Happy New Year and welcome back to the SaaS Fuel Podcast! In this episode, Jeff Mains sits down with Leslie Shreve, workload management and efficiency expert, and founder of Productive Day. Leslie shares her proprietary system, Taskology, and dives deep into the real reasons why busy SaaS leaders and professionals feel overwhelmed, despite using the latest tools and productivity hacks.

Together, they unpack the hidden costs of “gray work,” the myth of the infinite workday, and why most task management apps fall short. Leslie offers a practical, actionable framework for regaining control, reducing stress, and making real progress—one atomic task at a time.

The Hidden Cost of Modern Work Chaos

(00:47) – Being busy doesn’t mean being productive. The proliferation of tools and notifications can drain focus and create “gray work.”

Gray Work and Quiet Cracking

(06:00) – “Gray work” is the time lost managing disconnected tools and notes. “Quiet cracking” is when professionals appear composed but are overwhelmed inside.

The Infinite Workday

(09:00) – Without boundaries, workdays can feel endless, leading to burnout. Protecting personal time is essential for health and productivity.

Why Most Productivity Apps Fail

(15:00) – Apps like Asana, Trello, and Notion offer features, but without a clear method, they can overwhelm rather than help.

The Myth of the To-Do List

(22:00) – A to-do list is only useful if it’s complete, digital, and actionable. Paper lists and scattered notes don’t cut it.

The Fast Action Formula & Atomic Tasks

(28:00) – Break projects into the smallest possible action steps, each with a clear what, how, why, and when. This makes progress achievable and reduces stress.

Time Defense vs. Time Management

(35:00) – Protecting time (a “time shield”) is more effective than trying to manage every minute. Block focused time and let others schedule around it.

“Gray work is what happens when you’re chasing after tasks and notes, but nothing feels like it’s getting done.”

“Technology alone won’t save you. You need a method to cut through the noise.”

“Don’t outsource thinking, decision-making, and execution—those are your superpowers as a leader.”

“Atomic tasks are the smallest, most actionable steps. That’s where real progress happens.”

“Protect your time like it’s your most valuable asset—because it is.”

1. Centralize Your Work – Avoid scattered notes and tools; create a single digital hub for all tasks and information.
2. Break Down Projects – Turn big projects into atomic tasks with clear action steps.
3. Prioritize Ruthlessly – Focus on the few actions that truly move the needle, not just what’s urgent.
4. Protect Your Time – Use a “time shield” to block focused work periods and defend against interruptions.
5. Embrace Flexibility – Plans will change; adapt quickly without losing sight of your priorities.
6. Don’t Rely on Tools Alone – Methods and systems matter more than the latest app or hack.

This episode of SaaS Fuel features Varun Jain, founder of Comply Jet, discussing how security compliance can transform from a sales blocker into a growth accelerator for SaaS startups. Varun shares actionable strategies for building trust, leveraging AI to simplify compliance, and the importance of embedding security early in the product journey. The conversation also covers leadership lessons, hiring discipline, and how founders can make intentional decisions about growth and capital.

00:25 – 02:20 Why trust and compliance matter for SaaS growth.

02:20 – 03:30 Compliance as a sales unlock, not a hurdle.

03:30 – 06:00 Recap of previous episodes and toolkit mention.

07:00 – 11:00 Varun’s background and founding story.

11:00 – 15:00 Why founders must prioritize security early.

15:00 – 20:00 How cloud and AI make compliance easier.

20:00 – 25:00 Comply Jet’s approach: AI, education, and support.

25:00 – 30:00 Continuous monitoring beats “check the box” compliance.

30:00 – 35:00 Managing growth, logins, and cloud costs.

35:00 – 40:00 Why Comply Jet focuses on startups.

40:00 – 45:00 Building trust centers for sales.

45:00 – 50:00 Simplifying frameworks for founders.

50:00 – 55:00 Leadership: hire intentionally, automate where possible.

55:00 – 60:00 When to raise capital and the value of bootstrapping.

60:00 – 65:00 Compounding growth and product focus.

65:00 – End Final advice, resources, and next episode preview.

"Trust, not features, is often the real bottleneck in B2B growth."

"Compliance isn’t just a checkbox; it’s a sales unlock."

"AI can turn compliance from a slow, painful process into a founder-friendly advantage."

"Transparency accelerates deals—make trust your competitive edge."

"Don’t wait for enterprise buyers to ask for compliance—build it in from the start."

