In this episode of SaaS Fuel, Thanos Diacakis shares battle-tested advice for scaling SaaS teams, streamlining delivery, and maximizing developer happiness. Drawing on his experiences at startups and tech giants like Uber, Thanos reveals counterintuitive strategies for improving software output, optimizing technical debt, rethinking backlogs, and harnessing new mental models.

He breaks down the importance of incremental value, cross-functional collaboration, and avoiding the traps of over-planning. Whether you lead a small startup or an enterprise-scale engineering team, this conversation will challenge the way you think about speed, quality, backlog management, and long-term success.

00:00 "Checklists vs Software Complexity"

03:19 Bug Fixing: Intuition vs Strategy

08:24 Buckets: Features, Bugs, Investments, Risks

09:47 Optimizing Feature vs. Platform Focus

14:39 "Minimize Work in Progress"

19:20 "Bug Backlogs: Input vs Output"

20:39 Kanban Team Structure Guidelines

26:38 "Rapid Progress in Coding Tools"

28:21 "Minimal Planning, Bias for Action"

31:48 "Delivering Incremental Customer Value"

36:23 Collaborative Workflow Over Silos

39:35 "Building Products That Inspire Use"

42:53 "Accelerate: Building Effective Teams"

44:11 Team Workflow Optimization Framework

47:50 "Explore Mental Models Online"

Why Slowing Down Software Releases Might Backfire: One of the things that would happen is if you slow down, how you ship to production is you'll have bigger batches and bigger batches, which means you might ship more bugs all at once and have to find them in a bigger QA cycle. — Thanos Diacakis

"I also think we sometimes convince ourselves that we know more than we actually do and that we can plan a really long way out." — Thanos Diacakis

Viral Product Development Mindset: "If you engage engineers and product in these creative discussions, you might find out, oh, I scoped out these 10 things, but turns out the customer gets 80% of the value from this one thing." — Thanos Diacakis

Bureaucratic Bottlenecks in Big Companies: "They try to optimize locally for one particular function rather than optimize globally for shipping things out the door." — Thanos Diacakis

Viral Topic: "Why Every Team Should Read Accelerate": So I think if I give anyone advices, if you haven't read Accelerate, then go read that book. Because it's basically lays out in terms of, and this is in terms of like core technical and procedural sort of infrastructural things that teams ought to have to be productive. — Thanos Diacakis

Bias Towards Action Over Perfection

Avoid waiting for perfect plans, especially with innovative projects; instead, learn by doing and iterating.

Increase System Visibility

Make work in progress and team capabilities visible; this surfaces bottlenecks and areas for investment.

Balance Short-Term and Long-Term Goals

Strategic investment in tooling, tech debt, and risk mitigation ensures sustainable delivery and value realization.

Prioritize Collaboration Across Functions

Breaking down silos between product, engineering, and design dramatically accelerates delivery and reduces defects.

Ship Small, Ship Often

Frequent, incremental releases drive faster customer learning, boost agility, and reduce risk.

Cultivate a Shared Language for Outcomes

Use terms like investments and risk (not just features and bugs) to align business and technical priorities and drive meaningful...

In this action-packed SaaS Fuel episode, host Jeff Mains welcomes AI entrepreneur Alberto Rizzoli, co-founder and CEO of V7. They dive into the transformative power of AI in automating repetitive and complex knowledge work, discuss the accelerating pace of AI innovation, and unpack how both large enterprises and smaller teams can prioritize, implement, and benefit from next-generation “agentic” AI.

Alberto Rizzoli candidly shares insights on the future of SaaS, practical applications in B2B, go-to-market challenges, the evolving demands on leadership and hiring, and what it takes to stand out in a world where technology is no longer a lasting moat.

