Episode 766 | Close.com's Amazing Run to $40M ARR (with Steli Efti) episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 18, 2025 · 37 MIN

Episode 766 | Close.com's Amazing Run to $40M ARR (with Steli Efti)

from Startups For the Rest of Us · host Rob Walling

How do you achieve both success and longevity in SaaS? In episode 766, Rob chats with Steli Efti about growing Close.com to over $40 million in ARR. Steli shares insights into the importance of maintaining strong co-founder relationships over 12 years, navigating crises, and the importance of emotional resilience in entrepreneurship. They also dive into Close's recent pricing shift to introduce a lower entry-level plan. Topics we cover:  (2:08) – Reflecting on 12 years of SaaS at Close (3:50) – Strong co-founder relationships (11:24) – Longevity and consistently showing up (20:23) – Surviving moments of crisis (29:27) – Launching a more affordable pricing tier (34:40) – Getting back into the content game Links from the Show:  Exit Strategy by Sherry Walling, PhD & Rob Walling Close Close Sales Guides Episode 498 | Selling During a Pandemic with Steli Efti The 0 to $30 Million Blueprint Steli Efti (@Steli) | X Steli Efti | LinkedIn If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

How do you achieve both success and longevity in SaaS? In episode 766, Rob chats with Steli Efti about growing Close.com to over $40 million in ARR. Steli shares insights into the importance of maintaining strong co-founder relationships over 12 years, navigating crises, and the importance of emotional resilience in entrepreneurship. They also dive into Close's recent pricing shift to introduce a lower entry-level plan. Topics we cover:  (2:08) – Reflecting on 12 years of SaaS at Close (3:50) – Strong co-founder relationships (11:24) – Longevity and consistently showing up (20:23) – Surviving moments of crisis (29:27) – Launching a more affordable pricing tier (34:40) – Getting back into the content game Links from the Show:  Exit Strategy by Sherry Walling, PhD & Rob Walling Close Close Sales Guides Episode 498 | Selling During a Pandemic with Steli Efti The 0 to $30 Million Blueprint Steli Efti (@Steli) | X Steli Efti | LinkedIn If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

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Episode 766 | Close.com's Amazing Run to $40M ARR (with Steli Efti)

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This episode was published on March 18, 2025.

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How do you achieve both success and longevity in SaaS? In episode 766, Rob chats with Steli Efti about growing Close.com to over $40 million in ARR. Steli shares insights into the importance of maintaining strong co-founder relationships over 12...

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