Startup Business Tips 🚀

Startup Business Tips 🚀 Substack provides actionable strategies and tactics to help B2B SaaS startups grow their revenue and customer base, focusing on Go-To-Market strategies, pricing, sales messaging, product demos, cold emailing, and ideal customer profiling. It targets SaaS founders, leaders, and VCs aiming for the €0 to €1 million ARR milestone.

Go-To-Market Strategies SaaS Pricing Strategies Sales and Marketing for Startups Product Development and Demos Customer Profiling and Segmentation Content and Social Media Marketing Lead Generation and Outreach Customer Retention and Expansion

The hottest Substack posts of Startup Business Tips 🚀

And their main takeaways

GTM Foundation: How SaaS Founders grow from €0 to €1M ARR (Part 2)

51 implied HN points • 15 Jun 25
💼 Business Marketing Startup Sales Finance Strategy
  1. Building a Go-To-Market (GTM) foundation is essential for growing a SaaS company from zero to one million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). This involves understanding your target market and developing proper strategies.
  2. GTM collaterals, like an effective homepage and sales deck, are vital tools for converting visitors into customers. They help communicate your value and guide potential buyers through their decision-making process.
  3. Choosing the right channels to reach your customers is crucial. Focus on a few primary channels first and gradually explore secondary options as you gain traction.

GTM Foundation: How SaaS Founders grow from €0 to €1M ARR (Part 1)

34 implied HN points • 01 Jun 25
💼 Business SaaS Marketing Sales Entrepreneurship Growth
  1. To grow from €0 to €1 million in annual recurring revenue, founders need to go through three stages: Hustle mode to find initial customers, Focus mode to identify the best-fit customers, and Expansion mode to scale further.
  2. A strong Go-to-Market (GTM) foundation is essential for success. This involves defining your Ideal Customer Profile, clear positioning of your product, and effective messaging to communicate what makes your product unique.
  3. Building the GTM foundation includes 10 key elements like pricing, sales strategy, and tracking systems, all of which help sustain growth and reach new milestones.

The Ultimate Founder-Led LinkedIn Guide

73 implied HN points • 02 Feb 25
💼 Business Marketing Entrepreneurship Social media Branding SaaS
  1. A strong LinkedIn presence can help founders build their personal brand and authority, attracting more leads and opportunities. People want to engage with real people, not just logos.
  2. Creating valuable content and sharing personal stories can make you stand out on LinkedIn. It's essential to show your expertise while being authentic.
  3. Engaging with your audience regularly and responding to comments can improve visibility and build relationships. Active participation is key for success on the platform.

9 tactics to get your first 50 SaaS customers in 2025

47 implied HN points • 19 Jan 25
💼 Business SaaS Marketing Sales Growth Strategy
  1. Networking can help you find your first SaaS customers. Reach out to people you know for introductions and referrals.
  2. Creating comparison and alternative pages on your website can attract customers in crowded markets. Show how your product stacks up against competitors.
  3. Understanding customer feedback is crucial. Ask customers how they heard about you and track why deals were lost to improve your sales process.

The 21 GTM Channels to grow your SaaS

56 implied HN points • 15 Dec 24
💼 Business Startups Marketing Sales Growth SaaS
  1. There are 21 different channels to grow your SaaS business. Some channels focus on direct interactions, while others rely on partnerships and external platforms.
  2. When choosing a channel, consider your product's complexity, market maturity, and your team's skills. Not every channel works for every product.
  3. It's important to engage with your customers through valuable content and be visible on social media to attract and retain them.
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Ultimate Guide: How to get started with Google Ads for early-stage B2B SaaS startups

56 implied HN points • 03 Nov 24
💼 Business Marketing SaaS Advertising Growth Strategies Startups
  1. Start using Google Ads only after you have some initial traction and a clear understanding of your target audience. It's important to ensure your audience is actually searching for a solution like yours.
  2. Setting up proper tracking and conversion events is crucial. This helps you understand what's working and allows you to optimize your campaigns effectively.
  3. Focus on high-intent keywords and use structured campaigns for better performance. Target competitor keywords, product categories, and specific use cases to attract the right customers.

