SaaS Backwards - Reverse Engineering SaaS Success
Join us as we interview CEOs and GTM leaders of fast-growing SaaS and AI firms to reveal what they are doing that’s working, and lessons learned from things that didn’t work as planned. These deep conversations dive into the dynamic world of SaaS B2B marketing, go-to-market strategies, and the SaaS business model. Content focuses on the pragmatic as well as strategic, providing a well-rounded diet for those running SaaS firms today. Hosted by Ken Lempit, Austin Lawrence Group’s president and chief business builder, who brings over 30 years of experience and expertise in helping software companies grow and their founders achieve their visions. Full video and shorts on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@SaaSBackwardsPodcast
Episodes
191 episodes
Ep. 191 - The Next SaaS Wave: Don’t Sell the Tool, Own the Outcome
Guest: Sai Dhanak, CEO & Co-Founder of Deduction -- AI is changing SaaS, but this episode argues the bigger opportunity may be owning the service outcome, not just selling the software.In this ...
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Season 5
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Episode 8
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25:57
Ep. 190 - The SaaS Founder Bottleneck: Why Founder-Led Sales Stops Scaling
How to turn founder instincts into a repeatable pipeline engine. Guest: Javier Lozano, Fractional CMO & GTM Leader -- Founder-led sales is often the fastest way to get an e...
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Season 5
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Episode 7
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33:05
Ep. 189 - SaaS in the AI Agent Era: Org Chart For Your Agents
Guest: David Gabriel, VP of Marketing at Rhumbix -- AI-Enabled Go-to-Market Strategy, Agentic Marketing, and SaaS Margin ExpansionIn this episode of SaaS Backwards, Ken Lempit sits do...
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Season 5
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Episode 6
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36:33
Ep. 188 - SaaS in the Age of AI: Augment, Bolt On, or Become Obsolete
How SaaS CEOs Should Navigate AI-Native, AI-Augmented, and Bolt-On AI Strategies to Protect Revenue and Reduce Churn Guest: Ken Lempit, President & Chief Strategist at Austin Lawrence Group -- ...
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Season 5
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Episode 5
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28:20
Ep. 187 - Your SaaS Isn’t Broken—Your Execution Is
Why SaaS companies stall at $10M, how execution breaks down, and what founders must change to scale -- Guest: Mark Abbott, Founder & CEO at Ninety Most SaaS companies don’t hit a w...
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Season 5
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Episode 4
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33:49
Ep. 186 - What SaaS Leaders Get Wrong About AI
Guest: Lara Shackelford, SVP of Growth Marketing at iCapital -- Most SaaS companies are investing heavily in AI, yet many struggle to see meaningful ROI. In this episode of SaaS Backwards, Lara Shackelfor...
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Season 5
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Episode 3
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31:20
Ep. 185 - This SaaS Didn’t Scale With Hype — It Scaled With Systems
Guest: Kevin Jacobson, CEO at Foxen -- Most SaaS companies try to scale by adding headcount and channels. Foxen scaled by tightening fundamentals.In this episode, Kevin Jacobson, CEO of Foxen, joins host Ke...
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Season 5
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Episode 2
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32:56
Ep. 184 - Why Traditional SaaS GTM Collapses in a Self-Service World
Guest: Dave Boyce, Executive Chairman & EVP of Product at Winning by Design -- Most SaaS companies are still built to sell. Today’s buyers want to activate, experience value, and decide on their own.
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Season 5
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Episode 1
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34:40
Ep. 183 - What $100M SaaS Companies Do Differently
Guest: David Karandish, Founder & CEO of Capacity -- Most SaaS companies don’t fail because the technology is bad. They fail because they build point solutions, chase the wrong markets, and struggle to turn ...
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Season 4
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Episode 36
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31:46
Ep. 182 - What Most SaaS Founders Get Wrong About Go-to-Market
Guest: Prasanth Chilukuri, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Soul Street Ventures -- The biggest threat to early-stage SaaS growth isn’t competition. It’s founder distraction, unfocused GTM motions, and ...
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Season 4
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Episode 35
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37:09
Ep. 181 - How Fast-Growing SaaS Companies Are Modernizing Their Revenue Stack
Guest: Mark Walker, CEO at Nue.io -- SaaS pricing isn’t breaking because of AI — it’s breaking because most revenue systems were never built for the speed and complexity of today’s models.In this episode, M...
