The cloud AI space is complicated and always changing. I'm giving you a deep dive into AWS, Google, Azure, and the others, with my take on their strengths, weaknesses, and what they're planning. This is the guide every founder needs.
What I've Learned From 110 Companies
Across 234 angel investments, including Anthropic, a few patterns in SaaS sales and marketing come up again and again.
The founders who handle SaaS sales and marketing well understand that your team matters more than your technology.
The Reality Nobody Talks About
A lot of the advice on SaaS sales and marketing rests on assumptions that made sense five years ago. The world has moved on.
The first thing to understand is that most founders overthink this and underspend on execution. I've seen this play out across dozens of companies. The pattern is unmistakable.
Many teams spend months on the wrong path before realizing that your team matters more than your technology. Once they make the switch, everything changes.
What I Tell Founders
Before deciding anything about SaaS sales and marketing, start with three questions:
What's your timeline? Because the right approach for a company with 6 months of runway is very different from one with 3 years.
What have you already tried? Most founders have tried something. Understanding what didn't work is often more valuable than knowing what might.
Who on your team owns this? If the answer is "everyone" or "no one," that's your first problem to solve.
These questions seem simple but they reveal a lot about where a company actually stands.
This connects to broader themes around cloud AI services, AI pricing models, usage-based pricing, serverless AI, AI infrastructure costs that I've been thinking about a lot lately.
What's Next
Best practice in SaaS sales and marketing is changing fast. What worked last year might not work next year. That's both the challenge and the opportunity.
My advice: stay curious, stay humble, and stay close to the people who are actually doing the work. Read less thought leadership and do more experiments. Talk to fewer consultants and more practitioners.
If you're building in this space, the best time to get SaaS sales and marketing right is before you need to. Don't wait for a crisis to force your hand.
I'll keep sharing what I learn. This stuff matters too much to keep to myself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:Is this guide based on real experience?
Every recommendation in this guide comes from direct experience, either from building and selling my own companies, or from patterns I've observed across 234 angel investments. I don't write about things I haven't personally tested.
Q:Who is this guide designed for?
This guide is written for founders and operators who want practical, actionable advice rather than theoretical frameworks. Whether you're just starting out or scaling an existing business, the principles here apply across stages.
Q:How often is this guide updated?
I revisit and update my guides regularly as I learn new things and as the market evolves. The core principles tend to stay stable, but specific tactics and tools get refreshed based on what's working right now.
Q:How should I work through this guide?
Don't try to absorb everything in one sitting. Read through once to get the big picture, then go back and work through each section as it becomes relevant to your current challenges. Bookmark it and return to it regularly.