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Jun 16, 2017 · 24m · top-founders

692: With Microsoft Deal and $225k MRR, Will He Win CRM Space?

John Ferrara · 12m spoken Nathan Latka · 10m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

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GoldMine pioneer and Nimble CEO John Ferrara joins host Nathan Latka to discuss raising a $9 million Series A, reaching $225k in MRR, and driving SMB customer acquisition through high-leverage Microsoft Outlook integrations and reseller channels.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 45.6% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 5.6 Guest teaching 2.1 Guest disagreement 1.0 Nathan pushing back 2.1
05100:0010:0020:001:35–5:14 · Nathan as informed peer 7/10 Historical Metrics Review and Series A Funding Announcement Nathan showcases strong domain familiarity by reciting Nimble's previous operational metrics including ARPU, gross churn, CAC, and LTV. John confirms the accuracy and announces their new 9 million dollar Series A round.5:14–7:45 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Channel Strategy and Microsoft Reseller Partnership Nathan inquires about capital allocation and paying influencers, which John immediately corrects by explaining that authentic influencer marketing relies on adding value rather than paying cash.7:45–10:35 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Partner Revenue Share, Pricing Tiers, and Current MRR Nathan breaks down the unit economics and partner margins for Microsoft VARs, calculating their cut per subscriber while John explains updated ARPU and tier pricing.10:35–14:29 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Outlook Mobile Integrations and Trial Conversion Rates Nathan challenges John on the Microsoft Outlook Mobile partnership, calling it almost too good to be true and questioning how Nimble won the slot over dozens of competitors.14:29–17:05 · Nathan as informed peer 8/10 Competitive Differentiation in a Fragmented CRM Market Nathan demonstrates high industry expertise by rattling off exact MRR, ARPU, and funding figures for competitors including Hatchbuck, Pipedrive, Close.io, and Contactually, pressing John on market differentiation.17:06–20:53 · Nathan as informed peer 8/10 Team Expansion, Funding Valuation, and Market Opportunity Nathan performs real-time valuation math, estimating Nimble's post-money valuation at approximately 90 million dollars based on the low dilution figure and questioning liquidation preference dynamics.20:53–22:59 · Nathan as informed peer 0/10 Sponsor Segment: Acuity Scheduling Promotion Nathan delivers a solo sponsor read for Acuity Scheduling before transitioning into the Famous Five segment.1:35–5:14 · Guest teaching 2/10 Historical Metrics Review and Series A Funding Announcement Nathan showcases strong domain familiarity by reciting Nimble's previous operational metrics including ARPU, gross churn, CAC, and LTV. John confirms the accuracy and announces their new 9 million dollar Series A round.5:14–7:45 · Guest teaching 4/10 Channel Strategy and Microsoft Reseller Partnership Nathan inquires about capital allocation and paying influencers, which John immediately corrects by explaining that authentic influencer marketing relies on adding value rather than paying cash.7:45–10:35 · Guest teaching 2/10 Partner Revenue Share, Pricing Tiers, and Current MRR Nathan breaks down the unit economics and partner margins for Microsoft VARs, calculating their cut per subscriber while John explains updated ARPU and tier pricing.10:35–14:29 · Guest teaching 3/10 Outlook Mobile Integrations and Trial Conversion Rates Nathan challenges John on the Microsoft Outlook Mobile partnership, calling it almost too good to be true and questioning how Nimble won the slot over dozens of competitors.14:29–17:05 · Guest teaching 2/10 Competitive Differentiation in a Fragmented CRM Market Nathan demonstrates high industry expertise by rattling off exact MRR, ARPU, and funding figures for competitors including Hatchbuck, Pipedrive, Close.io, and Contactually, pressing John on market differentiation.17:06–20:53 · Guest teaching 2/10 Team Expansion, Funding Valuation, and Market Opportunity Nathan performs real-time valuation math, estimating Nimble's post-money valuation at approximately 90 million dollars based on the low dilution figure and questioning liquidation preference dynamics.20:53–22:59 · Guest teaching 0/10 Sponsor Segment: Acuity Scheduling Promotion Nathan delivers a solo sponsor read for Acuity Scheduling before transitioning into the Famous Five segment.1:35–5:14 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Historical Metrics Review and Series A Funding Announcement Nathan showcases strong domain familiarity by reciting Nimble's previous operational metrics including ARPU, gross churn, CAC, and LTV. John confirms the accuracy and announces their new 9 million dollar Series A round.5:14–7:45 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Channel Strategy and Microsoft Reseller Partnership Nathan inquires about capital allocation and paying influencers, which John immediately corrects by explaining that authentic influencer marketing relies on adding value rather than paying cash.7:45–10:35 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Partner Revenue Share, Pricing Tiers, and Current MRR Nathan breaks down the unit economics and partner margins for Microsoft VARs, calculating their cut per subscriber while John explains updated ARPU and tier pricing.10:35–14:29 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Outlook Mobile Integrations and Trial Conversion Rates Nathan challenges John on the Microsoft Outlook Mobile partnership, calling it almost too good to be true and questioning how Nimble won the slot over dozens of competitors.14:29–17:05 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Competitive Differentiation in a Fragmented CRM Market Nathan demonstrates high industry expertise by rattling off exact MRR, ARPU, and funding figures for competitors including Hatchbuck, Pipedrive, Close.io, and Contactually, pressing John on market differentiation.17:06–20:53 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Team Expansion, Funding Valuation, and Market Opportunity Nathan performs real-time valuation math, estimating Nimble's post-money valuation at approximately 90 million dollars based on the low dilution figure and questioning liquidation preference dynamics.20:53–22:59 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Sponsor Segment: Acuity Scheduling Promotion Nathan delivers a solo sponsor read for Acuity Scheduling before transitioning into the Famous Five segment.1:35–5:14 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Historical Metrics Review and Series A Funding Announcement Nathan showcases strong domain familiarity by reciting Nimble's previous operational metrics including ARPU, gross churn, CAC, and LTV. John confirms the accuracy and announces their new 9 million dollar Series A round.5:14–7:45 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Channel Strategy and Microsoft Reseller Partnership Nathan inquires about capital allocation and paying influencers, which John immediately corrects by explaining that authentic influencer marketing relies on adding value rather than paying cash.7:45–10:35 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Partner Revenue Share, Pricing Tiers, and Current MRR Nathan breaks down the unit economics and partner margins for Microsoft VARs, calculating their cut per subscriber while John explains updated ARPU and tier pricing.10:35–14:29 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Outlook Mobile Integrations and Trial Conversion Rates Nathan challenges John on the Microsoft Outlook Mobile partnership, calling it almost too good to be true and questioning how Nimble won the slot over dozens of competitors.14:29–17:05 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Competitive Differentiation in a Fragmented CRM Market Nathan demonstrates high industry expertise by rattling off exact MRR, ARPU, and funding figures for competitors including Hatchbuck, Pipedrive, Close.io, and Contactually, pressing John on market differentiation.17:06–20:53 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Team Expansion, Funding Valuation, and Market Opportunity Nathan performs real-time valuation math, estimating Nimble's post-money valuation at approximately 90 million dollars based on the low dilution figure and questioning liquidation preference dynamics.20:53–22:59 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 Sponsor Segment: Acuity Scheduling Promotion Nathan delivers a solo sponsor read for Acuity Scheduling before transitioning into the Famous Five segment.

