Best Melissa Kwan Podcasts (2024)

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E264 | Sales-Led vs. Product-Led: The Key Differences Tackling Churn with eWebinar's CEO Melissa Kwan 46:39

6d ago46:39

46:39

Today on the show, we have Melissa Kwan, CEO and Co-Founder of eWebinar. In this episode, Melissa shares her experience building and scaling eWebinar, a product-led company, and contrasts it with her previous sales-led ventures. We dive into the key differences between sales-led and product-led growth models, specifically how each approach tackles …

1
E265 | How Rows' Ungated, Product-as-the-Homepage Experience Tripled User Signups and Redefined Activation with Henrique Cruz 45:52

1h ago45:52

45:52

Today on the show, we have Henrique Cruz, Head of Growth at Rows. In this episode, Henrique shares how Rows radically transformed its user acquisition and activation strategy by making the product the homepage. He breaks down the bold decision to remove traditional barriers like signups, creating an ungated, no-account-required experience that trip…

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S2E16 Our $130k Mistake in Affiliate Marketing 35:43

7d ago35:43

35:43

If you have a great product and offer a commission for people to promote it, they’d happily do it and you’d just make money, right? Not so fast… On this episode, Melissa and Todd recount the painful memories of spending $130k on affiliate marketing over 10 months; an experience Melissa considers the “biggest financial mistake she’s made in her care…

1
How Blockchain is Fueling Regenerative Finance: A Look at Coral Tribe NFT and ReFi Hub 58:53

7d ago58:53

58:53

Send us a text I sat down with Christian Chegne and Avery Schwartz, co-founders of Coral Tribe NFT and ReFi Hub. They are using blockchain to push forward regenerative finance and make a big impact on sustainability. They shared how they raised $1 million from their Coral Tribe NFT and used part of the proceeds to fund five major impact environment…

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E263 | From Optimizely to Limitless: Dan Siroker on Building Products That Wow 42:36

11d ago42:36

42:36

Today on the show we have Dan Siroker, CEO and Co-Founder of Limitless. In this episode, Dan shares his journey from founding Optimizely, growing it to $120 million in ARR, to now leading Limitless, a company focused on building products that enhance memory. We discussed the challenges of transitioning from B2B to B2C, including how AI is reshaping…

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356. Carolyn Cesario on Co-Founding Ground Up PDX and Empowering Women in Transition 1:04:22

15d ago1:04:22

1:04:22

Get your tasty Ground Up PDX nut butter for 15% off with code (FEISWORLD): https://grounduppdx.com/ This episode is not sponsored by Ground Up PDX - just two friends chatting again after 13 years. In this interview with Carolyn Cesario, co-founder of Ground Up PDX, we delve into the inspiring journey of building a mission-driven company that empowe…

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E262 | How Data-Driven Automation Transforms Customer Success with Joe Di Grande 35:47

20d ago35:47

35:47

Today on the show, we have Joe Di Grande, the founder of Joe Does Tech Touch, a consulting firm specializing in customer success automation. In this episode, Joe discusses the transformative power of data-driven automation in customer success. He shares how companies can leverage data to segment customers, automate renewals, and scale personalized …

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S2E15 How We Decided on Our Roadmap 45:37

21d ago45:37

45:37

Everyone says you need to measure everything so you can make data-driven decisions on your product. That's exactly the strategy eWebinar DID NOT follow, especially when there's not going to be enough data when you don't have enough users. On this episode, Melissa and Todd shares how they decided on priorities even before having a significant custom…

1
E261 | From Zero to Success: How to Build Customer Success Teams from Scratch with Ben Francis 49:59

29d ago49:59

49:59

Today on the show we have Ben Francis, the Director of Customer Success at Evident. In this episode, Ben shares his experience in building and scaling customer success teams from scratch. He offers actionable insights on refining onboarding processes, consolidating essential customer data, and employing strategic hiring practices to foster team gro…

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E260 | The PLG vs. SLG Debate: Surprising Insights from SaaS Benchmarks with Emilia Korczynska of User Pilot 48:19

1M ago48:19

48:19

Today on the show we have Emilia Korczynska, the VP of Marketing at Userpilot. In this episode, Emilia shares her insights into the ongoing debate between Product-Led Growth (PLG) and Sales-Led Growth (SLG) strategies in SaaS companies. Emilia shared surprising findings from Userpilot’s latest SaaS product metrics benchmark report, which challenge …

