The Startup Players Handbook : A Roadmap to Building SaaS and Software Companies

Modern startups are on an assembly line from seed to later-stage series financing. As they make that journey, founders need to have a working knowledge of dozens of fields if they’re going to scale a company. SaaS is a unique set of skills across those disciplines. This book focuses on gaining a working understanding of what specialists will do in those fields as an organization grows and how founders can leverage the basics to get those capabilities started so once professionals are hired in each, they can hit the ground running with authentic materials. Founders will be pulled in a lot of directions as they find success, so the book looks at what to do with each discipline at each stage of growth. The hardest part to creating a startup is to just start the thing. This book covers when to bootstrap, apply to accelerators, seek seed capital – and where to do those things. It also covers some of the earlier questions like how to write a mission statement, where to find investors, what technical stacks to use, how to HR, how to sell, and more importantly, when a founder should spend time on each discipline. A way to look at the tech stack and the ever-changing landscape to keep technical debt low and the ability to respond to ever-changing market forces high. What You'll Learn The nuts and bolts of which type of corporation to found, impacts to taxes, equity, and of course more philosophy. Researching, pricing, and planning to take that wonderful innovation to market and expanding into a portfolio. Leadership styles―each has its place and so we look at ways to level up that domain Management―going beyond inspiration, from those regularly scheduled meetings to helping people grow to task managemen. Basic accounting and finance skills with terms and guidance on revenue treatment Who This Book Is For People thinking of or starting a software/SaaS company. Could be useful for first timers or those on their third startup. Table of Contents About the Authors Chapter 1: The Mission The Campaign What Kind of a Startup? Define the Mission Write the Mission Statement The Big Idea The Bad Idea Commercialization Options for Intellectual Property Open Source Copyright Patents Do Nothing Standardization Consortiums Blurred Lines Let Creators Create Translate the Mission into a Vision The Values That Help Achieve the Mission Validate the Mission with a Scorecard Key Performance Indicators and Frequency Goals Purpose Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) The Four Box Conclusion Chapter 2: The Philosophy Customers, Organization, and Employees Transparency Decision Making People Win-Win-Win Planning Matters Communication Matters Clarity Matters Culture Matters Culture: What Are the Behaviors? Cultural Contribution vs. Cultural Fit Conclusion Chapter 3: Found the Company Balance a Job and a Business What Type of Corporation to Create The LLC S Corporation C Corporation Nonprofit Keep Distractions at a Minimum Great Skills for Founders Lead Through Service Take Care of Ourselves Be a Great Listener Engage More People in Meetings Political Capital Scalable Inspiration Is Perspiration How Political Capital Changes As We Grow Office Space or the Internet? The Evolution of the Founder and CEO Roles Accelerate with Intent The Cost to Grow Faster (Equity) Conclusion Chapter 4: Product The Evolution of Product Management in Startups Analyze Market Conditions Solve a Problem Why Initiatives Fail Pricing Understand Margins Define a Currency Freemium Pricing and Return on Investment Cost Savings Revenue Margins Reach Telemetry and Agility Surveys Case Studies Competitive Analysis The Value Market and Market Fit Personas Parts of a Persona Continuous Discovery Build a Plan The Roadmap Product Management as a Discipline Build a Portfolio When to Pull the Plug Conclusion Chapter 5: Leadership Leadership Styles Through Television Continual Improvement of the Leadership Skill Learn to Agree Even When We Disagree Accept Evolution, Not Revolution Revolution Through Evolutions Centralize All the Things! Mentorship Being a Mentor Creating Mentorship Programs Finding a Mentor Conclusion Chapter 6: Management Leveling Up Our Management Game Managing Managers Hiring Managers Training Managers People Management vs. Task Management Historical Perspectives on Work Management Kanban One-on-Ones How We Know When Management Is Broken Improving Our Teams (and Engagement) Individualized Learning Plans Management vs. Leadership Conclusion Chapter 7: Humans The Adventuring Party: Unique Skills, Perspectives, and Abilities Roles, Goals, and Expectations Build a Different Place to Work Buy, Borrow, or Build Talent Buy Talent Expected Compensation Borrow Talent Build Talent Clarity: Goals, Roles, and Behaviors Start with Organizational Goals Confirm the Key Behaviors That Matter Most Talent Foundations: Art and Science Virtual and In-Person Total Rewards and Motivations Recruiting Workflow and Candidate Experience Define Recruiting Roles, Goals, and Expectations Planning, Preparation, and Talent Attraction Planning and Prep Bias Is Real Confirm What We Value, What We Have, and What We Need Talent Attraction Job/Position Description Behaviors (They Matter More Than Most Think) Talent Branding vs. Company Branding Pipeline Development and Management Active or Passive Candidate Sourcing Qualification, Flow, and Talent Selection Phases Reviewing Resumes Candidate Evaluation Example: Screening, Phases, and Final Interviews Talent Selection Cultural Contribution Making the Offer Onboarding Employees The Purpose of Onboarding Day One Onboarding Organizational Onboarding Team or Departmental Onboarding Role Onboarding Performance Conversations: Aligning Performance, Growth, and Priorities Talking About Performance Growth Conversations Engagement, Motivations, Rewards, and Recognition Employee Reviews Improving Performance Help Employees Find a Better Fit Building