Jack Kavanagh

In this episode of the SaaS Operators Podcast, we sat down with Niels Klement, CMO at Perspective.co, to talk about how they bootstrapped their way to $10M ARR almost all in Germany, primarily through paid ads. Niels breaks down how webinar funnels let them acquire customers profitably on the front end, why they collect annual revenue up front, and how they’ve avoided raising capital by staying cashflow positive. We talk about the economics of annual plans, free trials with credit card upfront. Niels shares why recruiting exploded as a vertical in Germany, why lead gen is their winning use case in the US, and how adapting their messaging has been their unlock as they expand globally. The episode ends with a deep dive into pricing, leverage, CAC payback rules, and what it really takes to build a profitable growth engine without venture money.

In this episode of the SAAS Operators Podcast, we sat down with Amit RG, the founder of Richpanel, to unpack how he built a profitable, efficient SaaS business serving e-commerce brands. Amit shares why he turned down Y Combinator and a Series A after raising and the choice to stay lean. We talk about why advertising hasn't worked for Richpanel, and how their $2K Automation Success Kit drives adoption, and why 40% of their customers sign multi-year contracts without being pushed. Amit opened up about the tension between being seen as the “affordable” option and building a premium product, and how brand perception plays into defensibility. The episode ends with a candid discussion on churn, customer success at scale, and whether we’re all thinking too small in the age of AI.

In this episode of the SaaS Operators Podcast, we sat down with Stephen Hakami, the founder of Wiza, to talk about his journey bootstrapping Wiza to $10M+ ARR and what happens when you hit an inflection point. Stephen shares why he's now considering raising capital after years of profitable growth, and has shifted from a profit-first mindset to a platform play that focuses on enterprise value. We dig into the tradeoffs between bootstrapping vs. venture scaling, the importance of retention metrics, and why gross logo retention tells a deeper story. Stephen also opens up about a near-death moment for the company when his sole developer passed away suddenly, leaving the entire product in limbo. The episode ends with a broader look at enterprise value, multi-product strategy, and the real meaning of resilience in SaaS.

This blogshows how to set up a Facebook ad set step by step, choosing conversion goals, attribution windows, audience targeting, placements, and budgets to maximize efficiency and avoid wasted spend.

If you're a marketer or agency, Foreplay turns your scattered ad inspiration into a structured creative system. It lets you save, organize, and analyze the top-performing ads from the fastest-growing brands so you can build your next winning ad based on what actually works.

In this episode of the SaaS Operators podcast, we unpack how FERMAT raised a $45 million. Rishabh breaks down why they went raised more than they initially planned to, how market pull forced their hand, and the exact process he used to close the round in just 10 days. We also get into ad efficiency, pricing psychology, why most brands under-segment their websites, and how generative AI is already building full funnels off a single goal input. The episode wraps with a spicy take on angel investing, risk math, and why you probably shouldn’t change your entire life strategy right after it starts working.

Oren breaks down what a creative strategist does, how to write effective briefs, and the tools and insights needed to create scalable, high-performing content. This blog will teach you how to think, and win, like a content-native creative strategist.

In this episode of the SAAS Operators Podcast, we talk about product launches, market expansion and building a system for reliable growth. Zach shares what he learnt from Foreplay’s latest product launch for Lens, including lessons around pricing, bundling and execution. The boys explores the difference between adding new customers vs. deepening value for existing ones, and why stacking launches can backfire. They talk about the power of referrals, how to operationalize them, and the surprising story of a DMT shaman that inspired a one-referral-per-user strategy. The episode ends with a broader conversation about motivating adoption, integrating into workflows, and what it actually takes to compound growth in SAAS.

In this episode of the SAAS Operators Podcast, we get into the realities of trust in business. What it means to break it, rebuild it, and keep moving. The boys open with stories of personal betrayal and reconciliation, then shift into platform tradeoffs, debating whether Shopify’s distribution is worth the cost. We talk about customer behavior across different ecosystems, how to think about pricing power, and the rising cost of growth in a tightening market. And the episode wraps with sharp takes on ad arbitrage, interpreting creative through customer eyes, and how one great ad can change a business.

This blog covers how to setup your Facebook ad campaign at the campaign level, including naming conventions, budgeting strategies, audience segmentation, and settings for Advantage+ and custom audiences to ensure optimal ad performance and scalability.

Want a transparent look into your competitors' ad strategy? Spyder’s Creative Tests tab shows exactly which ads they launch, when they launch them, and which ones stay live, so you can start where they stopped testing.

If you're running creative strategy, you can't afford sloppy brand identity. Inside Foreplay's Briefs, you can lock in everything from fonts and tone to taglines and high-res assets so your creators hit the mark every time without endless back and forth.

What if you could see which ads your competitors actually keep running? This is how to spy on top-performing Facebook ads from brands like AG1, revealing their best hooks, CTAs, landing pages, and emotional angles so you can copy what works instead of guessing.

