Exclusive Download: Idea to Exit Mini-Course - Learn How To Build a Product Without Spending Money & True Customer Validation - http://bit.ly/2xn6os6

--

I recently shared an uber with my buddy, Kevin, when the topic of naming his new startup came up.

And when you think about it…

There’s SO much pressure in getting this right.

Not only is the name of your startup gonna be front and center for the next few years (or decades) of your life...

… but it’s gonna be one of the FIRST things that potential customers use to judge you and your company. Meaning, before you even have a real conversation with a customer or investor, your company name will have either created a favorable perception… or a crappy one you’re gonna have to work extra hard to overcome. 

And while there are consultants and naming experts who will literally charge tens of thousands of dollars to help you get it right… 

In this week’s episode, I’m gonna share the criteria I’ve used to name every one my companies (as well as hundreds of companies I’ve had the privilege of advising).

At a high level, here are the five major (and slightly unconventional) things to keep in mind when naming your startup:

1. Align with your customer
2. Don’t be too specific
3. Outcome driven
4. Don’t buy the .com
5. Have meaning

Not many people know this, but the name for clarity.fm was born out of a late night coding sesh.

I was mentally cycling through the feedback we were getting from our beta users when it suddenly clicked that the OUTCOME our technology was providing all came down to clarity.

If you’re stuck in your naming process, I invite you to do the same.

Go through your case studies, interviews, surveys, etc. and try to single out any common benefit or outcome that keeps coming up.

You might be shocked by how the perfect name was right in front of you all along.

Give the full episode a watch here, and then drop a comment letting me know how you arrived at your own company’s name.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Download: Idea to Exit Mini-Course - Learn How To Build a Product Without Spending Money & True Customer Validation - http://bit.ly/2xn6os6

Exclusive Resource: The Rocket Demo Builder™ – Never give a boring software demo again and close up to TWICE as many deals by this time next week - http://bit.ly/31oUb4c

--

I recently spoke at Traffic & Conversion in San Diego when the topic of product demos came up.

And what I realized was quite simple but profound:

Everyone has a demo problem.

I mean… ev-ery-one.

And I’m willing to bet that if you were to look at your own business right now, you’re either lacking enough demos to really make a dent in your growth…

… or you’re super overwhelmed and inundated with crappy leads that don’t even have a puncher’s chance at converting.

aka. a soul-crushing waste of time with a massive opportunity cost.

That’s what inspired me to create this week’s episode to show you how to not only get more demos on your cal… but how to get the RIGHT leads on the zoom line that have at least a 65% chance at converting.

At a high level, here’s how to book more high quality demos out of your existing traffic:

1. Pepper your CTA
2. Match the message
3. Sell the time
4. Filter your funnel
5. Warm the demo

I’d love it if you could start with the first one right away. It’s the ULTIMATE demo hack that can literally double the number of calls on your g-cal by next week.

Essentially it comes down to this:

What high-traffic pages do you have right now that aren’t “working hard enough” to turn a page visitor into a demo appointment?

We’re talking about your most highly-traffic’d entry pages as well as any major thank you pages (ie. lead magnet download, webinar sign up, etc.)

Peppering your CTA across these pages (and matching the message as I teach in step 2)… can significantly boost your appointment flow with just a few hours of work and not a single extra dollar in ad spend.

Watch the full vid here and then drop me a comment letting me know how you plan on implementing over the next week or two to get more qualified demo calls.

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Exclusive Resource: 5 Secrets of Silicon Valley - Discover My Silicon Valley Secrets To Skyrocket Your Business by Implementing 5 Little Changes That No One is Talking About - http://bit.ly/2Ko2uHt

--

Should I exit or should I stay the course?

It’s THE single biggest question that nearly every successful founder will eventually be met with.

And after taking my coaching clients for a private sit down with Chris Savage at Wistia…

… it got us all thinking about the best ways to evaluate whether or not it’s time to exit and start fresh… or buckle in and continue down the path.

Inspired by Wistia (and many other founders I’ve had the privilege of sitting down with), this week’s episode covers the five key questions you need to ask yourself to arrive at a clear decision that feels both aligned and in the highest interest to your team members and stakeholders.

At a high level, the five questions to consider are as follows:

1. Passion or exhaustion?
2. If crushing?
3. Build it again?
4. Pivot or persevere?
5. Perfect execution?

The FIRST question you need to ask yourself is whether or not you’re still in love.

Meaning, are you still absolutely passionate about the problems you’re solving and the audience you’re solving it for? Or are you just going through the motions?

I see so many founders that pivot their way “out of love” and end up with something that while successful, just leads to exhaustion and constant curiosity around new possibilities.

As a founder and leader, your passion is your fuel.

It MUST be protected at all costs.

And if you find it waning… it might be time to start considering your next move.

Give the full episode a spin here, and then drop me a comment letting me know any major insights or points of clarity that come from it.

