As someone who have to frequently work with big, heavy, complicated things, I wholeheartedly agree. But there is more to that. There might be not a big difference between the numbers but there could be a big difference in perceived performance. You want your developers to able to focus on solving problems and follow the train of thoughts, instead of waiting for something to complete. You want them to feel fresh, energized, excited to tackle the difficult problems, not exhausted and frustated because of constantly waiting for computer to complete a single task. A full powered CPU, as much RAM as you can get, a big, fast SSD, and of course a big high resolution monitor are your second best investment, after hiring good developers. We have been talking how important it is to give developers good problems to solve. We need to talk more about how important it is to give them the best tools to solve it.

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This morning I spent some time going through roles that oversaw the creation, maintenance, or development of feature pipelines. Here’s some that came up just on the first few pages of LinkedIn: -Senior Software Engineer, AI Inference -Senior Full-Stack Developer -Senior Full-Stack AND AI Engineer -Data Platform Engineer -Senior ML Platform Engineer -Staff Infrastructure Engineer -Senior Software Engineer, Reliability -Senior Platform Software Engineer -Senior Data Engineer -MLOps Engineer -Staff Software Engineer, Customer Data -Senior Software Engineer - Backend -Data Engineering Lead -Senior AI Infra Engineer -GenAI Solution Architect -Senior Software Engineer And on and on. I think you get my point. It’s not consistent who owns feature engineering across companies. And with so many teams touching feature pipelines WITHIN companies no wonder there are so many potential points of failures to confidently deploy models into production at speed. Many companies are just investing in centralized MLOps teams, and even then these newly onboarded heroes are tasked with either duct taping several solutions and pipelines together, or looking down the barrel of building from scratch. I’ve had the privilege of working with many incredible companies building really awesome things across my career (especially at Chalk), and many of the best tend to not build business units that aren’t part of their core competency. Sometimes it just makes sense to not reinvent the infra wheel and focus on what really makes your product unique.

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As enterprise companies build their own custom internal tooling, they need 3rd-party integration solutions that can neatly plug in to whatever they develop. Case in point: Our friends at BILL use Merge’s Issues Webhooks to automatically send any integration issues to their internally-built communications tool. This allows the customer-facing team that relies on this comms tool to easily discover and troubleshoot customers’ integration issues—all without having to log into a 3rd-party solution. You can learn more about how Merge supports enterprise companies’ integration needs effectively by reading our full case study with BILL: https://lnkd.in/eNvUxt7q

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Sales…the waiters of the software world. IMHO: software salespeople are the waiters of the tech world. Their base pay (or hourly equivalent) is intentionally low, while their real earning potential lies in variable compensation (e.g.,"tips", commissions). This structure offers a higher income ceiling than careers outside of sales, but it comes with risks and rewards. The Right Balance of Base and Variable Pay Striking the right mix between base salary and commission is crucial. You want to provide a living wage while keeping incentives strong for sales reps to build their territory. Many experts recommend a 50/50 split between base and commission, effectively making 50% of the On Target Earnings (OTE) their guaranteed salary. While this isn’t a strict rule (splits can range from 45/55 to 60/40), the goal is for the base pay to cover essential living expenses (e.g., mortgage, tuition, car payments), with the rest as performance-based earnings. Starting with OTE If you're unsure where to begin, start by determining the OTE. Tools like Glassdoor’s Salary Insights can help you gauge the market rate for roles such as "Enterprise Sales Executive" in specific locations (e.g., Atlanta). You can refine results by experience level or sub-industry to understand what professionals self-report as their OTE. While this data isn’t definitive, it’s a great starting point or sanity check. Adjusting for Specific Scenarios Once you’ve set an OTE, determine the base/commission split. Consider the following: * Risky Companies or Long Sales Cycles - Opt for a higher base percentage if commissions are slow to materialize, helping ensure stability for your reps. * Evening Out Early Earnings - For roles with long sales cycles, consider offering a sign-on bonus or a draw (recoverable or not) to bridge the gap. This prevents your "software waiters" from surviving on ramen while waiting for their first big deal to close. With thoughtful planning, you can land your perfect sales candidate without breaking the bank. https://lnkd.in/eteyZM9Z

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🕒 A Day in the Life of a CSM (Because We Make It Look Easy... But It’s Not) 8:00 AM – Inbox Battle Royale Wake to a burn fire. Reply to emails. Respond to the same question… for the 5th time this month. ("Yes, you can find that in the Help Center!"). Inbox zero? Not even close. 9:00 AM – Firefighter Mode Urgent escalation. The customer suddenly remembers their renewal is next week, and now it’s an “emergency.” Cue panic mode. Remember to breath! 10:00 AM – 3rd Internal Meeting of the Day Discuss KPIs and dashboards with teams that use a completely different set of metrics. Translation mode: activated. 11:00 AM – Reporting Overload Your CRM is somehow missing 50% of the data you need. The spreadsheet is missing the other 50%. Guess who's combining them manually? 12:00 PM – Lunch... or Not You thought you had 30 minutes to eat. Wrong. Surprise meeting with the product team to discuss why Feature X isn’t working for customers in 3 different time zones. Bye, sandwich 🥪. 1:00 PM – Customer Sync Call Walk the customer through a roadmap that’s 90% wishlist and 10% reality. Smile and nod while they ask for features that won’t be released until 2027. 2:00 PM – CRM Admin Black Hole Update your customer records, health scores, and next steps. Find out half the data is outdated, and none of it matches what your customer actually said on the call. 3:00 PM – Renewal Strategy Meeting Plot the customer’s renewal. Build a case for expansion. Then find out they’ve been secretly trialling a competitor for weeks. Fun times. 4:00 PM – Post-Fire Drill Damage Control The customer escalation from 9 AM? Still on fire 🔥. You're now a therapist, product expert, and contract negotiator all at once. 5:00 PM – Last-Minute Follow-Ups Send out 3 follow-up emails, fix a PowerPoint deck, and add 6 more tasks to tomorrow’s to-do list. Oh, and you’ll still have to smile while doing it all again. It’s 8 hours of chaos, spreadsheets, and deep breaths—and somehow, we still make it look easy. 😅 Ready for a better way of CSM-ing? 🚀 Join 11K+ Customer Success Professionals who read my weekly newsletter for insights on how to skip the rat race and focus on delivering value for customers. [link below] #DayInTheLife #CSM #RevOps #CustomerSuccess #CustomerRetention

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