In Demand: How to Grow Your SaaS and Stay In Demand
Asia Orangio & Kim Talarczyk
25 episodes
1 month ago
Growing a SaaS? Yeah, that's hard. Growing a SaaS without a clue what you're doing from a marketing and growth perspective? Pretty much impossible — especially if you want to break the $1M and $10M ARR marks. Kim Talarczyk sits down with Asia Orangio to extract and unpack all the strategic insights she holds in her brain from working with hundreds of SaaS companies and interviewing thousands of their customers. Together, they break down how to diagnose and troubleshoot growth challenges across every part of a B2B SaaS business.
About your hosts:
Asia Orangio is the CEO & Founder of DemandMaven. Asia helps founders of PLG SaaS companies troubleshoot their growth across GTM, acquisition, activation, retention, and expansion and get unstuck. In early 2018, Asia founded DemandMaven — a consulting firm dedicated to helping bootstrapped and funded SaaS companies build revenue-generating growth engines. Previously, Asia served in a number of marketing roles, but most notably as head of marketing at Hull where she helped the team 10.5x in growth, and #FlipMyFunnel / Terminus as demand generation manager. Asia also served on the board of Moz before its successful acquisition in 2021.
Kim Talarczyk is the Client Services and Operations Manager at DemandMaven, where she ensures all client engagements are executed to the highest standard. With a strong background in client-facing roles and professional service firms, Kim has played a key role in scaling operations and delivering exceptional experiences for both B2C and B2B brands.
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Growing a SaaS? Yeah, that's hard. Growing a SaaS without a clue what you're doing from a marketing and growth perspective? Pretty much impossible — especially if you want to break the $1M and $10M ARR marks. Kim Talarczyk sits down with Asia Orangio to extract and unpack all the strategic insights she holds in her brain from working with hundreds of SaaS companies and interviewing thousands of their customers. Together, they break down how to diagnose and troubleshoot growth challenges across every part of a B2B SaaS business.
About your hosts:
Asia Orangio is the CEO & Founder of DemandMaven. Asia helps founders of PLG SaaS companies troubleshoot their growth across GTM, acquisition, activation, retention, and expansion and get unstuck. In early 2018, Asia founded DemandMaven — a consulting firm dedicated to helping bootstrapped and funded SaaS companies build revenue-generating growth engines. Previously, Asia served in a number of marketing roles, but most notably as head of marketing at Hull where she helped the team 10.5x in growth, and #FlipMyFunnel / Terminus as demand generation manager. Asia also served on the board of Moz before its successful acquisition in 2021.
Kim Talarczyk is the Client Services and Operations Manager at DemandMaven, where she ensures all client engagements are executed to the highest standard. With a strong background in client-facing roles and professional service firms, Kim has played a key role in scaling operations and delivering exceptional experiences for both B2C and B2B brands.
Copying competitors can feel like the fastest path to growth, but more often than not, it backfires.
In this episode of In Demand, Asia and Kim break down why copying other SaaS companies rarely works and what to do instead. They explore the difference between copying and inspiration, why context determines whether a strategy will succeed, and how to translate what you admire in another business into something that actually works for your own stage, market, and buyer.
If you’ve ever looked at a competitor or admired brand and thought “we should do that too,” this episode will help you think more strategically.
Got a question you’d like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here.
Links:
DemandMaven
Switchyards Atlanta
Research is one of the most valuable tools for unlocking growth in SaaS, but too often, research projects fail to create impact.
In this episode of In Demand, Asia and Kim explore why research projects fail from the consultant’s side and the client’s side. They unpack the most common failure modes, like treating research as an end in itself, failing to get buy-in, or conducting great studies that never translate into action.
If you’ve ever wondered how to make your customer research matter, or how to keep it from collecting dust, this episode will help you turn insights into progress.
Got a question you’d like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here.
Pricing is one of the most powerful yet least understood growth levers in SaaS. Most founders either ignore it for years or treat it like a guessing game.
In this episode of In Demand, Asia and Kim share their guide to pricing for busy founders. They cover the three phases of pricing, how to tell if it’s time to revisit your pricing, and how to run data-driven pricing experiments without wasting months or hiring a six-figure consultant.
If you’ve ever felt unsure about what to charge, how to test new prices, or when to hire expert help, this episode breaks it all down step by step.
Got a question you’d like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here.
Links:
DemandMaven
The Motivation Code Assessment
Irrational Labs Guide to Willingness to Pay
Street Pricing by Marcos Rivera
Pace Pricing
Early-stage founders often claim they’ve reached product market fit, but when you look closer, it’s usually built on vibes, not data.
In this episode of In Demand, Asia and Kim unpack what real product market fit looks like, how to measure it quantitatively, and why most early-stage SaaS companies are too quick to assume they’ve found it.
If you’ve ever wondered how to know when you’ve actually hit product market fit, or if you might be fooling yourself, this episode gives you the frameworks and numbers to tell the difference.
Got a question you’d like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here.