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Exclusive Resource: 5 Secrets of Silicon Valley - Discover My Silicon Valley Secrets To Skyrocket Your Business by Implementing 5 Little Changes That No One is Talking About - http://bit.ly/2Ko2uHt

Imagine you’re 27, you’ve read 100 business books and just want to move on to the next step in your career… what do you do?

Well, when I was 27, I was lucky enough to participate in a 3-year CEO program with my brother. He spent $35K on a coaching program because he was determined to invest in his development as an entrepreneur.

And the best part, I got to join him as his +1!

You might be thinking, that’s a lot of money for someone just starting his entrepreneurial journey (that was almost all of my brother’s $$ at the time)… but trust me when I say this, IT WAS WORTH IT.

Thanks to this program my little bro ended up developing one of the fastest growing home building companies in Atlantic Canada… and I gained the knowledge, tools, and confidence to move to Silicon Valley and start and exit two tech startups back to back.

So in today’s video, I got over the top 5 reasons to join a CEO group.

Here’s the top 5 list:

1. Compress decades into days
2. Positive peer pressure
3. Time away to focus on a higher level
4. Pull you up when you’re feeling down
5. Do cool stuff

Even though these 5 reasons should make you want to jump out of your chair and find a group to join, I still feel positive peer pressure is what makes CEO groups so special.

There is just something about being among all these ambitious and committed entrepreneurs that elevates your thinking to the next level.

It goes back to the old saying, “If you are the smartest guy in the room, you need to find another room.”

I remember a few years back when I was invited at an event in Switzerland… I met this guy Bryan. As we were driving through the swerving road, I asked him, “So Bryan, what do you do?”

“Oh, I started a company called Braintree.”

I had heard of them because PayPal just acquired for $800 mil… CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? And I was riding in the van with the guy who built it from the ground up! That’s the magnitude and inspiration that only CEO groups can get you.

You get the point. By surrounding yourself with highly motivated and successful people, you can leverage the positive peer pressure and bring the energy necessary to hit your most ambitious dreams.

Be sure to catch the whole ep here, and drop me a comment letting me know any questions or additions you have about this top 5 list.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
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Okay. Here we go. Focus. Speed. SaaS is Racing.

I remember a couple of years ago I watched “Cars” the movie with my two boys.

What struck me most about the story was that the main character, Lightning McQueen, didn’t learn to be the best on the race track; he learned it on the training dirt track.

So today’s update comes from the DirtFish Rally School just outside of Seattle. The more time I spent here hucking, hoping and trying to keep my momentum…  the more I saw there are so many lessons from racing that apply to entrepreneurship as well.

In this week’s video, I share with you the 8 racing lessons that can help your business grow.

Here’s a summary of the key lessons to help you ramp up your

growth and keep your eyes on the prize
1. In like a lamb, out like a lion
2. Sacrifice speed for stability
3. Model then modify
4. Don’t commit to chaos, lift to vision
5. Adapt for success
6. Be patient, set it and wait
7. You can’t look ahead if you’re patting yourself on the back
8. You gotta be chill to kill

Something I learned on the dirt track is, when you’re attacking a turn it’s better to get rid of some speed and come in slower.  Then, once you get lined up for your exit, you can POWER ON like a rocket.

Same thing goes in business. When a big opportunity comes up, you should start slow… prepare… assess… align… and when you know it’s going to be a big win then you can go all in.

I learned this from Jim Collins (author of Good to Great). In his book he talks about firing bullets, then cannonballs.

Before investing resources and effort in an opportunity, make sure you test it on a smaller scale… once you prepare and align, ATTACK LIKE A LION.

Check out the full ep here, and then drop me a comment letting me know any other similarities you can find between racing and entrepreneurship.

It’s AMAZING how universal and cross-function strategies are, don’t you think?

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Resource: Top 5 Productivity Hacks - Double Your Energy & Focus By Just Tweaking The Way You Do Everyday Tasks - http://bit.ly/2Hfwkfg

Exclusive Resource: Top 5 Productivity Hacks - Double Your Energy & Focus By Just Tweaking The Way You Do Everyday Tasks - http://bit.ly/2Hfwkfg

--

As a high-performing founder, you’re confronted with TWO seemingly opposing forces.

1. You need to travel (a lot)
2. Your health and fitness are a vital part of your capacity to show up and do your best work

So how do you reconcile this?

How do you stay razor sharp (and fit) while sitting long hours on planes and scavenging for food in a place you’ve never been before?

Well after spending literally THOUSANDS of days on the road over my entrepreneurial career, I’ve cracked the code on how to stay fit and prioritize your health while bouncing between airports and exploring new towns.

In this week’s episode I cover my 5 most impactful strategies for prioritizing my health no matter WHERE I touch-down.

