We Went Bankrupt Twice - What We Learned | The Revenue Equation #11

We Went Bankrupt Twice - What We Learned | The Revenue Equation #11

Two bankruptcies. €70 million frozen over a weekend. Customer acquisition cost crashed from €1,200 to €15. And somehow, 30,000 client companies and 700,000 cardholders later, it works. In this episode of The Revenue Equation, Frederik Jakobsen (founder of Danish Lead Co, danishleadco.io [http://danishleadco.io]) sits down with Patrick Loeffler, co-founder and CEO of Givve, a German B2B2E employee benefits platform. Patrick has been building Givve since 2010. They survived two bankruptcies and the Wirecard collapse to become one of Germany's leading prepaid Mastercard benefit platforms, adding 1,000 new cardholders every single day with a team of just 70 people. What you'll take away: - Why "don't be the loudest, be the deepest" is the rule that wins long-term B2B - How to lead through a crisis without distracting your specialists from the work that matters - The mouse study that explains why founder conviction predicts company survival - "Type 2 fun" and why the hard adventures build the strongest businesses - How Givve cut CAC from €1,200 to €15 with no silver bullets, just relentless tracking - The dashboard tipping point that changed Givve's culture forever - Why you should always ask for the maximum (and stop negotiating against yourself) If this conversation lands for you, subscribe to The Revenue Equation and follow Frederik Jakobsen on LinkedIn. More episodes and resources at danishleadco.io [http://danishleadco.io]. GUEST: Patrick Loeffler, co-founder and CEO of Givve HOST: Frederik Jakobsen, founder of Danish Lead Co (danishleadco.io [http://danishleadco.io]) CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Meet Patrick Loeffler, co-founder and CEO of Givve 01:10 - Two bankruptcies and why founders should share their failures 03:00 - What Givve actually does (B2B2E benefits, 700,000 cardholders) 09:00 - Don't be the loudest, be the deepest (the B2B thesis) 09:30 - The Wirecard nightmare: €70M frozen over one weekend 12:00 - How to lead through a crisis without distracting your team 13:30 - The mouse study and why conviction changes everything 16:00 - Type 2 fun and why the hard adventures build the best companies 25:30 - Givve's inbound-only acquisition model (no cold outreach) 28:30 - Cutting CAC from €1,200 to €15 over the journey 31:00 - The dashboard that changed Givve's culture forever 36:30 - Ask for the maximum and stop negotiating against yourself KEYWORDS: Frederik Jakobsen, Danish Lead Co, Patrick Loeffler, Givve, B2B2E, employee benefits, Germany, prepaid Mastercard, customer acquisition cost, CAC reduction, inbound marketing, B2B founder, startup bankruptcy survival, Wirecard collapse, crisis leadership, pricing strategy, B2B sales, The Revenue Equation podcast

How To Sell Your Business For More (The 20% Rule) | The Revenue Equation #10

Most founders sell their business for less than it's worth. Not because the business is bad, but because they prepared the wrong things. In this episode of The Revenue Equation, Frederik Jakobsen (founder of Danish Lead Co, danishleadco.io [http://danishleadco.io]) sits down with David Tobin, founder of Tobin Leff, a US M&A advisory firm that has spent 16 years helping owners of professional services, technology, and marketing communications businesses sell. Before founding Tobin Leff, David built and sold two of his own marketing agencies over an 18 year career. So he's been on both sides of every conversation in this episode. What you'll take away: - The 20% EBITDA margin threshold that separates premium exits from average ones - Why your founder salary is hiding your real margins (and how buyers see through it) - Strategic vs financial buyers, and why that choice locks you in for 4 to 6 years - The founder dependency trap that kills exit valuations even for great businesses - Pricing combined with over-servicing as the single biggest margin killer - Why M&A is about people and relationships, not just the numbers on a spreadsheet If this conversation lands for you, subscribe to The Revenue Equation and follow Frederik Jakobsen on LinkedIn. More episodes and resources at danishleadco.io [http://danishleadco.io]. GUEST: David Tobin, Founder of Tobin Leff (tobinleff.com [http://tobinleff.com]) HOST: Frederik Jakobsen, founder of Danish Lead Co (danishleadco.io [http://danishleadco.io]) CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Meet David Tobin, founder of Tobin Leff 02:00 - Why your "why" comes before anything else in a sale 12:00 - The step-by-step process when you decide to sell 15:30 - Strategic vs financial buyers, and why the choice matters 22:00 - What buyers really analyse: growth, margins, dependency 25:30 - The 20% EBITDA margin rule 28:30 - Why founder dependency kills exit valuations 32:00 - The salary trap most founders never adjust for 36:30 - The biggest mistake: pricing combined with over-servicing 45:00 - M&A is about the people, not the numbers 48:00 - How to reach David and Tobin Leff KEYWORDS: Frederik Jakobsen, Danish Lead Co, David Tobin, Tobin Leff, M&A advisory, mergers and acquisitions, exit planning, business valuation, EBITDA margins, sell your business, B2B founder exit, marketing agency exits, professional services M&A, founder dependency, strategic vs financial buyers, The Revenue Equation podcast

