Yoel Lapscher

Here's how to know you might be on the verge of product-market-fit: 👇🏻 👇🏻 👇🏻 Rob Snyder recently shared one of the best indicators of product-market-fit for an early stage company: If you're able to write the SAME CASE STUDY for your last several rounds of customers... ...there's a good chance you're on the verge of true PMF. Most early stage startups can get customers, but not always for the same reason. When companies come to you and use different features of your software for different use cases, you haven't actually found PMF (despite potentially having a decently high ARR). You're looking for scalability — which means they have to be coming to you to solve the same problem. And you need to be able to solve it in the same way to provide the same outcome. If you have that repeatability, that means you'll be able to market against that problem/use case in a highly scalable way, and thus acquire many more customers without needing to customize everything (in an UNSCALABLE way.) I have since shared Rob's concept with dozens of founders that we've worked with — so much so that I thought it would be worth creating a Fletch-ified diagram to make it easier to explain on the fly. But go to the source and follow Rob. His content is pure gold ⭐️ #productmarketing #productmarketfit #saas #b2b

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In 14 weeks, RB2B signed up 12,000 users and hit $900K+ ARR. I've been involved with 20+ product launches, but never have I seen faster PM fit and scale. Here's 10 counterintuitive business strategies we used to get there: 1. We started selling before the product was developed - We spoke to 300+ prospects before our product was launched - We used a waitlist to capture initial interest.  - Our work in public content has helped create credibility with our audience - We focused on building a community very early in the process 2. We promised to give it away for FREE to 90% of our users - We gave away our product for free in the beginning - We are hoping to keep 90%+ of our users perpetually on a free plan - Instead of offering a traditional free trial, we chose a perpetually free model 3. Not fixing a bug using which free users could access paid features - When we discovered a bug, instead of fixing it, we shared it with our users and encouraged them to keep benefitting from it - Also encouraged agencies to resell our solution for free - Our goal was always to maximize distribution over revenue 4. After 7,000 account signups, we lowered the price cutting revenue in half - Because we found that 0-$500 was a steep rise - Our new price ($99/m) is more aligned to our user base and GTM model (PLG) - Our paid conversion and revenues have since significantly increased and continue to accelerate WoW 5. We said NO to many Enterprises and large Agencies in the beginning - Initially, we turned down many enterprise requests and revenue opportunities - We did this to stay focused on our original goal of targeting the SMB market - Even today, if a large enterprise requests a feature that isn't part of our roadmap, we're comfortable declining instead of deviating from our plan. 6. We openly shared our failures with the world - If something didn't work, we posted about it on LinkedIn. - We turned these experiences into content and received valuable feedback. - This created a content engagement flywheel that drove attention and signups 7. We Used AI and Automation When We Didn't Have to  - Companies typically use AI to avoid hiring additional staff. - We implemented AI when there was no one on the team. - We positioned ourselves as an AI-first support and CS company 8. Maintaining Discipline in Hiring and Product Development - Despite $900K+ ARR and acquiring ~9K accounts we continue to not hire - We could easily hire more people to speed up product development or sales - Instead, we're focusing on leveraging bots and automation - And have no interest in accelerating our product roadmap. We will use our limited resource to get to our ambitious product roadmap however long it takes **RAN OUT OF ROOM! Post continued in the comments 👇

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The biggest mistake people make when scaling with custom software... (and how to avoid it) 1. Stop overcomplicating things. Don’t go building some over-engineered solution. Focus on the pain points that actually matter to your business. 2. Research the right tools. There’s a difference between off-the-shelf software and a custom-built solution that fits like a glove. Find the one that aligns with your goals. 3. Reach out to real specialists. Not just any developer – someone who’s been in the trenches building custom delivery platforms that solve REAL problems. 4. Show them exactly what’s broken. Share your biggest pain points and bottlenecks. Get clear on what needs fixing. 5. Start small, scale fast. Don’t waste months trying to perfect it. Launch fast, get feedback, and scale it as you go. In 6 months, you’ll see streamlined operations, faster delivery times, and happier customers. Simple as that. Stop making this mistake and start scaling your business with a custom solution that actually WORKS. 🔔Follow Sharan Gohar for more insights and ease the stress of hiring professional developers with Ninjas Code. Discover how we can transform your business and unlock your development potential. Schedule a free consultation today! Link in the comments. #customdeliverysoftware #ecommerce #logistics #scalingbusiness

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The $100,000 pricing mistake I see founders make every single day. It's not about your price point. It's not about your features. It's about the invisible psychology that makes customers choose your highest tier – or walk away completely. In this week's deep dive, I've unpacked the complete psychology behind strategic pricing. I've dug through hundreds of real-world examples – from game-changing wins to painful flops – to uncover what really makes people click 'buy now.' No complex jargon, just practical insights you can use to build better pricing strategies. Read the full piece and let me know your thoughts!

