MOHAMMED ZIYAD K’s Post

Anyone who has worked in a startup knows - When there is momentum behind demand, the team gains confidence. However, I believe momentum is overrated. An increase in demand doesn’t change a team’s abilities You are not a materially different startup just because you found a few customers. So if you are a founder grinding through hard times. Pretend like you have momentum. Celebrate small wins: product updates, # of investor calls, anything you can control. This will boost morale and keep the team excited. So why is momentum overrated? Not because it doesn’t have an impact, but because it can be artificially created. It’s something you can go out and achieve today - despite the demand.

🚀 I'm excited to share my startup journey with you all! This year, I joined Builders to embark on a new startup adventure. Eager to jump in and create a magical product right away 🤩 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺… The first thing I focused on during the initial 10 weeks was connecting with our Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) to understand their daily challenges and biggest pains. It wasn't easy, especially as a foreigner with zero network in the region. So, Sales Navigator became my best friend. 🤝 After countless outreach messages, rejections, and being stood up on calls, I finally spoke with over 𝟭𝟯𝟬 HR leaders and it was incredible! These conversations not only gave me deeper insights into their most challenging issues but also led to in-person meetings, invitations to community events, and great coffee chats that give me a clear understanding of where to start building our product. Now armed with a lot of knowledge and a focused goal, I'm ready to dive into building. This experience completely shifted my initial product concept, and I'm grateful it did! It allowed me to realize early on that my original idea may not have addressed the problems that we are now focusing on. 🎯 𝘈𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘐𝘊𝘗'𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴? 𝘐'𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵! 🔍

2 installments left in my 4-part series on what happened to the 180 startups I met in the first half of 2024. So far, we've seen that: * Most companies are hiring their VP of Sales too early and their VP of People too late * 5 people on a team is ideal for company performance * Hiring a non-founder COO is helpful once you hit $5M ARR, and generally harmful before your first $1M ARR The last two data stories will cover: * Do more diverse founding teams perform better or worse? * Do VC-backed or bootstrapped startups perform better? * Do in-person vs. remote startup teams perform better? It has been a blast diving into this data to end the year. If you like to nerd out about this kind of thing, especially if you're a founder or an investor, you can sign up for the rest of the series in the comments. (And if you extra like this kind of thing, I'm building my 2025 wait list for coaching and advisory clients right now!).

I crashed my projects with these bad habits from Big companies. So I compiled them in this guide so you can avoid it. This is for ex-Big Tech / Consulting jumping to the world of startup Knowledge is power but not all knowledge... Skills that got you promoted in Big Firms ▶️ Can slow you down with your startup Habits that got you bonus in big Firms ▶️ Can burn your cash Enjoy the guide ! ------------------------------------------------- I'm Riley and I'm helping ex-Big Tech & Firms first-time SaaS founders go from an idea on paper and $0 to a growing company with recurring revenue.

Quick update after my first month on Intro: I’ve already had multiple amazing calls! Last week, I helped a seasoned SaaS founder who's struggling to prioritize their growth strategy with actionable steps that they can implement right away. My 3 takeaways from the calls so far: - Founders often struggle with prioritization. - Early-stage startups need to focus more on product-market fit. - Sustainable revenue growth comes from strategic, not just tactical, moves. I’m amazed by how much we can accomplish in 15 minutes. Let’s chat ⤵️ intro.co/craigzingerline for booking! Comment “interested” and I’ll select 1 person for a free 15min call

#OutsourcingSales tasks can seem appealing as we navigate the early stages of startup growth. However, insights from Mia Murphy during her tenure at Tontine illuminate the critical importance of maintaining a close relationship with our product and market. 🔍 Trade-offs of Outsourcing: While it might offer a quick fix, outsourcing sales can lead to a disconnect between founders and the essence of their product, a gap that can be hard to bridge over time. 💡 The Founder's Role: There's an irreplaceable value in founders being the first #salespeople. This deep product understanding and passion can't be replicated by external teams, making it essential for founders to be involved in early #sales efforts. 🛠️ Preparing to Scale: We must lay a solid foundation before considering bringing on a dedicated #SalesTeam. This means having a profound understanding of our product and its place in the market, ensuring that when the time comes to scale, we're ready to do so without losing the essence of what we're building. Mia's reflections remind us that in the rush to grow, we shouldn't overlook the importance of a hands-on approach from founders in the #SalesProcess. Listen to our full conversation: https://hubs.ly/Q02rg3WC0

Founder-mode all the way. 🚀 From our last startup, we've seen first-hand two different organizations when it was either: 1. Led by founders who were still in the CXO 2. Led by hired C-suite managers who were in the CXO It was very clear to the folks internally, which organization was going to outlast the competition and innovate with first-principles thinking rather than being focused on internal politics and member ranks. 😔 "Usually when everyone around you disagrees with you, your default assumption should be that you're mistaken. But this is one of the rare exceptions. VCs who haven't been founders themselves don't know how founders should run companies, and C-level execs, as a class, include some of the most skilful liars in the world." Brilliant PG essay shared amongst some of the top founders now in Silicon Valley. Read the full copy here: https://lnkd.in/gcDK_KQP

Thanks for having me on Collin Stewart 🎙️ ✨ Can’t wait to have the chance to delve deeper on this topic together - especially with the new knowledge acquired after finishing up our first quarter of the year at Tontine. In case anyone missed it, follow the link provided to hear our conversations on start up journeys and the ground work needed to be laid before expanding your revenue team! Would love to hear from others on insights or experiences they’ve had in this space - feel free to drop a comment below! 👇 #predictablerevenue #PR #startups #saas #sales #hiring #tontineai

Hey everyone, I’m excited to finally share what I’ve been working on at ThinkGo! For too long, the odds have been stacked against B2B SaaS startups. 90% of them fail and it doesn't have to be that way. With our new tool, ThinkGo Diagnostics, we’re here to reverse that trend, empowering founders and investors with data-driven insights that unlock growth potential. A powerful business tool, Diagnostics benchmarks a B2B SaaS business against more than 1,500 others, offering tailored insights and clear next steps to drive growth. For CEOs and founders, it’s about pinpointing where to focus your team’s energy to accelerate growth. For investors, it’s about gaining data-driven insights to guide your investments and help leadership teams succeed. I invite you to explore how ThinkGo Diagnostics can fuel your jump to light speed? Sample it for free today and unlock the coordinates to accelerate success.   👉 https://lnkd.in/gnraddZS Over and out, Devin Deen, Mission Director ThinkGo. Business Growth Software. P.S. I'd really appreciate it if you could share this post with B2B SaaS business owners in your network. It could help them achieve the success they've been striving for.

When you’re scaling a startup, the market doesn’t care that it’s Friday afternoon. The sales cycle won’t shorten because the weekend is near, and your runway won’t magically extend overnight. Your competitors aren’t taking a break, and your pipeline won’t fill itself. Founders who win know the math: more outreach increases chances of closing deals. More customer feedback leads to better product-market fit. And more perseverance turns tough weeks into growth milestones. It’s not about working 24/7; it’s about consistent, focused effort. If you’re aiming for meaningful traction, push now --> rest later.