John Clark’s Post

Martin Basiri and his lean team of 5 at ApplyBoard outperformed industry giants, growing 56% annually and he’s doing it again today at Passage. Here's how they did it: 1. Being scrappy works: Our small team has outperformed bigger competitors by being efficient and resourceful. 2. Hire ex-founders: They're self-motivated and understand the challenges of building a company. 3. Office time is valuable: Having our team together every day creates energy and sparks new ideas. 4. Blend work and life: As a founder, I work long days but make sure to spend mornings with my family. 5. Hard work beats talent: I may not be the smartest, but I make up for it with determination and effort. In the SaaS world, success comes to those who think differently and work hard. Looking ahead, companies that stay lean, encourage ownership, and focus on getting things done will come out on top. Some key stats that back this up: • The fastest growing SaaS companies grow their teams by 56% each year on average • Top SaaS companies keep their yearly revenue loss under 5-7% • New SaaS startups typically spend 92% of their first year's income on getting customers • The best performing SaaS companies earn $3.9 for every $1 they might lose from customers leaving What's your most effective unconventional strategy for SaaS growth? Share your real-world experiences.

Sorry to Be a Buzzkill, but Your Golden Hire Won’t Save You Startups love the idea of a golden hire—someone who will swoop in, fix everything, and save the day. “This person will be a game changer.” “They’ll accelerate growth.” “They’ll fill the sales pipeline.” But here’s the truth: if your business is broken, no single hire will fix it. Before pinning your hopes on an external savior, ask: • Why aren’t sales closing? • Where are you bleeding money? • What systems are broken? • Are the issues with the people or the structure they’re working within? Diagnose the problems and fix what you can internally. Then do some homework. What do you need in a new hire? • Have you identified the metrics that will actually move the needle and how this hire can achieve them? • What’s their key outcome, and what expertise will ensure success? • Are you able to provide them the visibility, data, and support they’ll need? I’ve been there—lost in a role because the company hadn’t defined what they actually needed. Without access to the real problems, like financials or team dynamics, you end up ‘fixing’ the wrong things. Your next hire won’t magically save your company. Stop expecting them to. #BuzzkillInBusiness #StartupReality #OperationsLeadership #90DayPlans

Great post! CAC is a huge challenge in edu-tech, especially since there’s no single platform serving as a one-stop solution for students across different learning needs. Unlike industries like hospitality (Bookingcom), food delivery (Swiggy), or insurance (PolicyBazaar), edu-tech lacks a unified sales channel that can lower acquisition costs while connecting students and institutes effectively. At Enrols, we’re working on an aggregator model to fill this gap. Our platform is designed to simplify the student journey by connecting them with tailored course options, easing interactions with institutes, and cutting down on the time and research needed. We’re excited to test this approach to make education more accessible and foster growth opportunities for students across various fields. Looking forward to seeing how this model can redefine the edu-tech landscape

My hiring rules Your ability as a founder, to hire and retain talent will determine the success of your startup. Here are my lessons from hundreds of hires: - Never hire under pressure. - Bad gut feeling, no hire. - Always 4-6 eyes. - Give people with broken CVs a chance. - Make the candidate experience great. - Lean and fast process. No marathon. - You don't need 5 rounds for an intern. - Build a candidate pipeline early. - Your HR team is not overhead - Sell your business to the candidate. - People want purpose, not only money. - Promise what you can deliver. - Invest in great onboarding. - Set realistic quotas. - Define clear expectations. - Almost real-time feedback both ways - Give responsibility early. - If it doesn't work, maybe it's you! - Accept hiring mistakes. - Part quickly if it's not working. - Don’t procrastinate. Trust your gut. - You can't comfort everyone. - Your people before your customers. - Always be fair and human. Good luck building your rockstar team! Happy Monday 🚀 ____________________________ Sharing my experiences as an entrepreneur and angel investor. Investing in early stage B2B SaaS startups. Happy to connect 👋

Startup Hiring 101: Nobody cares about impressive resumes alone. They care about alignment with your mission and values. When building your startup team, don't just focus on skills and past results. Look for individuals who share your vision and can authentically contribute to your company's story. A team with shared values will navigate challenges more cohesively, adapt to pivots more readily, and present a unified front to customers and investors. Remember, in a startup, culture fit is just as crucial as competence. You're not just filling roles; you're building a tribe of problem-solvers passionate about your mission. How are you ensuring your hiring process screens for value alignment, not just skills?

