I’ve never been one to watch wrestling.  Rarely ever step in the ring for a boxing match.  But despite not being much of a sports guy... I sure know how it feels to get slammed to the ground by life, kept in it’s chokehold, and kicked in the gut while I’m there. Failure after failure, problem after problem, it was mentors and business coaches that helped me through everything that went wrong.

Software companies love new customers... BUT few pay special attention to them. The most important part of getting customer success stories is making sure you have excited customers to tell that story. It’s crazy simple. It all starts with… The customer relationship. Let me define it:  It's the relationship between a customer and a business. Just like any relationship, it can be good, okay, or completely terrible. And the best way to knock it out of the park with new

Have you ever met someone that got good at something REALLY fast? I mean… learned a new language in a matter of weeks, started a new business that takes off in months or achieved a result in a tenth of the usual time? These superhumans exist. I’ve met them. And I’ll tell you something:

Are you competing on business models? You could be. Check out this quote: “Technology or not, every organization has a business model. Some are conscious of it. Some are not. Some try to change it. Some don't.” “Some just compete on products... whereas they could compete on superior business models.”

It kept me up at night…  The entrepreneurial sweats. I used to dream about it, about how to fix it.  I read every book on it. Every blog post, every case study. I spoke to other SaaS founders  that fought the same battle. I needed to win. What battle?

In the next 10 minutes, I’m going to give you everything you need to start your own business in 90 days. I guarantee it. Free of charge, this is my advice to you. Yes, you CAN start a business with no resources, no upfront capital, and no infrastructure. It’s a bold claim... but I’m 100% serious about this.

Reality Check: Success isn’t about driving Ferraris and sipping champagne from a private jet... It’s about how you handle problems. No matter how many customers you get, how much profit you make… you will always have problems. Money might buy you a bigger team and more talented employees, but then you’ve got the problem of actually knowing your team!  How do you keep your finger on the pulse in your own company? 

I bet you dream about growth, dreams like: “If I got x more customers per month, our revenue would…” It’s exciting to think about where things could go, and how much revenue could come flooding in.  But I have to break it to you: There’s a limit. Yes, there’s a growth ceiling to a SaaS. I call it the Churn Flatline. It comes down to simple math, but it’s 100% predictable. 

I like to hang out with inspiring entrepreneurs.  No, not sipping coffee in their offices… I like to get out and do something fun. Even if it means breaking bones. When you connect without it being about business, two things happen: First, you get insights into the character of a successful business person. Second, when the conversation isn’t forced, that’s when the most valuable business advice flows organically.

If you have a B2B business that negotiates deals directly with your customers, then I’ll bet you’ve got headaches to do with money. Sales call followed by proposals…  Rejected and then renegotiated… All hoping that in the end, you can close a big deal that really moves the needle.  Only to realize that getting the customer is just half of the battle!