The most common conversation with a new software founder starts with the question, “What should I do about _____?”

I reply, “There are several ways to do it. It depends on what kind of company you are trying to create in 5 or 10 years.”

• If you want to create a big company with a massive exit someday, there are playbooks for that, including raising big VC funding to “Get Big Fast.”
• If you want to create a valuable company in your own way and sell it for life-changing wealth, there are many ways to do that. But they don’t involve professional VC investors.

Practical Founders exists because there is (still) so much confusion by startup B2B SaaS founders about which end game they are aiming at—so they can make better decisions today.

Kyle York is an experienced SaaS revenue leader and entrepreneur with several big exits. Now he runs York IE, his practical investment firm that also offers tech-enabled services to help early-stage B2B SaaS companies grow.

They are helping over 100 B2B software companies grow, including some of the 60++ SaaS companies his team has invested in.

We talked about how startup founders can increase their odds of their success on the podcast this week.

Kyle shared some very practical advice:

“It’s gonna sound so simple, but founders need to set the long-term vision of what they want to be and what they want to build. Then, make sure that every decision you make backward to today is working towards fulfilling that vision.

“What I see too often is companies pigeonholing themselves down a certain trajectory or path that isn’t even aligned exactly with what they wanted. This can create problems when you’re raising money from outside investors if what investors want is not the same as your vision and timeline.”

Kyle York

Founder-funding fit is real.

There are many ways to do it, including funding it yourself, with revenue, small or big investors. Choose wisely.

In this expert interview, Kyle also shares:

• The current environment for funding, growth, and exits for practical founders.
• What’s working and not working in 2024 to drive growth in capital-efficient SaaS businesses.
• Why his efficient funding approach appeals to practical SaaS founders and how it is different from traditional VC funding.

Check out this insightful interview with Kyle York on the Practical Founders Podcast.