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Made Not Found
In SaaS businesses, operating results are earned every single day; and good businesses are made, not found. Writing here about building organizations, learning from the experience, and appreciating the ride.
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Just Say No to Being an “X-led” Company
Just Say No to Being an “X-led” Company
People say it all the time, usually with great pride: “We are a sales-led company.” Or, in businesses with deep technical roots, it might…
Todd Gibby
May 20
8 Steps for “Making the Most of a Good Crisis”
8 Steps for “Making the Most of a Good Crisis”
There’s some debate about who first said, “Never waste the opportunity offered by a good crisis.” (N. Machiavelli, W. Churchill, R…
Todd Gibby
Apr 29
They Can Handle the Truth: Communications Tips for Leaders during Crisis
They Can Handle the Truth: Communications Tips for Leaders during Crisis
In the 1992 legal drama film “A Few Good Men,” Colonel Nathan Jessep (Jack Nicholson) barks an iconic and scathing reproach to Lieutenant…
Todd Gibby
Apr 15
Pulling up from the Weeds of Cash Preservation
Pulling up from the Weeds of Cash Preservation
I remember being trapped for days in forecast models, repeatedly scouring a laundry-list of line-items to be considered for cost-cutting.
Todd Gibby
Mar 26
Rule of Holes (Part 2): More Thoughts on Answering Deceptively Difficult Questions
Rule of Holes (Part 2): More Thoughts on Answering Deceptively Difficult Questions
This blog recently featured a post that invoked the First Rule of Holes (“Stop Digging!”). That piece had been triggered by some…
Todd Gibby
Mar 20
The Case for Drop Allowance: An Under-Used SaaS Metric
The Case for Drop Allowance: An Under-Used SaaS Metric
When I joined my first subscription-based software business in 1999, the term Software-as-a-Service wasn’t even a thing. Since then, SaaS…
Todd Gibby
Mar 4
“The first rule of holes: when you’re in one, stop digging!”
“The first rule of holes: when you’re in one, stop digging!”
The “law of holes” was drilled into my head as a kid; and it is sound advice. The problem, of course, is proactively identifying whether…
Todd Gibby
Feb 20
Setting Cloud Services Strategy: 5 Lessons from 5 Years
Setting Cloud Services Strategy: 5 Lessons from 5 Years
In a previous post, I shared observations relating to the process of re-platforming a SaaS solution. I was grateful when a former…
Todd Gibby
Jan 28
CEO as…Chief Conversation Officer?
CEO as…Chief Conversation Officer?
The CEO role can be described in countless ways. One definition comes from the Corporate Finance Institute, which states: “The CEO is…
Todd Gibby
Jan 21
Know Your Audience, No Matter the Audience
Know Your Audience, No Matter the Audience
Strong communications skills are a must-have for any aspiring executive; and leaders in small-scale SaaS businesses need to be comfortable…
Todd Gibby
Dec 13, 2019
5 Observations; 1 Complex Question
5 Observations; 1 Complex Question
One of the benefits of the SaaS delivery model is that it enables an iterative approach to product development. Because of the relative…
Todd Gibby
Dec 10, 2019
Shining a Light on Toxic Re-Trading
Shining a Light on Toxic Re-Trading
“So, we’re all in agreement, right? Great, let’s do it.”
Todd Gibby
Nov 22, 2019
Exec Selling: 2 Do’s and a Don’t
Exec Selling: 2 Do’s and a Don’t
As SaaS businesses scale-up, one of the most important responsibilities of an executive is to participate in and support sales efforts to…
Todd Gibby
Nov 11, 2019
Templates Help: An easy tool for delegating meaningful work to entry-level employees
Templates Help: An easy tool for delegating meaningful work to entry-level employees
The people-situation at the outset of my first CEO gig was rocky. We needed to grow and up-skill the team but were in no position to…
Todd Gibby
Nov 6, 2019
To the Break-even Point & Beyond: A new leader’s tactic for ramping-up
To the Break-even Point & Beyond: A new leader’s tactic for ramping-up
We all want to prove our worth. We aspire to demonstrate competence, deliver value, and be recognized for our contributions to group goals…
Todd Gibby
Oct 16, 2019
Engaging the Board: Errors and Admissions from a New CEO
Engaging the Board: Errors and Admissions from a New CEO
Being a first-time CEO poses many new challenges, and one of the trickiest can be interfacing with a board of directors. Perceptive…
Todd Gibby
Oct 14, 2019
The Hiring Balance: “Can do” vs. “Want to”
The Hiring Balance: “Can do” vs. “Want to”
In 2014 I found myself leading a SaaS business with a problem: how to hire executives to manage our company’s significant growth. It was a…
Todd Gibby
Oct 11, 2019
Accentuate the Negative: A Tactic for Improving Meetings
Accentuate the Negative: A Tactic for Improving Meetings
If humans are truly social animals with an innate need to interact with others, then why do we hate meetings so much? And if meetings are…
Todd Gibby
Oct 4, 2019
Milestones on the Product Management Journey
Milestones on the Product Management Journey
A previous post on this blog outlined the struggle that many SaaS businesses face in driving a company’s product vision, strategy, design…
Todd Gibby
May 22, 2019
7 Deadly Sins of Industry Conference Presentations
7 Deadly Sins of Industry Conference Presentations
A core marketing objective for many B-2-B SaaS companies is to raise their profile by presenting at industry conferences. In theory, it…
Todd Gibby
May 21, 2019
28 Words on Leadership
28 Words on Leadership
I have admired the work of Walker White for years and have valued the opportunity to compare notes and share lessons-learned with him…
Todd Gibby
May 15, 2019
Building on “The Culture Code”
Building on “The Culture Code”
“We all want strong culture in our organizations, communities, and families. We all know that it works. We just don’t know how it works.”
Todd Gibby
Apr 1, 2019
Lay Down Your Inter-departmental Arms
Lay Down Your Inter-departmental Arms
Cats and dogs. Oil and water. Hatfields and McCoys. Some things just don’t play well together. In fact, they seem almost purpose-built for…
Todd Gibby
Feb 28, 2019
Preaching Your Company’s Gospel
Preaching Your Company’s Gospel
The other day, I re-discovered this great post by Theo Priestley of Forbes explaining why “Every Tech Company Needs a Chief Evangelist.”…
Todd Gibby
Feb 21, 2019
Right-Fit vs. the Cascade of Pain
Right-Fit vs. the Cascade of Pain
We’ve all been there — stuck between a rock and a hard place. In the early-stage SaaS world, there is a particular version of this…
Todd Gibby
Feb 18, 2019
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