After analyzing dozens of software company acquisitions and scaling teams at Microsoft, Stijn Hendrikse has identified the specific patterns that separate companies achieving explosive growth from those that plateau at $5-10M ARR.

In this conversation, Wes Bush sits down with Stijn, who breaks down the T2D3 framework (Triple, Triple, Double, Double, Double) - not as a theoretical model, but as a practical roadmap he's seen work across his PE portfolio and enterprise scaling experience. This isn't about growth hacking tactics. But it's about understanding that each stage of rapid scaling requires completely different strategic muscles.

The discussion reveals why most founders fail at T2D3 by trying to solve the right problems at the wrong time, how to navigate the brutal transition from startup agility to enterprise execution, and the counterintuitive reality that people - not product or market - become your primary growth constraint after $20M ARR.

Key Highlights:

01:27: The T2D3 framework decoded

13:56: Why chasing new customers kills growth

17:51: The muscle-building phase that breaks most companies

24:40: The people scaling crisis

47:19: The founder bottleneck

Learn more about Stijn's work:

T2D3 Book

Kalungi - B2B SaaS Marketing Agency

Connect with Stijn on LinkedIn

In today's episode, Wes Bush announces the launch of the Product-Led MBA, a comprehensive nine-week program designed to address the massive talent shortage in product-led growth (PLG). After nine years of helping over 400 companies generate $1 billion in self-serve revenue, he identifies a critical gap: there’s a real shortage of talent that understands the full spectrum of PLG implementation.

The Product-Led MBA teaches "full stack product-led growth," covering everything from strategy and user research to pricing, data analytics, and team building. This implementation-focused program provides real-world skills, templates, and a proven system that participants can immediately apply to any company, making it a valuable career investment in an AI-driven economy where PLG skills remain highly sought after.

Key Highlights:

• 00:47: Massive talent shortage in PLG
• 03:49: Get templates and systems we use with our clients
• 05:16: AI-proof your career with high-demand PLG skills
• 07:34: Limited time: $549 (50% off) for first 100 people

Learn more about the Product-Led MBA program

In today’s episode, Wes explores creating a frictionless onboarding experience to showcase a product’s value in under seven minutes. He introduces the Bowling Alley Framework, a strategy to direct users quickly to the value of a product by mapping out the shortest path—from sign-up to success. Wes explains that effective onboarding should eliminate unnecessary steps, label essential ones, and set up “bumpers” to guide users back if they stray. Product bumpers, like tooltips and progress bars, keep users on track, while conversational bumpers, such as emails and support messages, re-engage users who have dropped off. This combined approach helps retain new users and boosts their likelihood to upgrade.

Key Highlights:

• 00:44: Importance of an effortless experience for retention.
• 02:09: Overview of the Bowling Alley Framework.
• 04:36: Building a straight line for users to see value.
• 10:08: Adding profiling questions to personalize the user journey.
• 14:28: How to streamline onboarding and reduce the number of steps
• 19:05: Role of product and conversational bumpers to re-engage users

You can buy The Product-Led Playbook here.

I’m taking you behind the scenes of ProductLed’s wild 8-year ride. From our embarrassing original name (“Traffic is Currency” - yikes) to helping 400+ companies generate $1B in self-serve revenue, it’s been anything but linear. I share the honest truth about riding the pandemic capital wave, the year I was completely lost, and how accidentally discovering our implementation program changed everything.

Key Takeaways:

[00:01:55] My first client took a chance on me

[00:05:03] I was making $33K/month but was miserable

[00:09:44] Writing my book in a 6-month sprint

[00:13:23] How COVID forced us to pivot from workshops to cohorts

[00:20:07] The accidental discovery that transformed our business model

Looking back, my journey followed exactly what Jim Collins calls the “Hedgehog Concept” - first finding what makes money, then following my energy to PLG, and finally creating a unique system that could become world-class. The intersection of these three elements is where unstoppable businesses are built.

In this episode, Wes Bush interviews Will Royall, founder and CEO of Promotix, on how he bootstrapped a product-led ticketing platform to $25K MRR with no sales team. Will shares how he increased signups by 40% with sharper homepage copy, boosted conversions with simple UX tweaks, and why Promotix is betting big on education to win their market.

Key Takeaways:

[00:01:31] How Will from an event creator to founder

[00:06:12] How calling out competitors led to a 40% increase in signups

[00:11:42] Using the "Promised Land" effect on signup pages

[00:20:41] How PromoTix cut 50% of their onboarding steps

[00:27:02] Launching Promotix University to level up users

[00:33:00] Building moats: product, pricing, and education

Links:

Will Royall on LinkedIn

PromoTix – promotix.com

In this episode, Wes Bush interviews Olly Meakings, founder of Senja.io, about his journey bootstrapping a testimonial collection tool to $800K ARR. Olly reveals his unique story of building the business with a co-founder he's never met in person, their product-led approach, and how they maintained motivation through the challenging early years.

Key Takeaways:

[00:01:31] Origin story and meeting his co-founder Wilson via Twitter [00:06:38] Launching with the most generous free plan in the market [00:11:49] Shipping 100+ features per year while struggling financially [00:24:22] Year 3 breakthrough - growing from $20K to $60K MRR [00:29:05] Moving to a four-day workweek [00:38:09] Current team structure - just two co-founders and one technical hire [00:51:30] Knowing yourself and building a support network as a founder

Links

Olly Meakings on LinkedIn

Senja

Integrating onboarding coaching into your strategy can improve customer success and drive acquisitions, especially if your SaaS product is more complex or targets enterprise users. But where do you begin?

In this episode, Wes is joined by Clate Mask, CEO and founder of Keap, to talk about the importance of understanding user needs and delivering tailored solutions through coaching sessions. Doing so bridges the gaps in product understanding, knowledge, and skills.

Key Takeaways:

[2:30] What SaaS companies benefit the most from onboarding coaches

[8:20] Why Keap started using coaching

[16:30] The economics of hiring onboarding coaches

[19:45] Must-have skills for these coaches

[26:00] Ways to tailor coaching to your SaaS product

[33:30] Clate’s new book Conquering the Chaos

About Clate Mask:

Clate is the CEO and co-founder of Keap, the leading provider of business automation software for small businesses, and co-authored Conquer the Chaos: The Six Keys to Success for Entrepreneurs.

Links:

Clate Mask | LinkedIn

Conquer the Chaos

In this episode, Wes Bush breaks down how to create a high-converting homepage for your product-led growth business. He shares a framework for crafting an irresistible offer that will help you become the obvious choice in your market and increase conversions by at least 10% with the same traffic.

Key Takeaways:

[00:01:08] Why a clear offer is critical

[00:04:00] The three components of an irresistible offer

[00:05:47] How PromoTix positioned against Eventbrite with a clear advantage

[00:07:17] The five essential components of a high-converting homepage

[00:12:24] Crafting a CTA that overcomes hesitation

[00:15:41] How to help visitors visualize the "aha moment" before signup

Links & Resources

💼 Connect with Wes Bush on LinkedIn

🧠 Sign up for the ProductLed Newsletter

📘 Get the ProductLed Playbook