Jason Smith

Next year, Lightspeed Commerce will exit its teenage years and turn 20. What does that maturity mean? For me, it’s all about shifting from simply a growth mindset to one of profitability. I sat down with Gus Papageorgiou, our Head of Investor Relations and host of the Inside Lightspeed podcast, to discuss this cultural shift, where we’re heading, and how my role as CEO will guide this moving forward. When Lightspeed first started, we were all about seizing opportunities — whether it was moving to the cloud early on, expanding into new markets, or launching payments. These bold moves have driven us to where we are today. Now, as we approach this new chapter, we're putting an emphasis on: - Doubling down on areas where we can truly excel and deliver the most value to our customers. - Making profitability our new North Star and ensuring that every move strengthens our foundation. - Staying true to our core mission: helping SMBs thrive. But now, we’re doing it with a sharper focus on long-term success. Had a great time reflecting on Lightspeed’s past, as well as discussing our vision for the future. Check out the full podcast here: https://lnkd.in/gF3vG-Qn

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Are you ready to unlock the full potential of Product Operations? 🔍 Only 2 weeks left until Product Ops: 101 - Getting Started with Product Operations on October 30, 2024, led by Denise Tilles! With only 2 spots left, this hands-on workshop will give you practical tools to implement and scale Product Ops strategies. By the end, you'll have a clear roadmap to drive better outcomes within your organization. Secure your spot now: https://lnkd.in/exBcs2V5 🎟️ #productops101 #productoperations #productmanagement #workshop

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✨ 20 years of B2B marketing experience distilled into 1 practical guide. The Founder's Guide to B2B Product Marketing is built to help leaders accelerate market learning, build winning GTM strategies, and grow faster. Comprehensive yet concise: A clear overview of key processes and topics Practical guidance: What to ask, know, and do to drive results Pro tips: Approaches proven in successful startups Stage-specific recommendations: How to scale product marketing at each phase of growth Ready-to-use templates: So you can raise your game and move faster It's based on real-world success building market leaders like Indigo Ag, Tenable, Opower, and Q1 Labs. 👉🏻 Invaluable for founders and CEOs 👉🏻 Perfect for product marketers and marketing leaders who want to educate peers and the C-Suite 🔄 Please like/repost or tag a friend who could benefit from this guide, and let's move product marketing forward together! #ProductMarketing #Marketing #B2BMarketing #Startups

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Ready to transform your customer success strategy with cutting-edge insights? Dive into this episode of Scale Your Sales, where Emma Lo unpacks the latest trends in customer success and AI-driven personalization. Emma, the onboard czar at Noibu and leader of Canada's thriving CS in Focus community, shares golden nuggets on predictive analytics, the importance of customer advisory boards, and the true meaning of personalization at scale. You don't want to miss this episode; it's a blueprint for game-changing growth! https://lnkd.in/ehqgZB7R #scaleyoursales #customergrowth #techleadership #technology #AI #sales

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We've seen this so many times. Your brand/customers/product is unique, but that doesn't mean you should reinvent the wheel with your commerce/marketing stack experience. When brands choose heavily-customized tech stacks, it usually leads to high implementation & maintenance costs. But more importantly, it makes it difficult to iterate down the line. You'll be stuck with your "custom" ecom site, loyalty program, unique UX for years - while your competitors will blow past you with "out of the box" tools.

