Sylvain Gauchet

Must-Read Books for B2B Founders: The Top 5 (Plus a Bonus)* 1. Lean B2B by Étienne Garbugli: Finding and validating the right idea 2. The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick: Talking to customers 3. Content Inc by Joe Pulizzi: Building an audience 4. Founding Sales Peter Kazanjy: Early, founder-led sales 5. Obviously Awesome by April Dunford: Product positioning Bonus 👉 Magic Box Paradigm by Ezra Roizen : Getting acquisition-ready from Day 1 What else would you add to the list? *in my opinion 😜

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Growth and marketing tools have always been a trend. But today it gets enormous because it is harder to grow than ever: - More and more people make startups. - Google Ads are overpriced. - Spammers everywhere. People are tired. - SEO is dying, comments are dying (ty AI). - Content production was never easier (ty AI). So what? Help others grow, and make money How? Make a SaaS. Examples: John Rush, creator of ~20 projects. Each of them helps others grow, I working on a video generator that helps SaaS grow, Senja helps to sell by gathering testimonials. Or make a no-code product for that. Examples: https://x.com/callmehouck sells access to a private chat where people boost each other on 𝕏, https://lnkd.in/gQ3TZjPw sells a list of 1000 handpicked tech tiktokers.

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Revenue comes from scaling traffic Profit comes from maximizing conversions

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New Capitaliply Acquisitions: RecurrinGO! and Split Payment. $1.72M to Buy, $2M to Grow 🥳 Capitaliply - RollUp Fund in Shopify market is making big moves with the acquisition of two powerful Shopify apps, RecurrinGO! and Split Payment, for $1.72M. With an additional $2M planned for future investments, this strategic expansion is set to redefine what's possible in the e-commerce space. Check out the full story on Benzinga, the leading financial platform with over 25 million monthly readers, to see how Capitaliply is gearing up to make a major impact 📈 https://lnkd.in/dyYu7bki #Shopify #ShopifyApps #PrivateEquity #Investments #SaaS #Aquisitions

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Founder Amateur Mode: Randomly executing Founder Beginner Mode: Linearly defining ICP, then working on PMF, then GTM Founder Expert Mode: Working on ICP, PMF, and GTM simultaneously

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After working with $3.5B ARR brands, here's the truth: Noobs and experts tackle CRO very differently. Here are some key contrasts: 1. Beginner: "Let's change the button color to boost conversions." Expert: "What user behavior data supports this change?" 2. Beginner: "More pop-ups will capture more leads." Expert: "How can we add value without disrupting the user experience?" 3. Beginner: "Our conversion rate is low. We need a complete redesign." Expert: "Let's analyze the data to identify specific pain points first." 4. Beginner: "Mobile optimization isn't crucial for our B2B audience." Expert: "Let's ensure a seamless experience across all devices and contexts." 5. Beginner: "Our test didn't work. CRO doesn't work for our business." Expert: "What insights can we gain from this test to inform our next hypothesis?" The key takeaway? Expert CRO is about asking the right questions, not jumping to quick fixes. It's about: - Testing methodically - Understanding user behavior - Continuously improving based on data Where do you fall on this spectrum? Are you taking a beginner or expert approach to CRO? Share your thoughts below! 👇 - - - Want more expert CRO insights? I've compiled our top 446-point CRO checklist to increase conversion fast based on 2,500 A/B tests 1. Like and repost this post 2. Comment "CRO TIPS" and I'll DM you the full list. (Follow me first)

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🚀 Exciting news! La Growth Machine can now help you contact warm leads more effectively using 𝟭𝟬𝟬+ 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 directly from Common Room !! 🎯 This collaboration allows us to supercharge your GTM strategy by leveraging an increasing list of buying signals, helping you identify the real people and accounts behind every signal. Now, reaching the right person with the right message at the perfect moment is easier than ever! 📈 Let’s take action at scale together! #LeadGeneration #SalesAutomation #GTM #MarketingTech