00:00 AI Revolution: Transforming Technology

04:00 AI Reducing Administrative Costs

06:21 "Measuring AI's Impact on Knowledge"

09:41 "AI as Workforce Revolution"

15:53 "Startups Compete on Quality"

18:27 "Tech Giants Dominate AI Future"

22:27 "AI Implementation Leadership Needed"

25:55 "Evaluating AI Tools Effectively"

29:31 AI Adoption Requires Trust

31:46 "Shift in GTM Strategies"

35:48 "AI Automation Careers in Demand"

37:20 "V7Labs: AI Workflow Automation"

Viral Topic: The Real Value of AI in Knowledge Work: "Even if you had the money to ask a lawyer and that were not an issue, you would still first ask ChatGPT because you get an instantaneous answer and there is no friction towards that." — Alberto Rizzoli

AI & the Future of Work: "Keeping a human away from their family and children for five hours to do some work that AI can do in five minutes by consuming a lot less relative energy will actually be kind of the best of both worlds." — Alberto Rizzoli

Quote: "There is still an enormous amount of unrealized value from AI. There is still close to no AI usage at the world's largest companies." — Alberto Rizzoli

AI's Impact on Infrastructure Investment: "We've never seen so much investment in power generation since World War II. So it really is a paradigm shift that's happening." — Alberto Rizzoli

Balancing Creativity and Responsibility: "the creative side is something that we enjoy, but there's so many things that are jobs that things that we have to do, things that always." — Jeff Mains

Viral Simplicity in User Interfaces: "instead of having to figure out, you know, how the watch was built, we're just asking what time it is." — Jeff Mains

The Cycle of Innovation and Investment: It almost becomes self fulfilling because there's so much money pouring into it. And that drives innovation, which brings more money, which drives more innovation. And I think it does become self fulfilling to some degree. — Jeff Mains

1. Prioritize Deep Automation: Leaders should focus AI efforts on well-documented, high-frequency processes, not just shiny new initiatives.
2. Embrace the Player-Coach Model: Middle management is evolving. Future leaders need to be hands-on contributors who coach, not just oversee.
3. Build for Scalability: The best AI tools get you 80% of the way—allocating resources to push to 100% is critical for lasting impact.
4. Hire for Tech Fluency: Hiring should emphasize technical problem-solvers across all departments, especially those who can identify and implement automation.
5. Champion Change Management: Assign a dedicated AI implementation owner to drive adoption—this role will multiply team productivity.
6. Invest in Quality, Not Hype: In a fast-copying landscape, the long-term winners are those who create the best user...

In this episode of SaaS Fuel, Jeff Mains sits down with Michelle Griffin, founder of Griffin Resources, to unpack actionable strategies for building strong, flexible, and founder-friendly teams in scalable SaaS businesses.

Michelle draws on her six years of hands-on experience supporting startups and scaling organizations with fractional HR, recruiting, sales ops, and operational support. Listeners will get insights into modern hiring practices, maintaining workplace culture in remote teams, succession planning, supporting diverse career paths, and practical tips for retention and performance—all tailored for founders ready to lead organizations, not just teams.

00:00 "Leadership, Growth & Employee Choices"

04:38 HR Consulting Business Story

08:44 Defining Culture Through Feedback

11:42 "Work Culture and Reputation"

14:33 Remote Work Flexibility Enhances Life

18:39 Structured Hiring on a Budget

20:02 "Effective Hiring Practices Overview"

24:11 Cognitive Skills in Hiring

29:01 Promoting Without Management Skills

31:54 Leadership Through People Skills

33:30 Golden Handcuffs and Workplace Happiness

37:56 Mentorship and Career Growth Pathways

41:48 Fair Hiring Practices Matter

43:58 AI Innovation & Leadership Insights

Viral Topic Title: Company Culture Is Everyone’s Responsibility

Quote: "Maintaining a culture is intentional and the face of the company is the, you know, pretty much the day to day workers. It's everybody. And it's not something that is kind of reserved for leadership and management and especially how your reputation is seen." — Michelle Griffin

Work-Life Balance After COVID: "That was something that we noticed was a huge priority coming out of COVID is people really reprioritized family." — Michelle Griffin

Quote: "You can do something called a structured interview, which is basically just having your set of questions that you're going to ask every single candidate." — Michelle Griffin

