S7E12 - SaaS Pricing Strategy 2026: Hybrid Models, AI Costs & Value-Based Pricing with Tjitte Joosten "T.J"
What will be the SaaS Pricing Strategy 2026? In this episode, Joran sits down with Tjitte Joosten—known as T.J.—to discuss the evolving world of SaaS pricing and how founders can adapt to change without losing momentum. T.J. works full-time in pricing and packaging for SaaS and AI companies. Before that, he spent years in early-stage ventures, helping them find product-market fit and close major deals. Those experiences taught him how to win large accounts without over-discounting and how to leave room for long-term growth.Through that process, T.J. discovered that pricing is not just about numbers but also about psychology and behavioral economics. The same solution can sell for $10,000 or $50,000 depending on the story told. After meeting his co-founder, who was already working in pricing, T.J. transitioned into it full-time—and it became his passion.Their conversation explores how SaaS pricing is evolving, how to experiment with models safely, when to raise prices, how to communicate changes effectively, and how freemium models may evolve in the AI era.Key Timecodes(0:00) - B2B SaaS & AI Pricing Expert(0:05) - TJ Joosten on Value Storytelling(1:13) - Future of SaaS Pricing 2026(1:28) - Why Hybrid Pricing Wins(3:10) - The Pricing Switch Risk(3:27) - Technical Debt of Pricing(5:15) - How to Test New Pricing(6:40) - Entitlement & Packaging(7:13) - When to Raise Prices(8:49) - Timing Strategy: Netflix Case(10:04) - Communicating Price Changes(11:10) - Freemium in the AI Era(12:33) - The Cost of Free Users(13:38) - From $0 to $10K MRR(14:42) - Scaling to $10M ARR(15:56) - The Founder’s Role in Pricing(16:32) - Connect with TJ Joosten
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19:28
S7E11 - B2B SaaS Growth Strategy 2026: Scaling with AI Agents & Growth Loops With Mark Appel
Recorded live at the SaaS Summit in Amsterdam, this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS Podcast dives into a focused conversation with Mark Appel, Chief Marketing Officer at Sendcloud. As one of Europe’s fastest-growing B2B SaaS platforms, Sendcloud operates across eight European markets, generating close to 60 million in annual recurring revenue with a team of about 450. In this discussion, Mark reveals how Sendcloud approaches international scaling, builds cross-functional go-to-market alignment, identifies and prioritizes compounding growth loops, and integrates AI agents across marketing and GTM operations. He also reflects on what he would do differently if he could rebuild a SaaS go-to-market motion from scratch, what early-stage founders should focus on to reach their first 10K MRR, and how to evolve from feature-led messaging to a brand-led narrative on the path to 10 million ARR.Key Timecodes(00:00) – Intro: Scaling B2B SaaS, Growth Loops & AI GTM 2026(01:10) – Guest Intro: Mark Appel, CMO of Sendcloud(01:39) – Company Snapshot: €60M ARR, 450 Employees, 8 Markets(02:20) – 2026 Focus: International SaaS Scaling Strategy(02:36) – Cross-Functional GTM: Marketing, Sales & CS Alignment(03:26) – GTM Motion: Hybrid PLG + SLG in B2B SaaS(03:39) – Finding Growth Loops Across 8 Countries(04:34) – Working Growth Loops: Demand to Revenue Flywheel(05:15) – Platform Network Effects: Merchants, Carriers & Partners(06:13) – Built-in Virality: Tracking Emails as Growth Channel(06:51) – Ad Break: Reditus Affiliate & Referral Growth(07:35) – AI for GTM 2026: AI SDRs & Marketing Agents(08:50) – AI Implementation: Challenges & Early Adoption(09:55) – Biggest GTM Shift: Retention, Expansion & Automation(10:22) – PLG in Product: Driving Adoption via In-App Prompts(11:40) – Rebuilding GTM: Cross-Functional Pods by Segment(12:41) – Segmentation: Startup to Enterprise Strategy(13:21) – Future Growth Loops: Consumer Visibility for SaaS(14:41) – 0 to 10K MRR: In-Market Demand & Search Campaigns(15:34) – 10K MRR to €10M ARR: Brand-Led SaaS Growth(16:03) – Connect with Mark Appel: LinkedIn & Email(16:18) – Outro & CTA: Subscribe, Sponsor & Learn via Reditus
