[SaaS Club] A Founder's Lessons on Validating & Selling Your SaaS

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

🎧 Podcast

DoControl: A Founder's Lessons on Validating & Selling Your SaaS

Adam Gavish is co-founder & CEO of DoControl, a SaaS security solution that helps companies protect sensitive data stored in their SaaS apps.

In 2020, while working as a product manager at Google, Adam faced the challenge of securely sharing sensitive company data with partners. 

The experience made him realize the need for a better way to balance security and productivity.

Adam eventually teamed up with a friend to validate their idea. 

They leveraged their network to connect with 50 security professionals, spending 3 months interviewing them and digging into their challenges.

After building confidence in their idea, the founders traveled to Israel for a week and pitched to 22 VCs. All but one rejected them.

But thanks to that one VC, the founders raised a $3 million seed round.

With funding secured, the founders formed a small team and collaborated with early design partners to develop an MVP. 

They also went back to the security professionals they'd interviewed in the hope of landing their first customer.

After 3 months, they reached a point where one company saw enough value to pay $2k annually and become their first paying customer.

To grow further, Adam had to take on the role of SDR, even though he had no prior sales experience. He found himself sending hundreds of LinkedIn messages each week, hoping to book customer calls.

Despite the challenge of learning sales from scratch, Adam persevered and slowly started to gain traction with customers.

But as the company grew, the crowded cybersecurity market made it increasingly difficult for DoControl to communicate its unique value proposition. This became an uphill battle for the founders.

However, despite those challenges, the founders have grown DoControl into a multiple 7-figure ARR SaaS company and raised $43M in funding.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How the founders validated the problem and solution through extensive customer interviews before building anything.

• How Adam navigated the balance between addressing customer feature requests and staying true to DoControl's core product vision.

• How Adam developed his sales skills and embraced the SDR role to grow DoControl's customer base in the early days.

• What strategies the founders used to refine their messaging in a competitive market dominated by large, established players.

• How Adam adapted his pitch and found new ways to communicate their value as the company expanded to the enterprise market.

I hope you enjoy it!

Listen to the full podcast episode

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The Counterintuitive Journey to $100K+ ARR

Struggling to hit your first $10K MRR as a SaaS founder?

The problem? A vague picture of your ideal customer. 

It's like shooting arrows in the dark.

When you try to connect with everyone, you resonate with with no one.

As a result, you waste:

1. Time you can't afford to lose

2. Your limited financial resources

3. Effort that could be better utilized

Leaving you feeling frustrated, drained, and questioning your entire approach.

If you're stuck in a cycle of trial and error with nothing to show, it's a sign of a bigger fundamental problem.

That's why with every SaaS founder I work with, we:

1. Niche down to a specific market

2. Get hyper-focused on their unique needs

3. Tailor the offer to solve those specific problems

Niching down seems counterintuitive, and there's often resistance from founders about "shrinking" the market.

But trust me, it's crucial. 

By narrowing your focus, you can:

• Reach your ideal customers with accuracy

• Craft messages that resonate with their needs

• Implement strategies that convert interest into sales

Do you want help growing your MRR without the constant struggle and second-guessing?

Reply to this email with "SaaS" and let's cut through the noise together to give you the clarity and direction you've been lacking.

📗 Book of the Week

This week's books recommendations is from Adam:

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters

😍 Let's Get Social

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Have a great week!

- Omer

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

1. SaaS Club Launch: Join an awesome mastermind group of early-stage SaaS founders supporting each other to 6-figures in revenue and beyond.

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

3. SaaS Club Accelerate:  Want to work directly 1:1 with Omer? Apply for a free strategy session.