At a high level, prioritizing your health while travelling comes down to these five key strategies:

1. Win your mornings
2. Airport triggers
3. Sweat everyday
4. Pre-order meals
5. Get accountable to someone

While all five are super easy to implement and as close to non-negotiable as it gets… I want you to commit to sweating everyday no matter where you are.

Doesn’t matter if it’s a 10 minute, crossfit style workout in your hotel room (bodyweight only)… or a morning run to explore a new city… nothing will keep you sharper on all levels than getting some sweat going.

At the end of the day, here’s what must be understood:

Being a road warrior doesn’t mean you need to let your health suffer… and it’s definitely not an excuse to let yourself “slip up” for a few days.

The opposite is true.

If you’re travelling to meet potential clients, investors, or just trying to carve out incredible memories with your family, you NEED to show up with presence, power, and focus.

Stack all five strategies to make sure you’re always showing up at your best, and then drop me a comment letting me know any personal travel hacks or strategies you use to stay fit on the road.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Resource: Top 5 Productivity Hacks - Double Your Energy & Focus By Just Tweaking The Way You Do Everyday Tasks - http://bit.ly/2Hfwkfg

Exclusive Resource: The Rocket Demo Builder™ - Never give a boring software demo again and close up to TWICE as many deals by this time next week - http://bit.ly/2Y7ewsb

--

I was 24 when I closed my first enterprise level SaaS deal.

I had recently started Spheric Technologies and decided to go straight to the heavy hitters.

We’re talking Fortune 500 companies like Johnson & Johnson, American Express and Procter & Gamble.

(guess the JFDI ethos was alive and well) ;)

And while I had an amazing team of coaches and mentors around me (and an endless supply of Grade A boldness) to carry me through those early deals, they were FAR from smooth.

But over a decade (and tens of millions in enterprise deals under my belt) later, I’ve refined my process into a simple 5-step system for navigating and eventually closing a high value enterprise deal.

While the intrinsic complexities and long sales cycles still aren’t for the faint of heart, this week’s episode will show you the most effective strategy for bringing clarity to the sales process while cutting down on sales cycles and frustration.

At a high level, the process comes down to:

1. Get multi-threaded
2. Virtual close
3. Move metric
4. Face to face
5. Ask for a POC

While each step is absolutely critical, nothing matters unless you can peg your solution against your prospect’s “Move Metric”.

Meaning, even if you do everything else right, there’s no deal to be had unless the outcome your solution provides can be linked directly to a priority metric on your prospect’s strategic roadmap.

It’s your job to both UNCOVER that move metric as early on as possible — and continuously remind all stakeholders how your solution specifically moves that needle forward better than anything else they might be evaluating.

Once again, navigating  enterprise deals is an entirely different beast… but one that as a founder you NEED to be prepared to engage in when the right opp shows up.

Watch the full episode here and then drop me a comment letting me know your biggest challenges or concerns when it comes to locking down high value enterprise contracts.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Resource: The Rocket Demo Builder™ - Never give a boring software demo again and close up to TWICE as many deals by this time next week - http://bit.ly/2Y7ewsb

Exclusive Resource: High Tempo Testing™ - Define a Solid North Star Metric & Identify Experiments Worth Running That Drive You Closer To Predictable Growth - http://bit.ly/2INZx2M

--

Imagine this…

You’ve worked MONTHS gearing up to launch your product.

You’re absolutely CERTAIN that the market will receive it with the same level of enthusiasm as you do (and I mean… why wouldn’t they? Your thing is awesome).

So you put your reputation on the line by inviting 300 of your most influential friends and investors into a swanky-ass theatre for the official launch party. We’re talking people from Shark Tank, Dragon’s Den, Hootsuite, Freshbooks, etc.

You pull back the curtain. Give them all immediate access. And spend the longest, most excruciating twenty minutes of your life waiting for them to interact with your product and give the raving reviews you expected.

But instead you’re met with…

Crickets.

Welcome to the origin story of my last company, clarity.fm.

Before the 100K+ users and eventual exit, there was a botched launch and a punch-to-the-gut that nearly KO’d the company before it ever got off the ground.

What I share in this week’s episode is how I took clarity from 300 apathetic users that I pretty much bribed and begged to support the product…

… to having enough raving fans and active users to fill up Wembley stadium.

At a high level, here are the 5 steps towards growth hacking your way to 100K users:

1. Nail a problem
2. Map the universe
3. Value in advance
4. Drafting strategy
5. Rinse and repeat

While giving value in advance isn’t exactly mind blowing, there are TWO hugely impactful ways to go about doing this.

Most people are familiar with the first type (providing useful content that educates and solves specific pain points for your audience).

The other is a bit more subtle, but when done right (like Vidyard and Hubspot have done)… it can be the x-factor that unlocks massive growth for your company.