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Here are the 5 best investments with the HIGHEST compound interest and ROI over the next 10 years: → Building your own SaaS → Investing in your health → Personal development → Index funds → Family time It's the simple things that actually count. 👍🏼 Like if you agree. ♻️ Share if you want to help others

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📊 Fall 2024 Fundraising Insights for Software Startups 📊 Thinking about raising funds for your startup? Check out Carta's latest stats to see where you stand in the venture market: 𝗣𝗿𝗲-𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 - Median valuation cap at $11M with $1.2M raised - The most active segment right now 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 - $3.7M raised on a $14.8M pre-money valuation - Valuations near 2021 levels, though fewer rounds are happening 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗔 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 - $10.8M raised on a $43M pre-money valuation - Round volumes are sluggish, but valuations are climbing What are your thoughts on these trends? Drop your insights in the comments! 💬 #Startups #VentureCapital

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We've been enhancing our metrics on lease renewal rates and denials/cancels, and just added metrics for min/max rent too. I think this "Cancel %" metric (the ratio of lease applications to cancellations) is going to be incredibly interesting. We're working on a study using this data that shows application denial/cancellation rates by MSA, and some MSA's are approaching 70%... meaning that for every 10 applications, there are 7 rejections/cancellations before a lease is signed. That's craziness! Fraudulent applications are a major issue in some markets, and in others, application fees are now limited by recent legislation... making it easy for prospective residents to apply for several units at a time and choose the best option. I think understanding application/cancelation rates by market is going to be a lot more important for investors going forward. Stay tuned for the MSA-level analysis on app/cancel rates, but in the meantime, if you want to see how this applies to your market, schedule a demo or start a free trial at: https://www.hellodata.ai/ Thanks Tim and Nicolas for your work on these features! #multifamily #realestate #data #ai

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Great post Santosh Sharan 1. If I am reading this correctly, you were in line with what Peter Drucker repeatedly said in classes I was blessed to have taken "Focus on market share and revenue (margins) will follow". 2. I always encourage Startup Clients from Concept through Seed phases: 1. Solid Data Supported Market Analysis (Total Market, SWOT Analysis) 2. Methodical, Low Cost, Essential Features and Fast MVP 3. Traction & Market Share Naturally, I encourage building the business plan immediately and continuously strengthening it. Thanks again for this great launch testimonial!

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Most SaaS founders *think* they need to build a product that saves time or makes money, then a big Go-To-Market machine once they find Product-Market Fit. But in 2024, the best founders know they need to build 3 things: - An addictive product that is engineered to create dopamine hits - Embedded virality that can lead to SUSTAINED exponential growth - Trust-building machines (like community and founder brand content) It’s easy when you simplify it like this. In 2024-2025, these will be the only true moats. Master the art of bottoms-up. Because true disruption always comes from below.

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PMF is wildly simple… just: - build one case study - try to repeat it (using the case study to sell) - debug, iterate, reframe, unfold

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Tons of new business owners are missing out. You can get up to $100,000 in AWS credit (as in, no-payback) to build a proof-of-concept if you have an idea and a website. AWS Activate is the program. If you're a founder and you're looking to build cost-effectively before you have paying clients, check it out.

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Defensive product investment is one of the hardest things for mgmt teams and boards to wrap their heads around 🤯 "Defensive" meaning: things you HAVE to build that you can't charge for. You can't charge for everything new as a product company. The market moves, you have competition, and technology cycles are forcing change on you, whether you like it or not. It's good to have "first principles" to help with this... ✅ If you are a subscription company, you OWE the customer continued good service. You didn't charge them a one off fee. You're charging them all the time. That means keeping up with the market over time ✅ The customer need comes first. You build product to solve the customer problems, NOT to make money. Yes, we all want to make money. But how you monetise is "orthogonal" to what the customer needs. They don't always align. Don't get confused ✅ Defensive spend can be 0% or 100%. Accept that neither will work. And accept it deeply... You can dispute or disagree any of these principles, it's fine. But you need to have principles. Offensive build is tied to revenue increase. What about defensive? If you want to do "KPI gymnastics", you can tie it to future churn probability decrease. But there's a high chance your work will be bullshit and retro-fit to the conclusion. And also, you're now selling "fire insurance". Everybody wants it; nobody wants to pay for it. You'll go down in flames. I'd empower and trust a VERY SMALL number of subject-matter experts who know the product and clients to make the call. It'll work much better, and also save you stupid meeting and powerpoint time. And don't pay consultants for this bit. They know less than you.