Don't Be A Breadcrumb: The SaaS Category Trap | The Revenue Equation #9

There are gorillas, chimpanzees, and breadcrumbs in every B2B market. Most SaaS founders end up as breadcrumbs without realising it. In this episode of The Revenue Equation, Frederik Jakobsen (founder of Danish Lead Co, danishleadco.io [http://danishleadco.io]) sits down with Peter Hedström, CMO of Learnster, to unpack how Learnster went from zero to $5M ARR over eight years in one of the most crowded SaaS categories there is: learning management systems. Peter walks through the early enterprise wins, the three years they spent trying NOT to be called an LMS, the pivot that unlocked their growth, and how he thinks about inbound, outbound, and category positioning today. What you'll take away: - Why being 80% right for everyone is more dangerous than being 100% right for someone - The gorillas, chimpanzees, and breadcrumbs framework for SaaS positioning - How Learnster closed its first three enterprise customers without a marketing team - Why trying to escape your product category usually backfires (and what to do instead) - How to integrate inbound and outbound so they amplify each other instead of competing - What changes in the playbook when you go from growth mode to growth-and-profitability mode If this conversation lands for you, subscribe to The Revenue Equation and follow Frederik Jakobsen on LinkedIn. More episodes and resources at danishleadco.io [http://danishleadco.io]. — GUEST: Peter Hedström, CMO at Learnster (learnster.com [http://learnster.com]) HOST: Frederik Jakobsen, founder of Danish Lead Co (danishleadco.io [http://danishleadco.io]) CHAPTERS: 00:00 — Meet Peter Hedström, CMO of Learnster 02:30 — Eight years in SaaS, what actually changed 05:30 — Why timing mattered and the user-friendliness gap in LMS 08:00 — Pandemic, war in Ukraine, recession: surviving the macro 13:50 — How Learnster landed its first three enterprise customers 19:00 — Gorillas, chimpanzees, and breadcrumbs: the positioning trap 24:00 — Marketing and sales evolution at Learnster 30:30 — Where the demand actually came from: SEO, SEM, review sites, SDRs 34:00 — Inbound vs outbound, and why you need both working together 39:50 — Different strategy per market: Sweden vs international 42:00 — The Revenue Equation KEYWORDS: Frederik Jakobsen, Danish Lead Co, Peter Hedström, Learnster, B2B SaaS, LMS, learning management system, SaaS positioning, demand capture, demand generation, inbound vs outbound, ICP, niche player, market leader, $5M ARR, The Revenue Equation podcast

Why Most Cold Email Doesn’t Work Anymore | The Revenue Equation #8

Margaret Sikora, CEO of Woodpecker, shares insights on the evolution of cold outreach, challenges of adapting to market changes, and the importance of healthy infrastructure. She discusses the integration of cold outreach with acquisition strategy, considerations for channel selection, and the importance of a multi-channel approach and strategy. Additionally, she explores the understanding of buyer types, sales cycles, micro-segmentation for conversion, and the use of intense signals in outreach. The conversation delves into the nuances of cold outreach, emphasizing the importance of understanding intent signals, relevance in outreach, performance of smaller campaigns, belief in cold outreach, and best practices in cold outreach. The discussion highlights the significance of constructing email angles, identifying pain points, and the necessity of email in B2B business. It also explores the relevance of marketing, competition, scalability, and the performance analysis of smaller campaigns. Additionally, it addresses the validation of offers through outreach and investment in cold outreach, along with insights on subject line and copy length, language, and the impact of speaking about oneself in cold emails. Takeaways * Adapting to market changes is challenging, but healthy infrastructure is crucial for success. * A multi-channel approach and strategy are essential for effective outreach, and understanding buyer types and sales cycles is key to successful conversion. Understanding the pain points of the target audience is crucial for effective outreach. * Relevance and personalization are key to successful marketing and outreach. Chapters * 00:00 The Evolution of Cold Outreach * 11:49 Adapting to Market Changes * 16:58 Multi-Channel Approach and Strategy * 25:49 Micro-Segmentation and Intense Signals * 32:28 Relevance in Outreach * 41:48 Best Practices in Cold Outreach

Where Smart Money Is Going Right Now | The Revenue Equation #7

The conversation with Jonathan Charles Tyler from Vortex provided insights into the world of capital raising, energy, commodities, and the impact of technology on investment. It highlighted the differences between the US and European markets, the challenges of standing out in a competitive market, and the evolving landscape of renewable energy and storage solutions. The discussion also touched on the impact of geopolitics on investment flows and the rapid evolution of technology and its impact on investment opportunities. Takeaways * Energy and commodities are key investment areas * US market is more open to raising capital than Europe * The digital age has changed the way financial markets operate Chapters * 00:00 Introduction to Vortex and Capital Raising * 05:03 Comparison of US and European Markets * 12:06 Challenges and Opportunities in the Energy Sector * 25:05 The Rapid Evolution of Technology and its Impact on Investment * 35:09 Challenges and Innovations in Renewable Energy and Storage Solutions * 42:18 Market Dynamics and Investment Opportunities in the US and Europe