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How to Grow and Thrive as a SaaS Startup With Tom Kulzer, CEO of AWeber

Tom Kulzer is the CEO and Founder of AWeber, a company he started in 1998 to guide small businesses in fostering more engaging customer relationships and designing effective email marketing. Tom grew the company from zero to 300,000 clients through his unique take on market strategy and team building. Due to his dedication to building a thriving and unique workplace culture, AWeber has been voted one of Pennsylvania's Best Places to Work 10 years in a row.
  • May 8, 2023
  • The eCommerce Wizards Podcast
Episode notes

In this episode

Bootstrapping can be a formidable method of financing a startup. There are many unknowns and hurdles to overcome, especially when it’s your first venture. For SaaS companies, getting your name out there and establishing a demand for your offering is also necessary.

Tom Kulzer started AWeber 25 years ago and turned a startup into a reliable software company. His email marketing strategies are already respected, but now he explains how he grew his business from the ground up.

In this episode of Ecommerce Wizards Podcast, Guillaume Le Tual invites Tom Kulzer, the Founder and CEO of AWeber, back onto the show to talk about how he nurtured his startup. They touch on the early days, how Tom cultivated his initial audience, and how he established customers. The two also discuss the potential pitfalls of a budding business and finding people to grow with the company.

What you’ll learn

  • Tom Kulzer’s introduction to business that began as his newsletter
  • The origins of AWeber and Tom’s initial approach to emails
  • Getting the first 3,000 sign-ups for AWeber
  • Knowing when and how to be transparent with customers
  • Why you need customers more than investors
  • The dangers of growing too fast
  • Hiring the right people to grow with your company
  • Why entrepreneurs need to let their businesses shine more than themselves

About Tom Kulzer

Tom Kulzer is the CEO and Founder of AWeber, a company he started in 1998 to guide small businesses in fostering more engaging customer relationships and designing effective email marketing. Tom grew the company from zero to 300,000 clients through his unique take on market strategy and team building. Due to his dedication to building a thriving and unique workplace culture, AWeber has been voted one of Pennsylvania’s Best Places to Work 10 years in a row.

Resources mentioned in this episode

The Ecommerce Wizards Podcast is hosted by Guillaume Le Tual, CEO of MageMontreal. Watch more episodes on our YouTube channel.

The Ecommerce Wizards Podcast
Hosted by Guillaume Le Tual
CEO of MageMontreal. Candid conversations with founders, operators and specialists building modern ecommerce on Adobe Commerce, Magento, Shopify, BigCommerce and WooCommerce.
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