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E259 | Identifying Your Ideal Customer Profile: A Data-Driven Approach with Goodfit's CEO Harrison Rose 43:08

1M ago43:08

43:08

Today on the show we have Harrison Rose, CEO and Co-founder of GoodFit. In this episode, Harrison shares his journey from founding Paddle, a revenue delivery platform for B2B SaaS, to starting GoodFit, a company that helps businesses identify the right customers at the right time with the right message. We dive deep into the importance of identifyi…

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No-Code, Community Building, and the Leap to Full-Time Founder with Sharath Kuruganty 52:13

2M ago52:13

52:13

Send us a text In the latest episode of the Growth Leap Podcast, I had a great chat with Sharath Kuruganty. Sharath’s a serial maker, a successful SaaS founder, and a key player in various online communities. He’s the brain behind projects like Guest Lab, an AI research assistant that helps podcast hosts streamline guest research. You’ve probably s…

1
E258 | Transforming Customer Success into a Growth Function with Entrust's Chief Customer Officer Harini Gokul 39:54

2M ago39:54

39:54

Today on the show we have Harini Gokul, the Chief Customer Officer of Entrust. In this episode, Harini shares her experience in transforming Entrust’s customer success function into a powerful growth engine. We dive into the strategies she used to align customer success with P&L goals, ensuring the team’s contribution to revenue growth. Harini also…

1
E257 | How to Build a Customer Success Team Leveraging Subject Matter Experts with Szuyin Leow 45:06

2M ago45:06

45:06

Today on the show we have Szuyin Leow, the VP of Customer Experience at Transcend. In this episode, Szuyin shares her experience transitioning from IT security consulting to customer success, and how leveraging subject matter experts has transformed her approach to building effective CS teams. We then discuss the strategies and benefits of hiring i…

1
355. Celebrate Women in History through Xiang Li Art 45:19

2M ago45:19

45:19

I can't think of a better person to share this conversation with me than Tripti G. Chandorkar. I was blessed to have her as a colleague 17 years ago working in consulting. Our shared experiences bound us, and we are again creating something we both love for Xiang Li Art. In this conversation, we explore the beginning of working together on Xiang Li…

1
You’re Using OKRs All Wrong — Here’s How to Get Your Team to Reach Their Goals 10:57

2M ago10:57

10:57

Send us a text Most OKR frameworks focus on what you want to accomplish, but not how. They’re great for setting strategy and direction, but they don’t help you identify the tactical tasks that will get those things done. The real stumbling block ain’t the strategies or the OKRs, it’s how they align with daily tasks. That’s where most OKR frameworks…

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E256 | Community-Driven Development: Boosting Retention with Integrations with Biro Florin 44:26

2M ago44:26

44:26

Today on the show we have Biro Florin, a misfit, angel investor, exited founder, and show host of Misfit Founders. In this episode, Biro shares his experience in building successful integrations within the Atlassian marketplace. We then discussed how community-driven development can significantly enhance user retention and engagement. We wrapped up…

1
S2E14 10 Go-to-Market Strategies that Didn't Work 34:14

2M ago34:14

34:14

Running a startup is a lot of throwing things against the wall to see what sticks (and what doesn't). The hard truth is, majority of things you do won't work...but you need to do them anyway to find the few things that do. On this episode, Melissa and Todd dives into the 10 go-to-marketing strategies that didn't work for them, why, and what they le…

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354. AI Meets L&D: Innovating Workplace Learning with Kevin Alster 1:22:27

2M ago1:22:27

1:22:27

Try Synthesia: https://www.feisworld.com/go/synthesia-io Kevin Alster is Head of Synthesia Academy ( @synthesia-io ) His mission is to help everyday people and enterprises close the gap between understanding information and putting it to work. With over a decade in education and leveraging emerging tech for video communication, he's crafted learnin…

1
E255 | Navigating Growth and Retention: Lessons from PostHog’s CEO, James Hawkins 41:37

2M ago41:37

41:37

Today on the show we have James Hawkins, CEO and co-founder of PostHog. In this episode, James shares his experience navigating growth and retention at PostHog. He discusses his journey from working in outbound sales to leading a product-led growth startup and the importance of an inbound-focused approach. We delve into how PostHog defined and focu…