Watch the full ep to get the deep dive on the strategy, and then drop me a comment letting me know which of the steps you plan to test this quarter to spur more growth for your SaaS company.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Resource: High Tempo Testing™ - Define a Solid North Star Metric & Identify Experiments Worth Running That Drive You Closer To Predictable Growth - http://bit.ly/2INZx2M

Exclusive Resource: Fundraising Like a Pro - Learn the 3 phases of fundraising and a 7 week process for starting & closing your next round of funding - http://bit.ly/2IPphuH

--

I recently got on a call with a potential coaching client who asked me the best way to create momentum during the fundraising process.

And it got me thinking…

“what’s been true in my own successful fundraising experience… as well as the 150M raised by those I’ve mentored/advised?”

Turns out, there were some consistent (and repeatable) markers that can make the difference between a fast and effective fundraising round…

… and one that stumbles out of the gates and flatlines before it ever gets momentum.

In this week’s video, I cover the 4 ways to create a fundraising narrative that draws interest from the right investors at the right time.

At a high level, it comes down to:

1. Two Peaks
2. Pre-Marketing
3. Manufacture Traction
4. Team Story

While timing your fundraising to match one of the “two peaks” is the most critical starting point, one of my favorite strategies (it’s also used at many accelerators), is to manufacture traction.

“Wait… what?… are you telling me to mess with my data to make it look like a hockey stick?”

Definitely not.

While it’s a bit nuanced (and requires careful planning)… manufacturing traction is not only perfectly ethical, but one of the most powerful ways for you to attract potential investors and get them reaching for their checkbook.

Highly recommend you pay close attention to that one.

Catch the full ep here and then drop a comment letting me know any questions you have about raising capital in your startup.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Resource: Fundraising Like a Pro - Learn the 3 phases of fundraising and a 7 week process for starting & closing your next round of funding - http://bit.ly/2IPphuH

Exclusive Resource: Confidence Creator™ - 4 Mind-Altering Ways To Become A Confident Entrepreneur Even If You’re Full of Self Doubt - http://bit.ly/2UDP68q

--

I’ve spoken a lot about my 3 most recent SaaS exits (Clarity.fm, Flowtown, Spheric)…

But rarely do I talk about how EASILY I could’ve given up on each. I mean…

… Spheric got sued 15 months in.
… Flowtown got shut down by Facebook and had to be rebuilt from near-scratch.
… Clarity.fm launched to crickets (despite renting out a 300-seat theatre).  

As you’d imagine, each had me swallowing a confidence-killing cocktail of fear and frustration. Few would’ve blamed me for just burning the whole thing down.

And if it wasn’t for the 4 confidence-building strategies I cover in this week’s episode, I probably would’ve.

Sure, I would’ve missed out on three successful exits.

But what really makes my stomach sink is thinking about all the impact that hundreds of thousands of customers would’ve missed out on if I let my fear get the best of me.

Your customers deserve a confident, resilient version of “you”. As does your team and all the people you’ve brought into the trenches with you.

In this week’s video, I show you exactly how to get your confidence back on track no matter how much adversity you’re up against.

At a high level, here are the 4 ways to regain your confidence:

1. Product impact
2. Achievement list
3. Community made
4. Serve others

Thought testimonials, case studies and customer calls only serve a marketing purpose?

Nope.

One of my favorite ways to blast through the fake stories floating through my head, is to simply look at all the impact my product is creating in the real world.

Next time you find yourself sinking in self doubt at a time when you NEED to show up at your fullest, take a sec to call up a successful customer and ask them about how your product is making their life (and business) better.

Sometimes the main function of a case study is to sell a founder on him or herself :)

Watch the full ep here and then drop me a comment letting everyone know your personal strategies for dealing with adversity in your biz.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Resource: Confidence Creator™ - 4 Mind-Altering Ways To Become A Confident Entrepreneur Even If You’re Full of Self Doubt - http://bit.ly/2UDP68q

Exclusive Resource: The Talent Pipeline™ Process - Step-by-Step Strategy For Finding (and Hiring) A-Players - Even If You Don't Have an HR Department - http://bit.ly/2FJgpDR

--

My first two companies FAILED hard.

Sure, there were many factors at play. But when I take a sec to assess where things really went off the rails, it all came down to this…

I had the wrong people on board.

And it’s no criticism to them.

As a founder (especially in the early stages), you’re ENTIRELY responsible for making sure that you have the right personnel for each position.

Where most founders go wrong is that they hire by default.

Maybe they’re too overwhelmed by all their other hats… maybe they hit a point of exhaustion in the recruitment process… maybe they don’t even have a recruiting process…

… but essentially they hit a breaking point where they just hire anyone who has the skill and is willing to show up.

Aka a warm body.

Not exactly a solid growth strategy.

Whether you realize it or not, your company’s growth is HIGHLY dependent on the quality of talent you have coming through the pipeline. Think of it as a sales funnel that repays you in human capital. The ROI (and cost of getting it wrong) is entirely underestimated.

