Designing Partner Incentives

What does it take to grow a SaaS business from $1 million to $5 million annual recurring revenue when your revenue has plateaued? Michael Sliwinski, founder of the productivity app Nozbe, joins Nathan Barry to diagnose the core issues his business faces and map out a clear path forward. Michael, who flew all the way from Europe for this conversation, dives into the challenges of competing in a crowded market, the impact of a product rebuild, and the search for a compelling new positioning. This episode is a masterclass in auditing your business, identifying roadblocks, and strategizing for breakthrough growth, especially for founders navigating a competitive landscape and aiming for their next big milestone.

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:05 Michael's journey to Nozbe
02:51 From side hustle to $1 million ARR
04:47 The Japan growth explosion
06:17 Rebuilding Nozbe from scratch
10:14 Competing with industry giants
12:58 Breaking down business metrics and building blocks
19:07 Understanding max MRR and the S-curve
22:42 The flatlining awareness and traffic
25:02 Expansion and multi-seat customers
29:43 Legacy customers on the old vs. new Nozbe
30:52 Strong customer retention and low churn
37:25 Key metrics and dashboard visibility
39:46 Accountability through weekly revenue meetings
42:07 The effectiveness of current content strategies
46:27 Partnership success with a productivity consultant
51:09 Direct sales for partners
53:01 Reframing positioning for growth
56:19 The core promise of Nozbe: The tool teams actually use
59:43 The "boulder pushing" analogy
1:02:18 Strategy for identifying and incentivizing new partners
1:11:34 Tapping into true fans for new partner leads
1:14:57 Michael's reflections and next steps

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Learn more about the podcast: https://nathanbarry.com/show

Follow Nathan:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nathanbarry
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanbarry
X: https://twitter.com/nathanbarry
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thenathanbarryshow
Website: https://nathanbarry.com
Kit: https://kit.com/?utm_campaign=29661554-nathan_barry_show&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=nathanbarryshow&utm_content=youtube_description

Follow Michael:
X: https://twitter.com/msliwinski
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelsliwinski
Mastodon: https://social.nozbe.com/@michael
Nozbe: https://nozbe.com

Featured in this episode:
Kit: https://www.kit.com
Nozbe: https://nozbe.com

Highlights:
02:17 – ZDNet feature blew up Nozbe
05:13 – iPad app success in Japan
09:27 – Impact and the $5M goal
11:54 – Customer loyalty despite competitors
22:15 – Demo meetings and their conversion rates
32:27 – Customers prepaid until 2040
57:33 – Why simpler is better for teams