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The Rise of E-commerce: Why Shopify is Leading the Way! 🛒💼 E-commerce is booming, and platforms like Shopify are revolutionizing how businesses operate online. At GOFTECH, we’re excited about the future of e-commerce and how Shopify is making it easier for entrepreneurs to thrive. Here’s why Shopify is a game-changer: 🌟 User-Friendly Interface: Shopify’s intuitive design allows anyone to set up and manage an online store with ease. ⚙️ Customizable Themes: A variety of customizable themes help businesses create a unique and professional online presence. 🔌 Robust Integrations: Shopify seamlessly integrates with numerous apps and tools, enhancing functionality and streamlining operations. 📈 Scalability: As your business grows, Shopify scales with you, offering solutions for small startups to large enterprises. 🔐 Secure and Reliable: Shopify provides top-notch security and reliable performance, ensuring your store runs smoothly and safely. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to take your e-commerce business to the next level, Shopify is the platform of choice. Explore our E-commerce (Shopify) courses at GOFTECH Learning Academy to master this powerful tool. #Ecommerce #Shopify #GOFTECH #OnlineBusiness #TechTrends #BusinessGrowth

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Businesses that invest in reliability are standing out this holiday season. But notably, Shopify. BFCM was one of the most reliable days out of the past several we’ve seen. There were no headline worthy outages, and it was larger than previous years. Shopify was processing over 7 terabytes of logs per minute at peak. Businesses (like Shopify) are investing more in software reliability. Not as a side project, but as a core business function. They understand that reliability is money. You don’t handle 170 million requests per minute on accident. Reliability has become a massive moat for businesses. I’d wager Shopfiy includes a note about their incredible BFCM reliability in their next earnings release. Source: https://lnkd.in/er3cAzRg

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🎙️ Exciting insights from SaaS Academy's CEO Johnny Page on the Expertise Economy podcast! Johnny breaks down their two-step approach to helping SaaS founders: 1️⃣ The Discovery Call: Uncovering the founder's "why" and long-term vision 2️⃣ The Strategic Game Plan Session: Creating a 90-day action plan to achieve 12-month goals 🔑 Key focus: Identifying and solving business constraints Want to dive deeper on the secrets of building a successful SaaS business? Check out the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/dju-Be2u #SaaS #BusinessStrategy #SaasAcademy #ExpertiseEconomy #Podcast

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Really happy to see Shopify roll out Self-Serve Returns. 🔄 It makes the return process so much smoother and more integrated for both the merchant and the customer. I recorded a walkthrough video, you can find the link in the comments. Summary of the features that I highlight: - Let customers handle returns from within their Shopify account - An automated return process fully integrated in the admin of Shopify - Flexibility for the merchants to customise return policies, such a return windows, restocking fees, and selecting items that you can't return due to sale - Ability to collect reasons for return really easy Feel free to reach out if you have questions! #shopify #feature #returns #commerce

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Have you ever looked for theory that can answer - how to approach investors - what kind of product to build first - how you’ll defend the company against competitors This new article from CDA partner, Kevin Maney extends Steven Johnson's writing from the book Emergence to #CategoryDesign. All #Startups and #VentureCapital teams should dig in. (link to article in comments)

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Today the book, Software as a Science launches. 🚀 📕 Written by Matt Verlaque Marcel Petitpas Johnny Page and Dan Martell it tells stories from dozens of SaaS founders like me who went through their program. I’m excited to speak at the event tomorrow. If you’re a SaaS founder - or interested in launching a SaaS product and knowing how to scale it, by the book here: softwarebook.com

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Today’s episode with Mark Bergen, former VP Revenue at Shopify, is a special one for me. Mark gave me my big break into tech sales after I cold called him in 2015 and I teamed up with again at Shopify at few years later. Berg, as he’s affectionately known, is one of the best leaders I’ve ever worked with. He genuinely cares about his team, engages people in a compelling vision, executes on strategy and produces great leaders. He has easily the highest Q-Rating of any leader I’ve been around, which I'm sure people will be quick to mention in the comments. He’s the people’s champ on top of being and incredible executive. From an early role helping a struggling company find product-market fit, to leading Shopify’s enterprise GTM motion during its meteoric rise, Mark has seen every stage of the SaaS journey. Now, as a fractional executive advising multiple companies, he reflects on decades of experience to share timeless lessons for scaling teams, aligning cross-functional priorities, and building enduring organizations. We talked about: Partnering with Product in Engineering-First Companies Thinking Long-Term in a Short-Term World The Journey of Sales Acceptance at Shopify Building High Impact Partner Programs Lessons in Leadership and Followership I hope everyone listens to this one because Berg deserves a lot more attention than he gets. He's too humble for his own good. 😆

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Difference between PE and VC.