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Sifted just released their list of the most promising SaaS startups in Europe. https://lnkd.in/erxJRGzi If you are looking to leave your corporate job for a startup but aren’t sure where to get started, do this. 1. Look at sifted lift of promising startups and pick 10 that really interest you. 2. Based on your skill set, use linked look up the lead of the department you think you would be interested in. For example, if you want to get into sales then look up the VP of sales. 3. Send them a DM on why you want to work for the company and what impact you could have in your first 100 days working there. Don’t send your CV until asked for it. 4. Follow up diligently every few days. If after the third try, no one has got back to you, move to the next 10 on the list. It sounds simple, and it is. Recruitment is the hardest thing for growth stage startups, and no one enjoyed paying 25% recruiter fees. Good luck

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Learn how to fine-tune your product to meet market demands with strategic customer conversations and data-driven feedback mechanisms 👇 ➡ 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗲: Brian Long, CEO & Co-Founder at Attentive 🔌 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿: Nick Moran, General Partner at New Stack Ventures and Nate Pierotti, Principal at New Stack Ventures ✏ “The Playbook to Finding Product-Market Fit, When Founders Should Begin to Scale, and Lessons from Building Attentive” ⭐ 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀: 💬 "I think that what we got right were two things. One, I think that we talked to a tremendous amount of customers, before we started building things. So we learned to hear their problems, hear their issues, and then start building and assaulting those, you know, rather than kind of just jumping right into build-build-build, so that saved us a lot of time." ⭐ 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸, 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗶𝗮𝘀: 💬 "I think you're also looking at things like NPS, you know… because if that number starts dropping, it's often because you're no longer solving the problem." ⭐ 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆: 💬 "I think that we've taken an even longer term focus. We know what can be big. And we know it's dangerous to start getting an ego to think you can do things because it's always very hard. You've always got to think towards taking a longer term view, having a thesis around that view, and then understand how the pieces can come together for success." ───── 👉 Follow me, Alexander Small, for tactics and strategies for building startups from industry-leading Founders, Operators and Investors

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The best way to find quick wins for your website is to have started a proper CRO program 6 months ago. The next best thing is to start it now.

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4 fastest ways to build customer trust (as a DTC brand): > Real customer testimonials (not just reviews) > Money-back guarantee offers > Access to content about the founder > Credible press mentions (not pay-to-play)

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[Project of the Week on AppStoreResearch] This project is for ecommerce brands generating +$5M/year via their Shopify store. The researcher wants to understand the decision making process around app selection. $400 for a $30 min call to help cover your next Klaviyo bill. 😜 If you own or hold a key role at an ecommerce brand on Shopify Plus, your insights and experience from years of using Shopify apps in your role are intangible assets. It’s one of the best ways to offset the growing cost of your app stack. 👀 Don’t sleep on this! Link below. 👇 Tag a Plus merchant you know. #shopify

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Why I think GTM is Broken 💔 : 3 Key Problems Tech Scale-Ups Face ⛔ I recently joined B2B Practitioners because I’ve seen too many tech scale-ups struggle to grow internationally. It’s not that they lack ambition—it’s their go-to-market strategy that often holds them back. Here are 3 critical GTM problems I’ve seen time and time again: 👉 Fragmented Strategy: GTM isn’t just marketing or sales. Without a unified approach, teams pull in different directions. Aligning sales, marketing, and product is key to creating a sustainable growth engine. 👉 No Focus on Sustainable Growth: Growth at all costs? It works until it doesn’t. Companies need to prioritize efficiency and predictability, especially in complex European markets where quick wins are rare. Nothing happens overnight (well... almost nothing) 😉 👉 Lack of Local Market Understanding: Europe isn’t a single market. Scaling across DACH, UK, Nordics, and Southern Europe requires more than language localization—it needs a strategic shift in positioning and messaging. This I have witnessed over and over again Have you experienced these challenges in your GTM? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! #b2bpractitioners #GTM #marketing #scale