Every new hire has a material impact on the trajectory of a high-growth tech company. We find and place top performers to help these companies reach daring growth targets. At StackedSP, we strive to be a direct contributor on our partners’ paths from seed, to Series A (and B, C, D) funding, to IPO and beyond. We get intimately familiar with the mission, culture and operations of your business - a strategic search partner placing exceptional talent to propel you forward. Want to up-level your hiring game? Drop us a line and we’d be happy to conduct a free consultation" #StartupSuccess #Talent

𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝘿𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙄𝙨 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙐𝙥 𝙀𝙙𝙪-𝙏𝙚𝙘𝙝 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙥𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙇𝙖𝙮𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙨 🚀 In the fast-paced edu-tech industry, diversification is seen as key to growth, but too often, it leads to layoffs, restructures, or worse. Here are five common reasons I found behind these struggles: 1. 𝙐𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝘾𝘼𝘾 : 𝘾𝙇𝙏𝙑 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙨 💸 Companies dive into new markets without knowing their Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) versus Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV), risking high costs that drain resources. 2. 𝙒𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙑𝙞𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙘𝙠𝙨 📉 Many overlook revenue sustainability, leading to cash flow issues that force cuts when diversification doesn’t pay off. 3. 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙘𝙝 🏋️ Expanding too quickly can dilute focus and strain teams, hurting core operations and overall performance. 4. 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙩-𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙩 𝙁𝙞𝙩 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 🎯 New markets need unique approaches; assuming success across different segments without testing leads to setbacks. 5. 𝙍𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 ⏩ Fast, pressured expansions often backfire. A phased approach allows adjustments for better alignment and growth. Diversification should drive sustainable growth, not jeopardize it. By prioritizing clear metrics and strategic pacing, edu-tech startups can set a strong foundation for long-term success. 🌱 If you are part of any Edu-tech platform, I would like to hear your thoughts too!

52% of software projects fail due to misalignment in expectations and planning between non-tech founders and their tech teams. According to a study by Techstars, non-tech founders frequently face challenges in differentiating essential skills from resume exaggerations. By following these steps, you can hire a technical team capable of developing and supporting a product that drives your business forward and instills investor confidence in your strategy. #nontechfounders #founders #techteam #startupfounder #ceo #fintech #csuite #Hrmanager #Hrmanagement

Founder: We're still pre-revenue, so finding our first paying customer is priority #1 VC: Maybe you should hire someone to help Founder: ...No, I think we just need to execute on the roadm- VC: Hiring could definitely be a way to solve this imo Founder: How would that hel- VC: If you grow headcount 30x in the next quarter that'll probably fix everything Founder: ... VC: Let me know how I can be helpful

**I scaled to $1M in revenue with a team of just 3 people.** 🤯 **Stop over-hiring to scale.** Seriously. 👇 Most entrepreneurs believe you need a massive team to hit 7-figures. This is a LIE. 🤬 * You're burning cash on unnecessary salaries. * You're creating management headaches before you're ready. * You're sacrificing profit margins for vanity metrics. → I bootstrapped my SaaS startup to $1M ARR in 18 months. We focused on automation, strategic partnerships, and a lean operating model. 🚀 → **Here's the 3-step framework we used:** * **Hyper-Automate:** Leverage tools like Zapier & Integromat to connect systems and eliminate manual tasks. * **Strategic Partnerships:** Collaborate with complementary businesses to expand reach without expanding headcount. * **Outsourced Expertise:** Hire fractional specialists for specific tasks instead of full-time employees. **Results:** **Before:** * Revenue: $50K * Team Size: 5 * Profit Margin: 15% **After:** * Revenue: $1M+ * Team Size: 3 * Profit Margin: 40% **Key Learning:** Scaling isn't about headcount; it's about efficiency and leverage. Focus on systems first, team second.💡 **What's your biggest scaling challenge?** Comment below for a chance to win a free consultation on optimizing your business for rapid growth! #ScaleSmart #AutomationWins #LeanStartup #BusinessGrowth