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16:50
S7E10 - Build the Right GTM Engine: Hiring, Structure & Growth for SaaS Founders with Christopher Gannon
In a world where anyone can generate a “perfect” email with AI, does perfection even matter? According to Christopher Gannon, founder of Captivate Talent, what truly matters are the fundamentals: relationships, brand, and aesthetics. In this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast, hosted by Joran from Reditus, Chris breaks down how startups should think about hiring go-to-market (GTM) talent, structuring teams, leveraging AI, and expanding into the US. This article summarizes their conversation into clear, actionable insights every founder should know.Key Timestamps(00:00) The Perfect Email Myth: Why Human Connection Still Wins(00:55) Meet the Masters of B2B SaaS Growth(01:31) Why Headcount Won’t Scale Your SaaS Revenue(01:51) From Filling Seats to Building a GTM Powerhouse(02:10) The Birth of Captivate Talent: A Founder’s Bold Pivot(03:33) The $1M ARR Question: When to Hire Your First GTM Pro(03:50) The Founder’s Dilemma: Sell It Yourself or Hire Early?(04:58) The Brutal Truth About Early-Stage Onboarding(05:39) Who Comes First—Sales or Marketing? The Real Answer(05:54) Never Outsource Your Superpower(07:20) Overhiring vs. Underhiring: The Startup Goldilocks Problem(08:16) The Rolodex Trap: Why Big Titles Burn Startups(09:22) Forget Titles—Hire for 12-Month Outcomes Instead(10:15) Inside the Ideal GTM Team Structure for SaaS Growth(11:08) The Secret Weapon: Your Customer Call Library(11:39) AI Is Taking Over GTM (But Here’s the Catch)(12:11) Beyond ChatGPT: How to Spot True AI Fluency(13:48) Reditus Break: The Affiliate Engine Powering B2B SaaS(14:11) How to Measure Real AI Impact in Your Workflows(15:06) “At the Table or on the Menu?” AI Skills That Protect Your Career(15:44) The Truth About GTM Hiring in a Post-Layoff World(16:24) Why Relationships Beat Perfect AI Emails Every Time(17:44) The Costly Mistake: Hiring an SDR for US Expansion(18:10) The Founder-Led Playbook for Cracking the US Market(19:09) The Full-Stack Expansion Model Every SaaS Needs(20:22) Stop “Testing” the US with One Hire—Here’s Why(22:08) PLG vs. Enterprise: When Remote Expansion Stops Working(23:33) Why Big Logos Abroad Don’t Impress US Buyers(24:24) US to Europe: How to Win with Local Talent and Presence(25:29) The Hidden Legal Maze of US Hiring(26:26) The Real Cost of US Expansion (and Cultural Fit)(28:34) The Culture Clash: Vacations, Burnout, and Commitment(29:21) Burn the Boats: The Only Way to Win in the US(30:12) The Future of GTM: How AI Is Rewriting Hiring Rules(31:16) From 0 to $10K MRR: Discipline Over Everything(32:47) From $10K to $10M ARR: Hire Ahead and Pay for Talent(36:49) Connect with Christopher Gannon and Captivate Talent
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37:37
S7E9 - The B2B SaaS Nightmare? Growing Without Recurring Revenue with Ricardo Ghekiere
