Dave is joined by Jason Lemkin. Jason is the founder of SaaStr, the world’s largest community of SaaS executives, founders, and entrepreneurs. Before SaaStr, Jason founded EchoSign, which was sold to Adobe in 2011.

They discuss:

Why Jason started SaaStr
What makes a great VP of Marketing in SaaS and how to hire one
How tech and SaaS have changed since 2020
CROs vs CMOs
Importance of alignment between the CEO and marketing team

Timestamps

(00:00) - - Intro
(07:26) - - Understanding the Importance of Revenue Goals
(10:50) - - Evolving Motivations and Changing Perspectives
(14:56) - - From Solopreneur to Founder: The Journey of Exit Five
(18:52) - - The Challenge of Transitioning from Solopreneurship
(20:51) - - Insights into Jason's Content Creation Process
(23:35) - - Efficiency in writing: a five-minute rule
(30:34) - - LinkedIn: A Haven for Text-Based Writers
(32:00) - - LinkedIn's Good Community and Marketing Potential
(36:36) - - Importance of Building Relationships in Business
(41:21) - - Marketing Essentials: Brand, Field, Demand, Growth
(43:58) - - Finding the Right Fit: Aligning Marketing Roles with Company Vision
(47:03) - - Finding Alignment: The Role of Marketing in Company Leadership
(51:15) - - CROs and Marketing
(54:04) - - Balancing Heads: Sales, Marketing, and Post-Sales in SaaS Leadership
(57:24) - - Event Planning
(59:19) - - SaaStr: Connecting Founders and Revenue Professionals

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***
This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by our friends at Paramark. You’ve heard it before – every B2B marketer’s top pain point is marketing attribution. It’s complicated, messy, and too often leads to fights with your CRO over whose lead deserves credit.

That’s where Paramark steps in. Their platform makes it simple to understand what’s driving results (and what isn’t) with tools like marketing mix modeling and incremental testing. No more relying on outdated click attribution or chasing UTM links. Instead, Paramark gives you actionable insights across channels, campaigns, and geographies to help you grow.

Paramark's founder & CEO Pranav has been in your shoes as a B2B marketer. He’s so passionate about solving this problem, he’s offering listeners a free brand assessment. Pranav will personally analyze your brand’s performance and share his insights—an opportunity you don’t want to miss.

Slots are limited, so act fast. Head to paramark.com/brand-consult to claim your spot. Trust us, this is worth your time.

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
Visit hatch.fm to learn more

#207: Strategy | Jason Lemkin on What Makes a Great VP Marketing in SaaS, Working with the CEO, and Lessons from SaaStr

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)