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Khalid Saleh, co-author of the bestselling book Conversion Optimisation. Khalid\\u2019s an expert on conversion whose company, Invesp, has grown companies from tiny startups to giant powerhouses. Listen as Khalid and Nathan talk leaving a salaried job, turning a consulting business into an SaaS giant, and running a global fundraising round.

Favorite Book? \\u2013 The Lean Startup
What CEO do you follow? \\u2014 Alex Turnbull
What is your favorite online tool?\\u2014 Evernote
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?\\u2014 Hell, no!
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?\\u2014 That I need to be laser-focused. There\\u2019s opportunity everywhere - you just have to focus on it.

Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:20 \\u2013 Nathan\\u2019s introduction
02:20 \\u2013 Welcoming Khalid to the show
02:35 \\u2013 Invesp makes money by consulting on conversion optimisation
03:00 \\u2013 Companies pay a monthly retainer for ongoing optimisation services
03:45 \\u2013 Charge a minimum of $8,000 per month
04:00 \\u2013 Companies stay 15-24 months on average
04:25 \\u2013 Invesp was founded in 2006
04:35 \\u2013 Made around $15-20k in their first year
05:00 \\u2013 Khaleed was 31 when he left his salaried job to launch Invesp
05:20 \\u2013 \\u201cAn amazing employee but difficult to manage\\u201d
05:40 \\u2013 While working for Motorola, Khalid noticed the problem of conversion rates
05:52 \\u2013 Gave up a $200k salary as one of the top software architects in America
06:30 \\u2013 Khalid\\u2019s wife is one of his business partner
07:00 \\u2013 4 partners in the company
07:35 \\u2013 Moving into providing a SaaS platform for conversion optimisation
08:30 \\u2013 Made close to $700k in 2014 - the year they decided to take fewer projects
09:15 \\u2013 \\u201cIt\\u2019s been a gamble to focus on software development\\u201d
09:30 \\u2013 Initially wanted to make an AB testing platform...but decided to move into other products
10:35 \\u2013 Several companies are interested in funding - but many are asking for more equity than they want to give up
11:01 \\u2013 A VC in Russia was willing to give $1.5 million for 45% equity
11:20 \\u2013 \\u201cHe said I could probably get the same offer for 25% in San Francisco...but it\\u2019s a different market in each country\\u201d
11:55 \\u2013 The SaaS business will be a product that\\u2019s offered by Invesp
12:40 \\u2013 Connect with Khaleed at the Invesp Blog or on twitter
15:30 \\u2013 The Famous Five

3 Key Points:
If you want to expand, be willing to move sideways and think creatively about where your business can go. Consulting doesn\\u2019t scale the way SaaS can.
Think very carefully about how much equity you\\u2019re willing to give up in a fundraising round.
Interest means nothing without conversion. Optimising conversion rates for your business can boost your growth enormously.

Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator \\u2013 The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages \\u2013 The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible \\u2013 Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.

Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

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