Viral Topic: The Pitfall of Promoting Top Performers Without Management Training: "They often will hire or promote people into a role that were good at their jobs but aren't taught or know how to manage people." — Michelle Griffin

Quote: "if someone is really good at just doing their job and they don't want to move up, that you respect that and keep them in, in a role that they're happy in and, you know, you find other ways to keep them engaged and motivated." — Michelle Griffin

1. Listen Before You Build: Startups succeed when they listen intently to client needs and co-develop solutions, rather than forcing a market-fit from the top down.
2. Define and Defend Culture: Invest in discovering your team’s values. Protect culture by hiring for fit and embedding it into every policy, not just the handbook.
3. Flexibility Drives Retention: Recognizing life priorities and offering flexible, remote, or personalized schedules dramatically reduces turnover and builds loyalty.
4. Structure Beats Gut Instinct: Use structured interviews and neutral assessments to mitigate bias and improve hiring outcomes—especially when scaling quickly.
5. Prepare for Leadership—Don’t Assume It: Promotion must come with training, support, and encouragement to develop people skills, not just technical expertise.
6. Respect Alternative

In this episode, Carl Holden joins Jeff Mains to dive deep into the evolution of SEO, its marriage with AI, and the realities of scaling a SaaS business honestly in a world awash with hype and misinformation. Carl Holden shares his journey from running a leading agency to launching RankBot, an AI-powered tool that automates SEO backlinks for businesses and agencies.

Together, they discuss the myths and challenges in transitioning from services to SaaS, the role of human expertise alongside automation, and why authenticity and steady results still win over quick fame. Tune in for actionable insights, candid leadership lessons, and advice on building products and companies that last.

00:00 SEO vs AI Search Trends

04:38 "Zero-Click Search Impact"

09:25 "AI-Coded Rank Bot Success"

12:39 Automated Link-Building Solution

15:12 "Importance of Links in SEO"

18:05 Automated Link-Building Solution

21:07 "Bots for Targeted SEO Tasks"

27:55 Risks of Automated Content Control

28:50 AI Marketing Red Flags & Promises

35:07 "Scaling Automation for Market Adjustments"

39:31 Future Where Witnesses Are Needed

41:26 Start, Fail, Improve, Repeat

44:25 Easy Connections via Networking Platforms

“Everybody can make a nice website, but who else out there on the Internet is talking about your nice website? That’s where links come in.” — Carl Holden

“AI is starting to take certain tasks, and if you do anything regularly with patterns, AI will help—or do that in the future.” — Carl Holden

“Organic traffic is not going away at this time. The way we get traffic may shift, but people still need it.” — Carl Holden

“If money is all that matters, there are plenty of dishonest ways to get rich. But when you’re dead, you don’t get to keep it.” — Carl Holden

“You want people to do business with you because you’re good, not because you’re popular.” — Carl Holden

“Consistent authenticity—being out there telling people what you do and having a good product—will win over time.” — Carl Holden

Embrace Change, Don’t Run From It

When you see an industry shifting (like with AI), lean into change and make yourself indispensable by creating value within the new paradigm.

Balance Optimism and Caution with New Tech

Don’t blindly trust automation or AI—always validate and maintain oversight. The best results come from combining human judgment with smart tools.

Build in Public, Iterate Quickly

Launch your MVP, gather feedback, and improve over time. Perfection is the enemy of progress.

Results Over Hype

Focus on delivering genuine results; honest, consistent effort leads to sustainable success more than chasing trends or flashy viral tactics.

Be Authentically Honest in Marketing & Product

Resist the urge to oversell or stretch the truth—long-term, authenticity and integrity win client loyalty and positive reputation.

Stay on Top of Industry Shifts

In dynamic markets like SEO, regular learning and adaptation are critical. Monitor changes, test new strategies, and never get complacent.

carl@rankbotai.com

rankbot.ai

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

In this value-packed episode, e-commerce expert Matthew Stafford shares how understanding and responding to real customer data powers dramatic business growth and website conversion lifts. Matthew describes his journey from ad specialist to conversion optimization guru—driven by necessity, continuous learning, and a genuine passion for data-driven problem-solving.

