One of the most valuable resources for founders is mentorship — the opportunity to learn from highly successful people who understand what you’re going through. These days, the VC backed startup ecosystem is expanding rapidly outside of traditional hubs like Silicon Valley and New York. There’s a powerful opportunity for knowledge-sharing among founders of all walks of life.
Especially among hyper-growth SaaS businesses, access to wisdom is a lifeline. Here’s a roundup of growth wisdom from legendary SaaS founders who’ve been where you are.
1. Embrace your emotions but also learn to keep a healthy distance from them.
Why we should listen to him
He’s built one of the most important sales relationship technology companies of all time and has more than $1B in existence. You can read more about his experiences at Startups.co.
2. Prioritize storytelling and public-facing communications on behalf of your founding team.
Why we should listen to her
Michelle led the growth and evolution of one of the most successful cybersecurity companies of all time. Not only does this company create revolutionary products, but they also are known to attract extraordinary talent. You can read more about her leadership and Cloudflare’s growth journey in Startup Canada.
3. Expect to fall down, and learn to appreciate the journey of picking yourself back up.
Why we should listen to him
He architected, built, and scaled a cross-continental supply chain network across 57 countries in Africa and the Middle East. You can read more about his journey at Business Africa Online.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Why we should listen to her
She is tackling one of the biggest challenges to exist in modern finance today — the predatory economy. She’s building infrastructure to guide people to a prosperous financial future. Read more about Sheena in People of Color in Tech or watch her TEDx talk, How to bring humanity back to finances.
5. Get committed to getting out of your own way.
Why we should listen to him
He’s built and scaled numerous successful SaaS companies with and without VC. Along his journey, he’s been committed to sharing education and knowledge — especially tough topics that few are able and willing to talk about. You can read more about his journey building KISSmetrics, which ended up shutting down, on his personal blog.
6. Prioritization is key to business stability.
Why we should listen to her
Her CEO and board experience are unparalleled. Clara understands what it takes to bring many moving parts of a company together into a cohesive engine. She leads with a healthy balance of discipline and empathy, which translates into business stability — even during hard times. You can learn more about her perspectives in this interview with Sequoia Capital.
7. Measure business stability through capital efficiency.
Why we should listen to him
There’s more to being a startup founder than the emotional journey. Solid analytical thinking is crucial for companies looking to scale and do great things in the world. David maintains a blog where he shares his thinking processes for aspiring founders to learn and follow in his footsteps. You can read more about David’s approach to capital efficiency metrics by subscribing to his writing on Substack.
8. Don’t procrastinate becoming capital efficient.
Why we should listen to him
As a former investment banker turned CFO to SendGrid and board member to influential startups, Yancey knows what it takes for startups to scale sustainably. There’s a balancing act between encouraging creativity and managing the potential for chaos. You can learn more from him in his recent interview with SaaStr.
Final Thoughts
There’s never been a better time to build and grow a startup due to the sheer volume of knowledge, education, and wisdom that exists. Wisdom is everywhere, so keep your eyes and ears open. You’re never too late in your journey to start learning from the advice of smart people.