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E254 | Reactivation Tactics: Transforming Cancellations into Customer Retention Opportunities with Baird Hall 39:22

3M ago39:22

39:22

Today on the show we have Baird Hall, the co-founder of Churnkey. In this episode, Baird shares his experience in developing effective reactivation campaigns and the importance of segmentation in retention strategies. We then discussed how small changes in retention tactics can have a monumental impact on high-volume subscription businesses, and th…

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S2E13 Owning SEO When Marketing Agencies Suck 47:25

3M ago47:25

47:25

In the last 13 years, Melissa has worked with over 10 marketing agencies/contractors to execute a content strategy. Most couldn't deliver on their promise. It was incredibly frustrating. You may have experienced something similar. The vicious cycle went something like this: → Hire company experienced in digital marketing for min 3-6 months → Get pr…

1
E253 | Optimising Positioning, Messaging, and Buyer Enablement to Drive Customer Success with Jason Oakley 33:15

3M ago33:15

33:15

Today on the show we have Jason Oakley, the founder of Productive PMM and former Director of Product Marketing at Klue and Chili Piper. In this episode, Jason shares his experience in building product marketing from the ground up, focusing on the critical areas of positioning, messaging, and buyer enablement. We discussed how these elements play a …

1
E252 | Preventing Team Churn: Leadership Tactics for Retaining Talent with Mr Joe 50:20

3M ago50:20

50:20

Today on the show we have Joe Leech, a Coach to CEOs with 18 years of tech experience, working with over 30 startups and FTSE100 giants. In this episode, Joe shares his insights on retaining top talent and preventing team churn. We discussed the common mistakes leaders make in micromanagement and hiring and we wrapped up by exploring effective onbo…

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E251 | Pricing & Packaging for Long-Term Customer Retention with Mark Stiving 35:51

3M ago35:51

35:51

Today on the show we have Mark Stiving, the founder of Impact Pricing and author of "Selling Value", "Impact Pricing", and "Win Keep Grow". In this episode, Mark shares his experience in the intricacies of pricing and packaging strategies, emphasizing their impact on customer retention and expansion. We then discussed understanding customer value, …

1
S2E12 Staying Super Duper Lean 45:12

3M ago45:12

45:12

Melissa and Todd talks about how they stay super lead as a bootstrapped startup, how they decide what to and what not to spend money on, and how to avoid money mistakes they've made in the last few years. Takeaways: • What "lean" means especially for bootstrapped startups • The importance of optimizing cost versus being cheap • What to spend money …

1
E250 | How Disco Boosted Virality by Switching Activation Channels with Justin Vandehey 31:52

4M ago31:52

31:52

Today on the show we have Justin Vandehey, the Director of Partner Integrations and Development at Culture Amp. In this episode, Justin shares his experience in growing Disco, a Slack-based employee recognition platform, which was acquired by Culture Amp. We then discussed how Disco initially started as an email-based integration and the challenges…

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Scaling eCommerce with YouTube Ads: Christian Hoppe’s Proven Approach 37:13

4M ago37:13

37:13

Send us a text On this episode of the Growth Leap Podcast, I chat with Christian Hoppe, co-founder of Forwrd Agency. This digital marketing agency has cracked the code for driving revenue for sustainable e-commerce brands with YouTube ads. With over 15 years of experience in digital marketing and advertising, Christian shares how he discovered the …

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E249 | Optimizing User Acquisition for Long-Term Retention with Planable's CMO, Miruna Dragomir 35:42

4M ago35:42

35:42

Today on the show we have Miruna Dragomir, CMO of Planable. In this episode, Miruna shares her experience in optimizing user acquisition for long-term retention. We discuss her transition from large corporations like Uber and Oracle to an early-stage startup, Planable, and how she built and scaled the marketing team. Miruna also delves into the int…

1
S2E11 Leveraging Customers to Sell Our Product 41:01

4M ago41:01

41:01

Melissa and Todd talks about how (and why) they leveraged their best customers to sell and market eWebinar by using the language they used to describe value propositions and how the product solves their problems. Takeaways: • The moment Melissa realized 1on1 sales was never going to cut it • How to extract the best product marketing language from y…

