Intercom, Inc.

NOVEMBER 20, 2018

In the early stages of most SaaS startups’ lives, the CEO or founder often acts as the initial head of sales. Again the goal here is to treat this stage of the process as primary market research. Identify a market specific methodology. How do they describe the category? What features are most appealing?

Startup 178

Startup Sales SaaS Systems Review 178

Tom Tunguz

OCTOBER 19, 2014

Of the ten most important metrics on a startup’s financial statements , revenue might seem to be the most important. Imagine two startups, both selling products at $1M price points. The first company will be able to spend about $50k per sale on Sales & Marketing, Research & Development and general operational costs.

Metrics 125

Metrics Startup Revenue Scale 125

Sales Hacker

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

Imagine growing with them on their journey to becoming a publicly-traded company with an $11+ billion market cap. Back then, in 2011, Lyft was a small Series-A startup called Zimride with under 50 employees. Lyft is one of many companies that began as a small startup but quickly rose to a multibillion-dollar company.

Outsourcing Services 77

Outsourcing Services Scale Startup Outsourced Development 77

Tom Tunguz

SEPTEMBER 13, 2020

With valuations of as-a-service companies and all-time highs or close to it, and more and more startups leveraging this model to serve an ever-larger number of consumers, I wondered how much more business is there to capture? Assuming a $10k SaaS budget per year for those workers, we obtain a theoretical market size of about $720b annually.

SaaS 207

SaaS Market Research Software Startup 207

FastSpring

APRIL 18, 2024

Some businesses outgrow their home countries after a seed or startup period that saw initial success domestically, while some businesses founded with niche markets or in smaller countries may need international sales as table stakes on day one. Research competitor price points. Talk to potential customers about perceived value.

Payment Methods 78

Payment Methods Payments SaaS Payments Merchant Services 78

Tom Tunguz

JULY 28, 2018

80%+ of startup operating expense flows to compensation. Especially in such an expensive and competitive talent market. Research shows employees leave their jobs because of poor leadership and poor management. A manager influences a significant fraction of an early stage startup’s employee base. 7 of 30 is 23%.

Investment 140

Investment Management Compensation Market Research 140

SaaStr

DECEMBER 19, 2019

Not doing enough real market research. Not just Google research. If you haven’t, that’s the bare minimum to learn about a market. More here: Planning to Do a SaaS Startup? More here: A Simple Commitment Test For You And Your Co-Founders | SaaStr. Did you really talk to 20-30+ potential customers?

Business 157

Business Interviewing Market Research B2B 157

User Pilot

APRIL 24, 2024

This left Lisa with a challenge because when you’re working in a competitive industry and a high-growth startup, you can’t afford to lose time getting users on board with your UX research efforts. Being unable to recruit participants for usability testing is a problem no UX researcher would want to face.

Interviewing 66

Interviewing B2C B2B Advertising 66

Kellblog

JANUARY 7, 2022

With angel and seed money flowing, and a great environment for company creation, I’ve been talking to a lot of seed-stage and pre-seed stage startups of late. What I Sound Like Talking to Seed-Stage Startups. They often ask me about positioning. What I Normally Sound Like on Positioning. Then lock and load. # # #.

Entertainment 123

Entertainment Startup Technology Market Research 123

SaaSHolic

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

Don’t cut corners when it comes to testing and performing market research, or you could end up paying the price down the line. It All Comes Down to Timing Bill Gross of Idealab gave a TED Talk in 2015 in which he delineates timing as one of the top five factors that determine the success of a startup.

Technical Review 52

Technical Review SaaS Business Market Research 52

Kellblog

JANUARY 20, 2022

Your one startup isn’t going to change the priorities of the VP of Logistics overnight. I’ll scream it: MARKET RESEARCH. You find existing and/or run proprietary market studies targeting your business buyers, asking about their priorities. How do you determine those priorities? You need to care about AI/ML.

Education 118

Education Marketing Automotive AI 118

SaaSHolic

MAY 5, 2023

The article highlights the potential for Latin American startups to utilize AI to improve efficiency, generate global innovation and economy, and expand internationally. The article also emphasizes the importance of big ideas, patience, resilience, and support within the ecosystem for the success of Latin American startups.