360° SaaS GTM assessment: 10 areas to diagnose your SaaS GTM health

47 implied HN points • 17 Nov 24
💼 Business SaaS Marketing Sales Growth Strategy
  1. Diagnosing your Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy is crucial for the success of your SaaS business. You need to have a clear plan before jumping into execution, or you might waste resources.
  2. Your GTM strategy should include elements like understanding your ideal customers, defining your market position, and creating clear messaging. This helps in attracting and converting potential clients effectively.
  3. Regularly reviewing both your GTM strategy and execution helps you identify what works and what doesn't. This way, you can adjust your tactics to improve performance and achieve your growth goals.

The Ultimate Framework to build your Ideal Customer Profile for SaaS startups.

108 implied HN points • 21 Oct 23
💼 Business Startup SaaS Marketing
  1. The Ultimate Framework for building an Ideal Customer Profile includes defining the ideal company and personas in detail.
  2. To build your ICP, analyze CRM data, product analytics, create a Dream 100 list, do market testing, research communities, and get qualitative feedback from sales calls.
  3. Creating an Anti Ideal Customer Profile can help in identifying personas and companies that do not align with your business due to various reasons.

The Ultimate SaaS Messaging Framework for early-stage Startups

64 implied HN points • 07 Oct 23
💼 Business Startups Marketing Sales Growth Framework
  1. Messaging is the foundation for sales & marketing assets like homepage, demos, sales decks.
  2. The 5-part Messaging Framework includes understanding the market, ideal customer profile, competitive alternatives, product, and value proposition.
  3. Creating your own Messaging Framework is essential for consistent communication and effective sales & marketing activities.

The 10 most common GTM myths about early-stage SaaS

43 implied HN points • 27 Jan 24
💼 Business Startup Marketing Sales Podcasts Growth
  1. Having a great product is not enough, you need effective marketing and sales to succeed.
  2. Adding a free plan may not always solve the problem of acquiring paying clients, and freemium may not be suitable for all businesses.
  3. Tracking lost reasons properly, understanding the value you offer, and analyzing churn are crucial aspects that impact the success of a SaaS business.

7-step framework: Turn 1 content idea into 250+ LinkedIn posts and never run out of ideas.

38 implied HN points • 18 Nov 23
💼 Business Content creation Pricing Strategies Competitor Analysis SaaS Growth
  1. Follow a 7-step framework to turn one content idea into over 250 LinkedIn posts.
  2. Increase your Average Revenue Per Account (ARPA) by adjusting value metric thresholds in your pricing plans.
  3. Utilize strategies to attract competitors' followers on LinkedIn by engaging with their page, creator, posts, or events.

The Perfect Homepage for Early-stage SaaS companies: Free Template + Examples + Tips

34 implied HN points • 04 Nov 23
💼 Business SaaS Marketing Strategy Growth Tips Pricing Strategies
  1. A good SaaS homepage is crucial for attracting potential clients and guiding them towards the next steps in the sales journey.
  2. The key sections of a perfect SaaS homepage include a sticky navigation bar, a powerful hero section, social proof, a problem introduction, an introduction to the solution, showcasing capabilities, special purpose sections, additional social proof, and a strong call-to-action section.
  3. General tips for building a perfect homepage include having a clear CTA in each section, using concise and engaging headlines, maintaining a conversational tone, and incorporating testimonials and case studies for credibility.

Your ultimate guide to affiliate referrals for B2B SaaS

17 implied HN points • 16 Mar 24
💼 Business Marketing Growth Strategies ROI
  1. Affiliate referrals in B2B SaaS can be a cost-effective and scalable way to boost product visibility and credibility, leading to targeted leads and conversions.
  2. There are two main types of affiliate referrals: affiliate content creators and affiliate hubs, each with its own pros and cons.
  3. Setting up a successful affiliate referral program involves defining incentives, preparing a program landing page, sourcing the right affiliates, promoting the program, and tracking key performance indicators.