"Leadership is about clarity, discipline, and building a business of significance."

1. Embed Trust Early: Make security and compliance a core part of your product from day one.
2. Leverage AI for Scale: Use AI tools to automate compliance tasks and reduce founder workload.
3. Build a Public Trust Center: Proactively share your security posture to accelerate sales.
4. Hire with Intention: Avoid over-hiring; automate and stay lean until roles are clearly defined.
5. Balance Speed and Discipline: Move fast, but don’t cut corners on trust or compliance.
6. Stay Customer-Focused: Listen to customer needs and let them guide your product evolution.

Varun Jain:

varun@complyjet.com

www.complyjet.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/varun-jain-stanford/

SaaS Fuel Growth Accelerator Toolkit

The...

In this special holiday edition of SaaS Fuel, Jeff Mains delivers a powerhouse “Best of 2025” episode. After a year of learning from 104 founder, operator, and investor conversations, Jeff Mains distills the top 10 lessons that moved SaaS companies from the $5M plateau to scaling past $50M. He reveals actionable frameworks, from cash flow management to 10x thinking, and gifts listeners a bundle of premium resources for each lesson—available for free until January 15. If you want a crash course on SaaS growth with practical, battle-tested playbooks, grab these notes and get ready to take action.

00:00 "Top 10 SaaS Growth Lessons"

06:10 "Onboarding Framework: Activation to Advocacy"

07:34 "Boosting SaaS Net Revenue Retention"

10:42 "Transparent Resource Allocation Matters"

16:07 "Winning Demos: Connection Over Features"

16:54 "AI-Driven Sales Transformation"

21:45 "People Strategy for Scaling Success"

24:52 "Product-Led Growth Revolution"

26:35 "PLG Strategies for Growth"

32:53 "Master Storytelling for Greater Success"

35:40 "10x Growth Strategy Insights"

36:49 "10x Growth Frameworks & Tools"

40:20 "Taskology: Productivity Made Simple"

“Cash is a fact; profit is an opinion.” — Jeff Mains, echoing Dan DeGolier

“Great onboarding isn’t just about retention—it’s your highest-leverage revenue optimization.” — Jeff Mains

“Your engineers aren’t slow—they just lack a coherent prioritization framework.” — Jeff Mains, paraphrasing Thanos Diaconcas

“Demos don’t win on features. They win on human connection and business acumen.” — Jeff Mains

“AI’s highest value? Making your best people even better.” — Jeff Mains

“People don’t buy products—they buy transformations.” — Jeff Mains, drawing from David Ebner

Be Brutally Honest About Your Metrics

Track cash (not just sales or profit) to survive and scale responsibly.

Obsession Over Onboarding

Make activation your primary revenue engine—not just an afterthought.

Radical Transparency with Prioritization

Use visible, accountable buckets to guide resource allocation and eliminate blame games.

Invest in People Before the Pain

Proactively upgrade your leadership and plan succession—don’t just react when you outgrow your team.

Focus on Stories, Not Specs

Your narrative is your edge. People buy transformation, not just tools.

Chase Multipliers, Not Percentages

Plan for 10x, not just 10%—and rethink everything needed for real step-change growth.

Dan DeGolier

dan@ascentcfo.com

ascentcfo.com

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

Dan's Full Episode:

https://championleadership.com/episode-257-dan-degolier-cash-flow-essentials-strategies-for-sustainable-growth/

Srikrishnan Ganesan

sri@rocketlane.com

https://www.rocketlane.com/

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

Sri's Full Episode:

In this episode of SaaS Fuel, host Jeff Mains welcomes back Jason Friedman—entrepreneur, author, and customer experience expert. Jason shares his journey from theater and rock-and-roll roadie to building billion-dollar brands, and reveals how the principles of stagecraft and storytelling can transform SaaS businesses.

The conversation dives deep into the “Kinetic Customer Formula,” the importance of designing intentional customer journeys, and why focusing on relationships and retention is the key to sustainable SaaS growth. Jason also discusses his upcoming book, “Addicted to Strangers,” and offers actionable advice for founders looking to create raving fans and reduce churn.

[0:45] – The power of stagecraft: How Jason’s theater background shaped his approach to customer experience.

[5:20] – Choreographing the audience’s journey is as important in business as it is in theater.

[13:20] – The “Kinetic Customer Formula”: Attitudes + Behaviors, multiplied by Momentum Boosters, minus Friction = Radical Results.

