What happens when your software is excellent, but your customers still fail?

In this episode of Your Business Growth Podcast, Jeremy Shapiro interviews Stephan Bajaio, former Co-Founder and Chief Evangelist at Conductor, about how the company overcame a major growth plateau by shifting from simply selling software to helping customers achieve measurable results.

Conductor had already become a leader in enterprise SEO software and reached roughly $20 million in revenue.

But growth stalled.

Customers had access to powerful tools, yet many struggled with implementation, adoption, and execution.

Stephan shares how:
✔️ Enterprise customers struggled to use the platform effectively
✔️ Growth flattened despite strong demand
✔️ Customer satisfaction suffered due to poor adoption
✔️ Teams lacked the internal expertise needed for success
✔️ Traditional onboarding wasn't producing results

Then came the breakthrough.

Instead of simply providing software, Conductor built managed services, enablement programs, and customer success systems that helped clients implement recommendations and achieve outcomes.

That shift unlocked significant new growth and helped drive millions in additional revenue.

In this episode, we discuss:
✔️ Building one of the first enterprise SEO platforms
✔️ Educating a market that didn't understand SEO
✔️ Why SaaS companies often hit adoption ceilings
✔️ The difference between product success and customer success
✔️ How managed services created a new growth engine
✔️ Using customer feedback to drive innovation
✔️ Why implementation is often the real bottleneck
✔️ Improving NPS through accountability and guidance
✔️ Building company culture during rapid growth
✔️ Creating ownership mindsets across teams
✔️ Hiring people who genuinely care about the mission
✔️ Why founders must think beyond the product

Stephan also shares lessons on:
✔️ Leadership and culture at scale
✔️ Founder identity after success
✔️ Documenting organizational knowledge
✔️ Enterprise sales and customer education
✔️ Building communities around products
✔️ The future of search and digital visibility

👉 Learn more about Stephan Bajaio:
• https://vibelogic.com/
• Stephan Bajaio on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanbajaio/

📘 Hosted by Jeremy B. Shapiro, Author of Your Business Growth Playbook ( https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/ )

Chapters:
00:00 Growth Stalls at 20M
01:30 Origin Story Link Experts
03:44 Building Enterprise SEO SaaS
06:12 Selling Search Before Software
10:01 Evangelism and Competitive Wakeup
13:27 Scaling Culture and Ownership
17:33 Hiring for Passion
19:26 Founder Identity and Town Halls
23:30 Escaping the Founder Trap
27:22 Visionary vs Operator Balance
28:26 Fast Forward to Plateau
28:45 Implementation Plateau
29:41 Acceleration Onboarding
31:51 Managed Services Shift
35:06 Culture Not Role
37:07 Enablement Training Wheels
41:01 Speedboat vs Cruise Ship
43:55 Founder Identity Passion
46:03 Memorialize Your Playbook
50:44 Reflection Kilimanjaro
53:57 Rapid Fire Wrap

Keywords: Stephan Bajaio, Jeremy Shapiro, SEO software, SaaS growth, customer success, managed services, enterprise software, business growth, company culture, leadership, customer retention, NPS, startup growth, scaling a business, recurring revenue, search marketing, digital marketing, software adoption
#BusinessGrowth #SaaS #CustomerSuccess #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #Podcast

Want to be a guest on Your Business Growth Podcast? Send Jeremy Shapiro a message on PodMatch, here: https://podmatch.com/hostdetail/your_business_growth_podcast be a guest on Your Business Growth Podcast? Send Jeremy Shapiro a message on PodMatch, here:

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What happens when your business looks successful on the outside—but leaves you exhausted, stressed, and stuck?

In this episode of Your Business Growth Podcast, Jeremy Shapiro interviews Rachel Allen about how she dismantled a successful agency, survived a six-month drought with zero new leads, and completely transformed her business into a multi-seven figure business by making one bold pricing decision.

Rachel shares how:
✔️ She started freelancing during the 2008 recession with only $200
✔️ A copywriting side hustle became a successful business
✔️ Building an agency created more stress than freedom
✔️ Six years at the same revenue level left her feeling stuck
✔️ A six-month dry spell nearly pushed her out of entrepreneurship
✔️ One unconventional pricing decision changed everything

Then came the breakthrough.

Instead of competing as a copywriter, Rachel repositioned herself as a high-level marketing strategist and quintupled her prices.

Within weeks, she landed the largest client of her career and began building the business she actually wanted.

