Surviving the SaaS hunger games: a founder’s story of building without VC скачать в хорошем качестве

Surviving the SaaS hunger games: a founder’s story of building without VC

Most people would say it's crazy to build project management software today. Yet, Davidson Wicker, founder of Ravetree, is successfully competing against giants like ClickUp & Asana without a dollar of VC money. In this episode, he shares the no-BS marketing playbook he used to survive and thrive. ►► Ready to build a marketing asset that brings clients to you? Let's talk: https://foursets.com/ This is a masterclass for any bootstrapped founder. Davidson shares his journey of turning down a signed VC term sheet and why it was "the best decision he ever made." We go deep into why he believes VC money forces a shift from product to sales, ultimately compromising the customer experience that smaller companies can use as their secret weapon. We also dissect the marketing channels that ACTUALLY work when you can't outspend the competition. Davidson gives his brutally honest take on why channels like G2, Capterra, and AI-powered cold outreach have become a "complete waste of money" for most businesses. Instead, he reveals the two channels that have been foundational to his success: SEO (which he admits he was wrong about initially) and word-of-mouth fueled by an obsession with customer support. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 00:00 - How to Compete with Giants (Without VC Money) 08:58 - The 3 Personas of Every B2B Sale: Owner, Manager, Doer 11:14 - Why I Walked Away From a Signed VC Deal 12:50 - The Truth: VC Money Kills Great Products 16:24 - Your Competitor’s Terrible Support is Your Best Marketing Opportunity 18:00 - “Top 10 Software” Lists Don’t Work Anymore 19:36 - “I Was Wrong About SEO”: A Founder’s Confession 23:33 - Why G2 is a “Complete Waste of Money” for Most Companies 29:10 - Your First 10 Customers Are Your Entire Marketing Department 33:48 - “‘This Would Be Fun’ is Not a Business Strategy” 36:26 - The Hot Take: AI-Powered Cold Outreach is Dead (Zero Responses) 38:00 - Final Thoughts & Takeaways - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - about our guest: Davidson Wicker is the founder of Ravetree, a project management and collaboration tool built specifically for agencies and professional services companies. He is a passionate advocate for bootstrapping and building customer-centric products. ► Follow Davidson on LinkedIn:   / davidsonwicker   ► Check out RaveTree: https://ravetree.com/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - connect with us: ► Need help with your B2B marketing? Visit our website: https://foursets.com/ ► Follow Nick Rybak on LinkedIn:   / nickrybak   - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Subscribe to the B2B Marketing Flywheel for more no-bullshit marketing strategies from founders and experts in the trenches. Leave a comment below: What's one marketing channel you believe is a "waste of money" today? #SaaS #B2BMarketing #Bootstrapped