Tempted to ramp up your sales and CS teams? Hold that thought. Have you really nailed your product-market fit yet? Holding off (and getting your PMF right) might be the smart move that sets your company up for long-term success. It’s advice from Sean Foster, the CRO at Anomali and one of our Catalyst mentors. Today we asked Sean to share what common challenges he hears from founders and what he's looking forward to in this year's cohort. 💰 What's the most common challenge you see young companies face? "Cash flow is of course the key component every startup must have an eye on at all times. That said, I think young companies must spend a lot of time on product market fit and ideal customer profile. Too many times, I see companies want to spend money on sales and customer success when they don't have their PMF and ICP down cold. It's a big money and time waster...spend that time and money on really dialing in your PMF and ICP." 🌠 What's one piece of advice for founders? "I know it's easy to say but, 'Enjoy the journey!' Every day is hard in startup land, just take a minute at the end of each day and write down the one or two things that you did well or something new that you learned...you'll be amazed at the end of each week, month, quarter, how much the company is actually progressing even though the numbers may not say the same thing." 📚 What are you most excited about as a Catalyst LP? "Learning about new ideas and technologies that can potentially change the industry and to be able to help those founders ramp as fast as possible by sharing my experiences (and mistakes) so they can grow as quickly as possible." Applications for this year's Catalyst cohort close on July 12. If you know someone who may be interested, give this post a like, share or send them the application link (https://lnkd.in/ggzmVRA2).
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**2024 Catalyst Curriculum Guide Now Available!** 👇 Application deadline: July 12 (next Friday!) Explore Our New Curriculum Guide: Dive into the topics you'll master and the expert instructors you'll learn from. Check it out below. What's Stage 2 Capital Catalyst? It's our 12-week go-to-market accelerator program, designed to help founders build the foundation of their revenue engines using our Science of Scaling methodology. We provide 1:1, hands-on guidance to execute GTM strategies in our founders’ current context. Interested or know someone who might be? ➡ Share this post with your network. Ready to apply? Visit: https://lnkd.in/ggzmVRA2
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Impressive lineup here! Excited to see our own Sakib Dadi, Stage 2 Capital Partner, joining this event.
🚀Join Week 28 of Venture with Grace! 🚀 Ready to gain fresh insights into the venture capital world? This week on Venture with Grace, we're featuring four incredible sessions with top industry experts. Don't miss out on these engaging discussions! July 15, 4:00 PM Deep Tech to SaaS: Insights from Buddy Arnheim of Lobby Capital July 16, 9:00 AM Infrastructure Software Landscape: Sakib Dadi of Stage 2 Capital July 17, 7:30 AM Deep Tech & Advanced Manufacturing: Abe Murray of AlleyCorp July 17, 9:00 AM From Brands to SaaS: Daniel Faierman's Habitat Partners Strategy Join the conversation and stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of startups and venture capital. Follow me on LinkedIn for live updates and insights! #VentureWithGrace #LinkedInLive #VentureCapital #TechTrends #DeepTech #SaaS #InfrastructureSoftware #AdvancedManufacturing
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📬 Dear Stage 2: It's July. We're back from the 4th and facing those slow summer months. Hit ~80% of H1 plan and now it's "make it up" time in H2. How do other companies handle this? This week we're tackling an all-too-common issue. It's mid-year and the clock's ticking toward Q4 and you're behind on sales. If you need to make a shift, now's the time. But how? Key takeaways: 1️⃣ Deep dive into H1 performance. Why did we fall short? Market issues? Process hiccups? 🔍 2️⃣ Reality check time. Are our H2 goals actually doable? Time to adjust if needed. 3️⃣ Talk it out. Your team's feeling the heat. Be open about plans and keep 'em in the loop. 🗣️ 4️⃣ Mix it up. Maybe shuffle resources or boost skills where needed. 🔄 5️⃣ Stay positive. Adjusting isn't failing - it's smart strategy. You got this! Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gABz5x2f
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🎙️New podcast alert: Mark Roberge joins Harry Stebbings this week to discuss his biggest lessons learned when it comes to scaling. Don’t miss this one. 💡📈