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🧑‍💻 We hold the past on a pedestal but our #web #content consumption habits have dramatically shifted. ✅ As of 2024, a striking 80% of web users now favor watching short-form videos over reading blog posts. ⬇️ The Decline of Traditional Content : Over the past two decades, blogs and long-form articles were the cornerstone of online content. However, this era is waning as internet viewers now seek concise, visually stimulating content. The average attention span has notably decreased, driving users towards formats that deliver quick, engaging experiences. Younger generations are at the forefront of this shift towards #short #video, significantly influencing content trends. Video content’s ability to transcend language barriers also broadens audience reach, making it an invaluable tool for global engagement. 🆕 Embracing the Shift with web.Best : To thrive in this new landscape, content creators, bloggers, and businesses must adapt. The upcoming launch of Web.Best (coming live in June 2024) represents a significant opportunity. This innovative web solution is designed to harness the power of short-form video on your own website, transforming old static sites into interactive short-form videos websites to better attract, engage and convert your audience into sales. 🚀 web.Best opening represent new business avenues for: - #Content, #Blog and #Website #Creators, - #Marketing, #Advertising, #SEO, #SEM and #Web Agencies, - #SocialMedia #Influencers, - #Registries and #Registrars, - #Brand and #Business owners. 💵 By integrating #shortvideos on their own #website using web.Best, these stakeholders can connect with their audiences more effectively, and transform viewers and followers into sales leveraging the latest in web content #innovation. ⏱️ It's 2024, it's time to change: Bloggers and traditional content creators must embrace this #change by incorporating interactive short-form #video elements directly into their own #websites. ▶ Short-form video is not just a trend but the future of #digital content!

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How does HockeyStack generate more revenue from their content than your brand does? Because of Hockeystack Labs insane only KPI (you’re going to want to read this)… Canberk Beker their head of growth set an internal KPI- We will come to this point where we won't be asking people to share reports, we won't give to influencers to share the reports, but they will do it organically. And after the fourth, maybe fifth report, it started happening. Here’s HockeyStack Labs Growth Loop: 1. HockeyStack Labs came out with a data report they thought was interesting and people liked it. 2. They told HockeyStack what else they wanted to hear, because they were getting a lot of value from it (and they weren’t getting it from anywhere else). They needed more to help them make smart business decisions. 3. HockeyStack encouraged them to start requesting topics they wanted data on and that they thought they could get even more value from. 4. HockeyStack listened to them and created reports based on a combo of most requested + what they thought would be most interesting internally. 5. Their audience got even more value and shared it on social media with their followers and gave feedback for the next reports. The loop just keeps going. Results: They are generating like 50% of our pipeline from this organically. We are actually talking about millions. And the interesting thing is that the pipeline comes from organic traffic. The website traffic has also increased by a lot. Read the full playbook: https://lnkd.in/epkDakYi So they’re giving people what they actually need and want vs just sharing their POV and making their content one-sided. And the people are loving it. Imagine that. 🔁