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Early this year, we made tough changes at Brex to increase intensity, quality, and speed. 10 months later, after switching into founder mode, here’s how Brex is doing: 📈 Revenue growth accelerated nearly 3x in 2024, NRR up >15 points; burn rate down 70%. Customer acquisition up 50%; CAC paybacks improved 40%. 🏦 Enterprise business grew 91%, with NRR >130%. Now serving the largest organizations on the planet, with a combined market cap >$2.9T. ⚡️ 3 major product releases, 100+ features in each, and 4 new products in partnership with Stripe and Navan, serving startups through enterprises. NPS improved by 11 points. 🧠 Eliminated two layers of people management, elevating builders that operate at all levels and reconnecting leaders back to their craft. 💵 In 2025, we expect revenue growth to continue accelerating at scale, and to be the last year in which Brex burns money. … but the biggest change of 2024 is expecting nothing to ever come easy again. During our first 6 years of Brex, things just “happened.” We went from 0 to $100MM ARR in 16 months, despite many mistakes. This stopped being true in 2023, and it required a painful reset to bring our culture back into what it once was: a culture of builders, willing to go extra hard to build a generational company. This year taught me that taking the hard path, and running the company in a way that’s truly authentic to you, is worth the risk. The biggest risk of all is not gaining energy from the process itself – the only reliable source of energy to compound for decades to come. I hope this inspires other founders to make the changes they need to realize their company's full potential. ❤️ So grateful for everyone at Brex who made this year’s progress possible. Onwards! 🚀 Link in comments to read more.

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When you're not in the board room, you're always wondering, "What's going on in there?". I have now worked with seven companies where I'd regularly present to a board, a mixture of PE and VC-led, and it's almost always centered around a few key topics. If you're meeting your numbers: - what's your future forecast  - how are you going to continue to grow - how will you grow faster and more efficient  - update on money in the bank and spend If you're not meeting your numbers (along with the things I mentioned above): - what is your plan to turn things around and meet your numbers (this includes new logo, back-to-base sales, and churn reduction) - what resources can they offer to help - do you have the right players in the right seat This is an oversimplification because many nuances are at play, but this is generally it. While board meetings can be stressful, almost every board I've worked with wants to be helpful. Of course, their interest is, first and foremost, that the business is healthy and growing, so there's always that undertone, but overall, they want to help. After all, they are guardians of the investments they make on behalf of others and have to report back on their performance. Think of them like they are CSMs for their investors (the folks that give them money). They need to get a great return on the investment they made on their behalf.

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🐶 Shoutout to our #Marketing team for knocking this video out of the.... ...park with the puppies. 🐶 📲 But in all seriousness the cost of #buying a #technology that your team doesn't adopt can be painful. We've built a #solution that is easy to adopt, launch and see results all within 48 hours of signing your contract. 📜 🚀 We can't wait to show you how Cnect's #AI powered solution can transform the way your organization attracts, engages and #hires a modern #workforce. 🚀 #hiring #modern #technology #bestpractices #efficiency #hiringnow #worktech #ai #easy #solution #speed #innovation

