Leveraging Tech: How IT Can Help You Scale
Are you familiar with John Warrillow’s Built to Sell? We are--and so is Raj Goodman Anand. Inspired by his fellow entrepreneurs building businesses, tech startups, and Saas subscriptions worldwide, Raj looks to well-known mentors and teachers before turning inward to get the job done.
Starting out as a humble software engineer designing video games--well before they were a thing--Raj’s first real venture into entrepreneurship involved nightclubs, dancing, and salsa. Now exited a wildly successful party planning and events business in the UK, Raj is focused on joining and supporting tech companies and Software-as-a-service models who are on the up-and-up.
With one successful exit under his belt and a growing business on the horizon, Raj took the time to chat to us about the lessons learned building and selling a business. Now much more well versed in traditional--and innovative--business models, pricing, and negotiation strategies, we talk about how his value received for his first sale could have been much higher with the right broker.
If you’ve ever turned to Google to help navigate a business sale or negotiation, this is the episode for you. Offering experienced-backed insight into the trials and tribulations of selling a business without the right team, Raj has learned some big lessons throughout his entrepreneurial journey that I just know you’ll find helpful.
Not sure what we mean by Saas models and subscription pricing? Tune into this episode to learn more about the booming world of content marketing and tech.
What you will learn in this episode
In this episode we’ll cover everything from:
About Our Guest
Raj Goodman Anand
Raj Goodman Anand is the founder of Goodman Lantern, a team of native English content writing services that helps businesses sell better and grow faster.
An engineer by profession, Raj has founded three startups, raised capital, and taken one venture from zero to acquisition. He has not only had a flourishing career within startups, but also with large and mid-sized organisations, working on launching startups or new products within them. Products he has built have made companies an income in excess of €45m.
Raj has also won BusinessWeek’s Europe’s Young Entrepreneur (2007), and has been named one of Revolution Magazine’s 50 Most Influential People in Digital (2009). He has spoken at various venues including the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, British Library, and several universities including LSE. Raj and his entrepreneurial ventures have had coverage in The Telegraph, Guardian, BusinessWeek, and Observer.
Connect with Raj Goodman Anand
Website: http://www.goodmanlantern.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajanand/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RajAnand
Show Notes
(5:05) Raj’s reflections on all businesses having the same opportunities and challenges–and how the same fundamentals apply across the board to all industries.
(6:00) The difference between engineers and entrepreneurs–and why the build and they will come mentality can leave you without a viable business.
(9:25) Much like the Buy Build Sell Team, Raj is inspired by John Warrillow’s advice about building a company that is saleable, doesn’t rely on you to run, and diversifies those critical risk factors that could end it overnight.
(14:45) How Raj’s first side hustle was turning over 7-figures by the time he exited–and why he wanted to exit and go back to his day job.
(17:27) Why Raj believes he could have gotten a lot more for his first company sale if he had worked with a broker--and the simple internet calculation he used instead.
(19:55) The two things Raj would do differently if he went into the events industry again–and why finding a niche and scaling through technology would be a big help.
(23:40) How recurring subscription pricing models can support financial modelling for both you and your clients. (And how this can quickly help you grow.)
(29:06) For the listeners working in Saas, Raj lays out the few numbers you need to know like the back of your hand for better growth. (Hint: their acronyms are ARR, MRR, LTV, and CAC.)
(34:10) Raj’s one take-away tip? Learn to love scalability. Focus on scaling now and in the future–and learn how to manage it even when you’re growing quickly.