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We increased our win rate by 35% at Userled by mastering one thing ↓ 🧵 Multi threading. (These guidance are relevant for deals between 15 and 100K and selling to companies > 200 employees) 📆 Call 1 - Discovery (30'): We make sure to book the first call with either a potential champion or a decision maker. Outside the call: We build a business value map and craft the perfect BVM (will cover this in another post 😉). 🔗 Call 2 demo (45’): We get at least one decision maker and operator on the call (our future technical influencer–someone hands-on). Outside the call: We create a personalised LP including the BVM and pricing to share with the different stakeholders and monitor engagement at the contact level across LP and web. 🚨Between call 2 and 3 if we see lack of activity across assets and site via Userled we double down on follow ups and share info about product development, ROI calculation and others 🤝 Call 3: We review pricing, case studies, implementation and support, and try to get a C-level involved. 🏦 Throughout the process, we connect with CFO/COO so they're aware. Rarely a response, but at least they know it's happening. These days, rarely a sale without CFO approval. If ghosted at any stage, we tap other champions in the company. A "no" from one person can be a "yes" from another sitting right next to them! Additionally, knowing when to involve other stakeholders without approval is crucial: 1️⃣  - Unresponsive contact after multiple attempts 2️⃣  - Need additional perspectives to move forward 3️⃣  - Contact lacks authority to decide 4️⃣  - Deal stalling and needs momentum 💡Quickly gauge if the buyer is either: Happy with status quo Wants to smash their target Pushes for internal improvement and innovation This shows if they'll go through a tedious buying process. Assess pain per stakeholder on a 1-5 scale. Below 3, find another champion. at 4-5 that person will unlock doors to navigate the org. 💯 What about you? What’s your take on multi-threading?

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Here are my top CRO learnings from $6 Billion+ GMV over the past 5 years of optimizing for Black Friday. In the past few weeks, I’ve been asked questions like this almost daily: • "𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴?" • "𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘉𝘍𝘊𝘔?" • "𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦?" The short answer? Start early and keep testing. :) Black Friday is like the Super Bowl—you can't expect to win without preparation. The long answer? 𝟭. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 → Begin planning in July/August (many of you missed this unfortunately). 𝟮. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 → Test strategies on Singles' Day (Nov 11). 𝟯. 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 → Continue testing throughout Black Friday. 𝟰. 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 → Prioritize Revenue Per User (RPU) over Conversion Rate (CR). 𝟱. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀 → Use urgency, scarcity, and optimize price displays. Over the past 5 years, we’ve generated millions during Black Friday. I’ve compiled all my learnings from this period into one comprehensive file. It almost feels wrong to give it out! This file is too large to upload on LinkedIn, so I hope the Image gives you an idea of what to expect: ✓ 50 A/B Tests that generated €7.8 million ✓ Snocks Top 25 A/B Tests & Top 15 Ads ✓ Gymshark 2023 BFCM Breakdown ✓ Allbirds 2023 BFCM Breakdown ✓ Our Top 16 A/B Tests of 2023 ✓ Top 1% Subscription Ideas ✓ Top 15 BFCM A/B Tests ✓ PDP CRO Checklist If you want access to this editable Figma file: 1. Like this post. 2. Comment “BFCM” and forward this post to a friend or colleague. 3. Repost for priority access (optional). and I’ll send it to you

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Can SEO build an unbreakable moat around your startup? Discover why early and consistent SEO strategies can be the best defense against competitors 👇 Actionable insights from: ➡ Lidia Vijga (Co-Founder & CEO at DeckLinks) ✏ “Startup SEO: How to Build a Defensive MOAT As a Startup” ⭐ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗘𝗢 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀:  “Startups should prioritize SEO from the beginning to build a strong foundation for predictable, compounding growth and a defensible competitive moat.” ⭐ 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴: “Create content around the problems, questions, and topics your target audience is searching for, rather than solely promoting your product.” ⭐ 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲'𝘀 𝗘-𝗘-𝗔-𝗧 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵-𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁: “Prioritize creating content with strong Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness signals to build a defensible SEO moat.” ⭐ 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗘-𝗘-𝗔-𝗧 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀: “Partner with customers, industry experts, and complementary brands to co-create content that adds first-hand experience, expertise, and credibility.” ⭐ 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗘𝗢 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀: “Steer clear of critical SEO mistakes like neglecting technical issues, ignoring E-E-A-T signals, and failing to measure and adjust strategy.” ⭐ 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗘𝗢 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: “Follow a comprehensive SEO checklist to build an unbreachable SEO moat, including keyword research, technical optimization, quality content creation, link building, and performance tracking.” ───── 👉 Follow me, Alexander Small, for tactics and strategies for building startups from industry-leading Founders, Operators and Investors

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