The Sales Demo Follow Up Email Template

17 implied HN points • 04 Dec 23
💼 Business Sales Email Marketing SaaS Growth
  1. After a sales demo, send a follow-up email to the prospect, it's important in the sales process.
  2. Key elements of a sales demo follow-up email include summarizing the demo and highlighting important aspects.
  3. Analyze your sales funnel to identify growth issues: acquisition, activation & conversion, and retention problems.

The perfect cold email: TAPSA framework, trigger events & tips on CTAs, subject lines, and copywriting

21 implied HN points • 23 Sep 23
💼 Business Marketing Sales Entrepreneurship Communication Tips
  1. The TAPSA Cold Email Framework consists of Trigger, Assume Pain, Solution, Action, and a good opener is crucial for a buyer-centric approach.
  2. Cold emails require concise copywriting, creative subject lines, clear CTAs, and leverage trigger events for relevance and engagement.
  3. Use trigger events to identify prospects interested in your product, connect with their needs, and structure your email opener effectively.

The Ultimate B2B SaaS Pricing Guide for early-stage startups.

25 implied HN points • 12 Jul 23
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Marketing Startups Sales SaaS
  1. The guide provides 5 steps to start with your SaaS pricing, emphasizing the importance of understanding customer pain and choosing a value-based pricing model.
  2. Key pricing fundamentals include isolation effect, price anchoring, incentivizing yearly payments, avoiding undercharging, and collecting pricing-relevant insights for continuous pricing optimization.
  3. The post shares inspiring SaaS pricing examples and expert advice on the significance of learning speed over productivity in startup success.

How to handle top customer objections, create powerful case studies & measure product-market fit.

17 implied HN points • 23 Aug 23
💼 Business Sales Customer Service Marketing Product Development Entrepreneurship
  1. Create a concern-handling template with objections, responses, and additional resources segmented by buyer journey.
  2. Develop powerful case studies by analyzing existing clients, conducting interviews, and creating various types of social proof.
  3. Measure product-market fit with the Sean Ellis Test by asking users how disappointed they would be without the product.

Sales Messaging - The 4 key elements that make your sales outreach effective.

21 implied HN points • 27 May 23
💼 Business Sales Copywriting Lead Generation
  1. Having powerful sales messaging is crucial for business success.
  2. Running powerful outbound sales sequences involves finding ideal leads, getting their emails, enriching data, building campaigns, and creating personalized messages.
  3. The PAS framework (Problem-Agitate-Solution) is a popular copywriting framework that can be applied to various aspects of marketing.

Referral Sales + Importance of Content Distribution + GTM Miro Templates

8 implied HN points • 02 Mar 24
💼 Business Sales Marketing Startup Content Distribution Growth Strategies
  1. Referral sales is a powerful strategy to get intros and referrals with the right 'sales blurbs' from warm leads, helping build trust and increase win rates.
  2. Successful content marketing involves thorough research, planning, creation, distribution, and optimization, with distribution being as crucial as creation.
  3. Utilizing GTM Miro Templates can streamline processes like building ideal customer profiles, crafting messaging, designing homepages, and creating sales decks.

The Ultimate Guide to Sales Product Demos: Mastering the Art of Closing Deals.

21 implied HN points • 21 Mar 23
💼 Business Sales SaaS Growth Strategy Startups
  1. A powerful SaaS product demo combines structure, value-focused messaging, and engaging communication.
  2. A successful SaaS product demo follows a 9-phase structure, from research and preparation to pricing and next steps.
  3. Key aspects of a strong SaaS product demo include keeping it engaging, focusing on benefits, and addressing pain points.

Sales Qualification: Sales Discovery Calls + Qualification Frameworks + 21 Sales Discovery Questions

8 implied HN points • 17 Feb 24
💼 Business Sales CRM Product Marketing
  1. Qualifying a lead involves determining if both the lead and your product are a good fit, making it a mutual decision to invest time in the sales process.
  2. Sales qualification frameworks like MEDDIC, SPIN, SUGAR, and SPICED provide structure for the sales process, improve pipeline quality, and help create a shared understanding internally.
  3. Sales discovery calls are crucial for properly qualifying leads, and using the right discovery questions in a 2-step sales process ensures a focused approach, personalized demos, and involvement of relevant stakeholders.