1
E248 | How Anti-Retention Metrics and Next Best Actions Boost Retention with Martin Gonto 36:32

4M ago36:32

36:32

Today on the show we have Martin Gonto, the Co-Founder and GTM advisor of HyperGrowth Partners and interim CMO at Vercel. In this episode, Gonto shares his experience in identifying and leveraging anti-retention metrics to optimize product strategies. We then discussed the concept of next best actions and how these strategic steps can significantly…

1
Building a Business on Your Terms: Melissa Kwan on Bootstrapping and Webinar Automation 45:07

4M ago45:07

45:07

Send us a text In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Melissa Kwan, co-founder and CEO of eWebinar. eWebinar is a platform that automates webinars using prerecorded videos. Melissa is a three-time bootstrap founder, digital nomad, and host of the Profit Led Podcast. As an entrepreneur, she's driven by her desire to create a business t…

1
E247 | Mastering Mobile Retention: Insights from SoundCloud and VSCO with Andy Carvell from Phiture 43:36

4M ago43:36

43:36

Today on the show we have Andy Carvell, CEO and Co-Founder of Phiture. In this episode, Andy shares the framework Phiture uses to increase mobile app retention, drawing from his extensive work with companies like SoundCloud and VSCO. We discussed the future of mobile app interactions, including the potential of voice interfaces, AI, and wearable te…

1
S2E10 Importance of Founder-Led Sales 58:40

4M ago58:40

58:40

Founder-led sales is the ONLY way to get your startup off the ground. If you can't sell your own product, how can you expect someone else to? On this episode, Melissa digs into why every founder needs to be the first to sell their product, and how anyone can learn how to sell today. Takeaways: • Where to find your first set of prospects to sell to …

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E246 | Optimizing Cancellation Flows to Reduce Churn: Unbounce’s Approach with Tamara Grominsky 40:11

4M ago40:11

40:11

Today on the show we have Tamara Grominsky, the Chief Strategy Officer at Unbounce. In this episode, Tamara shares her experience in optimizing cancellation flows to reduce churn. We then discussed how Unbounce implemented a data-driven approach to understand the reasons behind customer cancellations and how they tailored their strategies to differ…

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Untrapping Product Teams with David Pereira: Insights on Product Management and Innovation 43:39

5M ago43:39

43:39

Send us a text David Pereira is CEO of Omoco and a seasoned product leader with 15 years of experience, primarily in the digital product development sphere. David shares his journey from a software engineer to a leading role in product management, and now as the CEO and CPO of Omoco, a company innovating in the maritime industry with a user-friendl…

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E245 | Shaping Customer Discovery During Active Vs Passive Looking Phases with Ryan Singer 44:33

5M ago44:33

44:33

Today on the show we have Ryan Singer, the founder of Felt Presence and former head of strategy at Basecamp. In this episode, Ryan shares his experience in evolving the Shape Up framework to better fit diverse team structures and needs. We then discussed his insights on navigating customer engagement through the concepts of active vs. passive looki…

1
S2E9 Product Launched, Now What? 44:48

5M ago44:48

44:48

Launching eWebinar after 18 months was a huge milestone, but then what? On this episode, Melissa and Todd discuss what it was like to wake up from the dream that if you build it, they'll come. Spoiler alert: That didn't happen. Takeaways: • When reality set in after months of daydreaming • Product assumptions that worked and didn't work • Initial u…

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E244 | Enhancing Product and Customer Success Alignment to Deliver Customer Value with PagerDuty's VP of CS, Heather Brown 37:02

5M ago37:02

37:02

Today on the show we have Heather Brown, the VP of Global Commercial Sales and Customer Success at PagerDuty. In this episode, Heather shares her extensive experience in bridging the gap between product development and customer success to enhance company performance and customer value. We dive into the innovative strategies PagerDuty employs to ens…

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E243 | Mitigating the Impact of Customer Champion Turnover with Customer.io's VP of Customer Experience, Natalie Onions 39:38

5M ago39:38

39:38

Today on the show, we have Natalie Onions, the Vice President of Customer Experience at Customer.io. In this episode, Natalie shares her in-depth insights into the crucial role of customer champions in driving customer success and what happens when these key individuals leave the company. We delve into the strategies that Customer.io employs to mit…

