i Reader,
This week I published episode 400 of The Remarkable SaaS Podcast.
Four hundred conversations. Each one leaving something behind — a story, a scar, a decision that changed everything for them.
For this episode, I went back through the last ninety-nine conversations and pulled eighteen insights. Three resonated most. Not because they were clever. Because they were uncomfortable.
The first came from Ed Bradley, CEO of Virtualstock. He tried to raise money in the early days. Every investor said no. Here's what came out of that:
"You may be cash poor — but you're equity rich. You've got the whole thing. Don't give it away before you even know what you're building."
Most founders see no funding as a problem. Ed discovered it was an advantage.
The second came from Jason Cohen, founder of WPEngine. He named the one belief that kills more companies at the $5M–$100M stage than anything else.
"One thing you should not do is believe that just because you got to this point, you know how to get to the next point. It means you might not be the right CEO. It means employee number one — who you are so loyal to, you would give them a kidney — needs to leave."
Most CEOs know this. Few act on it.
The third came from Dinakara Nagalla, who built EmpowerMx and earned a successful exit. I asked him for a do and a don't. He gave me something I keep coming back to:
"Being remarkable shouldn't just be a slogan. Make it a responsibility. It's what you do when no one is watching."
Not a strategy. A way of showing up.
Click here to listen to the full episode with all 18 insights
Question for you to reflect upon:
Who in your company are you holding on to — that you know, deep down, is holding you back?
The Remarkable Effect is when showing up differently becomes your competitive advantage.
Ton