Links:
DemandMaven
Previous In Demand Episodes that discuss NRR: episode 46 and episode 37
Superhuman Product Market Fit Survey
ProfitWell
Chart Mogul
Most SaaS founders think about growth through the lenses of acquisition, activation, retention, or pricing. But few think about operations and how the way you work internally either unlocks or limits growth.
In this episode of In Demand, Asia and Kim dig into why operations is one of the most overlooked growth levers for bootstrapped SaaS companies. They explore how internal systems, structure, and decision-making shape your ability to execute on every other lever, from marketing to retention.
If you’ve ever felt like your company’s growth has stalled for reasons you can’t quite name, this episode will help you see how your internal operations might be the missing piece.
Got a question you’d like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here.
When it comes to growth channels, things are as straightforward as they seem. Attribution is as complex as ever, and if you move too fast, you risk wasting money on strategies that “don’t work”, not because they can’t, but because you’re too early.
In this episode of In Demand, Asia and Kim dig into how to understand which channels work (or don't). They unpack false positives and false negatives, the pitfalls of premature ad testing, and why channels should be evaluated as part of a larger system, not in isolation.
If you’ve ever wondered whether a channel failed because of timing or execution, this episode will help you separate signal from noise.
Got a question you’d like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here.
When you’ve built a successful service or consulting company, the idea that building your own SaaS product can sound very attractive: scalable revenue, recurring customers, and product-led growth. But the reality is often far more complex.
In this episode of In Demand, Asia and Kim explore why non-SaaS companies struggle when attempting to spin off software products. They cover what makes SaaS such a different business model, the hidden costs and pitfalls of under-committing, and what it really takes to make a spin-off succeed.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your company should build its own SaaS product, or you’re already in the middle of one, this episode will help you avoid the most common mistakes and wasted investment.
Got a question you’d like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here.
When you’re in the early go-to-market stage, every dollar counts, but founders can feel pressure to move fast and start considering hiring a big agency before they're ready.
In this episode of In Demand, Asia and Kim unpack the trade-offs of hiring an agency too early. They explore what signals actually show you’re ready, how to avoid wasting precious cash, and alternative paths like freelancers or contractors.
If you’ve ever wondered whether now is the right time to pull the trigger on agency help, this episode is for you.
Got a question you’d like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here.
Most SaaS founders pay attention to churn, but beneath the surface of a good or bad churn number, many important details are missed.
In this episode of In Demand, Asia and Kim break down the real story behind churn. What the numbers do and don't tell you and how to dig deeper to uncover the patterns driving customer retention (or loss).
From understanding net revenue retention to running effective churn interviews, this is the ultimate primer on diagnosing and solving churn for your SaaS.
Got a question you’d like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here.
Links:
DemandMaven
ProfitWell
ChurnKey
ChartMogul
In this episode of In Demand, Asia and Kim take a deep dive into one of the most overlooked revenue levers in SaaS: activation.
They walk through their activation playbook, breaking down how to define activation for your product and sharing tactical strategies for improving onboarding experiences.
Whether you're PLG or sales-assisted, this episode offers clear steps to uncover where users get stuck and how to fix it.
Got a question you’d like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here.
Links:
DemandMaven
UserInterviews.com
Respondent.io
Product-Led Onboarding by Ramli John
Samuel Hulick
UserOnboard
Reforge
One of the biggest pain points for first-time founders is a lack of structure within their business. One of the most popular frameworks for quickly creating structure is the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), but does it really live up to the hype?
In this episode of In Demand, Asia and Kim do a deep dive into EOS. They break down its key components, where it works (and where it doesn’t), and why most founders should treat it more like a toolbox than a strict rulebook.
Got a question you’d like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here.
Links:
DemandMaven
EOS Worldwide
Traction by Gino Wickman - the book introducing EOS
Most SaaS companies know customer research matters, but too often, it becomes a one-off project or gets pushed down the list.
In this episode of In Demand, Asia and Kim break down how to make customer research a core part of your growth process. They share how their own approach to research sprints has evolved, what mistakes they made early on, and what they do now to consistently uncover insights that drive real decisions.
You’ll also learn how to structure a fast, effective sprint, when to run different types of interviews (from churn to win-loss), and how to turn interviews into strategy and not just documentation.
Got a question you’d like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here.
Links:
DemandMaven
Bob Moesta
User Interviews
Respondent.io
Wynter
Asia just hit her 90th day as fractional CMO with a new company, and in this episode of the In Demand Podcast, she shares everything she's taking away from those first three months.
This episode is a behind-the-scenes look at how a marketing leader gets up to speed, creates clarity, and shapes outcomes. Asia and Kim cover everything from digging through legacy docs to building team structure and launching new systems.
Got a question you’d like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here.
Links:
DemandMaven
OfferingTree
Welcome back to In Demand!
In this episode, Asia and Kim take on three topics founders don’t talk about enough: how to listen for insight during customer research, what it really looks like to run a fast-moving (but focused) marketing team, and the difference between great managers and great leaders.
