Frameworks to scale your business
After peering inside the go-to-market machinery of hundreds of startups, the Stage 2 Capital team has developed multiple methodologies to help companies drive sustainable revenue.
Proven best practices
Below are three of Stage 2 Capital’s many areas of expertise, designed to support a founder’s evolving needs and goals
Matching sales capacity with demand gen using a Bottoms Up Growth Model
We recommend better understanding your revenue metrics by matching the output from demand gen with sales capacity to recreate revenue forecasts and make budget decisions. At Stage 2 Capital, we work with our portfolio companies on what we call the “Bottoms Up Growth Model” to:
- Increase forecasting visibility using a quantitative lens.
- Set the pace for scaling to achieve “profitable growth”
- Build revenue targets for upcoming quarters hiring needs
- Offer more accurate projections to board members
- Enable teams to reach peak performance
Whom to hire for your first advisory board
Advisors are 10x-ers. They’re people who can accelerate the learnings of your team, help you see around corners, and bring years of experience to the table. We recommend thinking about advisors from Day 1, with an eye on the right skillset at the right time and aligned compensation:
- Advisors are not just for the CEO; your entire executive team can benefit.
- You do not need to make a 2-year commitment. Optimize for the skills needed for the next 6 to 12 months, then you can renew or find the next right advisor.
- Plan ahead and dedicate a few percentage points of your employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) to constructing the right team of advisors at each stage of growth.
- Confusing temporary competitive advantage with sustainable competitive advantage
The 3-step playbook to hiring your first sales leader
After working with dozens of early stage companies to help them hire their first sales leader, here are 3 steps to hiring a rock star first sales leader:
- Define the role and determine what tasks the organization needs this person to do in the next two years
- Develop a hiring scorecard, based on the role definition
- Identify the steps in the evaluation process and how to execute each step capabilities needed before hiring salespeople
-
Matching sales capacity with demand gen using a Bottoms Up Growth Model
We recommend better understanding your revenue metrics by matching the output from demand gen with sales capacity to recreate revenue forecasts and make budget decisions. At Stage 2 Capital, we work with our portfolio companies on what we call the “Bottoms Up Growth Model” to:
- Increase forecasting visibility using a quantitative lens.
- Set the pace for scaling to achieve “profitable growth”
- Build revenue targets for upcoming quarters hiring needs
- Offer more accurate projections to board members
- Enable teams to reach peak performance
-
Whom to hire for your first advisory board
Advisors are 10x-ers. They’re people who can accelerate the learnings of your team, help you see around corners, and bring years of experience to the table. We recommend thinking about advisors from Day 1, with an eye on the right skillset at the right time and aligned compensation:
- Advisors are not just for the CEO; your entire executive team can benefit.
- You do not need to make a 2-year commitment. Optimize for the skills needed for the next 6 to 12 months, then you can renew or find the next right advisor.
- Plan ahead and dedicate a few percentage points of your employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) to constructing the right team of advisors at each stage of growth.
- Confusing temporary competitive advantage with sustainable competitive advantage
-
The 3-step playbook to hiring your first sales leader
After working with dozens of early stage companies to help them hire their first sales leader, here are 3 steps to hiring a rock star first sales leader:
- Define the role and determine what tasks the organization needs this person to do in the next two years
- Develop a hiring scorecard, based on the role definition
- Identify the steps in the evaluation process and how to execute each step capabilities needed before hiring salespeople
"Entrepreneurial CEOs tell me the biggest challenge facing startups today is understanding how to create a strategy for growth and putting together the tactics to implement the plan. However, the vast majority of people in their orbit are only knowledgeable about financial metrics, not sales and marketing. Stage 2 Capital is precisely what those CEOs need because we deliver deep growth expertise along with our investment."