[22:00] – Retention over acquisition: Why focusing on existing customers yields a “quadratic return.”

[27:30] – The danger of being “addicted to strangers” and neglecting your current audience.

[32:00] – The importance of mapping not just the customer journey, but also employee and partner journeys.

[36:00] – Storytelling is embedded in every step of the customer experience, not just a surface-level tactic.

[41:00] – Churn is a silent killer: For every customer who complains, 21 remain silent.

[48:00] – Community and relationships are the future of SaaS in an AI-driven world.

“People don’t move in steps—they move in stories. If you want to move people, help them create the stories that move them in the direction you want.” — Jason Friedman

“Everything you do is for the audience. In business, everything is for the customer—but we often focus more on business needs than customer needs.” — Jason Friedman

“There’s a quadratic return on making the people who already bought from us happy. They become the best marketing.” — Jason Friedman

“If you increase the return on audience success, the return on ad spend goes up. It can’t not.” — Jason Friedman

“A raving fan can become a raving lunatic in an instant. There’s a thin line between love and hate.” — Jason Friedman

Design with Intention: Map out the customer journey as meticulously as a director plans a show. Start with the end in mind and reverse-engineer the experience.

Empathy is Key: Get into character—understand your customer’s mindset, motivations, and obstacles.

Retention to Acquisition: Focus on delighting and retaining current customers rather than constantly chasing new ones.

Measure What Matters: Don’t just look at churn percentages—track the actual number of customers lost and understand why.

jason@cxformula.com

www.radicalinc.com

www.cxformula.com

https://media.jasonfriedman.me

Jason Friedman’s Upcoming Book: Addicted to Strangers – Get a free ebook copy when it launches

LinkedIn: Jason Friedman

In this insightful episode of SaaS Fuel, host Jeff Mains welcomes Jimi Gibson, VP of Brand Communication at Thrive Internet Marketing Agency—and a former professional magician! Together, they unpack the art (and science) of connecting with B2B SaaS customers through authentic storytelling, brand strategy, and personal visibility. Jimi Gibson shares his powerful Five Finger Framework for brand building, why founders should put a face to their company, and actionable strategies to create lasting emotional ties and customer loyalty—even in an AI-driven, content-saturated world.

If you’re a SaaS founder tired of beige, forgettable marketing and want your brand to stand out for something meaningful, this conversation is a treasure trove of tactical wisdom and inspiration.

00:00 "Feature Ops & AI Strategies"

05:07 Magic, Marketing, and Connection

08:05 "The Stump Test Mystery"

12:13 SaaS Exits, Branding, and AI

16:49 "Magic, Frameworks, and Authenticity"

19:26 "Commitment Drives Long-Term Success"

22:07 "Name Your Villain Strategically"

24:52 Thumbs Up: Measuring Impact

28:16 Customer-Centric Solutions Matter Most

31:34 Building Long-Term Customer Relationships

36:44 Identifying Competitor Weaknesses Strategically

39:20 "Defining Your Target Market"

41:00 Maximizing AB Testing Value

46:01 AI Lacks Human Connection

47:50 "Building Authority Through Personal Branding"

51:47 Essential Brand Stories Framework

"Marketing, like magic, is about capturing attention and delivering the wow—the call to action." — Jimi Gibson

"Founders, your audience is not 'everybody.' It's one person. Speak directly to them." — Jimi Gibson

"A faceless brand is forgettable. People buy from people, not just companies." — Jeff Mains

"Declare your villain. If you don't stand for something—or against something—your brand stands for nothing." — Jimi Gibson

"The clearer you can be, the more likely your message will resonate with someone who needs your solution." — Jimi Gibson

"You can't out-robot the robots. Your experience, empathy, and story are your ultimate differentiators." — Jimi Gibson

Connect Authentically, Not Generically:

Strong SaaS leaders craft messaging as if speaking to one person—even in a large market.

Show Your Face:

Humanizing your brand increases trust and long-term retention. Don’t hide behind anonymity.

Stand for (and Against) Something:

Declaring a clear brand "villain" or enemy sets your tribe apart and ignites loyalty.

Long-Term Relationships > Short-Term Transactions:

Protect your customer “family,” listen deeply, and own up to mistakes for lasting affinity.

Measure the Impact You Leave:

Track not just revenue, but employee growth, industry disruption, customer transformation, and your unique “thumbprint.”

