The Vibe Your SaaS Founder/Investor Mixer at TechCrunch Disrupt is Sold Out

That’s it. No more slots left. Oh, you haven’t heard about it?

Two Silicon Valley legends, Aaref Hilaly, Bain Capital Ventures, and ​Gautam Gupta, Strata Capital, have agreed to join me and my co-host, Arjun Dev Arora, for an invite-only and founder-friendly event.

When and where? During TechCrunch Disrupt on Tuesday, October 28, in San Francisco.

Who else is going to be there? Click here to find out.

If you want to go, add yourself to the waitlist. A few spots should open up as we get closer to the event, and we'll see who might need to drop out.

You’re Much Better Than You Think at Founder-Led Sales 👊

In my experience, most founders think they're terrible at sales. They cringe at the thought of "selling," worry they sound awkward on calls, and assume they need to hire a "real salesperson" ASAP.

Yet every successful startup I know started with founder-led sales. And when those same founders hired professional sales reps, the conversion rates often dropped. The sales cycles get longer.

Why? Because everything you think makes you bad at sales actually makes you unstoppable.

Your "Flaws" Are Superpowers

Professional salespeople sell whatever they're assigned to sell. This quarter, it's CRM software; next, it's accounting tools. They're good at selling, but they're not emotionally invested in the outcome.

You? You built this thing. You dream about it. You take rejection personally because this isn't just a job. It's your life's work.

That passion is magnetic. When Stewart Butterfield was selling what would become Slack, he wasn't just selling a communication tool. He was selling his vision of how teams could work better together. The passion was obvious and contagious.

You Know Too Much About the Product

Many will tell you this is a problem. They'll say you'll overwhelm prospects with features and get lost in technical details.

They're wrong.

When a prospect asks a question, sales reps give superficial answers and promise to "follow up with the technical team." You? You know the answer right there on the call. You understand the full context of the situation because you know and have experienced every edge case while building the product.

You Take it Personally

Professional salespeople are trained to stay detached. "Don't take it personally," they're told. "It's just business."

You? Well, it is personal. This is your life's work. When someone says your product isn't right for them, it feels like they're rejecting you.

But that personal investment shows up as conviction. When you believe in what you're selling, when every "no" makes you work harder to understand why, prospects feel that authenticity. Conviction becomes confidence.

The Unfair Advantages Only Founders Have

When you get on the call with a prospect or customer, you have advantages that no hired gun salesperson will ever possess:

• Instant Credibility: When you walk into a room, you're not just another sales rep. You're the founder who saw a problem and decided to solve it. You can adjust pricing, modify features, or create custom solutions.

• Direct Feedback Loop: Every objection you hear goes straight back to product development. Every feature request gets evaluated immediately. You're not playing telephone through layers of management.

• The Full Back Story: You know why you built this. You remember the exact moment you realized the problem needed solving. You also remember every update, change, and version in detail.

The Founder Sales Framework

1. Start With Your Network (But Be Smart About It)

Don't just blast your college friends or accelerator cohort with sales pitches. Instead, reach out to get feedback. Most people will give you 15 minutes to hear about what you're building, even if they won't take a sales meeting.

Let these conversations evolve naturally. If they see value, they'll ask how to get started. If not, you've still learned something valuable.

2. Perfect Your Founder Story (Not Pitch)

Forget the polished elevator pitch. Instead, tell your story:

• The problem: When did you realize this problem needed solving?

• Your solution: What did you build (in one sentence)?

• Proof point: One concrete example of impact

• Your ask: Do you want them to try it, give feedback, make an intro, etc?

(Use a timer, and keep it under two minutes. This will be really hard for a lot of you, but I promise the shorter the story, the better.)

3. Qualify Early and Often

Be sure to ask these questions:

• Do they actually have this problem?

• Is it painful enough that they'd pay to solve it?

• Who makes these decisions?

• What's their timeline?

• Do they have a budget? (Most important)

I struggled with sales when I first started as a fractional CMO years ago. I was out on a bike ride, and I asked my buddy, a top SaaS sales guy, what I was doing wrong. He just said, “Well, do these people have a budget?”

BINGO. Then sales just clicked for me after that.

Find people with money and don't be afraid to disqualify those who don’t have it. Your time is precious.

4. Listen More Than You Talk

We have two ears and one mouth for a reason.

Take detailed notes. Ask follow-up questions. Dig into their workflow. The insights you gather will make your product better and your next conversation easier.

5. Handle Objections With Grace

When someone says "it's too expensive," don't fire up a complex ROI spreadsheet. Instead, ask what their budget is and what would make it worth the investment.

When they say "we need to think about it," try: "That makes sense. Help me understand what you'll be evaluating so I can make sure you have everything you need." This opens the door to uncovering real concerns without being pushy.

