Mid-size SaaS companies find themselves in a difficult position. As the market around them slows, concerns over the ability to raise capital are being magnified by anxiety around how to sustain current business success in what can feel like a drought with an uncertain end. As they survey the landscape, many SaaS leaders have asked:
- What has the overall impact on current and future valuations been for the market?
- What are the best ways to drive increased value in the current climate?
- Where and how are resources best allocated for upcoming budgets?
These are just a few of the vital questions that Akmazo Capital is excited to answer in our latest CXO Roundtable: When Will This Enterprise Technology Market Slowdown End and How Do the Best SaaS Companies Manage Through It? Held on October 11 from 9 AM to 11 AM EST, this event is the latest in a series of conversations we’ve hosted with key leaders in the SaaS sphere.
This month, we’re thrilled to sit down with Peter Falvey, Managing Director of Shea & Company; Scott Landers, two-time CEO and CFO; and Bart Cloyd, CFO of JRNI. Each of these speakers brings decades of experience and a unique perspective not only on the present moment in the market, but on others that attendees can learn from and build off of.
Here, we wanted to give you a brief preview into what exactly they’ll be sharing, and why this event will be critical for those enterprises looking to ensure current challenges don’t impede future growth.
Setting the scene: What is the environment like for mid-market SaaS today
With tectonic shifts in the financial and debt markets over the last few years, the very way in which SaaS businesses estimate their own value has changed. As Peter Falvey will interrogate in the first section of our roundtable, previous strategies and models simply do not work in the current climate. While in different times, enterprises could prioritize growth at all costs—working off an industry assumption that all SaaS companies start off by losing money in order to thrive in the long-term—in-hand profit is now far more important than down-the-road value.
With this in mind, Peter will lay out answers to the key questions on everyone’s mind: if the previous standards for valuation are not currently applicable, what actually drives increased value for mid-market SaaS companies today, and how can CEOs and CFOs pave the way?
No crisis should go to waste: Operating mid-market SaaS companies during difficult market periods
Next, Scott Landers will discuss specific actions that mid-market SaaS organizations can take to weather valuation difficulties presented by the economic environment, why taking these is so important, and why some businesses make mistakes during times like these.
According to Scott, the key to maintaining profit and increasing value lies not in new customers, but in customer retention. While the former requires expensive outreach, the latter takes up fewer resources and less spending. It does, however, require the company to prioritize flexibility and closeness to the customer.
Of course, if the answer to the current challenges was simply “retain your customers,” then businesses likely wouldn’t be as frustrated as they are now. In Scott’s opinion, the bigger hurdle that mid-market SaaS companies must overcome is a major realignment of how and where they spend. Those decisions, Scott believes, make the difference between pushing forward and stalling out.
Where you are to where you have not been: Building a budget for a market downturn
In the final segment of our roundtable, Bart Cloyd will present attendees with flexible strategies for evaluating their businesses’ current budgets, identifying the most valuable financial metrics to monitor and prioritize, and getting team buy-in for the more difficult decisions that will ultimately arise.
But you have to move quickly to make these budgeting decisions. For many, it’s tempting to cut in drips. However, while attractive to those who don’t want to see pet projects or growth initiatives sidelined unless absolutely necessary, businesses who don’t make their cuts swiftly and decisively will take longer to get back on track. Sparing a lower priority item in the short term might actually derail it further in the long term.
Get the most value out of your business in any market
These are only a few of the many insights Peter, Scott, and Bart into the complexities of the current market environment during this month’s discussion. Ideal valuations are difficult to achieve; however, it is entirely possible for SaaS organizations to thrive despite their present challenges. With the right strategy and considerations, increasing value need not seem like an impossibility.
We hope to see you there!