The hottest Growth Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics
thomaswdinsmore β€’ 199 implied HN points β€’ 02 Jun 24
  1. SAS founder Jim Goodnight faces a transition in leadership and ownership as he's 82 with no children engaged in the business.
  2. Options for SAS's future include selling to employees, a corporate buyer, or private equity investors, all of which may lead to restructuring.
  3. Despite initial plans to go public, SAS has faced challenges with growth and profitability, leading to multiple delays in the IPO process.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:
Startup Business Tips πŸš€ β€’ 56 implied HN points β€’ 15 Dec 24
  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.
Kyle Poyar’s Growth Unhinged β€’ 465 implied HN points β€’ 23 Oct 24
  1. Identify your ideal customer profile (ICP) well. Look at signals like company growth and tech usage so you know who to target.
  2. Use different marketing strategies together, like emails and social media, to reach your best customers effectively. It's better than just hoping your ads will land on the right people.
  3. Keep track of how potential customers interact with your business, like signing up for newsletters or attending events. These actions show they are interested and can help guide your follow-up efforts.
Brent and Michael are Going Places β€’ 904 implied HN points β€’ 20 Mar 23
  1. Unlikely friendships can have a profound impact on our lives, even if they are brief.
  2. People are not always what they seem, and judging based on first impressions or stereotypes can be misleading.
  3. Building connections with others, especially in unlikely circumstances, can bring a unique and beautiful experience to life.
The Overshoot β€’ 452 implied HN points β€’ 27 Jan 24
  1. The U.S. Economy is showing strong growth and may not need rate cuts despite controlled inflation.
  2. Traders anticipate interest rates to decrease, but data suggests a period of faster growth akin to past economic booms.
  3. Initial forecasts of a U.S. recession were proven wrong, with the economy growing over 3% and showing resilience against negative predictions.
ASeq Newsletter β€’ 21 implied HN points β€’ 14 Jan 25
  1. Oxford Nanopore is showing 31% revenue growth, but this excludes some major projects like the Emirati Genome Project and COVID-related work. This might not give a full picture of their earnings.
  2. The company seems to rely heavily on a single new large customer for much of its revenue growth. This could be a risk if that customer changes or goes away.
  3. Historically, large customers can disappear when their projects finish, meaning Oxford Nanopore needs a steady influx of new clients to maintain growth.
The Beautiful Mess β€’ 396 implied HN points β€’ 07 Oct 24
  1. Rapid growth can lead to chaos and mistakes in organizations. It often happens when teams are expanded quickly without proper planning.
  2. Using enabling constraints can help manage the mess during fast changes. They act like simple rules to keep teams focused and aware of potential issues.
  3. It's important to regularly check on how things are going, especially when many people are involved in projects. This helps catch problems before they become serious.
Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality β€’ 61 implied HN points β€’ 25 Nov 24
  1. Most economic activity in history happened after 1870. This shows how rapidly the economy can grow in a short time.
  2. Students should have a simple, useful summary of post-1870 economic growth. This will help them during exams and in their future understanding.
  3. The summary should include both political-economic and technical aspects. It's important to see how these areas work together in shaping the economy.
Kyle Poyar’s Growth Unhinged β€’ 291 implied HN points β€’ 06 Nov 24
  1. Building a go-to-market (GTM) strategy involves understanding stages like problem-solution fit, product-market fit, and go-to-market fit. Each stage helps you grow and attract more customers.
  2. Create an Early Customer Profile (ECP) based on real evidence to identify your first customers. This helps you target those who have a strong need for your product and are willing to pay.
  3. Differentiate your product by refining your unique value proposition (UVP) and unique selling proposition (USP). This makes it clear why customers should choose you over the competition.
The ZIPster β€’ 44 implied HN points β€’ 13 Dec 24
  1. Running a small business means wearing many hats and staying proactive, especially when things get busy. It’s easy to forget important tasks when you're juggling too much at once.
