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Funky Flywheels Show – Your Ultimate Podcast for Scaling B2B Startups
Scaling a B2B startup from 1 million to 10 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) can be very similar to managing a band of rock stars. When Marketing, Sales, Customer Success, and Product teams work together seamlessly, accelerating growth becomes effortless. However, if they are out of sync, you will inevitably encounter significant challenges—sooner or later, it's guaranteed.
Join us on the Funky Flywheels Show, where Björn W. Schäfer, one of Europe’s foremost Go-to-Market (GTM) experts, passionately explores the pathways to sustainable and scalable growth. With his extensive experience advising over 150 B2B startups from Pre-Seed to Series B, Björn has played a pivotal role in shaping the success stories of determined SaaS founders throughout the DACH region and beyond. As the founder of Rowing8, a dedicated business angel, and the author of 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗸𝘆 𝗙𝗹𝘆𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀, he advocates for self-accelerating growth engines, moving away from the "too much, too fast" mindset.
Every week, Björn hosts insightful discussions with top tech founders, go-to-market experts, and early-stage investors. Together, they explore practical strategies for go-to-market execution, predictable revenue generation, and scaling startups. Listeners will gain access to useful insights, established frameworks, and valuable lessons from those who have skillfully navigated the transition beyond founder sales.
This podcast is designed for B2B SaaS founders, revenue leaders, and investors eager to discover practical growth strategies, optimise their go-to-market efforts, and improve customer retention.
P.S. If you search for the previous podcast title—𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗮𝗦 𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻𝘆, we have saved all episodes since day one. You will find them below.
Funky Flywheels Show – Your Ultimate Podcast for Scaling B2B Startups
From Chaos to Collaboration: Implementing Cross-Functional Pods That Actually Work - EP 103 🇬🇧 | Koen Stam &b André Bressel
In this episode, I speak with Koen Stam and André Bressel about Cross-Functional Pods – an organisational structure that breaks down silos and creates customer-centric teams.
What you can expect:
- How Cross-Functional Pods improve communication and collaboration between Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success
- The right timing and ideal size for implementing Pods (4-6 people per Pod)
- Why Leadership Alignment is the critical success factor for functioning Pods
- Different approaches to Pod structuring: by verticals, ACV, or geographic regions
- Practical experiences with Pod structures across companies of different sizes
My highlights:
- The tension between functional expertise and cross-functional teamwork
- Balancing functional specialisation and holistic GTM steering
- The challenges of incentives and compensation in Pod structures
About the guests:
Koen Stam leads Benelux operations as Country Manager at Personio and has extensive experience implementing Pod structures. In 2019, he successfully introduced Pods at Team Leader and understands both the benefits and risks of this organisational model.
André Bressel works as an operational consultant with SaaS companies between $5-50 million ARR, helping founders develop effective go-to-market strategies. He brings practical experience implementing Pods in various contexts and advocates for a customer-centric approach.
Who should definitely listen to this episode:
- Go-to-Market leaders looking to break down silos in their organisations
- Executives in growing SaaS companies with complex sales processes
- Team and department leaders aiming for stronger customer orientation
- Change managers seeking ways to promote cross-functional collaboration
The recipe for success?
Leadership alignment, customer-oriented thinking, and a pragmatic approach to implementing Pod structures, without making drastic changes all at once.
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Björn's Linkedin Profile: www.linkedin.com/in/bjoernwschaefer
Order Now: My GTM Book Funky Flywheels 🕺💃
My Homepage: www.rowing8.com