Feedback Loops Compensation Structures HR Tools and Technology Mindset and Approach Conclusion Chapter 8: Technology Leveling Up the Technology Technical Roadmaps Data Access Code Maturity Level Data Center Operations Compliance and Security User Experience Product Management Create a Platform API Strategies Why We Need an API API Strategies The API-First Strategy The Workflow-Based API Strategy The Data API Strategy Graph APIs Additional Considerations Marketing the Platform Create Value with Machine Learning A Rough Look at Implementation Strategies Sentiment Analysis Categorization Tagging Similar Items Sentiment Analysis How Sentiment Analysis Works A Quick Sentiment Analysis Win Drawbacks of Sentiment Analysis Advantages of Using Sentiment Analysis Sentiment Analysis Implementation Strategies Recommending Tags and Categories K-Nearest Neighbors Implementation Strategies Keep Going with Machine Learning Machine Learning on the Edge Machine Learning as a Threat Scan Products for Vulnerabilities Types of Scanning Bring New Vendors on with Intention Why Having a Vendor Management Playbook Is Important A Software Vendor Onboarding Checklist Internal Considerations for Onboarding New Vendors External Considerations for Onboarding New Vendors Conclusion Chapter 9: Accounting and Finance Leveling the Accounting Team Basic Accounting Terminology The Balance Sheet The P&L The Cash Flow Statement Taxes Pro Forma Projections Accounting Software Accrual- vs. Cash-Based Accounting Hire an Accountant Taxes Insurance Don’t Look Too Far Ahead: Cash Flow and Burn Rates Awesome Charts and Graphs Conclusion Chapter 10: Sales Levels in Sales Organizations Founder-Led Sales Seller Onboarding Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software What We Need in a CRM Looking to the Future Popular CRMs Customers Sales Cycles Map the Customer Journey Inbound Transacting Working with Big Companies Contract Negotiations Developing Sellers Methodologies Target Account Selling SPIN Selling SNAP Selling The Challenger Sales Value Selling Framework Solution Selling Conceptual Selling The Sandler Selling System MEDDIC CustomerCentric Selling Select and Customize Methodology Implementation Conclusion Chapter 11: Marketing and Advertising Marketing Levels Evolving Marketing Channels Types of Marketing Customers Marketing Channels Email Marketing Content Marketing Blogs Webinars Company Podcasts Preparing Recording Editing Posting Marketing Content YouTube Set Expectations Strategy and Tactics Execution Post the First Videos Communicate the Content Keep Getting Better Search Engine Optimization Content and Links Define the Audience Define the Goal The Call to Action Crawlers SERPs Research the Competition Find an SEO Consultant Content Is King Getting Links The Long Tail Advertising Paid Search Social Media Dark Social: Old-School Paid Advertising Buy Ads on Podcasts Radio Print Coupons, Sales, and Specials The Wrong Calls Marketing Development Funds Measure, Measure, Measure Customer Advocacy What’s an Advocacy Program? Define Personas Start with a Spreadsheet A Word of Caution About Customer Advocacy A Simple Implementation Make the Ask Collect, Analyze, Repeat Add More Structure Turnover Conclusion Chapter 12: Public Relations Levels in Public Relations The Level 1 Illusionist (Founder-Led PR) HARO When to Get a Firm Hire a PR Firm How They Work When PR Doesn’t Work Press Releases Press Release Tips Headline Header Dateline and Lead Body General Information Failures in Public Relations Conclusion Chapter 13: Support Leveling Up the Support Organization Continued Success Renewal Business The Organizational Chart Staying Relevant Ticketing Systems The CRM as the Ticketing System Stand-Alone Ticketing Systems Hiring for Support Customer-to-Customer Support Parlay Great Support into Referrals The Value Proposition Get Products and Initiatives to Market Faster Uncover the Hidden Connections in Our Data Save Cycles Never Lose Valuable Information Increase Trust in a Discipline A Product Saves Money for a Budget Holder Provide Transparency to Leadership Understanding the Needs of Leadership Conclusion Chapter 14: Scale Scale Happens After Success (Most of the Time) The Organizational Structure Team Bandwidth Empower Teams to Innovate Scale = Intentional, Deliberate, and Repeatable Actions Systems and Repeatable Processes The Impact of Process to Culture Operate and Automate the Business Diversity and Inclusivity Build a Leadership Team Business Development CFO COO CTO Corporate Development The Politics of a Growing Organization Reorganizations Conclusion Chapter 15: Services Leveling Up a Services Organization The Mix of Services Revenue Outsource Everything, Right?! Services Can Be Necessary De-risking Services Bootstrap with Services Operationalize Services The Services Portfolio Monthly Recurring Revenue and Services Master Service Agreements The Mix of Services Staff a Professional Services Team Conclusion Chapter 16: Capital Leveling Up the Organization Raise Capital from Investors? Lawyers, Money, and Guns Noncompetes and Covenants Methodologies to Calculate the Value of a Company Assets Valuation by Comparison Discounted Cash Flow Valuation Replacement or Startup Value Multiples Choosing a Methodology EBITD, Rule of 40, and All the Finance Buzzwords Profitability Margin Other Vital Signs Investor Management Build a Board of Directors Board Composition Recruiting a Board Board Compensation The Role of the Board Chair Expectations Responsibilities CEO Coaching Going Further (or Not) Partnering for Success Basics of Board Meetings Raising Capital The Funding Hamster Wheel Accelerators, Incubators, and Studios Angels and Seed Rounds Series A Series B Series C–Z Financial Instruments A Lifestyle Business Can Lead to a Great Lifestyle When to Stop Growing Communication Leadership After Growth Slows Financial Calculus Post-growth Sell the Company? Define an Acquirer Inform Teams Will Founders Stay at the Company? Conclusion Index