Today on the show, we have Brian Balfour, the Founder and CEO of Reforge and former VP of Growth at HubSpot.

In this episode, Brian shares his perspective on the foundational laws of retention that remain unchanged, even as AI continues to transform the way we build and grow products.

We then discussed why many AI products are struggling with high churn, the role of natural usage frequency in product retention, and how businesses can avoid falling into the trap of ignoring core retention principles.

We wrapped up by exploring how AI is reshaping product teams, why product-market fit collapse is happening faster than ever, and how companies can navigate the new challenges of AI-native product development.

Mentioned Resources

• Brian Balfour
• Reforge
• Churn.FM Episode 1 | Churn is the silent killer
• The 4 Growth Frameworks You Need to Build a $100M Product
• Invest Like the Best: Dylan Field – Designing the Future

Churn FM is sponsored by Vitally, the all-in-one Customer Success Platform.

Today on the show we have Emeric Ernoult, the Founder and CEO of Agorapulse.

In this episode, Emeric shares his experience navigating Agorapulse’s bold pivot from serving SMBs to targeting mid-market and enterprise clients.

We then discussed the challenges of combating endemic churn, why moving upmarket was critical for growth, and the lessons learned from multiple pivots along the way.

We wrapped up by discussing the complexities of scaling a SaaS business while bootstrapped, including how to align product, marketing, and sales when shifting to a new customer segment.

Mentioned Resources

• Agorapulse
• Episode 44 | Challenges tackling SMB churn and how to overcome them

Churn FM is sponsored by Vitally, the all-in-one Customer Success Platform.

Today on the show we have Paul Yacoubian, founder and CEO of Copy.AI.

In this episode, we explore how Copy.AI evolved from an AI copywriting tool into a full-scale enterprise workflow automation platform.

Paul shares how LLMs (Large Language Models) are reshaping go-to-market strategies, the challenges enterprises face in AI adoption, and why data management is the biggest bottleneck for AI-driven automation.

We also dive into Paul’s approach to angel investing, why he prioritizes founders over funding stages, and how companies should think about customer activation, churn, and retention in an AI-powered world.

Mentioned Resources

• Copy.AI

Churn FM is sponsored by Vitally, the all-in-one Customer Success Platform.

Today on the show we have Yuriy Timen, investor and advisor to companies like Airtable, Canva, and Oyster, and former Global Head of Growth & Marketing at Grammarly.

Yuriy shares his journey from leading performance marketing to building a high-impact growth product team—and why aligning these functions is crucial for retention.

We explore the challenges of balancing acquisition and retention, how to structure growth teams effectively, and why the first user session is the biggest lever for long-term retention. Yuriy also shares his perspective on when startups should truly focus on growth and how to avoid the common mistake of scaling too soon.

Tune in to learn how to break down silos, create a retention-driven growth strategy, and build a seamless user experience from acquisition to activation.

Mentioned Resources

• Grammarly
• Coda
• Airtable
• Canva
• Oyster
• Whimsical
• Intercom

Churn FM is sponsored by Vitally, the all-in-one Customer Success Platform.

Today on the show we have Saravana Kumar, the CEO and Founder of Kovai.co.

In this episode, Saravana shares his journey from launching a single-product business to building a multi-product SaaS company. He reflects on the challenges of scaling multiple products and offers candid insights into why he wouldn’t recommend his approach.

Saravana also reveals the story behind Churn360, the customer success product he ultimately decided to shut down after significant investment, and what this taught him about market fit and opportunity cost.

We then explore the signals that led to Kovai.co expanding into new products, the strategies behind scaling Document360, and how Saravana balances managing multiple SaaS products with distinct go-to-market motions.

Finally, Saravana discusses why onboarding is critical to fighting churn, the importance of aligning product-market fit with sales strategies, and what SaaS founders need to know before attempting a multi-product approach.

Mentioned Resources

• Saravana Kumar
• Kovai.co
• Document360
• Zendesk
• Freshdesk
• Intercom
• Churn360
• Gainsight
• Vitally
• Brian Balfour
• Four Fits For $100M Growth
• UiPath
• Clay
  
  

Churn FM is sponsored by Vitally, the all-in-one Customer Success Platform.

Today on the show, we have Kyle Poyar, Co-founder and Operating Partner at Tremont.

In this episode, Kyle shares his journey from consulting at Simon-Kucher to becoming a leading voice in SaaS pricing. We dive deep into the challenges and opportunities of evolving pricing models, exploring the shift from traditional seat-based pricing to success-based frameworks.

We also discuss how AI is reshaping the SaaS landscape, influencing not just products but also how companies think about customer value and retention. Kyle shares actionable insights on aligning pricing strategies with customer success to drive growth and minimize churn.

Mentioned Resources

• Kyle Poyar
• Klaviyo
• Tremont
• Growth Unhinged
• OpenView
• Simon-Kucher
• How to find your first ICP
• Leah Tharin
• James Hawkins
• PostHog
• Chargeflow
• Heidi Gibson
• GoDaddy
• Netflix
• ValuePilot

Churn FM is sponsored by Vitally, the all-in-one Customer Success Platform.

Today on the show we have Tim Schumacher, the Co-Founder of SaaS Group, a company specializing in acquiring and scaling SaaS businesses.

In this episode, Tim shares his insights on how SaaS founders can prepare their businesses for acquisition, covering key metrics, processes, and strategies to stand out in the market.

We then discussed the importance of revenue, profitability, and team structure in determining valuation and how SaaS Group evaluates potential acquisitions.

We wrapped up by exploring post-acquisition integration, including how SaaS Group supports acquired companies to maximize growth while maintaining their unique culture.

Mentioned Resources

• Tim Schumacher
• Saas.group
• Sedo.com
• GoDaddy
• Open AI
• Adobe
• Figma

Churn FM is sponsored by Vitally, the all-in-one Customer Success Platform.

Today on the show we have Elliott Poppel, the CEO and founder of General Collaboration.

In this episode, Elliott shares his experience identifying activation milestones to separate casual visitors from engaged users and how these metrics drive early retention success.

We then discussed the challenges of integrating multiple tools into a seamless user experience and the importance of positioning and marketing in product adoption.

We wrapped up by exploring the lessons Elliott learned as a third-time founder and his insights on balancing user acquisition, retention, and growth.

Mentioned Resources

• Elliott Poppel
• General Collaboration
• Meta
• Meta Portal
• Apple
• Google
• Mark Zuckerberg
• Muppets
• Alexa
• Google Home
• ChatGPT
• Gemini
• Claude
• Home Assistant
• Google Docs
• Figma
• Notion
• Linear
• Jira
• Airtable
• Slack
• Superhuman
• Brian Halligan
• HubSpot

Churn FM is sponsored by Vitally, the all-in-one Customer Success Platform.