Together with Jeff Mains, they dive into practical strategies for removing friction from your site, the science of micro-commitments, actionable post-purchase surveys, and how to build websites that truly speak to your ideal customers. Whether you're in SaaS or e-commerce, this episode delivers actionable steps to boost conversions, collect meaningful insights, and lead your team to sustained success.

The Power of Website Data (00:00:00)

Deeply understanding what users actually do on your site beats guessing or bias. Data is “agnostic” and reflects real user behavior.

Solve the Right Problems with Data-Driven Insights (00:01:05)

Tracking analytics turned Matthew’s declining sales around from loss to profitability.

Post-Purchase Surveys Drive Revenue (00:05:01)

Implement a simple post-purchase question: “What almost stopped you from buying?” The answers lead to multi-million dollar wins.

Micro-Commitments & Button Text (00:13:11)

“Buy now” creates friction. Instead, use action-specific steps like “Add to Cart” or “Learn More” to lead customers smoothly to purchase.

Focus on Simplicity & Clarity (00:10:43)

Clarity always trumps persuasion. Present the next necessary action clearly and reduce choices to avoid customer confusion.

Start Optimization at the Checkout, Work Backwards (00:27:51)

Always optimize conversion pages (checkout, cart, product page) before iterating on the homepage or filters.

"The data is agnostic. It doesn't care what you're thinking—it just tells you exactly what they're doing." —Matthew Stafford

"Clarity trumps persuasion. Make your site so simple that Homer Simpson would understand it." —Matthew Stafford

"If you describe the problem better than your customer can, they’ll assume you have the solution." —Matthew Stafford

"Stop treating customers like transactions. Treat them like your mom—build real relationships." —Matthew Stafford

"People don’t want to click on a button if they don’t know where it’s taking them. Make every step clear." —Matthew Stafford

"You don’t have a brand until you can stop running ads and survive. Until then, you just have a good funnel." —Matthew Stafford

Be Willing to Learn Before Delegating

Matthew learned analytics himself before hiring, allowing him to hire better and direct vision with confidence.

Let Data Be Your Guide

Remove ego and personal preference; let unbiased customer data inform and drive your decisions.

Prioritize Problems with Greatest Revenue Impact

Start optimization where money changes hands, not where you “feel” the problem is.

Don’t Redesign for Vanity

Avoid unnecessary redesigns driven by boredom or internal desire for novelty; new visitors see your site for the first time.

Embrace Customer Conversations

Real feedback, surveys, and live chats are goldmines for improvement and repeat sales.

Iterate with Focused Experiments

Test, don’t guess: collect feedback, run tests on focused elements, and double down on what specifically works.

In this episode of SaaS Fuel, host Jeff Mains sits down with Rachel J. Edwards, founder of INSPIRI and creator of the Strategic Personality Blueprint (SPB). Rachel shares her journey from coaching to building a personality assessment tool that provides a holistic, multi-dimensional view of human behavior, bridging the gaps between popular frameworks like Disc, Enneagram, Big Five, and incorporating proprietary strengths and values modules. She discusses the challenges of bringing innovation to market as a non-technical founder, balancing product vision with scaling constraints, and the profound impact of customized personality insights for hiring, team harmony, and organizational success.

Rachel’s insights illuminate how understanding individual and team dynamics with evolving, experience-based assessments can turbo-charge leadership, hiring, and even applications beyond business—spanning education and criminal justice. Authenticity, privacy, and values-driven decision-making are at the heart of her product, pushing organizations to move beyond static labels to real, actionable understanding.

