318: Global SaaS Powerhouse ActiveCampaign CEO Jason VandeBoom Talks About the Importance of Following Your Instincts

<p>Founder and CEO of <a href= "https://www.activecampaign.com/" target="_blank" rel= "nofollow noopener">ActiveCampaign</a> Jason Vandeboom sits down with Foundr’s Nathan Chan to discuss his journey from launching a small part-time business to running a global SaaS empire.</p> <p>An email marketing, marketing-automation, and sales CRM platform, Jason owes the company’s success to its “customer first” approach and mindful framework.</p> <p>By throwing out the “product-first SaaS playbook” to a more customer-centric model, ActiveCampaign has evolved from an old-school on-premise contact management company to over 90,000 customers in 161 countries.</p> <p>Jason doesn’t believe in a time-box window for creation, and he discusses his belief that you can create innovation over time. He says that when it comes to building a business that is sustainable and long-term, you have to start with the right framework.</p> <p>With many small businesses facing uncertainty due to Covid-19, ActiveCampaign has made it their mission to provide support and security for their customers. Jason discusses how “there’s a former digital transformation that […] has become a necessity.” Above all, business is about trusting your instincts and trying to find a path that is a different shape to others.</p> <p>If there’s any other type of content you’d like to see that would be valuable to you during this time, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via <a href= "mailto:support@foundr.com">email</a>.</p> <h2>Key Takeaways</h2> <ul> <li>Jason discusses his belief in the importance of staying true to being a small business</li> <li>How ActiveCampaign found its footing as an on-premise contact management businesses</li> <li>Why Jason believes the key to a successful business is customer-first over product-first, and how this can shape creative innovation</li> <li>How ActiveCampaign slowly built its foundations in order to secure 100k paying-active companies and over $100 million in annual recurring revenue</li> <li>Why you should ignore the typi