Your authenticity in handling objections will differentiate you from every sales rep they've ever talked to.

Key Metrics to Track

At first, you won’t need a fancy CRM system. Just track everything in Airtable or Notion. You will also want to pay attention to these KPIs:

• Number of meetings

• Meetings-to-sales conversion rate

• Average deal size

• Sales cycle length

• Win/loss rate and reasons

Keep in mind that the number of touchpoints to generate a meeting and the number of meetings to generate a sale generally increase with the price point of your product.

When to Hire Your First Salesperson

You're ready to hire when:

• You've closed 10+ deals yourself and can explain exactly why each one worked

• You have a repeatable process documented

• You can clearly articulate your ideal customer profile (ICP)

• You're turning away qualified prospects because you don't have time

• Monthly recurring revenue justifies the hire

But here's the key: Do not hire a smooth talker or the best resume. You will need someone to shadow you and learn from you for a while. Look for a person who genuinely gets your product and believes in your mission.

Remember This

The goal is not to become a professional salesperson. You're trying to find people who have the problem you've solved and help them fix it.

That's you. Now go out there and sell some software. 👊

014 The Gregory and Paul Show - Sam vs. Tucker | Larry vs. AI | NPM vs. Hackers | Cluely vs. Memes

On the Gregory and Paul Show, we break down the latest in startups, SaaS, AI, and whatever the internet is debating this week.

This episode covers Tucker Carlson’s tense interview with Sam Altman, Oracle’s $300B cloud deal with OpenAI, Apple’s thin new iPhone and AirPods with live translation, the largest npm hack in history, and why Perplexity is backing away from AI ads. The guys finish with a dive into Cluey’s viral marketing engine and an update on their upcoming TechCrunch Disrupt mixer.

Watch episode 014 on YouTube →

Free Vibe Your SaaS Resources

• NEW From Zero to 1M in ARR - How to Market Your Startup: the slides from the most popular talk at Seattle Tech Week. Get the free presentations →

• How to Monetize Your Climate Startup: Strategies for transforming environmental breakthroughs into businesses. Get the free presentations →

• The Vibe Marketer's Guide to Reddit: Unlock Reddit's massive marketing potential with this guide. Get the free presentation →

• 100 Reasons Customers Say “No” (And How to Make Them Say “Yes”): A Comprehensive Google Sheet breaks down 100 fixes. Get the free tool →

• "Every marketing channel sucks right now": 19 unconventional Vibe Marketing ideas that Founders can harness. Get the free presentation →

• 30-Day SaaS Growth Plan Template: Designed for technical founders who’d rather be building. Get the free eBook →

• How to get your first 1,000 followers on 𝕏: Building a large following on 𝕏 in 2025 is still possible. Get the free eBook →

• VC Pitch Deck Templates for Founders: Based on the legendary Sequoia deck, built for real fundraising. Get the free templates →

One Month of Vibe Your SaaS Will Cost You Less Than a Failed Ad Campaign

Let me get right to the point. Founders are all good at building, but marketing? It’s an enigma, wrapped in a riddle.

I help founders get their sales and marketing sh*t together. Sometimes the pipeline grows fast. Sometimes it doesn’t. But every time we stop talking like a lame TEDx talk from 2009.

Not only do we meet weekly for an hour, but I also share my battle-tested marketing framework, specifically designed for early-stage companies, including:

• Vibe 3-Month Marketing Plan — Go from idea to $10K+ MRR.

• Minimum Sellable Product (MSP) Builder — Validate before you build.

• ICP Development Guide — Know exactly who to market to, no more guesswork.

• Competitive Landscape Evaluator — Know where you stand and how to win.

• Messaging Framework — Turn features into feelings people buy.

• Marketing Plan Templates — Copy-paste frameworks that convert.

• Monthly Content Planning Doc — Never stare at a blank page again.

I also charge a simple flat monthly fee. No contract. No lock-in. No BS.

Book a consultation here.

Let’s vibe.

About Me

I'm Gregory Kennedy, former creative director, 3X head of marketing, and founder of Vibe Your SaaS. I help early-stage startups build real momentum with strategic clarity, AI-driven execution, and zero BS. I love coffee. I love to ride a bike. And I love helping early-stage tech companies win.

Greogry Kennedy // Vibe Your SaaS // www.vbmrktr.com

007 Vibe Your SaaS Playlist - AI AI AI AI AI AI

AI made all of these songs. What? Yes. From glitch hop and dark metal to soul music. William Gibson never predicted this. The future is here. The future is weird. When the costs of production go to zero, the only thing of value is distribution.

Listen here →

How Am I Doing?

Did you like this edition? What do you want more of? Less of? Reply to this and let me know what you think. I will write you back. It’s a promise.