I think Mark Roberge has to be one of the best sales leaders of this generation. As HubSpot’s 4th employee & 1st sales hire he: 🚀 Scaled ARR from 0 ➡️ $100M 🔥 Built a 450 person sales powerhouse 📈 Grew customer base from 0 ➡️ 10k+ My 6 key takeaways 👇 1. We Turned Down FB As a Customer Who Would Have Doubled Revenue A rep brought in Facebook on a $3M contract when we were $3M in revenue at HubSpot. We were being pulled & had to say no. They would have controlled our product roadmap & it won’t end well. 2. Don't Scale into Enterprise Too Early Chasing that logo will take too long & kill you from a capital standpoint. The right time to do it is when you get pulled. Big businesses should be hearing about you when you’re doing $6-7M from SMBs. 3. The Color System for Selecting ICP I group them into 3 categories. 🟢 Green: Strong conviction & good fit. 🟡 Yellow: Not enough conviction, inbounds only. 🔴 Red: Strong conviction to not sell. These profiles will change as you build conviction on customer success & performance. 4. Sales Rep Hiring: Why Deal Size is More Important Than Domain? The skill sets needed for a $1M deal is much more unique. Identifying champions, buyers, legals, procurement… It is so much easier to train someone with that experience in a new industry. 5. Why I Look for Coachability in My Sales Hires No one starts off hitting their productivity goals in month 1. They need to learn the product, the methodology, the customer… I observe these through role play feedback & self assessments. 6. Biggest Mistake Startups Make With Partnerships Founders do partnerships because they don’t want to hire a sales team. Getting into Workday’s partner program is extremely hard & getting the rep’s mindshare is even harder. You need to understand the C-level strategy & align your product with that. (links in comments) #founder #funding #business #investing #vc #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup #seed #funding #sales #Hubspot
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🚨 Last Call! 🚨 The Catalyst program is closing applications TONIGHT! Don't miss this opportunity to supercharge your startup's growth: 🎯 1:1 coaching with GTM experts from Salesforce, Atlassian, Snowflake, and more 🎓 Learn from successful Catalyst alumni 🚀 Master GTM strategies 🎭 Showcase at our exclusive Demo Day 💰 Secure $200K funding Apply today! https://lnkd.in/ggzmVRA2
Build your revenue engine | Stage 2 Capital Catalyst
stage2.capital
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Congratulations to nodaFi, a 2023 Catalyst program alum, on raising $3.5M in seed funding! 🎉 Nodafi is changing the way companies manage facility operations with their AI-powered platform, aiming to become the 'Salesforce for facility management'. 🚨 Reminder: Applications for the 2024 Catalyst program close tomorrow (Friday)! Don't miss your chance to be part of the next cohort of startups. Read the full article about Nodafi here: https://lnkd.in/gtwzvTsC 👀Pssst… are you a job seeker? Nodafi has several open roles! https://lnkd.in/gdzQMPtP
NodaFi raises $3.5M to become the 'Salesforce for facility operations'
https://venturebeat.com
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Are you investing enough in coaching your sales team? 🤔 Research shows reps who get 3+ hours of coaching per month exceed quota by 7%, while those with less than 2 hours miss by 10%. Yet coaching often falls to the bottom of the priority list. (Wow!) In our latest episode, Mark Roberge, Co-Founder & Managing Director of Stage 2 Capital, explores building a world-class sales coaching culture with Jonathan Vassil, CRO of Toast. They discuss: 💪 The power of effective coaching 📊 Performance management systems 🔥 Hiring for work ethic over industry experience 📋 Implementing scorecards and review processes Listen to this week’s episode of the Science of Scaling Podcast: https://lnkd.in/gApjq7mH What's the most impactful coaching technique you've employed in your sales organization?
The Secret to Toast's Coaching Culture w/ Jonathan Vassil (CRO, Toast)
https://www.youtube.com/
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Need a top-tier executive to help build your sales team but not ready for a full-time hire? Our latest blog shares some advice on considering a fractional advisor. We had the chance to sit down with Travis Bryant, a seasoned fractional advisor, to get his take on how to get the most out of this important role. This article is part of a two-part series where we explore the relationship between companies and fractional advisors. Part one shares insights from the advisor’s perspective, and part two (coming soon) will feature the CEO’s point of view. 🔍 Highlights from the article: 📝 Identify Your Needs: Start by understanding the specific problems you need to solve and the expertise you lack. A clear self-assessment is crucial. 🎯 Tailored Expertise: Look for advisors who can adapt their approach to fit your unique situation, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all method. 🚀 Match to Your Stage: Choose an advisor whose experience aligns with your company's current stage and challenges. 🤝 Long-Term Partnership: Focus on building a lasting relationship. Proper onboarding and transparency are key to maximizing the value of your advisor. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gjCvZfNt #fractionaladvisor #startup #gtm Mandy Cole
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New Week, New Opportunities: Did you know that the 2024 Catalyst Program Applications Close THIS Friday? ⌛ https://lnkd.in/ggzmVRA2 Here's what makes Catalyst special: 📈 Backed by over 300+ leading GTM executives 🤝 Access to 1:1 coaching with experts from companies like Salesforce, Atlassian, Snowflake, HubSpot, Databricks and many more 📚 A curriculum tailored to help you navigate the founder journey of scaling and repeatable growth 💰 You’ll receive a $200K investment on a SAFE at your last round valuation with a max cap of $15M post. Don't miss this chance to accelerate your startup's growth. Apply by July 12!
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