Jason M Lemkin

Guest: Jason Lemkin - Founder of SaaStr. Jason is a leading authority in the SaaS industry, having created the world's largest community for SaaS and B2B founders. He was previously the CEO and co-founder of EchoSign, which he grew to over $100 million ARR before selling to Adobe. Key Takeaways: Sales Team Timing: Hire your first sales reps after closing the first 10 customers yourself and when sales occupy more than 20% of your time. Hire two reps to A/B test effectiveness. First Sales Hires: Look for quirky candidates who you would buy your product from, not necessarily those with the most impressive resumes. They should have a couple of years of B2B sales experience. VP of Sales: Hire a VP of Sales after two reps are hitting quota. They should be involved in deals and ideally carry a quota themselves to ensure they remain engaged in sales. Compensation Strategy: Focus on whether a sales rep can close more than they take home. Initially, allow them to keep 100% of what they close to build confidence and momentum. Product and Sales Alignment: Product leaders should be deeply involved in sales to understand customer needs and help close deals. Sales should have a set budget for feature requests to avoid constant disruptions. Topics Covered: Building a sales team, hiring sales reps, VP of Sales role, sales compensation, product and sales alignment, SaaS growth strategies.