That’s why in this week’s episode, I break down my entire process for constantly building and replenishing a pipeline of A-players that I know can drive my business forward.

Have an HR Department

At a high level, the 5 steps for building a talent pipeline are as follows:

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Resource: The Talent Pipeline™ Process - Step-by-Step Strategy For Finding (and Hiring) A-Players - Even If You Don't Have an HR Department - http://bit.ly/2FJgpDR

Exclusive Resource:Perfect Week™ - Quickly design the most productive week ever, while working less using block time - http://bit.ly/2UaWw1M

--

No matter how great your product is, at some point the success of your SaaS company is gonna be DIRECTLY linked to your personal productivity as a founder.

Talk about pressure, right?

I can totally relate. I built clarity.fm during an insane 11 month stretch where Renee was starting an agency of her own AND we brought two little humans into the world.

And without the 6 life saving productivity strategies that I share in this week’s episode, it’s extremely likely that clarity.fm would’ve never gone on to achieve the rapid traction (and eventual exit) that it did.

At a high level, here are the 6 most impactful ways to increase your productivity as an insanely busy and overwhelmed founder:

1. Perfect week
2. Block time
3. Theme days
4. Assistant/Delegate
5. Project Management
6. Weekly Sync

As a busy entrepreneur, it can be super scary to realize that you (and you alone) are responsible for becoming more productive in your business.

No one’s gonna figure it out for you… and you certainly can’t cash sympathy points into investor checks no matter how crazy your life situation is (2 kids in 11 months kinda crazy) :p

But by stacking these productivity strategies, I guarantee you’ll be able to plug up some of your biggest time leaks and start reclaiming the space (and focus) to do your most needle-moving work.

At the end of the day, a high growth startup demands nothing less of you.

Watch the full episode here, and then let me know ONE productivity strategy you plan to implement moving forward.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Resource: Perfect Week™ - Quickly design the most productive week ever, while working less using block time - http://bit.ly/2UaWw1M

Exclusive Resource: Fundraising Like a Pro - The 3 phases of fundraising - 7 week process for starting & closing your round - http://bit.ly/2FcilV8

--

I’ll never forget one of the first times I pitched an investor.

I was literally pacing in the back alley of a SF coffee shop with one of those ugly pre-2007 cabled headsets plugged into my iPhone.

I had a warm intro to the investor.

Things were going smooth.

But with just ONE single misstep, I got those gut-wrenching words no founder ever wants to hear:

“Sorry, Dan… I don’t think this is gonna work.”

In this week’s video, I share the MAJOR mistake I made on that pitch, as well as the 8 biggest lessons I’ve learnt from raising millions in capital for my own companies, as well as 200M+ for those I have the privilege of advising.

At a high level, here’s a crash course on how to successfully pitch investors:

1. Get an intro
2. Research them
3. Present problem
4. Demo solution
5. Market size
6. Business model
7. Proprietary tech
8. Open Q&A

In case you didn’t notice, the process only begins once you’ve got a warm intro to the investor. Cause here’s the hard truth:

Investors don’t want to meet you (or get cold pitched by you)… they want to be introduced to you.

Now while the average founder can get really discouraged by this, I’m gonna call you to a higher game.

That’s why I break down in full tactical detail my favorite strategy for getting warm introductions to investors… even if you don’t have any existing in-roads to the people you want to pitch.

It’s a ninja tactic that up to now I’ve only shared with private clients inside SaaS Academy.

Catch it at 2:57 of this week’s episode, and then drop me a comment letting me know any lessons you’ve learned from the investor trenches.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
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--

300K/year.

That’s the magic revenue number that a super high-performing expert or entrepreneur can expect to reach on their own before they smash their head against the glass ceiling.

Doesn’t matter if you have your alarm set at 4:30am.

Doesn’t matter if you grind it out through nights and weekends.

Doesn’t matter if you throw down a bunch of brain drugs with bad names while looping binaural beats through your headphones.

Unless you start making it a PRIORITY to buy back your time through systems, automation, and delegation… you’re just gonna knock yourself out as you keep banging your head against that upper limit.

Prefer to smash through and unlock higher levels of growth?

In this week’s episode, I break down the 5 steps for creating business systems that automate your processes and set you up for scale.

At a high level, the 5 steps are:

1. Audit your time
2. Group process tasks
3. Record the work
4. Outsource draft system
5. Delegate the activities
6. Monitor for quality

Where most entrepreneurs get this wrong is that they start wayyy too far down the list and try to just randomly outsource anything they can (to anyone they can).

And then they actually act shocked when that $3/hour via from the Philippines doesn’t perform the tasks at the same level it used to.

Delegating can only come once you’ve identified the most important tasks to take off your plate… and created thorough documentation on how to perform it up to your standards.

