Departing Framer: Finding Freedom in Revenue

A startup can be a thing of beauty. There’s that magical moment, that tipping point where revenue growth begins to scale. I love helping early stage B2B SaaS startups scale revenue and build a system for repeatable, predictable revenue growth. In fact, it’s all I’ve done my entire career as both a sales rep and as a sales leader. Scaling revenue provides a level of freedom that enables startups to choose their own path and on their terms and we've enjoyed this at Framer.

I’ve recently departed Framer to focus on helping other companies achieve the same level of freedom in revenue. Framer, of course, is the super powered software used by many of the most advanced designers to design screens and hi-fidelity prototypes for companies like Uber, Facebook, Apple and Google. So, leaving Framer has been an incredibly difficult decision. I’m really proud of what we accomplished in such a short time - $24m Series B: 11 months from A to B - and it’s hard to say goodbye to a team I deeply care about. 

I already miss you buddies, but the best part of working with incredible colleagues is that the friendships will last forever. I’m passionate about helping founders get the initial sales engine built to scale and this is how I originally met the founders of Framer, so sharing my experience with other startups makes sense.

I’ll be cheering on Framer’s continued success and I’m excited to help other startups achieve the same type of early hyper growth.

The Beauty of the Tipping Point

The impact that experienced sales and growth operators have on a startup that has product-market fit is adding jet fuel to a rocket ship! It’s an extraordinary moment and with revenue growth, founders have the freedom to do whatever they want with their business. 

That moment when sales start to become repeatable (and predictable) and you realize it's finally working! The value for the business is incredible and recurring revenue makes the choice between bootstrapping or raising capital far easier. But it’s that moment of realization: that Eureka, Bingo, Voilá! I love this moment and I want to do this over and over and over for startups.

It’s not easy. If it was easy everyone would do it! I’ve outlined many of the pitfalls early startups face and how to start to overcome those challenges here: Startups Struggling with Sales

Consultants Suck. I’m an Operator.

“So, Seth, you’re going to be a consultant now?” Actually no, I’m going to turn myself into a robot.

Let me explain: My strengths lie in my experience and passion for actually figuring out how to sell a product. Go To Market. And I experiment on myself.

I use myself as a robot guinea pig to test and build the small engine of repeatable and predictable revenue with the focus on a scalable system. It's not easy, but I’ve done this many times with many products at many startups and it becomes both a process and a methodology. Once this is complete, the next step is to use operational excellence to scale revenue through hiring the right people at the right time and building the type of teams needed for the system. I also have advisors and resources who I leverage for different stages of the growth and sales funnel. While I do sometimes guide later stage companies as a consultant, I prefer to get my hands dirty as an operator. I’m careful not to just “tell people what to do” because if you want a rocket, you need someone who knows every nut, bolt and valve and can actually build and operate the rocket.

Partnering with a growth leader is a powerful and essential combination and fortunately I know one of the best and I’ve started working with the brilliant Niels Peekstock.  Niels keeps a low profile, but has helped many B2B startups with various phases of revenue growth and we are kindred spirits helping startups scale. Our experiences in working with very early stage B2B startups are perfectly complementary and we realized we should combine forces when we can. I’m blessed that people like Niels share my passion for helping founders scale their startups. 

So how do I work with startups?

I identify B2B startups who have product-market fit and who need to get to a revenue milestone to begin to hire sales reps or raise funding. I look for startups who are at the tipping point of commercialization with product-market fit and with my ability to execute and with deep connections with VCs (I’m also an investor in a US VC), I help startups go through each step of building a high performing revenue machine. 

I know startups don’t have much cash flow so I’m creative in how I structure deals whether that is a fee and/or performance based, commission and equity for achieving critical milestones. The key point is that the startup has at least indicators of a strong product-market fit. If there are some sales conversions and the results are happy, paying customers then I can add fuel to that fire. Often, it is difficult for founders to know how close they are with product-market fit and whether the startup can/will scale revenue, but figuring all that out and building a well oiled machine is the fun part of the journey. 

I’m excited to share what I learn along the way. 

Freedom in revenue.