8 Big Takeaways from SaaStr 2022

Jason M. Lemkin , or as we call him at CertifID, "the SaaS God," has been a bit of an oracle for us for the last two years. Any time we struggled with a decision (hiring, fundraising, questioning what we got ourselves into, etc.), we'd turn to his LinkedIn or the SaaStr blog, and he always seemed to have an answer. It's like some David Blaine magic trick, you don't know how he does it, but it's always on point.?

So, we decided we'd treat ourselves, get out of our real estate tech bubble, and hit SaaStr Annual to see if we could learn a trick or two. I attended with two other senior leaders from CertifID. It was one of the first times since starting the business that I've taken the time to go to a conference to learn, rather than being on display selling our product. I felt a little guilty taking the time, but I'm glad I did it, as this conference turned out to be pure, David-Blaine-level rocket fuel.?

Here are my biggest takeaways from the sessions we attended:?

Startups are HARD?

This theme emerged from all of the most successful founders that spoke throughout the week. However, when Elias Torres , the CTO of Drift, unbuttoned his shirt and showed off his "Startups are hard" tattoo inked to his chest, it hit me just how true this was. The journey to the top in the SaaS world is not for the faint of heart, but the greats find a way to strap in and keep pushing no matter how tough it gets.?

Find your North Star?

Sterling Snow , CRO of Divvy, encouraged founders to find the north star in their organization and to align every single person and team to that metric. He likened the results of this kind of alignment to the power of "swing" - the perfect unison achieved in rowing when an entire eight-person team is in perfect harmony - there is simply no way to compete. At Divvy, the north star is transactions, and it doesn't matter if you work in marketing, product, or support - the goal is clear, increase the number of transactions on the platform. Lack of focus can kill a company. The ones that emerge in the sea of competition have developed the ability to keep their teams focused and rowing in sync.?

Experiment, Experiement, Experiment??

If one word stood out the most throughout SaaStr, it was "experiment." Mark Roberge from Stage 2 Capital was the first to mention it, but I swear, every single speaker emphasized the importance of experimentation within their organization. It came up for A/B testing a product experience, trying out different pricing models, changing responsibilities among teams, testing internal communication models, etc., and the list goes on and on. Each company's dedication to experimentation has led to critical "aha" moments along its journey. Quit wasting time trying to make things perfect or researching until you "know" the answer; instead, start running experiments. It's ok to fail (just make it a small sample size) and get back up and experiment again.

Create Chaos?

Ben Chestnut of Mailchimp, interviewed by Jason Lemkin, was one of my favorite sessions. Ben started, scaled, and ultimately sold Mailchimp for $12 Billion...best of all, he didn't follow any SaaS playbook. Hell, he didn't even know what half of the fancy SaaS acronyms we all live by today, like PLG and NRR, meant. He did it his way - by being a little weird and creating some chaos. Overly rigid business practices limit the possibilities within an organization. To spark innovation and creativity, you need to zag while others zig and create distance from the competition that delivers an outsized outcome.?

No time to tiptoe?

Regarding leadership, Bernadette Nixon , CEO of Algolia, was a standout. It was clear from the moment she took the stage that she was comfortable in her skin and didn't hold any punches back. Her CRO joined her, and they emphasized that there is no time for tiptoeing around your senior leaders. To win in SaaS, you need to surround yourself with people who want honest and immediate feedback. You must also give your leadership team the agency to call you out as a founder if you're not holding up your end of the bargain. This radical candor is the kind of approach to leadership that attracts A+ players and gives you the greatest chance at staying aligned and moving fast.??

Move Faster

Speed of growth has always been one of the biggest hallmarks of success for a startup. Well, there was no better person to hear from than Shuo Wang of Deel to make you feel like your business is standing still. Shuo's business achieved $100Mil in ARR in under two years - yes, less than 24 months - and is the fastest company ever to do it. Shuo reminded me that if you want to be great at SaaS, you've got to challenge yourself to get shit done faster. Set a goal and a reasonable time frame to achieve it, then cut the timeline in half and find a way to get it done, whatever it takes.?

Build for the long-term

Atlassian's platform, partner ecosystem, and creator marketplace combine to create one beast of a revenue machine. Cameron Deatsch , their CRO, reminded the audience that this didn't happen overnight. Yes, they moved fast and pushed even harder as they got bigger, but they have always had a long-term view of their business. Focusing on the future will force you to make better architecture decisions, high-quality hires and build a foundation that enables you to thrive as you scream by competitors chasing short-term goals.?

Customer delight > Customer acquisition

It's easy to get hung up on trying to acquire new customers and chase new revenue. However, Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah , Co-founders of Hubspot shared that things at Hubspot started clicking once they realized they were in the "customer delight business, not the customer acquisition business." New customers and revenue will follow if you create the best products, deliver the best onboarding experience, support your customers when they need it most, and stay engaged throughout their journey.?

To say we learned a thing or two at SaaStr would be an understatement. But what surprised me the most about the experience was the collective feeling I shared with my team as we left and headed to the airport. After three long days and nights, staring down the reality of a red-eye flight home and houses full of toddlers awaiting each of our returns...I figured we'd be wiped. But to my surprise, the three of us were invigorated, reliving our biggest lessons learned and how we would implement them as soon as we returned. We challenged one another to think about our north star, what it would take to move faster and how we might experiment more.?

Thank you, Jason Lemkin and SaaStr. I can't wait to apply these lessons (and a sprinkle of chaos) at CerifID. We'll be a better, faster, more innovative company when we see you next year at SaaStr 2023.?