Anything less and you’re setting yourself up for even MORE frustration and overwhelm.

Give the full episode a watch here, and then let me know of ONE task or activity that you feel you’re ready to automate or delegate.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Download: The Business Playbook Templates – Easily create a business playbook to free up time, deliver consistent work and train your team - http://bit.ly/2XNyqZT

Exclusive Download: Precision Scorecard™ – Keep Your Leadership Team Focused & Accountable To Growth - http://bit.ly/2TdcpoU

--

Ready for a shocker?

Stalled growth is rarely a product, marketing or sales problem…

It’s a founder problem.

And more specifically, it’s a failure to think strategically instead of tactically.

Yes, tactics matter. But only if they’re guided by the RIGHT strategy at the RIGHT time.

If you just keep repeating the same tactics over and over again (or adding random ones to the mix just because it “feels right” and “other people are doing it”)…

… then you’re just gonna drive your team and your company to the ground.

Accelerated growth is always preceded by strategy.

Most founders know that they need to be thinking strategically… yet so few actually have a simple framework that shows them how to do it.

That’s why in this week’s episode, I share a simple 5-step process for achieving more strategically-driven growth this year.

At a high level, the 5 steps are:

1. Begin with the end in mind
2. List out strategies
3. I.C.E. them
4. Prioritize
5. Add resources and timelines

Where most people get this wrong is #3.

Once you’ve listed out all the possible strategies you can pursue to achieve your end goal… you need to put those strategies on ice. Which is actually an acronym for…

Impact. Confidence. Ease.

Each strategy gets ranked on those 3 categories which gives you a clear “ICE” score to help you prioritize in the next step.

Watch the full episode to learn how to measure your ICE score, as well at the complete 5-step framework for making more strategically-driven decisions.

I’d also love it if you can drop me a comment letting me know ONE new strategy you’ll be focusing on this year… and what you’re hoping to gain out of it.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Download: Precision Scorecard™ – Keep Your Leadership Team Focused & Accountable To Growth - http://bit.ly/2TdcpoU

Exclusive Download: The Weekly Sync™ Format - Run Your Weekly Team Meetings Following This Structure Easy, Fast & Productive - http://bit.ly/2Xp9B6j

--

I’ll never forget this one employee I had just hired at clarity.fm

His first few hours went super smooth.

But then at exactly 4:59pm… the guy BOLTED.

Laptop packed. Door shut. Making a beeline straight to the front door.

My jaw literally dropped. Here was this guy I had just hired… someone who was still getting onboarded to our team, our clients, and our company…

And he was more concerned about beating the afternoon traffic than getting up to speed and aligned with our mission. I mean… what the hell, dude!

I call this “Speed of Their Feet” syndrome. And if your company parking lot turns into a barren wasteland at 5:10pm…

Chances are you have at least ONE of the signs of a toxic work culture that I share in this week’s episode.

At a high level, the clear “signals’ that you have a toxic culture forming are:

1. Speed of their feet
2. Asking for raise/perks
3. Lack of empathy
4. Dissatisfaction and anxiety
5. High turnover
6. Failure to meet deadlines and goals
7. Lack of core values

The second item is where I get a lot of pushback.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with your team members asking for raises or demanding new perks.

In fact, I’m a HUGE believer in rewarding A-players above industry standard.

But if 20, 30, 50% of your team is banging at your door asking for more cash… not only will those rising costs eat you alive, but it’s probably indicative of a deeper problem in your reward structure.

“Asking for raises” can sometimes be a last resort that employees turn to when they’re NOT feeling appreciated or like they’re making progress in their career path… and they decide that they might as well get the most out of their crappy situation.

So always investigate more deeply. Especially if you notice a team-wide trend forming.

The sooner you catch these toxic signals, the sooner you can course correct and make your company an attractive place for A-players to do their best work.

Watch the full episode here, and then drop me a comment letting me know if any of these signals are present in your company, and what you’re actively doing to fix it.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Download: The Weekly Sync™ Format - Run Your Weekly Team Meetings Following This Structure Easy, Fast & Productive - http://bit.ly/2Xp9B6j

Exclusive Download: Fundraising Like a Pro – The 3 phases of fundraising – 7 week process for starting & closing your round - http://bit.ly/2SLbmeA

--

Growing a tech company is hard.

Growing a tech company with lawsuits being thrown at you left and right is nearly impossible.

The good news is, most legal issues that startups face are HIGHLY preventable, and can be sidestepped with just a few simple measures.

In this week’s video, I share the 5 biggest legal issues that startups face… and more importantly,  how to avoid them so that you can grow your company with peace of mind.

(Disclaimer: I’m not a lawyer and I don’t play one on the internet. Consult with an attorney before making any legal decisions)

At a high level, the 5 biggest startup legal issues are:

1. Wrong entity
2. IP Ownership
3. Not setting up vesting
4. Not complying with security laws
5. Not doing due diligence

Remember those twins from The Social Network?