Whether you're hiring your first team, navigating leadership, or trying to pull messaging clarity from customer interviews, this one will hit home.
Got a question you’d like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here.
Links:
DemandMaven
Bob Moesta (Jobs to Be Done)
Examples of great leaders:
Steve McLeod - founder of Feature Upvote
Josh Ho – founder of Referral Rock
Rand Fishkin – CEO of SparkToro
The Captain Class by Sam Walker
What happens when the market wants one thing, but you want to build something else?
In this episode of the In Demand Podcast, Asia and Kim unpack the emotional tension founders face when their product attracts a different kind of customer than they originally set out to serve.
From internal conflict to organizational confusion, they explore how this misalignment can quietly stall growth and what it takes to move forward with clarity.
Got a question you'd like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here.
Links:
DemandMaven
Dr. Sherry Walling
The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Shit Together by Sherry and Rob Walling
When does it make sense to bring on a Fractional CMO, and what should you expect from one?
In this episode, Asia and Kim dig into the ins and outs of Fractional CMOs: what they do, when to hire one, how they’re different from heads of marketing or full-time CMOs, and the biggest risks and rewards founders should know.
Asia also reflects on her current work as a Fractional CMO and shares how she approaches structure, team-building, and strategy without getting stuck in the weeds.
Got a question you'd like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here.
Growth isn’t just marketing. And if you’re stuck and growth isn’t happening, you’ll need to look beyond marketing and acquisition.
In this episode of the In Demand Podcast, Asia and Kim break down what it means to troubleshoot growth. They explain how growth work goes beyond campaigns and into retention, expansion, pricing, onboarding, and more.
Plus, they dive into how product marketing overlaps and differs from growth and why founders often under-invest in the real levers that move growth.
Got a question you'd like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here.
Most SaaS companies hit growth plateaus, and too many founders assume the problem is either unsolvable or too complex to fix. In reality, that's rarely true.
In this episode of In Demand, Asia and Kim unpack how to shift your mindset from "This can't be solved" to "Who's already solved this, and how can I learn from them?"
They also introduce CUES, a prioritization framework that helps you focus on the right growth ideas instead of spinning your wheels.
Got a question you'd like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here.
Hiring for marketing is hard, especially when you’re a technical founder. If you’ve never worked closely with marketers, how can you confidently hire one?
In this episode of the In Demand Podcast, Asia and Kim break down why marketing hires are so tricky for SaaS founders.
They walk through the differences between strategic leaders vs executors, how to define the role you really need, and why under-hiring is one of the biggest mistakes founders make.
Got a question you'd like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here.
Hey founders! Asia here Got a burning marketing or growth question you'd like us to unpack on the podcast? Well now you can slide into our voicemail and drop an audio message covering your exact question. Just pop on over to our voicemail app by clicking here and leave us a message or if you'd prefer to write us something, email us at podcast@demandmaven.io
Here are a few ideas you can ask us to get the wheels turning:
- Should I require a credit card on signup or not?- I've been struggling with activation of my product. What should I do?- I'm torn between these two customer segments. Help!- How should I be thinking about using (insert marketing channel here)?- What are some ways I can manage my marketing team?- What are some KPIs / OKRs we should be tracking for growth or marketing?- How do I know if this feature is ready to be launched?- What are some clever ways we can use case studies?- I can't tell if we should kill this plan we're offering or not. How should we decide?As so much more! Make sure to give us context you feel comfortable sharing and let us know if you'd prefer to be anonymous! Thank you as always for being a listener!
In Demand: How to Grow Your SaaS and Stay In Demand
Growing a SaaS? Yeah, that's hard. Growing a SaaS without a clue what you're doing from a marketing and growth perspective? Pretty much impossible — especially if you want to break the $1M and $10M ARR marks. Kim Talarczyk sits down with Asia Orangio to extract and unpack all the strategic insights she holds in her brain from working with hundreds of SaaS companies and interviewing thousands of their customers. Together, they break down how to diagnose and troubleshoot growth challenges across every part of a B2B SaaS business.
About your hosts:
Asia Orangio is the CEO & Founder of DemandMaven. Asia helps founders of PLG SaaS companies troubleshoot their growth across GTM, acquisition, activation, retention, and expansion and get unstuck. In early 2018, Asia founded DemandMaven — a consulting firm dedicated to helping bootstrapped and funded SaaS companies build revenue-generating growth engines. Previously, Asia served in a number of marketing roles, but most notably as head of marketing at Hull where she helped the team 10.5x in growth, and #FlipMyFunnel / Terminus as demand generation manager. Asia also served on the board of Moz before its successful acquisition in 2021.
Kim Talarczyk is the Client Services and Operations Manager at DemandMaven, where she ensures all client engagements are executed to the highest standard. With a strong background in client-facing roles and professional service firms, Kim has played a key role in scaling operations and delivering exceptional experiences for both B2C and B2B brands.