Stop guessing which ad hooks work. We’re diving into Foreplay’s Spyder tool to show you how top brands like DRMTLGY use high-performing hooks that have run for hundreds of days. Learn how to find, filter, and pin the best hooks across competitors so you can test proven winners in your next creative. This is AI-powered creative research without the learning curve.

In this episode of the SAAS Operators Podcast, the boys are joined by Cory Gill, founder of Alia. After a brief discussion on the pursuit of money and happiness and the stigma around being successful financially, they dive into the impact of fees on developer ecosystems. They talk about the long-term effects of market pressures and how to navigate cost pressures and efficiencies. The episode ends with a discussion about attribution challenges in customer acquisition and the importance of customer feedback.

In this episode of the SAAS Operators Podcast the hosts talk about the launch of Meta’s new AI App and how AI is changing the future of shopping and consumer behavior. They discuss the value of SAAS and its perception challenges, focusing on the evolution of software and customer expectations. They have a brief conversation about the impact of incumbents on Startups and end with a discussion on market saturation and product innovation where we all find out how much Jack loves butter.

In this episode of the SAAS Operators Podcast Danilo Vicioso, the founder of Mainstreet, joins the hosts and things get deep. They talk about systems, have a debate on raising vs bootstrapping and tell the stories behind how they named their companies. Zach tries to convince the boys that all legal disputes should be dealt with in a mud pit and the episode ends with a discussion on why subscriptions are the best thing since sliced bread.

The Ridge Wallet has mastered the art of Facebook advertising, and their strategy offers valuable insights for any brand looking to improve their ads. Let's dive deep into how they've built their successful ad campaigns and what we can learn from their approach.

In the competitive world of fitness apparel, Alo Yoga stands out with their sophisticated Facebook advertising strategy. Let's break down exactly how they're taking over the digital advertising space and what marketers can learn from their approach.

In this episode of the SAAS Operators Podcast, Jeremiah is back with that “3 kid hair” and the hosts talk about the importance of buying your time back to maximize your effectiveness. They dive deep into how AI is changing SAAS and Jeremiah gives insights on how Shopify surpassed WooCommerce as the preferred website builder that leaves Rishabh speechless (almost). The episode ends with an update on what the hosts are doing to help their clients with the tariffs.

In this episode of the SAAS Operators Podcast, Jeremiah is still out and the hosts dive into why daily routines are so popular right now. They talk about the bad advice some of their VC friends are giving and the episode ends with a discussion about growth vs profitability.

In this episode of the SAAS Operators Podcast, Jeremiah is off having a baby and in the meantime, the hosts discuss what's new at Fermat and Foreplay, their daily routines and how software is immune to tariffs.

In this episode of the SAAS Operators Podcast, the hosts discuss OpenAI ad generation. They dive deep into solving problems vs following demand trends, highlighting the difference between tools and solutions. The episode ends with a brief discussion on the role of AI in SAAS PMF.

Let's see how the most successful streetwear brands are using Foreplay to create winning ad campaigns.

In this episode of the SAAS Operators Podcast, the hosts discuss the pros and cons of Bootstrapping vs VC Funding. They dive deep into the difference of lifestyle businesses vs the expectations of a VC. The conversation highlights their personal goals and entrepreneurial aspirations as well as the differences of a CEO and an entrepreneur and the psychology behind entrepreneurship. The episode ends with a brief discussion on product-led vs sales-led strategies.

In the competitive snack food market, making effective ads requires more than just creative intuition - it demands data-driven insights and deep competitor analysis. Let's dive in and see how brands can use Foreplay to build ads that don’t just work, but dominate the competition.

I invited Ben Dyer, the Head of Growth from Webtopia to share how he and his team used a creative marketing strategy to grow an art DTC business.

I invited Toby Waller, an ex-Apple marketer, the founder of multiple eCommerce brands and the one of the co-founders of Brick Social to share how he broke seasonality for one of his brands.

Staying ahead of the competition demands data, insight and efficiency. This is why brands use Foreplay. The world’s largest dataset on ads - nothing says data-driven decisions like Foreplay.

We did a deep dive into Sporty & Rich's advertising playbook to reveal how they've mastered the art of fashion marketing through strategic ad creative execution.

Foreplay.co streamlines ad inspiration for Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok by replacing endless scrolling and disorganized screenshots with a powerful tool for ecommerce marketing agencies to develop winning creative.

There were a lot of memorable ads during this year's Super Bowl. We reviewed some of the standout ads - the one’s that caught our attention.

This is a breakdown of how brands like The Ridge use Foreplay to track their competitors, analyze best-performing ads, and launch ads that work on autopilot.

This is a breakdown of how brands like AG1 use Foreplay to track their competitors, analyze best-performing ads, and launch ads that work on autopilot.

This is a breakdown of how brands like Gymshark use Foreplay to track their competitors, analyze best-performing ads, and launch ads that work on autopilot.