The ones who walked away with over 100M of Zucks’ cash over IP infringement?

Well, Zucks probably could’ve avoided that one had he juuuuuust taken a few of the simple measures I mention in #2.

Even if you’re not building a billion dollar social network, chances are that IP assignments play a huge role in your tech company.

Making sure that ownership is properly assigned can save you from major headaches and lawsuits down the line… especially if you hope to raise capital or exit your company.

Take a few mins to watch the full episode, and then let me know of any hard-earned legal lessons you’ve learned in your own journey.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Download: Fundraising Like a Pro – The 3 phases of fundraising – 7 week process for starting & closing your round - http://bit.ly/2SLbmeA

Exclusive Download: The Weekly Sync™ Format - Run Your Weekly Team Meetings Following This Structure Easy, Fast & Productive - http://bit.ly/2HQxfVQ

--

In over 20 years in business, I’ve never met a single founder who hasn’t had to fire at least one employee.

While the thought may create knots in your stomach, letting an employee go is actually a super valuable skill with further reaching implications than you might think.

Because done wrong, It could crush team morale, compromise data, and even cost you valuable customer accounts.

Breaking up isn’t fun… but it’s a skill that as a founder you need to get skilled at.

In this week’s video, I’ll share 5 steps for firmly (but respectfully) letting an employee go… while setting up all stakeholders for a smooth transition.

At a high level, here’s how to let an employee go the right way:

1. Prep accounts
2. Schedule the sit down
3. Not a discussion
4. Remove access
5. Communicate the reason

Of the five, the last one gets the most neglected.

Once they’ve been “let go”, it’s tempting to just move forward and drop it from your mental/emotional bandwidth.

But unless you take a quick 15 mins to inform the rest of your team about the decision, and more importantly, the reasons behind it… you may inadvertently be fueling the rumor mill while planting the seeds for a toxic culture.

At the end of the day, if it’s not working out with an employee you owe it to both THEM and the company to move on gracefully.

You might think that you’re doing them a favor with countless “extra chances’, but it’s likely just your own fear and resistance speaking.

If the writing’s already on the wall, you owe it to everyone involved to move on and let them find a career that they can be a total rockstar at.

Give the episode a full watch here, and then drop me a comment letting me know of any lessons you’ve learnt from letting an employee go.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Download: The Weekly Sync™ Format - Run Your Weekly Team Meetings Following This Structure Easy, Fast & Productive - http://bit.ly/2HQxfVQ

Exclusive Download: Precision Scorecard™ - Keep Your Leadership Team Focused & Accountable To Growth - http://bit.ly/2DDsVoP

--

Back in 2008, Warren Buffett was approached by a struggling insurance company.

He asked them to fax over their financial data to the hotel he was staying in (in Edmonton, Alberta)…

Within just a few hours he was able to put together a proposal to acquire them.

How did he do it?

He knew what to look for in the numbers — and more importantly, knew the implications of those numbers.

His nickname may be the “Oracle of Omaha”… but it’s not witchcraft or wizardry that has made him one of the world’s wealthiest men.

It’s his advanced knowledge of the metrics, and how to stack them in his favor.

In this week’s video, I breakdown (and give you the exact calculations) of the 4 advanced SaaS metrics that can provide game changing insights and decision-making capabilities for you and your company.

At a high level, here are the four advanced SaaS metrics:

1. Net negative churn
2. SaaS magic number
3. Quick ratio
4. The rule of 40

If there’s ONE number I’d love for you to actually measure while watching this episode, it’s your Saas Magic Number.

In just a few mins you can have newfound clarity on your sales efficiency, and be able to make a data-backed decision on whether or not you should increase, maintain, or decrease your marketing spend throughout 2019.

Powerful stuff with massive implications.

Give the full episode a watch here, and then drop me a comment letting me know what you measured for your SaaS Magic Number… and how that number might affect your decision making this year.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Download: Precision Scorecard™ - Keep Your Leadership Team Focused & Accountable To Growth - http://bit.ly/2DDsVoP

Exclusive Download: The Business Playbook Templates™ – Easily create a business playbook to free up time, deliver consistent work and train your team so you can break free from your business – http://bit.ly/2CyscU1

--

Freakin’ typography.

Add that to the list of things I never thought I’d learn. Yet I’m proud to say I could now rock the basics like a champ.

Did I take a course? Nope.

Read a book? Not this time.

Instead, I tapped into one of the most underleveraged sources of knowledge capital that EVERY software founder should be capitalizing on:

My team.

Ever since I founded Spheric in 2004, I’ve been hosting regular skill-sharing meetings that allow anyand all members to share their unique talents, and in turn, help the team get smarter.