Be Visible in the AI Era:

Customer stories, bylined articles, and video increase your odds of being cited and found as the authority, not just another generic provider.

jimi@Thriveagency.com

https://thriveagency.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimi-gibson/

In this value-packed episode of SaaS Fuel, Jeff Mains welcomes Egil Østhus, co-founder and CEO of Unleash—the world’s leading open source feature management platform. Egil dives deep into the journey from thriving in corporate boardrooms to taking the entrepreneurial leap, co-founding Unleash with his brother, and scaling a business using open source and commercial strategies.

The conversation explores critical challenges of serving both community and enterprise needs, the next-generation concept of Feature Ops, the nuanced impact of AI in software development, and the essential synergy between engineering and business for SaaS growth. Whether you’re steering product strategy or deep in the code, this episode delivers actionable insights and leadership wisdom for founders navigating modern tech landscapes.

00:00 "Building Smarter: Growth Strategies"

03:22 "Entrepreneurship Realities & Tech Futures"

07:38 Enterprise Software Delivery Challenges

13:21 "Challenges of Co-Founding Family"

16:10 "Balancing Open Source and Enterprise"

17:45 Open Source vs. Paywall Decisions

23:28 "Building Enterprise Growth Processes"

24:24 "Start Early on Commercial Strategy"

30:08 "Unified Metrics for Long-Term Impact"

32:09 "DevOps: Feature Lifecycle & Governance"

36:26 AI's Impact on Developer Roles

39:55 "Business Context for Developers"

42:37 Culture Consistency Drives Success

46:49 "Magician Marketer & Scaling Stories"

“We in the Nordics are sort of naive—we don’t understand how difficult it really is. ‘How hard can it be to build this company?’” — Egil Østhus

“Always put community trust first. If you break it, that decision is irreversible.” — Egil Østhus

“If you have the best product that nobody knows about, it’s really hard to sell it.” — Egil Østhus

“Feature Ops bridges the gap between engineering and business—bringing real-time control and risk mitigation to software delivery.” — Egil Østhus

“Every developer should challenge themselves to understand how their work impacts the business and end users.” — Egil Østhus

“Culture is consistency. It’s the boring stuff you do every day that builds a scalable company.” — Egil Østhus

Customer Value First:

“It’s all about creating customer value. Bringing product out there and building a proper business model.” (Egil Østhus)

Get Outside Your Comfort Zone:

True growth happens when you jump into deep water and test if you really can build what you preach.

Respect and Resolve Tension (Especially in Family):

In co-founder relationships, never allow tension to build—address issues immediately, maintaining respect and professionalism.

Open Source Takes Discipline:

Develop clear guiding policies on what features are open and which are gated—never betray community trust with irreversible decisions.

Build Commercial Capacity Early:

Don’t wait for sales and marketing to “catch up”—grow those functions as soon as possible to accelerate learning and scale.

Engineers Need Business Context:

The best developers deeply understand the product’s business impact, continually interact with customers, and help shape business direction.

egil@getunleash.io

https://www.getunleash.io

In this episode of SaaS Fuel, host Jeff Mains sits down with Anthony Franco—serial entrepreneur, co-author of AI First Principles and the Wiser Method, and host of the How to Founder podcast—to talk about what it really takes to implement AI effectively in SaaS businesses. The conversation breaks past the usual hype, diving deep into the practical messiness of entrepreneurship, building tech that serves real humans (not just outputs), and how intentional iteration leads to successful outcomes.

Anthony Franco shares brutally honest stories of failure, the necessity of understanding end users, and the importance of starting with a noble cause before diving into AI adoption. If you’re a founder wanting actionable strategies to build a future-proof company in the age of AI, this is your episode.

00:00 "AI, Bias, and Holographic Futures"

03:44 "Future, Revenue Systems, and Strategy"

07:34 "Entrepreneurs Fuel Prosperity"

10:36 "Value Your Job, Avoid Mistakes"

15:02 "Earn the Right to Rebuild"

18:57 "User Experience Insights Revolution"

21:34 Necessary Complexity and Risk Management

25:49 "Leadership's Four Key Relationships"

28:23 "Wiser Method: AI Principles"

32:30 AI Missteps: Autonomy vs Collaboration

35:25 "Challenging Ideas and Biases"

38:03 "Readiness for Agentic Orchestration"

43:00 "Feature Flags & Brand Magic"

“Entrepreneurs are the pioneers of economic prosperity—the ones willing to look foolish bring prosperity to all.” —Anthony Franco