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Season 4
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Episode 34
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32:50
Ep. 180 - Your SaaS Buyer Doesn’t Need Convincing—They Need Confidence
Guest: Brent Adamson, Co-Author of The Framemaking Sale & Co-Founder of A to B InsightSaaS sales teams obsess over beating competitors—but the real battle isn’t across the table. It’s in the buyer’s mind...
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Season 4
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Episode 33
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36:39
Ep. 179 - The Smart SaaS Funding Path No One Talks About
Guest: Melanie Nabar, Vice President at Volition Capital -- SaaS founders often see only two funding paths—venture or private equity—but there’s a smarter middle lane that keeps control where it belongs: wi...
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Season 4
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Episode 32
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37:11
Ep. 178 - Why SaaS Founders Give Up Too Much Too Soon
Guest: Rob Belcher, Managing Director at SaaS Capital -- SaaS founders often think equity is the only path to growth—but giving up ownership isn’t the only option.In this episode, Rob Belcher, Managi...
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Season 4
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Episode 31
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36:00
Ep. 177 - Why “Book a Demo” Is Killing SaaS Growth
Guest: Braydan Young, Co-Founder and CEO at SlashExperts -- Buyers don’t want another “book a demo” button—they want proof from people like them.In this episode, Braydan Young, Co-Founder and CEO of ...
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Season 4
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Episode 30
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32:47
Ep. 176 - Your $1M+ Media Budget Deserves Better
Guest: Courtney Hiller, Founder of All Points Agency -- You wouldn’t hire one person to build your product, sell it, and run support. So why are B2B SaaS companies still expecting one marketer to manage a million-dollar media...
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Season 4
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Episode 29
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36:30
Ep. 175 - Beyond Copy: How AI Powers the Next Generation of SaaS Growth
Guest: Hikari Senju, Founder & CEO at Omneky -- AI isn’t just generating ad copy—it’s reshaping the entire performance marketing playbook for B2B SaaS. In this episode, Hikari Senju, founder and CEO of
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Season 4
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Episode 28
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30:45
Ep. 174 - How This AI SaaS Landed 70 Customers—Fast
Guest: Adir Ben-Yehuda, CEO at Autonomy AI -- The go-to-market playbook for AI SaaS is being rewritten in real-time, and those who cling to old models risk being left behind. In this episode, Adir Ben-Yehuda, foun...
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Season 4
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Episode 27
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30:20
Ep. 173 - AI, RFPs, and the Real Path to Sustainable SaaS Growth
Guest: Ray Meiring, Co-Founder & CEO at QorusDocs -- Scaling a SaaS business from consultancy roots to enterprise success requires more than just great tech—it t...
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Season 4
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Episode 26
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32:32
Ep. 172 - Why “Founder-Market Fit” Should Guide Your AI Go-to-Market Strategy
Guest: Sammy Greenwall, Founder of Henry.ai -- What if your go-to-market motion could skip past theory and build from real-world pain? That’s exactly how Sammy Gre...
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Season 4
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Episode 25
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29:20
Ep. 171 - Why the SaaS Journey Doesn’t End at Checkout
Guests: Ken Rapp (Co-Founder & CEO) and Emily Lagasse (VP of Marketing) of Bluestream -- What if the key to SaaS growth isn’t more leads, but fewer customer drop-offs post-purchase? In this episode of SaaS Bac...
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Season 4
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Episode 24
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30:05
Ep. 170 - Why the Future of Work Belongs to Multi-Discipline Scalers + How AI Will Reshape the Org Chart
Guest: Casey Woo, CEO & Founder of Operators Guild & FOG Ventures -- What happens when startups are built not by armies of specialists, but by lean teams of senior generalists paired with AI agents? In thi...
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Season 4
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Episode 23
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38:11
Ep. 169 - Reviving Inbound: Why Your SaaS GTM Needs a Buyer-Centric Reboot
Guest: Google’s NotebookLM -- In this special episode of SaaS Backwards, we handed the mic to AI. We took our newest ebook on reviving inbound marketing—coming soon for download—and...
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Season 4
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Episode 22
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25:25