  2. Bringing in the right people, like a good finance director, can really help keep a company on track, especially when cash flow is tight. That support can be a lifeline during tough times.
  3. Being mindful of your image and decisions is crucial in business. Making flashy choices can draw unwanted attention and distract from the goals you should be focusing on.
Nail It and Scale It β€’ 59 implied HN points β€’ 25 Jun 24
  1. It's hard to find out why ads aren't working. There can be many reasons, like targeting the wrong audience or having a bad website design.
  2. Early stage startups often struggle to scale quickly due to internal issues. When they get more leads, they might need to pause ads to catch up, which can hurt their momentum.
  3. Finding product-market fit takes time and constant testing. Just because something works now doesn't mean it will work later, so keep experimenting with different strategies.
Startup Business Tips πŸš€ β€’ 47 implied HN points β€’ 17 Nov 24
  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.
Insight Axis β€’ 434 implied HN points β€’ 19 Oct 23
  1. Change is often accompanied by pain, and that's okay. Accepting the pain is crucial for growth.
  2. To make a change, it's important to follow your fear, as it can show you where you need to grow.
  3. Embodying change means accepting the discomfort and fear, knowing they do not define you.
QUALITY BOSS β€’ 79 implied HN points β€’ 04 May 24
  1. Quarterly check-ins help managers stay updated on their team's accomplishments and goals. They create space for important conversations about progress and development.
  2. The check-in process includes asking six questions that focus on both past achievements and future aspirations. This backward and forward approach ensures a comprehensive view of performance.
  3. These meetings do not replace regular feedback but complement it by providing a dedicated time for discussing growth and performance over a longer timeline.
Venture Prose β€’ 339 implied HN points β€’ 11 Jun 23
  1. Companies in the startup world face the risk of 'burning out' due to various reasons like lack of product-market fit, slow growth, or unsustainable economics.
  2. Entrepreneurs fall into categories like 'High Flyers' who start strong but need to sustain hype, and 'The Burn-Outers' who struggle to manage work-life balance while pushing their companies forward.
  3. Running a company successfully requires a balance of fundamental work, intense focus, and clarity of vision, along with surrounding oneself with a supportive team to navigate challenges.
MKT1 Newsletter β€’ 2 implied HN points β€’ 30 Jan 25
  1. Clay uses ecosystem marketing to help creators succeed, which in turn leads to their own success. They focus on making their partners look good, fostering a sense of community.
  2. Clay has evolved to be a 'GTM Development Environment', allowing users to access various data providers and integrate their tools efficiently. This makes it easier for teams to enrich their data and improve their go-to-market strategies.
  3. They have developed hybrid sales models, combining self-serve and sales-led motions to cater to both small businesses and large enterprises. This flexibility helps them adapt to different customer needs and grow effectively.
Business Breakdowns β€’ 314 implied HN points β€’ 04 Apr 23
  1. Copart is a company that plays a crucial role in the automotive industry by handling totaled cars through auctions on a global scale
  2. The company's business model thrives on providing services like towing, storage, processing fees, and bidding platforms for salvaged vehicles
  3. Copart's scale advantages, intelligent shareholder base, and conservative management contribute to its strong position in the market
Japan Economy Watch β€’ 299 implied HN points β€’ 12 Sep 23
  1. China's investment-led growth model is facing challenges, with excessive investment and unproductive spending impacting the economy.
  2. China needs to transition from more investment to smarter investment to sustain economic growth and improve living standards.
  3. The country's focus on high investment levels has led to weakening consumer demand, limited household income, and a growing debt burden.
Japan Economy Watch β€’ 279 implied HN points β€’ 06 Sep 23
  1. China's growth prospects face uncertainty, with possibilities of a financial crash leading to years of slow growth, or a gradual deceleration of growth rates over time.
  2. China's growth rate has been slowing down as the country becomes more affluent, and the government's economic strategies may worsen the natural slowdown.
  3. Experts project China's growth rate to be around 4% for the next few years, and achieving even 4% growth would be considered significant given China's level of development.