00:00 Holistic Coaching System Needed

06:16 Dynamic Evolving Personal Assessment

09:26 Beyond Labels to True Understanding

12:08 "Team Analysis for Effective Leadership"

15:40 "Validating Market Fit First"

19:51 Streamlining for Scalability and Efficiency

23:32 Building Trust in Employee Assessments

26:41 Optimizing Team Dynamics Strategically

29:36 Balanced Approach to Personality Insights

32:18 Personalized Rehabilitation for Better Outcomes

35:54 Tailoring Investor Communication Strategies

40:28 "AI's Impact on Jobs"

Viral Topic: One Assessment to Rule Them All: "And came up with one single assessment where it will capture five different assessments in one, though you're only taking one assessment, so like you said, you're not going to have to take the disc or Enneagram or any of the other assessments. It's all in one." — Rachel J. Edwards

Quote: "how does somebody's motivations or their values impact the behavior that they see? And really being able to understand that point allows a coach or a leader or an organization to better lead and guide their people." — Rachel J. Edwards

Viral Topic: The Truth Behind Personality Labels: "I like to say is we bridge the gaps between the labels because life and growth happen behind the labels." — Rachel J. Edwards

Proving Market Fit Before Building: "So instead of going, like you said, to get go and building something from tech and then saying we have this, we're almost kind of flipping it and showing that there's a market fit, people want this and we're using it now." — Rachel J. Edwards

Quote: "I think any one of those single things misses so much because there's just so much that people have to offer. People are a lot of depth in who they are and how they perform." — Jeff Mains

Avoiding Startup Pitfalls: "some founders will make the mistake of we want to automate everything, get that out there, and it's all technology. And so they end up having to redo a bunch of stuff because they take all of the learning happens after they've already built it and like, oh, we should have done that differently." — Jeff Mains

1. Bridge the Gaps Between Labels: Avoid oversimplifying people by single assessments; embrace layered approaches for deeper understanding.
2. Champion Privacy to Build Trust: Protect individual assessment results—privacy encourages honesty and leads to more actionable insights.
3. Start Manual, Learn Deep: Begin with hands-on delivery to...

In this episode of SaaS Fuel, host Jeff Mains sits down with Jeff Holman, founder of Intellectual Strategies, to unravel the legal landmines that can sabotage even the most promising startups. From intellectual property oversights to under-documented agreements, Jeff explains why legal strategy should be baked into your business from day one.

Hear why the conventional “fractional counsel” model often leaves founder needs unmet, and discover how a flexible, team-based legal approach powered by expert attorneys (and some AI augmentation) can protect your innovations and scale with you. Whether you’re an early-stage SaaS founder or gearing up for acquisition, this episode is a tactical goldmine for risk-proofing what you’re building—without drowning in unnecessary legal fees.

00:00 "Startup Legal Pitfalls Explained"

04:26 From Outside to Inside Counsel

09:56 "Startup Risks Without Legal Counsel"

12:22 "IP Strategy for Business Success"

14:31 "Branding Builds Lasting Business Value"

17:20 "Startup Branding and Naming Challenges"

21:05 "Time for Fractional Legal Support"

23:30 Efficient Legal Counsel Management

28:52 Contractor IP Ownership Rules

29:41 IP Ownership and Workplace Conflict

34:32 Prepare Early for Due Diligence

37:39 AI Adoption Challenges for Attorneys

41:07 "AI for Contract Review?"

44:50 AI-Powered Legal Support System

48:48 "Personality Science & Scaling Growth"

Quote: "You're talking strategy, and you're talking IP strategy aligned with business strategy, and it can get really cool." — Jeff Holman

"Because for most companies, while patents are really cool and it's a, it's a strength of mine for most companies, your, your brand is probably going to be the most valuable thing in your business the day that somebody comes to buy it." — Jeff Holman

Quote: "You need to do that smartly and you need to do it with, with the end in mind, which is some point someone's going to want out, whether it's amicable or antagonistic. Like we need to plan for the day that, that we're not all on the same page." — Jeff Holman

Viral Topic: The Costly Mistake of Delaying Legal Strategy: "legal strategy isn't something to bolt on later, it's something you need to bake in from day one." — Jeff Mains

Legal Blind Spots for Startups: "I think a lot of startups or maybe early stage companies don't think that they need, you know, legal representation. It's just, it's not an important thing. It's something we'll do later when we get big."— Jeff Mains

Viral Topic: Legal Blind Spots for Scaling Companies: "Well, from an owner's perspective, founder perspective, what are the biggest legal blind spots you see scaling companies fall into, especially as they hire faster, raise funds, and go into new markets." — Jeff Mains

Document Everything Early and Often

Verbal agreements and handshakes are not enough. Founders must document all promises, equity splits, and employment agreements to avoid expensive disputes and setbacks.