In this episode, we discuss:
✔️ Why scaling isn't always the right growth strategy
✔️ The hidden downside of agency ownership
✔️ How pricing influences client perception
✔️ Moving from service provider to strategic advisor
✔️ Why premium positioning attracts different buyers
✔️ The psychology behind charging more
✔️ Building referral-driven businesses
✔️ Networking strategies that create long-term growth
✔️ Working with larger organizations and enterprise clients
✔️ Creating a business designed around freedom and lifestyle

Rachel also shares lessons on:
✔️ Business reinvention and repositioning
✔️ Overcoming pricing fears
✔️ Qualitative and quantitative business metrics
✔️ Building meaningful professional relationships
✔️ Creating sustainable growth without a large team
✔️ Making difficult decisions as an entrepreneur

👉 Connect with Rachel Allen:
• Bolt From The Blue Copywriting: https://boltfromthebluecopywriting.com/
• Rachel Allen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelallenwrites/

📘 Hosted by Jeremy B. Shapiro, Author of Your Business Growth Playbook https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/

Chapters:
00:00 Dry Spell Breakthrough
01:29 From Journalism to Hong Kong
03:02 Early Freelance Hustle
03:50 Boutique to Agency Shift
07:17 Six Figure Plateau Lessons
09:24 Shutting Down the Agency
12:33 Cabin Retreat Price Leap
15:35 Repositioning as Strategist
17:47 Pricing Transparency Strategy
20:04 Landing Fractional CMO Client
21:45 Scaling Through Client Teams
24:36 Multi Revenue Streams Freedom
27:21 Referrals and Social Capital
31:48 Metrics and Weekly Tracking
35:04 Rapid Fire and Wrap Up

Keywords: Rachel Allen, Jeremy Shapiro, pricing strategy, premium pricing, marketing strategy, entrepreneurship, copywriting, consulting business, business growth, scaling a business, agency owner, referrals, marketing consultant, business pivot, personal branding, entrepreneur mindset, high ticket services, business transformation

#BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #MarketingStrategy #Consulting #BusinessOwner #Podcast

Want to be a guest on Your Business Growth Podcast? Send Jeremy Shapiro a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetail/your_business_growth_podcast

🔔 Subscribe right now for more conversations with founders, entrepreneurs, and business leaders sharing real lessons on growth, leadership, and building companies.

What if growing your business actually made life LESS stressful?

In this episode of Your Business Growth Podcast, Jeremy Shapiro interviews Mike Ritsema, CEO of i3 Business Solutions, about how he scaled a struggling IT services company into a $10M+ recurring revenue business through acquisitions, specialization, and operational systems.

Mike shares the difficult realities behind entrepreneurship:
✔️ Maxing out personal credit lines
✔️ Going months without taking a paycheck
✔️ Surviving the 2001 tech recession
✔️ Watching 9/11 unfold while fearing the business would collapse
✔️ Navigating the Great Recession and COVID
✔️ Managing complicated business partner buyouts

Instead of slowing down, Mike leaned into growth and built a stronger company through recurring revenue, acquisitions, and organizational focus.

In this episode, we discuss:
✔️ Why buying a business can outperform starting one from scratch
✔️ The hidden operational cost of employees wearing multiple hats
✔️ How specialization improves service quality and execution
✔️ Why recurring revenue transformed the company
✔️ The operational benefits of scaling beyond 50 employees
✔️ How acquisitions simplified leadership responsibilities
✔️ EOS, Traction, and operational accountability systems
✔️ Why referrals remain the highest-quality lead source
✔️ Building premium service businesses with stronger margins
✔️ The value of peer groups, masterminds, and mentorship

Mike also shares lessons on:
✔️ Leadership during economic uncertainty
✔️ Scaling service-based businesses
✔️ Delegation and operational clarity
✔️ Managing company culture after acquisitions
✔️ Why lifelong learning matters for entrepreneurs

👉 Connect with Michael Ritsema and learn more about i3 Business Solutions:
* i3 Business Solutions: https://i3bus.com/
* Michael Ritsema on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljritsema

📘 Hosted by Jeremy B. Shapiro, Author of Your Business Growth Playbook ( https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/ )

Chapters:
00:00 On the Brink
01:11 From IBM to Ownership
02:32 Buying Not Starting
05:37 Early Struggles and 9 11
09:16 Recession Pivot and Plateau
11:41 Too Many Hats
13:43 Partner Buyouts and Recurring Revenue
16:58 Bored Then Bought a Rival
20:46 Scale With Less Stress
24:30 Systems and Priorities
26:02 Weekly Priority Discipline
26:47 Client Value Over Noise
27:23 Networking for Acquisitions
28:25 Merging Company Cultures
30:56 One Role One Rock
34:27 Specialization at Scale
36:20 Pricing Power and Saying No
38:07 Scaling Advice and Mentors
41:50 Peer Groups and Benchmarks
43:56 Owner KPIs for Growth
45:36 Rapid Fire Takeaways
47:37 Unlikely Mentor Story
49:34 Wrap Up and Where to Connect

Keywords: Mike Ritsema, Jeremy Shapiro, recurring revenue, IT business, managed services, EOS, Traction, business acquisitions, entrepreneurship, business systems, MSP growth, leadership, scaling a business, service business growth, business strategy

#businessgrowth #Entrepreneurship #RecurringRevenue #Leadership #BusinessStrategy #Podcast

Want to be a guest on Your Business Growth Podcast? Send Jeremy Shapiro a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/your_business_growth_podcast

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