13 Essential Quotes from the SaaStr Annual Conference
I’m a big fan of netting things out with three points. It’s a great discipline for getting to the essence of any issue and identifying your True North, the path you need to take (and remain on) to tackle the issue at hand.
However, sometimes you’ve got to break the rules!
Last week I attended the SaaStr Annual conference in San Francisco. The conference had all the elements essential for a kick-ass event: great energy, great networking and great content—specifically content that can help you GSD while building an enduring business.
As I was capturing the terrific nuggets being shared by the speakers I thought, “These would make a great addition to a roundup summarizing the event.”
And that’s where the rule breaking comes in. Three won’t cut it for this list.
Check out the photo at the top of this blog. There’s a line that says, “The first $100M ARR is always the hardest.” Incorporate these 13 suggestions into your plan, and the journey to that first $100M (or even $10M) will be easier. And a lot more rewarding.
“You have to remove as much friction as possible from the customer.” Jay Simmons, President, Atlassian
“Find amazing people to help you with your journey.” Lew Cirne, Chief Data Nerd and CEO, New Relic
“If Sales is succeeding, it’s infectious throughout the rest of the organization.” Bill Binch, Former SVP Global Sales, Marketo
“It takes more than technology to build something big. You also need a philosophy.” Dharmesh Shah, Founder and CTO, HubSpot
“Tools are brought. Transformations are sold.” Dharmesh Shah, Founder and CTO, HubSpot
"Remember, sales efficiency is your oxygen." Byron Deeter, Partner, Bessemer Venture Partners
"Warm intros are key—and don't send me six paragraphs.” Scarlett Sieber, SVP, BBVA
“The hardest thing is people. Having the right leaders in the right chairs is what trips up CEOs.” Josh Stein, Partner, DFJ
“Keep the offense on the field, and don’t let ‘em get under your skin.” Phil Fernandez, Founder and CEO, Marketo
“The I’s don’t scale. The we’s do.” Kirsten Helvey, COO, Cornerstone
“Be patient with your concept. When you’re getting bored it’s just going mainstream.” Manaka Shroff, Head of Marketing, BetterWorks
“As a leader, you’re overcommitted if you have no time for discretionary interactions with your team.” Keith Rabois, Investment Partner, Khosla Ventures
The 13th—and final—quote didn’t come from a conference attendee. It’s from Mark Twain, the legendary American author and humorist:
“Go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.”
Twain’s quote is a great way to summarize three days at San Francisco’s iconic Nob Hill Masonic Center: 5,000 creative, high energy people all focused on going for it!
If you’ve found this helpful, please subscribe to my blog and you’ll receive automatic updates delivered right to your email. And if you attended SaaStr and have your own memorable quote, I’d love to hear it! You can give me a shout on Twitter or via email at ben@thebenkikergroup.com.