About SaaS Simplified

Thank you for tuning into SaaS Simplified. This podcast aims to simplify Software-as-a-Service and enhance your go-to-market skills. With over 10 years in the software industry, I've developed the 3-Pronged Approach to SaaS Sales and led various commercial teams. Here, I'll share techniques and frameworks to improve your sales skills.

About Season 3, Episode 1

Topic: INTERVIEW with Simon PENSON.

What you will learn? How he got from PRINT to PROFIT.

🎓The following episode I spoke with Simon Penson about his inspiring journey from journalism to founding a leading social media and marketing agency, as well as his experience with over 100 pre-seed SaaS companies.

His story highlights the challenges and rewards of building a business from scratch.

🏃🏼Starting as a journalist in the late 90s, Simon saw the shift from print to digital and began experimenting with content affiliate sites.

Despite many challenges, a some successes gave him the financial runway to leave journalism and pursue entrepreneurship full-time.

🚀 Launching his content marketing agency in 2009 was tough. Initially, educating businesses about content marketing was a significant hurdle. But persistence paid off, and as the market caught on, his agency grew rapidly, from 12 to 50 employees in just 18 months.

What really stuck with me from our conversation was one of his words at the end of the Episode!

• You underestimate what you can get done in ten years, but overestimate what you can get done in a year!

📈 Simon also stressed the importance of evolving sales strategies. Early on, founder-led sales were crucial. He built credibility through blogging, guest posting, and speaking at conferences.

However, as the business grew, transitioning to a structured sales and marketing function became essential. Early adoption of Enterprise-led sales and marketing automation played a pivotal role in scaling the business.

I hope you enjoy the content. If you do, I encourage you to visit my website, ⁠⁠⁠www.feichtner.me⁠⁠⁠, where I share more content for SaaS sales reps like you.

Also subscribe or leave a review and make sure to connect with me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

— Michael Feichtner

Links to Simon:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonpenson/

https://www.zazzlemedia.co.uk/#gref

https://haatch.com/

https://scaled.co.uk/