Technical Review 90

Technical Review VP of Engineering Development Team Review Software Review 90

Tom Tunguz

JANUARY 16, 2018

Here’s a summary of the frameworks and theory that I’ve aggregated over a decade of investing in startups. All of these disciplines fall under product marketing. Well run product marketing teams develop these perspectives before product launch. Why do we set prices? The competitive positioning?

Pricing 226

Pricing Market Research Interviewing Product Marketing 226

Kellblog

FEBRUARY 13, 2023

.” “Wow, we ran an amazing overall market study last year, but I can’t think of a single strategic change made as a result of the findings.” Why are we going to the trouble of doing good market research, but not making any use of it? Market research doesn’t improve with age.

Market Research 103

Market Research Marketing Strategy Data 103

Buffer Resources

AUGUST 2, 2023

Through those relationships, I noticed a trend: founders of startups are no different than anyone else. I believe anyone can build a company as long as they have a clear vision, the market is right, they’re self-aware, understand the nuances of the industry, and they have the grit to power through the roadblocks.

Business 90

Business Venture Capital Technical Review Trends 90

Tom Tunguz

OCTOBER 18, 2015

There can be downsides to employing vaporware as a market research tactic. Nick Kishfy writes about using this technique in live products by creating a new button in a mobile app that he calls the Button to Nowhere. By measuring how many users explore the feature, a team can proxy the demand.

Startup 100

Startup Market Research Mobile Education 100

User Pilot

MARCH 9, 2023

You need to understand if there is a need in the market for what you are offering. You’ll find that it’s a common reason why most startups fail because they have yet to understand if what they are building even has a product-market fit. There are a few ways to help determine your product’s market fit.

Product Marketing 98

Product Marketing Marketing Management Social Media 98

User Pilot

JANUARY 23, 2024

As for creating a brand positioning strategy, there are some steps you need to follow: Identify your target market and create a detailed customer persona. Conduct deep market research through surveys and interviews to understand customer preferences and market trends. Creating a market research survey with Userpilot.

Strategy 52

Strategy SaaS Healthcare Software Review 52

Tom Tunguz

MAY 12, 2016

Initially, I found that result astounding, because all of the public market research and valuation work focuses instead of multiples of revenue. Here’s why: Account expansion demonstrates initial product market fit. Here’s why: Account expansion demonstrates initial product market fit.

SaaS 108

SaaS Market Research Churn Acquisition 108

How To Buy Saas

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

These pointers can assist you in modifying your price plan, regardless of whether you’re a startup or an established company owner. Here are the following tips to guide you: Understanding Your Market Understanding your market is critical when it comes to business.

Pricing 52

Pricing Business Market Research Strategy 52

Kellblog

OCTOBER 7, 2021

About two weeks ago I spoke at SaaStr Annual 2021 , giving a presentation entitled A CEO’s Guide to Marketing , which discusses why marketing is sometimes seen as a dark art and then discusses 5 things that every CEO (and startup exec) should know about marketing in order to work best with the marketing team.

Marketing 125

Marketing Startup Market Research SaaS 125

User Pilot

AUGUST 29, 2023

Product teams advocate strongly for users: they’ll gather customer feedback, conduct market research, isolate a clear target market, and ensure new features are built to directly address user needs. In a small startup, a product manager might oversee everything. Champions a customer-centric approach.

Management 105

Management Interviewing Marketplace as a Service Product Marketing 105

Buffer Resources

AUGUST 2, 2023

Through those relationships, I noticed a trend: founders of startups are no different than anyone else. I believe anyone can build a company as long as they have a clear vision, the market is right, they’re self-aware, understand the nuances of the industry, and they have the grit to power through the roadblocks.

Business 52

Business Venture Capital Technical Review Trends 52

OPEXEngine

MARCH 3, 2021

With valuations of as-a-service companies and all-time highs or close to it, and more and more startups leveraging this model to serve an ever-larger number of consumers, I wondered how much more business is there to capture? Assuming a $10k SaaS budget per year per worker, we obtain a theoretical market size of about $720b annually.

SaaS 52

SaaS Market Research Software Startup 52

Neil Patel

OCTOBER 26, 2020

CBInsights shared a list of the most common reasons for startup failure. No market need. Forty-two percent of startups failed because they created a product with features and benefits no one wanted. Forty-two percent of startups failed because they created a product with features and benefits no one wanted.

