[SaaS Club] Tough road to SaaS success and beyond

Hey Reader

I hope you're doing well.

Here's a quick round up of what's been going on at SaaS Club:

🎧 Podcast

Boast.ai: The Tough Road to Success and Beyond

In 2012 Lloyed set out on his entrepreneurial journey, but for years he faced setbacks and disappointments, with multiple failed ventures.

Lloyd's early efforts to get traction with Boast, especially cold-emailing, led to repeated rejections, which ultimately forced him to reevaluate his approach and pivot towards community building. 

This strategy proved vital for growth, helping him better understand his customers and expand through referrals and partnerships.

But, reaching their first $1M in revenue was still full of challenges.

However, after several years, Lloyed and his co-founder successfully transitioned Boast.ai from a services back to a product-based company.

After nearly a decade of persistence through rejections and hardships, Lloyed's startup finally surpassed the $10M ARR milestone. 

Selling a majority stake in Boast.ai was a moment of triumph for Lloyed, but it also ushered in new personal challenges and a reevaluation of his life priorities.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What early life experiences in the slums of Mumbai and war-torn Kuwait taught Lloyed about resilience and human connections.

• How Lloyed and his co-founder overcame years of rejection and failure to gain traction with their startup.

• Why they pivoted to a services business and how community building played a crucial role in their success.

• Why Lloyed believes that building a services business is the fastest path to your first $1 million in revenue and startup success.

• Why after selling Boast, Lloyed found himself struggling with personal doubts and reconsidering what he really wanted from life.

• How, despite his success, Lloyed faced debilitating depression and serious health issues, leading him to re-evaluate his life and what matters most.

I hope you enjoy it.

Listen to the full podcast episode

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📗 Book of the Week

This week's book recommendations come from Lloyed:

How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham

Also, if like the interview, make sure to check out Lloyed's book too:

From Grassroots to Greatness: 13 Rules to Build Iconic Brands with Community Led Growth by Llloyed Lobo

🌐 Around the Web

YouTube Channel

Here's a link to the full video episode.

😍 Let's Get Social

Want to get more social? Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Have a great week!

- Omer

Interested in sponsoring The SaaS Podcast or this newsletter?


P.S. whenever you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

1. SaaS Club Plus: We're re-launching a brand new paid community for SaaS founders with an exciting new offering. Join the waitlist!

2. SaaS Club Launch: This 3-month coaching program that gives you the tools, knowledge, and support to fast track your journey to $10K+ MRR.

3. SaaS Club Clarity:  Book a 1-hour consulting session with Omer to get unstuck and gain clarity about your SaaS business.