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S2E8 Launching Our MVP and Converting 85% of Trials 38:06

5M ago38:06

38:06

Melissa and Todd dive into the thrilling and nerve-wracking experience of launching eWebinar's MVP. While many people see product launches as the end goal and celebratory occasion, Melissa explains why it's often more stressful instead because that's when the dreams you've sold become reality. They reminisce about getting stuck in a never-ending ra…

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E242 | Navigating the Challenges of Product Management in Horizontal Products with Softr's Austin Yang 35:40

5M ago35:40

35:40

Today on the show we have Austin Yang, the Lead Product Manager of Softr. In this episode, Austin shares his experiences in the no-code space, particularly the unique challenges and opportunities it presents for product management. We then discussed the impact of horizontal products that serve multiple industries, and we wrapped up by discussing ho…

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Scaling Success: Acquiring and Engineering Growth in Micro SaaS with Kjael Skaalerud 54:27

6M ago54:27

54:27

Send us a text I had the pleasure of speaking with Kjael Skaalerud, seasoned sales executive, investor, and President of Skaling Ventures. He has found success in acquiring and growing micro SaaS companies. Kjael's contrarian approach focuses on small, profitable, and enduring businesses rather than chasing larger, venture-backed companies that oft…

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E241 | Crafting Your Homepage to Increase Conversions and Boost Customer Retention with Rob and Anthony of Fletch PMM 50:27

6M ago50:27

50:27

Today on the show we have Rob Kaminski and Anthony Pierri, the partners of Fletch PMM. In this episode, Rob and Anthony share their journey in establishing Fletch PMM, a specialized firm helping early-stage B2B SaaS startups refine their website homepages. They delve into the pivotal role of a company’s homepage in positioning and messaging, crucia…

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E240 | Embracing a Generalist Mindset and Flexibility in Career Growth: Céline Daley’s Journey to VP of Customer at DeepL 40:44

6M ago40:44

40:44

Today on the show we have Céline Daley, the VP of Customer at DeepL. In this episode, Céline shares her unique insights into embracing a generalist mindset and the role of flexibility in navigating tech careers. With a background that spans from marketing to customer success, and from startups to global companies, Céline's journey showcases the pow…

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S2E7 Coming Up With Our Business Model and Price Point 52:50

6M ago52:50

52:50

Melissa and Todd discuss how they established eWebinar's pricing model, focusing on aligning their business strategy with their lifestyle goals and market approach. Melissa shares insights from her past ventures, highlighting her shift towards a product-led strategy to ensure the business supports a hands-off lifestyle, avoiding the demanding natur…

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Revolutionizing Office Sustainability through Circular Economy with Reseat CEO Brandi Susewitz 44:48

6M ago44:48

44:48

Send us a text In this episode, I had the privilege of speaking with Brandi Susewitz, the founder and CEO of Reseat, a groundbreaking marketplace that aims to solve the pressing issue of office furniture waste. Brandi's journey from industry expert to tech entrepreneur is a testament to her passion for sustainability and her commitment to driving p…

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E239 | Closing the Feedback Loop: Cycle's Journey to Boost Customer Retention 38:39

6M ago38:39

38:39

Today on the show we have Mehdi Boudoukhane, the CEO & co-founder of Cycle. In this episode, Mehdi shares his transformative journey from a data scientist in Johannesburg to launching Cycle, a company that seamlessly connects customer feedback with product development to close the feedback loop and enhance retention. We then delved into how Cycle l…

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E238 | Preventing Churn Through Strategic Objection Handling with Vendr's Lizzy Rosen 37:18

6M ago37:18

37:18

Today on the show we have Lizzy Rosen, the VP of Customer Success at Vendr. In this episode, Lizzy shares her extensive experience in shaping the future of SaaS buying and how Vendr is revolutionizing the sales process to make it more efficient and transparent. We delve into the heart of objection handling, discussing how strategic approaches can s…

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S2E6 Going from Idea to Product Launch in 16 Months 49:38

6M ago49:38

49:38

When Melissa first went to Todd with the idea of eWebinar, he wasn't immediately convinced the product was solving a much needed problem. She engaged him as a contractor to write the first version of the website which started with competitive research. During that process, he grew passionate about the idea because he identified a gap in the market …

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Melissa Kwan Podcasts

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