Podcast.

Steve Benson's leadership journey is a masterclass in resilience, grit, and innovative growth strategies. As the Founder and CEO of Badger Maps, an app for B2B field sales, he has mastered focusing on the ideal customer profile and harnessing the power of offshore talent. 

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Join Jim and Steve as they discuss Steve’s bootstrapping journey all the way to up to 5.4 million ARR. 

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3 Key Takeaways

• Establish a Dedicated Support Team Separate from Sales: For years, Steve’s sales team handled all customer calls, which was effective for sales inquiries but less so for support issues.  To enhance efficiency and focus, we have now segregated these functions.  While the sales and support teams maintain communication for cohesive operations, this separate allows the sales team to focus exclusively on sales activities, ensuring a more targeted and effective approach. 

• Leveraging Offshore Software Development Talent is Table Stakes for Bootstrapping a Company: In the US, exceptional software engineering talent commands a premium price, justifiably for those prioritizing domestic sourcing.  However, for startups operating without significant external funding or capital, exploring offshore software development partnerships can be a strategic move.  Countries like India, Poland, and Brazil offer a wealth of skilled professionals, providing a diverse array of options for cost-effective and quality development solutions. 

• When Searching For a Loan, Compare Like-For-Like: Some companies offer revenue-based loans. Others offer discount rate loans. And of course there are APR loans. When you’re shopping around, convert every offer to APR so you can compare apples to apples. 

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Resources

Steve Benson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenbenson/ 

Badger Maps: https://www.badgermapping.com/

Badger Sales University: https://salesuniversity.badgermapping.com/ (Use the following code for first month free, 2nd month 80% off: STEVE80)

Steves Outside Sales Talk Podcast: https://www.outsidesalestalk.com 

Steve on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevebensonsf/ 

Steve on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/SteveBenson 

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About The Dirt Podcast 

The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.

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For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast

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About Our Company

Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses. 

Website: https://www.orchid.black

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack 

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