“If you automate broken things, you’re just scaling your problems.” —Anthony Franco

“Design for how the world is—not just how you wish it would be.” —Anthony Franco

“The reason you write software is to make someone’s life easier—not just your own.” —Anthony Franco

“Stop coding. Go talk to the person you’re coding for—not your manager, your end user.” —Anthony Franco

“If you win 10% of the time and fail 90%, you still win. Micro-failures fuel learning.” —Anthony Franco

Lead Arm-in-Arm, Not From Afar

Great leaders work alongside their teams, getting “calluses” from real work

Set Honest Expectations About Entrepreneurship

Don’t sell the dream—share failures and chaos as well as successes to guide founders realistically

Talk to End Users—Don’t Just Delegate Discovery

Leaders must become chief customer advocates; direct feedback is transformative

Don’t Automate for Automation’s Sake

Evaluate the root causes and bottlenecks before layering on tools

Embrace Necessary Complexity

Not all complexity is bad. Sometimes it’s a competitive advantage or required for regulatory compliance

Start Small—Iterate and Learn Before Scaling AI

Focus on incremental improvement, pilot adoption, and learning from failures

anthony@suitepea.com

aifirstprinciples.org

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

x.com/anthonyfranco

The Captain's Keys

Small Fish, Big Pond – https://smallfishbigpond.com/ Use the promo code ‘SaaSFuel’

Champion Leadership Group – https://championleadership.com/

Website -

In this mind-bending episode of SaaS Fuel, Jeff Mains chats with Darren Milne, co-founder and CEO of VividQ, about the future of holographic displays and how true 3D experiences will revolutionize everything from automotive HUDs to the way we watch TV, work, and interact with AI.

Darren Milne unpacks his journey from academia to entrepreneurship, describes the defining moment when he saw a real hologram for the first time, and outlines how his team is making science fiction a reality—including progress toward room-scale “holodecks.” Along the way, you’ll learn practical lessons about bridging science and commercialization, building successful licensing models, scaling with partnerships, and staying grounded while pursuing world-changing innovation.

00:00 "Holographic AI Revolution"

05:15 From Academia to Business Shift

14:08 "Holographic Display Business Strategy"

19:31 Automotive HUDs: Future-Ready Adaptability

24:48 "VR Nausea Explained by Science"

29:41 Building-Sized Holograms Revolution

32:57 "Creating Our Own Category"

42:25 "Software-Driven Hardware Control"

47:05 "Challenges of Licensing Innovation"

51:59 "Rethinking Growth and Investment"

56:05 "Epic Holographic Display Project"

01:02:20 "Insights, AI Growth, and Holodecks"

“Sometimes, in the pursuit of knowledge, you need a lot more money—and the way to get that is to create things people want to buy.” — Darren Milne

“The cars are all different, but with holography, the HUD doesn’t have to be. Software solves what used to take an assembly line.” — Darren Milne

“Every time I show a real hologram demo, people still ask if it’s fake. Once you see it, everything changes.” — Darren Milne

“You don’t need to build all the hardware to win big—sometimes licensing your tech brings more scale and staying power.” — Darren Milne

“If money were no object, I’d build the holodeck—an entire room of interactive holograms for training, gaming, everything.” — Darren Milne

“We thought building-sized holograms required new tech, but turns out we could do it with off-the-shelf laptop screens…and a lot of them.” — Darren Milne

Embrace Mindset Shifts

Moving from academia to entrepreneurship means valuing impact as much as knowledge. Sometimes, making ideas real requires leaving comfort zones.

Specialize, Then Delegate

You can’t be both the chief researcher and the chief executive for long. Recognize your strengths and trust your team to handle complementary roles.

Validate with Partners, Not Just Product

Early commercial traction can come from licensing and partnerships, especially when full-scale manufacturing or hardware isn’t feasible.

Solve for ROI, Not Just Coolness

Customers may love new tech, but recurring revenue comes from solving their biggest, most overlooked pain (e.g., HUD manufacturing savings).

Don’t Hire for Vanity, Hire for Necessity

Rapid hiring because “everyone else is scaling” can lead to layoffs and wasted resources if the technology isn’t ready for mass adoption.

Stay Resilient & Honest

Long sales cycles and the need to “build the category” require grit. When mistakes happen (such as premature scaling), own them, learn, and course correct.

https://www.vividq.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/darran-milne/

The Captain's Keys

Small Fish, Big Pond – https://smallfishbigpond.com/ Use the promo code...