Consulting 133

Consulting Metrics Churn Startup 133

Neil Patel

NOVEMBER 20, 2020

Dropshipping limits startup costs while allowing e-commerce stores to offer a wide range of items to customers. SaleHoo is a directory of wholesale companies and a great dropshipping tool for market research. Those prices make it an affordable tool to research the market and find the best suppliers. Chili-Hunter.

Payment Methods 141

Payment Methods Payment Features Payments Scale 141

SaaSHolic

FEBRUARY 6, 2023

The phrase derives from how a startup’s cash flow burn looks when plotted on a graph. During this time, the startup will deplete the initial equity capital that its shareholders invested. Many startups die during this critical time. Others, like marketing, research, and development, are harder to predict.

Scale 52

Scale Sales Hiring Outsourced Development Startup 52

User Pilot

OCTOBER 20, 2023

Getting user feedback is a crucial step of the market research process. Relationship surveys are best for startups that don’t have enough customers to accurately gauge public opinion during the early stages of their journey. On the other hand, large companies should use a combination of the two to get the full picture.

Artificial Intelligence 52

Artificial Intelligence Social Media Software Review Technical Review 52

Tom Tunguz

JANUARY 1, 2013

Communication is essential to the success of every startup. Startup teams collaborate in product and engineering conversations, in general management, and in recruiting. Externally, startups sell customers using marketing and sales. Startups also pitch investors during fundraising conversations.

Communication 100

Communication Sales Recruiting Market Research Startup 100

Baremetrics

JUNE 2, 2021

All the data your startup needs Get deep insights into your company's MRR, churn and other vital metrics for your SaaS business. Offer improved customer service which leads to better customer experience Improve revenue Reduce waste Benefits of Market Segmentation Market segmentation has its own set of benefits.

Market Segmentation 97

Market Segmentation Marketing Churn Market Research 97

Point Nine Land

JANUARY 25, 2019

A couple of weeks ago, market research firm Dealroom published an insightful report about the state of early-stage funding in Europe. The central question that the researchers try to answer is this: If you are a European startup and you’ve raised a seed round, what is the probability that you are going to raise a Series A round?

Finance 75

Finance Investment Startup Market Research 75

Intercom, Inc.

JANUARY 14, 2021

I got an MBA and tried several startups – some failures under my belt there – and then ended up at a company in the business intelligence space called GoodData. As I mentioned, I was a PM at a fast-growing San Francisco startup and I grew to be VP product, so I’d seen the pain points and the struggles of being an individual PM.

Strategy 225

Strategy Scale Systems Review Technical Review 225

User Pilot

JULY 27, 2023

For example, a startup might not need a sales manager or a fully-fledged sales team in its early days, but a UX designer is an absolute necessity. Conduct market research. What to do before building a team for your SaaS company You can’t just jump into hiring without some forethought, or you’ll make many mistakes.

Sales Hiring 98

Sales Hiring SaaS Payments Sales Recruiting CTO Hire 98

ProfitWell

MAY 21, 2019

Buyer personas (also called marketing personas) are research-based representations of your ideal customers. They are fictional and generalized to describe the “types” of customers that find value in your product, but they are based on market research on your current customers. How do you determine buyer personas?

Market Research 57

Market Research Pricing Acquisition Startup 57

Tom Tunguz

OCTOBER 9, 2016

Just because a new SaaS startup might embody many of the attributes the list I’ve written above doesn’t mean they will be successful. The business could be a Ford Edsel , even with all the market research and theoretical advantages in hand.

SMB 100

SMB SaaS Acquisition Education 100

OpenView Labs

OCTOBER 29, 2019

I recently presented at Venture Lane , a curated startup hub for early-stage startups, to share more about Product Marketing and how it relates to an early-stage startup. As we know, Product Marketing spans such a wide variety of programs. Bottom line: you have to do the market research.

Product Marketing 40

Product Marketing Development Marketing Scale 40

Tom Tunguz

JULY 28, 2013

Crowdfunding platforms solve three key problems for startups, two of which are obvious. Kickstarter and Indiegogo, among others validate demand and provide short term financing by marketing product ideas and accepting pre-payment for future delivery. Consumers vote with their dollars to catalyze product development.

Payment Services 100

Payment Services Management Payment Solutions Payments 100