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It took 3 acquisitions and 19 years for ShareFile to exit for $875 million this year. But some of the numbers aren't adding up. ShareFile's ARR is at $240 million. That means they were acquired for only 3.6x ARR. That's a low multiple - ARR valuation multiples are typically at 5.5x. The likely reason? Slow growth. Not just by ShareFile, but by the acquirer as well. Progress was experiencing a negative growth rate of 2.3%. This leaves a limited amount of flexibility in the purchase price. Of course, the deal can still be considered a win-win. Progress will grow because of the acquisition. And ShareFile exits for a significant sum. The lesson: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵. Yes, be efficient in your profitability. But also keep capturing a bigger market. i5growth - international growth / i5invest: Investment Fund, global tech M&A arm, team of 100+, offices in San Francisco, Vienna, Madrid, Berlin, Frankfurt; 200+ exits & strategic partnerships with tech leaders such as Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Qualcomm, Samsung, Nvidia, Naspers, NBC, … #strategy #startups #investing #venturecapital #technology #i5growth #i5invest Sources: TechCrunch and SaaStr

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More accidental landlord data - next up Atlanta 👀 Last week, Parcl Labs unveiled a new metric tracking "accidental landlords" - homeowners who try to sell, can't, and pivot to renting. We started with Tampa, where the current rental conversion rate is 3.4%. Of the top SFR markets, Tampa has the lowest rate by about half... In Atlanta, the current rate is 8.1%. Over the past year, the average shows ~1 in 10 for-sale single family homes converting to rentals (11.2% 1-year average). Atlanta stands as the most competitive market for large institutional SFR operators. But this metric reveals it's not just institutions - the rental landscape includes a significant layer of owners who maybe didn't plan to be landlords. Why should you care? 🏡 SFR + BTR Investors/Operators: Measure emerging rental competition 🛠️ Property Mgmt/Home Services Companies: Identify new customers/demand 🔬 Market Researchers: Monitor where housing supply is shifting between the for-sale and rental markets and the impact on prices. Have exposure in Atlanta and want to track this dynamic live? Wondering what this looks like for your market? You can only get this data from Parcl Labs via our API. Link in comments to get started - and email us at [email protected] if you have questions or need any help. #RealEstate #Atlanta #SFR #PropTech

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Where are institutional owners making moves? Last week, we partnered with The Wall Street Journal to show you where institutions own the most homes - how about where they're selling? We track unit-level for-sale listings for major SFR operators (Invitation Homes, Progress, Tricon, etc.) - intel only available through Parcl Labs. Think of it as an early warning system: for-sale listings today predict institutional dispositions 3-6+ months before they show up in public records or SEC filings. I attached the data on what percent of major SFR operators' portfolios are currently listed for sale in key markets... Our takeaway? It's getting spicy in Texas: 👀 Houston: AMH, Amherst, Home Partners (Blackstone), and Progress each have 2%+ of their market portfolios listed 👀 Dallas: AMH, Amherst, and Home Partners listing over 2% This finding fits our broader national housing research - Dallas and Houston are softening with surges in supply and drops in demand. Looks like the big operators got the memo and are trimming accordingly. We're also seeing hard data confirming what's only been anecdotally reported - Home Partners (Blackstone) is indeed selling off a meaningful chunk of homes. We'll be watching how this evolves. And you can too. With our API you can track institutional selling patterns in real-time - link in comments.

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When you're scaling a DTC brand from $5m to $30m, don't try to optimize for lowest cost of capital when you raise debt financing... The lenders out there who can offer the lowest cost of capital usually can't offer the capital flexibility and deal terms that you need as you scale. Low cost of capital lenders don't love DTC. It scares them because there is little to no A/R and inventory is a riskier collateral base. As such, they'll either offer you way too little capital availability or their offer will come with hefty protective provisions that feel punitive. Non-bank lenders tend to be the best fit for a DTC-heavy brand that is scaling profitability beyond $5m in annual sales. Traditional bank lenders, which offer lower cost of capital, tend to become a better option after you hit $30m+ in annual sales. Obviously, there are always exceptions to this rule, but the advice I'm offering here turns out to be true most of the time in my experience. __ Want more tips like this? Consider reposting or giving me Jon Blair a follow.

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