Experience driven lessons on leading
startups, culture and customer success
by Nick Mehta
September 22, 2022
One of my favorite TV shows ever is the 2000s comedy Community. The show features six-ish community college students who become unlikely friends. I love the program for many reasons. First of all, it’s one of the most meta TV series ever, in that it’s mainly self-referential about TV tropes. And if you know me, […]
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Just before Pulse, I shared my (slightly biased) opinion on why Pulse is the Best SaaS Event of the Year. And our time together at the Moscone Center proved that again ten times over. We laughed together. We suffered through far too many of my dad jokes and Taylor Swift references. We celebrated all the […]
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This article was originally published on Fast Company. My morning mental health best practices includes things to not check: My phone. My email. My stock portfolio. If you’ve accidentally done the latter lately, you know things are very different than they were a few months ago for SaaS stocks. While the next few quarters are […]
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August 24, 2022
This article was originally published on Fast Company. My first real job was as a Product Manager at a software company in 2002. I remember sitting in my tiny, windowless office and launching my Windows XP laptop for the first time. And I remember asking the PM in the office next door to help me […]
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August 5, 2022
Pulse is one of my favorite times of the year, and if you’ve attended one before, you know why. In addition to hearing from fantastic thought leaders, spending time networking with peers, and growing your career, the puppies, parties, and parody videos tie it all together. This year the theme of Pulse is “Together, We’re […]
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July 29, 2022
Co-authored by Shantan Reddy. I don’t know about you – but data is one of my favorite things to geek out about (in addition to creating music parodies and talking about physics). Many of you know Gainsight has thousands of customers and tens of thousands of customer success managers that use Gainsight daily, so we […]
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June 30, 2022
The paranoid CEO in me has been feeling better since last week’s survey results on what investors thought of the SaaS valuation collapse. Still, I wanted a more complete picture of SaaS’s trajectory in the economic downturn. Private Equity and Venture Capital firms may be aligned on priorities, but what about CEOs? Are there meaningful […]
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June 29, 2022
As companies consider the chaos in the market and plan their strategies for the second half of the year, Product-led growth (PLG) is (or should be!) top of mind for many SaaS executives. In fact, we learned from the Product-Led Growth Index 2022 that almost half of SaaS companies plan to double their investment in […]
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June 25, 2022
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m an annoyingly-positive optimist. But like every CEO, I’m also constantly paranoid. So two narratives are constantly battling away in my brain right now: “The market opportunity for SaaS has never been better.” “The stock market is down by how much?” After reading the 732nd memo from a VC […]
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June 15, 2022
This article was originally published on Inc. It’s a challenging time in the world–and in the world of SaaS. Right now 2022, the Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP) NASDAQ Emerging Cloud Index is down nearly 40% from its peak. Since SaaS companies grew a lot during that time frame, this means multiples are down even more. […]
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April 30, 2022
Every company claims, “you’ll never work somewhere like here” and, “we have the best company Values.” And I’m sure they are all (mostly) true. But there’s something really special about working at Gainsight – although I may be a little bit biased. I love talking to people. If you casually Google my name, you’ll find […]
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April 19, 2022
This post originally appeared in Chief Executive. In case you missed the news—or haven’t visited a grocery store in a long time—prices are going up. Whether you’re looking for a house, a handbag, a used Honda or a ham sandwich, everything is much more expensive. According to this week’s reporting from the Bureau of Labor […]
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April 18, 2022
If your goal is to become a SaaS CEO at a startup company, you’ll have to learn several skills: Building a business strategy Motivating the team Executing consistently Raising money Repeating CEO cliches over and over again While I find all parts of the job to be interesting, there are some unique lessons you get […]
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March 3, 2022
Whenever people ask me what my favorite TV show was as a kid, I pause to decide whether to reveal my secret shame or not. While I loved cartoons and still remember the theme song to “The Golden Girls,” what I was addicted to at ten years old was CNBC. I loved hearing the anchors’ […]
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March 3, 2022
“Do you have time for a quick call? I’d love to get your input on our Customer Success Organization.” I’ve received at least 500 emails, texts, and Linkedin DMs like this from SaaS CEOs over my nine years running Gainsight. And I LOVE getting these messages. It’s so encouraging to see CEOs leaning into Customer […]
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February 3, 2022
Ignoring the haters! It’s indisputable that Peloton – and other digital fitness companies like it – have changed the way millions of human beings exercise. Sure, the latest Sex and the City reboot and stock price drop aren’t great for business. But as a Peloton rider myself, I have seen first-hand how Peloton has transformed […]
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January 13, 2022
TL; DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read): Gainsight acquired SaaS Community Software leader inSided! For the mundane version of this news, click here. And to see a video of Robin van Lieshout (CEO of inSided) and me sharing the news, with a bit of rapping embedded. What comes to mind when you think of community? Maybe […]
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December 23, 2021
[Caveat emptor: I write this to share gratitude, but I also recognize that I am very fortunate in so many ways; many people are struggling.] Like many people, I am a creature of routine and habit. I have the same lunch every day (plain oatmeal with blueberries). I try to go to bed by 10 […]
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December 17, 2021
“Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” – Albert Einstein “I don’t care about that Einstein quote. What’s the ROI of Customer Success?” – Your CFO If you want to start a fight (or at least a spirited debate) at a Customer Success conference, yell the following […]
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October 29, 2021
I know what you’re thinking. What do Ted Lasso and my mom have to do with leadership? Or worse, you might be asking, “Who is Ted Lasso?” Spoiler Alert! If you haven’t seen Ted Lasso yet, stop reading and subscribe to Apple+, so you can watch the best. Show. Ever. Ted Lasso (portrayed by Jason […]
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