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
3x Growth, Zero Friction: The Tightest Marketing-Sales Alignment I've Seen in B2B SaaS - EP 126 🇬🇧 | Theresa Engl & Lars Thalmann (@Holycode)
When Lars Thalmann and Theresa Engl joined Holycode, they found no CRM, and growth was driven purely by the founders and their networks. What they built in just 1.5 years:
- 5x more leads
- 3x more opportunities
- 3x more new clients
- 2x revenue growth
- 1.5x faster pipeline velocity
- SQL-to-Opportunity conversion up 40%
- Net Promoter Score above 60%
The secret? They killed the marketing-sales divide entirely.
No separate KPIs. No MQL handoff battles. No "marketing generates leads, sales closes deals" drama. Just one unified growth team with one North Star: recurring revenue.
In this episode, you'll discover:
- The "Octopus Map" framework that aligns 6 services across 6 startup stages
- How buyer-led growth cut sales cycles while tripling client acquisition
- The 4-pillar system that drives their flywheel: ICP with buying power, fun brand, content-driven sales enablement, AI-powered efficiency
- Their weekly alignment ritual that focuses on insights, not just numbers
The Bottom Line: According to Gartner research only 17% of buyers want to spend time directly with sales. Millennials demand sales-free experiences. Lars and Theresa cracked the code for winning in this new reality—with a lean team, smart content, and zero friction between marketing and sales.
If you're still running separate teams with separate goals, this episode will show you exactly what you're leaving on the table.
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Follow Björn on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/bjoernwschaefer
Order his GTM bestselling book Funky Flywheels 🕺💃
His homepage: www.rowing8.com
💃🕺 Looking for beta testers: his brand new software: funkybont.com