In the world of artificial intelligence and software as a service, companies are no longer just competing on features. In this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast, Joran Hofman sits down with BetterPic founder Ricardo Ghekiere to discuss The B2B SaaS Nightmare and how SaaS founders can grow without recurring revenue. Companies today are also competing on how they price their products and how they scale. This episode highlights how one company made millions without using monthly subscriptions. Instead, they leveraged one-time payments, smart marketing, and simple but powerful strategies. You'll learn how they managed costs, raised prices, and succeeded through alternative growth channels. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to build or grow an AI business without relying on monthly payments.Key Timecodes(00:00) – Cracking AI Pricing: LTV, AOV & Unlocking Paid Channels(00:58) – $4M Without Subscriptions? BetterPic’s One-Time Revenue Model(01:44) – “Wait, No MRR?” Reactions to Explosive Non-Recurring Growth(02:18) – Revenue is Revenue: The SaaS Case for One-Off Cash Flow(02:46) – Inside BetterPic: AI Headshots, B2B vs B2C, and Single-Purchase Strategy(03:28) – Subscription Apps vs Specialized AI Headshots: Who Wins?(03:51) – Why Headshots Don’t Need Recurring Revenue + 45-Day Sprint Strategy(05:14) – Starting From Zero: The E-Commerce Mindset in SaaS(06:07) – From 70% COGS to 90% Margins: The AI-Native Advantage(06:44) – Building a Cost Moat: Raising Prices & Outspending Competitors(07:47) – Cutting GPU/API Costs: Internal AI Infra & Multi-Provider Routing(08:21) – The Recurring Revenue Goldmine in AI Infrastructure Optimization(08:36) – AI-Native vs AI Features: Pricing Pains of OpenAI APIs(09:36) – Why Buyers Choose AI-Native: QuickBooks vs Xero Example(11:02) – Open Source vs Closed LLMs: Pricing, Quality & Competitive Moats(11:52) – The Risk of No MRR: Surviving the Consumer AI Tsunami(13:18) – Pivot to Better Studio: Turning AI Headshots Into Recurring B2B(13:54) – Dual Engines: Scaling One-Time Sales While Building Recurring Revenue(15:16) – Fundraising Without MRR: Convincing Investors to Bet on the Team(17:10) – Startup Valuation: Group-Level Investment Across Two Brands(17:42) – How Low AOV Shapes Channel Strategy(18:57) – SEO & LinkedIn Hacks(19:56) – The Affiliate Engine: (20:42) – Stripe Upfront vs Net-30 Payments(21:04) – Designing High-Converting Affiliate Programs With Real Incentives(21:39) – Where the Affiliate Traffic Comes From: YouTube, Reddit, Display Ads(22:30) – SEO Benefits of Affiliates: Backlinks, Listicles, and Rankings(23:34) – LLM-Generated Listicles: Dominating Google & AI Discovery(24:16) – How a $49 AOV Made Google Ads Profitable(25:34) – Scaling Paid Channels: CAC, LTV, and AOV in Sync(25:59) – Paid Channel Stacking: The Compounding Effect in Growth(26:25) – No MRR? Fast Sales Cycles & Upfront Payments Explained(28:17) – Speed to Value: AI Headshots Delivered in 30 Minutes(28:58) – Pricing Agility: Changing Prices Without Legacy Contracts(29:10) – Pushing to the Middle Tier: Packaging Strategy With Amplitude Data(30:15) – Rapid Pricing Iteration: 7-Day Tests & Volume-Based Experiments(31:32) – Fast Consumer Feedback vs Slow SaaS Trial Cycles(32:07) – GTM Strategy: Make Two Big Bets a Year & Know CAC Limits(33:04) – Pricing Drives Channel-Market Fit: SEO, Affiliates, YouTube(33:45) – $12K Self-Serve Deals: Going Upmarket With Confidence(34:25) – Automating Jobs-to-Be-Done: The AI-Native Future(36:50) – How to Get to $10K MRR: Focus on One Channel First(38:12) – Enterprise GTM Shift: Better Studio’s Move to Events & Partnerships(39:14) – Scaling From $10K MRR to $10M ARR: Building Full-Funnel Teams(40:37) – Recap: One-Off SaaS, AI Margins, SEO/Affiliate Flywheels(42:54) – Reporting Rhythms: Monthly KPI Bingo & Health Metrics.