In this week’s video, I cover the 5 components of a monthly meeting that allows your team to rapidly increase its knowledge capital by a factor of 5x.

At a high level, here’s how to implement this meeting:

1. Democratize the teaching
2. Showcase the bright spots
3. Prioritize the queue
4. Set a timer
5. Record it

The first two steps are all about making sure you’re inclusive in the process.

When you break down the hierarchy and allow ANYONE with a cool or valuable skill to step up and teach the rest of the team — you not only create a smarter team, but a more empowered one.

But where this practice can really have a dramatic payoff is with new employees.

Imagine onboarding a recent hire and being able to refer him to a library of 10, 15 or even 50+ recorded training sessions.

Not only does that new hire get a potent dose of best practices and relevant job-related skills, but they get to know the personalities and interests of their colleagues MUCH faster.

Meaning, you get to dramatically ramp up your team’s knowledge capital… AND cultivate an awesome culture at the same time. Pretty freakin’ cool if you ask me :)

Give this week’s episode a full watch to learn how to implement it, and then let me know when you plan on hosting your first skill-sharing meeting.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Download: The Business Playbook Templates™ – Easily create a business playbook to free up time, deliver consistent work and train your team so you can break free from your business – http://bit.ly/2CyscU1

Exclusive Download: Precision Scorecard™ - Keep Your Leadership Team Focused & Accountable To Growth - http://bit.ly/2CiZqqq

--

Can we talk about your MRR for a sec?

If you’re like most founders I coach inside SaaS Academy, chances are you:

1. Obsess about growing it
2. Overcomplicate how to do it

Truth is, if you’re experiencing a plateau in your MRR, it probably has much less to do with your company’s growth potential, and everything to do with how you’re over-complicating the process of tapping into it.

In this week’s episode, I cover the 6 things you can do TODAY to increase your MRR and set yourself up to toast to a record-breaking ARR in 2019.

At a high level, here are the 6 things I absolutely want you to start considering:

1. Raise your prices
2. Ditch the free plan
3. Unbundle features
4. Remove unlimited features
5. Move up market
6. Maximize upselling

Now before you start eye-rolling at me through the screen, I really want you to consider the potential impact of raising your prices.

I recently had a client who was charging a cringe-worthy $6/mo for a software that his clients were literally running their business off of.

Meaning, the price to value match was severely skewed against him.

If he bumped that up to a VERY reasonable $25/mo, sure there’s a chance that he’d lose about 10-15% of his clients…

But the net effect would literally be game-changing for him and his company.

If you do nothing else, I’d love for you to take a look at your lowest price tier and just imagine what it would look like if you 2x, or even 5x’d it?

What % of customers could you afford to lose while STILL doubling your MRR?

The quick table-napkin math could literally be the tipping point for your software company this year.

Once you’re done, watch the full episode here, and then drop me a comment letting me know ONE thing you plan to implement this year to increase your MRR.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Download: Precision Scorecard™ - Keep Your Leadership Team Focused & Accountable To Growth - http://bit.ly/2CiZqqq

Exclusive Download: Discovery Call Builder™ – Add a 2-Step Process To Your Sales Flow To Qualify Prospects And Increase Conversions On Your Product Demo - http://bit.ly/2ABtzRB

--

Some of you are gonna hate me for even saying this.

Might even have some intense fist-shaking action.

But it’s gotta be said.

There is such a thing as having too many leads.  

And even if you’re currently experiencing a lack of leads… you absolutely need to prepare yourself to handle a potential overflow so that you don’t miss out on potential game-changing opportunities if things ramp up faster than expected.

This actually happened very recently with my client, Tom.

After he implemented some of the funnel strategies I teach inside SaaS Academy, he went from having NOT enough leads… to being completely inundated and his calendar blew up with product demos.

To handle this new *first world* SaaS problem, I shared the 5 steps that I cover in this week’s video.

At a high level, here’s exactly what to do when you start getting bogged down with too many unqualified leads:

1. Lead scoring
2. Funnel filter
3. Two step sales
4. Improve MQL & SQL
5. Create self service plan

Most of these steps actually involve REDUCING your number of leads by creating tighter filters and higher qualifiers.

This may sound counterintuitive if you’re currently experiencing too few leads, but you would likely even benefit right now by implementing these steps.

If you’re currently spending too much of your week talking to leads (or serving customers) that should’ve never made it into your sphere to begin with…

… then you’re mis-allocating time, energy, and resources that could be better spent on strategies that actually move the needle for you and your company.

Just something to think about.

Give the full episode a watch here, and then drop me a comment letting me know ONE thing you plan to implement to start getting higher qualified leads on the line (while reducing the noise in your sales pipeline.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Download: Discovery Call Builder™ – Add a 2-Step Process To Your Sales Flow To Qualify Prospects And Increase Conversions On Your Product Demo - http://bit.ly/2ABtzRB