Baking in Legal Strategy

Treat legal planning as a foundational element of your business model, not a problem to solve later. This proactive approach can drive enterprise value and safeguard innovation.

Build Your Moat with IP

Your most valuable asset at exit may be your brand or proprietary...

In this special SaaS Fuel episode, host Jeff Mains welcomes James Piacentino, co-founder and CEO of Thrive Genetics—a company at the intersection of healthcare, genetics, technology, and compassionate mission. James shares his deeply personal connection to the opioid crisis, describing the family loss that shaped his life’s purpose and eventually sparked the founding of Thrive Genetics.

The conversation explores how advances in genetic testing, behavioral analysis, and AI are enabling physicians to proactively identify and mitigate addiction risk—before opioids are prescribed. Along the way, they discuss building solutions in complex, regulated markets, the importance of pilots and product-market fit, and why mission-driven leadership can turn innovation into real-world impact.

00:00 "Building Leaders and Scaling Success"

06:25 Generational Trauma: Beyond Genetics

07:24 Breaking Cycles Through Innovation

11:53 High Pain Procedures and Opioids

15:30 "Genetic Testing for Addiction Risk"

20:09 Market Applications and Opportunities

22:48 Integrated Healthcare Ecosystem Insights

25:43 "Customer-Centered Product Development Insights"

29:36 "Vision and Path to Scale"

33:52 Streamlining Customer Service Efficiency

37:27 "Focus on Solutions, Not Problems"

40:01 Simplifying Healthcare Innovation

43:18 "Collaborate for Impactful Leadership"

47:18 AI Monitors Patient Pain Signals

49:50 "Simple Design, De-Identified Data"

52:16 "Embracing Rejection as Growth"

55:36 "Fractional Legal & Personality Insights"

Viral Topic: Building Products That Truly Fit Customer Needs: "It's very important to sit with your customer and just literally build the product to ensure that you are satisfying those specific business needs." — James Piacentino

Viral Topic: Simplicity in Healthcare Innovation: "Complicated's fun and tech, maybe, but when you get into these healthcare scenarios, it's gotta be really, really lean, simple." — James Piacentino

Viral Topic: Keep It Simple in Complex Systems: "We're just giving you some Information to use. We're not telling you you should. You should drive here or not, you know, so it was like a very simple workaround to something that could have been awfully complex, especially for what we're doing." — James Piacentino

Viral Topic: Rethinking Opioid Addiction Prevention: "Why is it that we only talk about addiction after it happens, when technology now makes it possible to see the risk before the first prescription is even written?" — Jeff Mains

Viral Topic: The Future of Opioid Prescription

"Advancements in personalized medicine are helping physicians make better informed decisions, balancing the need for pain relief with the responsibility to prevent addiction." — Jeff Mains

Healthcare Innovation Mindset: "You don't have to tackle the bear, just drive by and wave." — Jeff Mains

1. Mission Drives Resilience:
2. Stay true to your personal and company values, especially in high-stakes industries. Purpose fuels perseverance through complexity.
3. Customer Collaboration is Key:
4. Meet customers where they are. Continuously incorporate their feedback to ensure product-market fit and genuine value.
5. Embrace Simplicity:
6. In regulated spaces, complexity can kill progress. Strive for solutions that minimize barriers for adoption and use.
7. Learn from the ‘No’s:
8. Rejection (from investors or stakeholders) is a gift. Each “no” teaches you something new to incorporate or consider.
9. Surround...