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S7E8 - The Growth Operating System: Building Teams That Deliver Real Value
Are you a SaaS founder wondering How to Build a Growth Operating System That Helps Teams Deliver Real Value? Growing a B2B SaaS company can often feel messy. Teams try lots of different tactics, hoping that something will finally work. But this kind of scattered approach rarely leads to long-term, repeatable success. In this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS Podcast Joran Hofman sits down with growth expert and coach Andrew Capland. Andrew explains how to move beyond one-off growth hacks and start building what he calls a Growth Operating System. This system helps teams focus on delivering real value, work together more effectively, and create results that can scale over time.Key Timecodes(00:00) - Cold Open: North Star Metric, Activation vs Retention, and Copying Playbooks Pitfalls(01:02) - Host Introduction: B2B SaaS Growth Operating System with Andrew Capland(01:46) - Why Tactics Alone Fail: The Case for a Growth Operating System in B2B SaaS(02:01) - Andrew’s Journey: From Growth Content to Executing a Growth Operating System(03:40) - When to Implement a Growth OS: From Random Acts of Growth to Repeatable Systems(04:20) - Growth OS Building Blocks: Strategy, KPIs, Rituals, Templates, Frameworks(05:37) - Plug-and-Play Templates: Customizing the Growth Operating System for Your Stage(06:25) - Growth Strategy 101: North Star, Vision, Levers, Bets, and Milestones(07:25) - Choosing a North Star Metric: Activation and Retention as Leading Indicators(08:31) - Activation Example: The Facebook “7 Friends in 5 Days” North Star Metric(09:43) - Defining Activation: Customer Interviews, Milestones, and Value Realization(10:47) - Cross-Functional Growth: Sales, Product, CS Inputs and Growth Leadership(12:26) - Earning Ownership: Become the Expert on the Problem (Activation/Retention)(15:14) - Sponsor Break: SaaStock Dublin – B2B SaaS Founder Networking and Investors(16:45) - Founder vs Growth Leader: Ownership Shifts from Early Stage to Scale(17:35) - Common Growth Mistakes: Copy-Pasting Big Tech Playbooks vs ICP Fit(19:06) - Case Study: Airbnb Referral Program Copycat That Flopped (and Why)(20:13) - Managing Growth Setbacks: Trophy File Mindset and Learning-First Experiments(23:08) - Using AI in Growth: Train on Your A/B Tests, Learnings, and Audience Data(25:16) - Documentation is a Growth Lever: Standardize Learnings and Onboarding(26:20) - Hiring Your First Head of Growth: Skill-Problem Fit and Translating Jargon(28:40) - Alignment First: What Growth Owns, Accountability, and Collaboration Rules(29:20) - Problem Selection: Scoping High-Leverage Bets and Measuring Outcomes(30:34) - Low-Volume SaaS: Qualitative Research, Session Recordings, and User Testing(32:12) - Essential Tool Stack: CRM/Marketing Automation, Product Analytics, In-App Messaging(33:45) - The Next 2–3 Years: Train AI on Proprietary Growth Data to Predict Outcomes(35:23) - Stage Advice: From 0–10K MRR—Find One Acquisition Channel and One Retention Channel
We will discuss everything on growing your B2B SaaS, hosted by Joran Hofman, Founder of Reditus.
When growing your B2B SaaS you run into a lot of things; we will cover how to generate your first-paying clients, achieve product-market fit, create a go-to-market plan, and more in-depth information about any marketing channel. Or, when thinking about funding, we will cover bootstrapped stories to fund your SaaS with external money.
As Joran is a founder himself of a B2B SaaS, he will ask the questions for you.
B2B SaaS, SaaS, Grow My SaaS, SaaS Advice, SaaS founder, SaaS podcast.