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I wrote two term sheets this week into startups backed by amazing founding teams, and in both cases I recommended a pivot to the team’s initial GTM strategy.   Sometimes being well networked, or building in a white hot problem space can be a gift and a curse when it catches the attention of enterprise customers.   On paper, it is the exact type of validation a funding team is seeking as they work through an initial version of their product, but more often than not it has the potential to derail a startup’s potential for success.   The startups in question were both experiencing this exact dynamic.  In one case, the team had caught the eye of one of the largest robotics companies in the world and begun conversations around a potential partnership.   The second company is backed by a 20 year industry veteran with a deep rolodex of enterprise customers within his ICP.  Some of the largest retailers in the world were engaging in conversations around piloting his product.  As I explained to both of these founders, this was amazing validation, but should also not be the focal point of their initial GTM.   The reality is, in order to successfully deploy within either of these customers, they were looking at a long and arduous path, filled with security reviews and product feature sets that realistically an early stage pre-seed company with 2 founders could not deliver upon.   My advice to them, continue those conversations, with the realization that they could take 1 year+ before realistic deployments, but focus the lion’s share of their GTM energies toward customers with lower deployment hurdles, in this case Series A/B backed robotics companies and $50M-$250M retailers.    To be clear, the  genuine interest from these enterprises is a massively positive indicator on the problem/solution set they are building for, and it is part of the reason we are bullish on the market opportunity of each startup.  I’ve just seen so many startups fail to deploy an initial product and ultimately never raise a seed round because they get stuck in a seemingly never ending enterprise sales cycle.

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Four reasons Shopify is WINNNNING in the enterprise. Caveat, this is also why Andy Cloyd and myself are betting so heavily on the Shopify ecosystem in the coming years at Superfiliate Now, how are they winning? Product Velocity: Shopify's relentless product innovation is pulling enterprise brands into their ecosystem. It's not just about switching platforms, it's about Shopify's ability to integrate every crucial business need, from Shop Pay to POS to Commerce Components (CC and kudos to Ilya Grigorik) The Power of Shop Pay: This isn't just a payment method... it's become a trusted brand that drives conversion. By introducing Shop Pay to non-Shopify sites, they're starting to show significant lift, easing brands into Shopify’s full suite of solutions. Agency Migration: The shift is happening quickly. Former exclusive Salesforce Commerce Cloud agencies are now building Shopify teams. They’re attending Shopify Unite not just Dreamforce. This momentum is driving enterprise re-platforms at scale. CIO Career Moves: Just like the cloud migration was once the career-defining project for CIOs, Shopify is becoming the same for enterprise commerce. A new generation of tech leaders sees the upside, and Shopify is positioned to be their golden goose. My favorite quote from Andy about choosing Shopify as a brand: "...it starts to become stupid to be anywhere else." The leadership at the top of Shopify knows exactly what game they're playing and are building a multi-front product, technical and services infrastructure to become the dominant player. Kudos for the masterclass: Tobias Lütke, Kaz Nejatian, Jeff Hoffmeister, Mikhail Parakhin, Harley Finkelstein, Bobby Morrison, Archie Abrams, Glen Coates, Daniel Debow

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I've noticed some interesting trends happening in e-commerce the last few years while in the market doing a few different things. In no particular order: ⭐ Shopify hired AEs from Salesforce and is converting brands from Demandware to Shopify and is focused on enterprise clients. One former client of Flaunt's, Scotch & Soda, converted to Shopify in 2 weeks post-bankruptcy in 2023 🤯 ⭐ Digitally-native brands -- even those at the very earliest stages -- are looking to set up more than just their Shopify store, including running their own retail location (ahem Meghan Herman) and expanding into Amazon, etc. ⭐ Roblox is prioritizing becoming an e-commerce platform in its own right. They already have a large market for digital goods on-platform -- is there an opportunity for them to be a destination where gen Z & gen alpha buy contextually relevant off-platform goods? ⭐ Brands in certain categories that traditionally relied mostly on channel partners and retail that once treated "e-commerce" as a dirty word are now increasing their priority on growing their DTC channel. ⭐ Instagram removed the Shop tab from their homepage in an effort to re-prioritize on advertising revenue. Feels like there's some disruption, changings-of-the-guard, and new playbooks being written for growth in the 2024+ era. #ecommerce #shopify #salesforce #Roblox #amazon #loyalty

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