Interview with Erick Mersch
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Eric Mersch, a partner at FLG Partners. His firm is the leading boutique CFO consulting organization for technology companies, the market segment that is also my bailiwick. I have known Eric for 15+ years, and we have collaborated numerous times to deliver high-value CFO leadership to CEOs and Boards.
Eric and I had a lively conversation about his new book, Hacking SaaS: An Insider’s Guide to Managing Software Success. It is based on his 10 years of experience exclusively focused on helping SaaS (Software as a Service) companies drive and measure growth. You can watch a short video of this interview at this link on my website. The video will go live on September 19th.
He and I had a lot to talk about because of our shared interest in the wonderful world of SaaS. Arnold Partners has placed CFOs at numerous SaaS companies, including Houzz, AuthID.ai, OpenGov, Talend, Adaptive Insights and Visitpay. During our talk, Eric and I discussed the nuances of SaaS – Vertical vs. Horizontal, B2B vs. B2C, Enterprise vs. SMB, etc. With this overlapping knowledge of the industry, the chat was both reaffirming and educational.
Getting down to the real nitty-gritty of SaaS
Eric’s book focuses on both technical and business aspects, equipping readers with a well-rounded understanding of what it takes to thrive in the competitive world of SaaS.
It combines practical advice, strategic insights and real-world examples to guide readers through various aspects of SaaS management, from driving sales through Go-To-Market strategies and customer engagement. It is geared to a wide range of professionals including investors, entrepreneurs and business executives working in the SaaS industry.
Key in his book is an extensive glossary of SaaS-specific terms, their meanings, how to create and calibrate the various SaaS metrics. Some will be familiar to folks outside of SaaS such as CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost), Net Retention Rate, Lifetime Contract Value, etc. But Eric goes deep on all these measurements; he shows the reader the way to implement them, their meaning and how to improve them to drive SaaS success. The book is a valuable reference resource for any finance professional.
Where to purchase Hacking SaaS: An Insider’s Guide to Managing Software Success
Hacking SaaS is available on Amazon in eBook, paperback and hardcover formats. For more information about Eric, visit: linkedin.com/in/ericmersch/
To learn more about Arnold Partners’ and and our recent SaaS placements, visit CFO Placements, Venture Capital Relationships | Arnold Partners and scroll down to recent placements.
Join us October 4, 2023 for an Arnold Partners Webinar on Executive Presence
Please be on the lookout for an upcoming invitation from me to join a webinar on Executive Presence that I will be hosting with Karen Tiber Leland, founder & president of Sterling Marketing Group. It will take place October 4th at noon PDT and limited to 100 participants. If you see this note and want to be included, please email me at moc.srentrapdlonra@divad with subject line: Webinar. Thanks for your interest, looking forward to seeing you soon, Dave