Episode 594

full
Published on:

16th Oct 2024

SaaS Growth Secrets with Stijn Hendrikse

What are the key stages of scaling a SaaS startup?

In this episode, SaaS veteran and serial entrepreneur Stijn Hendrikse shares his insights on how to scale a SaaS startup successfully. Drawing on his experience at Microsoft and other companies, Stijn discusses the key stages of scaling a SaaS company, the importance of building a strong team, and the challenges of balancing growth and profitability. 

Stijn Hendrikse is a tech professional with 30 years of experience in SaaS and AI. He spent time at Microsoft and founded Kolungi, a B2B SaaS marketing agency.


Key topics that Bill and Stijn explore in this episode: 


- The importance of teamwork and collaboration, drawing parallels between military experiences and business leadership.


- Insights into the unique culture at Microsoft and its focus on people and leadership development.


- Strategies for effective outbound marketing and the importance of adding value.


- Adapting to the changing landscape of content marketing and the need for hyper-relevance.


- The importance of customer success, service costs, and the "hero plus" pricing model.


- Understanding the T2D3 framework for achieving exponential growth in a SaaS business.


- The need to transition from individual problem-solving to system-based approaches for scaling effectively.


- Embracing a quarterly rhythm (like OKRs) for setting goals, driving urgency, and fostering accountability.


- Key milestones in the early stages of a SaaS startup and the importance of answering "what's it for?" and "who's it for?".


- The Rule of 40 and balancing growth and profitability in the SaaS world.


Chapters: 


(02:34) Stijn Hendrikse’s Background

(08:42) Culture at Microsoft

(13:17) Spamming on LinkedIn

(23:06) Content Marketing

(30:56) SaaS Examples

(39:08) Stages of a Company

(42:35) The Rule of 40


Thanks to Stijn Hendrikse for being on the show! 


Connect with Stijn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stijnhendrikse/


Learn more about Stijn and T2D3: https://www.t2d3.pro/stijn-hendrikse


Get Stijn’s book “T2D3: How some software startups scale, where many fail”: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HPDDHDY/ (co-authored with Mike Northfield). 


Bill Gallagher, Scaling Coach and host of the Scaling Up Business podcast, is an international business coach who works with C-Suite leaders to achieve breakthrough growth. 


Join Bill in the Growth Navigator Coaching Program: https://ScalingCoach.com/workshop 


Bill on LinkedIn: https://www.LinkedIn.com/in/BillGall

Bill on YouTube: https://www.YouTube.com/@BillGallagherScalingCoach 


Visit https://ScalingUp.com to learn more about Verne Harnish, our team of Scaling Up Coaches, and the Scaling Up Performance Platform, which includes coaching, learning, software, and summit. We share how the fastest-growing companies succeed where so many others fail. We help leadership teams with the biggest decisions around people, strategy, execution, and cash so that they can scale up successfully and beat the odds of business growth. 

 

Did you enjoy today’s episode? If so, then please leave a review! Help other business leaders discover Scaling Up Business with Bill Gallagher so they, too, can benefit from the ideas shared in these podcasts.


Subscribe via Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3PGhWPJ

Subscribe via Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3PKe00u


Bill on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billgall/ 

Bill on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/billgall 


This episode was produced by Story On Media & Marketing: https://www.successwithstories.com 

All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for Scaling Up Business with Bill Gallagher

About the Podcast

Scaling Up Business with Bill Gallagher
Do you dream of an easier way to scale and grow your business? Do you wish you didn’t have to work so hard and put in as many hours? Do you find growth too slow, or hard to sustain?

This podcast—Scaling Up Business with Bill Gallagher—can help you achieve and maintain the growth you want.

A message from your host: “I’ve been in your shoes as a founder, CEO, and executive leader. I’ve coached and trained many leaders just like you over more than 15 years to grow their businesses successfully and profitably. But more than that, I’ve helped give them their time and sanity back. My core strength is making the growth process easier, faster, and way more fun.”

A dynamic thought leader, Bill talks with fascinating and brilliant guests each week, including visionary CEOs, trailblazing entrepreneurs, best-selling authors, renowned business strategists, and more.

Broadly, each episode focuses on one of the four major decision areas every entrepreneur and company must get right: People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash. More specifically, the show explores topics such as:

* Business Growth & Scaling.
* Customer Experience & Marketing.
* Innovation & Differentiation.
* Leadership Development.
* Delegation & Accountability.
* Vision & Strategy.
* Team Dynamics.
* Hiring & Talent Management.
* Company Culture.
* Employee Engagement.
* Crisis Management.
* Effective Communication.
* Influence & Persuasion.
* Business Strategies.

Running a business is ultimately about freedom. Subscribe to this podcast to learn how leaders like you can get your organizations moving in sync, create something significant, and still enjoy the ride. Subscribe if you want to elevate your business to unprecedented heights by tuning in to a masterclass in business excellence.

For information on Bill Gallagher’s coaching and training programs, and Scaling Up Workshops, visit www.ScalingCoach.com

About your host

Profile picture for William Gallagher

William Gallagher