speaking balance: gold is Nathan, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Nathan 90% · guest 10%0:00 · Nathan 90% · guest 10%3:00 · Nathan 10.3% · guest 89.7%3:00 · Nathan 10.3% · guest 89.7%6:00 · Nathan 9.7% · guest 90.3%6:00 · Nathan 9.7% · guest 90.3%9:00 · Nathan 45.3% · guest 54.7%9:00 · Nathan 45.3% · guest 54.7%12:00 · Nathan 29.3% · guest 70.7%12:00 · Nathan 29.3% · guest 70.7%15:00 · Nathan 46.2% · guest 53.8%15:00 · Nathan 46.2% · guest 53.8%18:00 · Nathan 35.1% · guest 64.9%18:00 · Nathan 35.1% · guest 64.9%21:00 · Nathan 85.4% · guest 14.6%21:00 · Nathan 85.4% · guest 14.6%24:00 · Nathan 100% · guest 0%24:00 · Nathan 100% · guest 0%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 5:38 John rejects paid influencer premise

When Nathan asks how much John pays influencers to market Nimble, John immediately cuts in and rejects the premise by stating 'You don't pay them.'

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 12:07 Nathan challenges Microsoft integration claims

Nathan pushes back against the Microsoft distribution deal as sounding too good to be true and demands to know why Microsoft picked Nimble over a dozen competing CRM platforms.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 5:45 John details influencer relationship strategy

John educates Nathan on organic influencer strategy, explaining how engaging thought leaders and providing value creates evangelists without paid sponsorship.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 14:29 Nathan cites detailed competitor metrics and financials

Nathan demonstrates command of the CRM ecosystem by rapidly listing specific ARR, ARPU, and funding figures for competing founders he previously interviewed.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Historical Metrics Review and Series A Funding Announcement 7211 Nathan showcases strong domain familiarity by reciting Nimble's previous operational metrics including ARPU, gross churn, CAC, and LTV. John confirms the accuracy and announces their new 9 million dollar Series A round.
Channel Strategy and Microsoft Reseller Partnership 4422 Nathan inquires about capital allocation and paying influencers, which John immediately corrects by explaining that authentic influencer marketing relies on adding value rather than paying cash.
Partner Revenue Share, Pricing Tiers, and Current MRR 6212 Nathan breaks down the unit economics and partner margins for Microsoft VARs, calculating their cut per subscriber while John explains updated ARPU and tier pricing.
Outlook Mobile Integrations and Trial Conversion Rates 6314 Nathan challenges John on the Microsoft Outlook Mobile partnership, calling it almost too good to be true and questioning how Nimble won the slot over dozens of competitors.
Competitive Differentiation in a Fragmented CRM Market 8213 Nathan demonstrates high industry expertise by rattling off exact MRR, ARPU, and funding figures for competitors including Hatchbuck, Pipedrive, Close.io, and Contactually, pressing John on market differentiation.
Team Expansion, Funding Valuation, and Market Opportunity 8213 Nathan performs real-time valuation math, estimating Nimble's post-money valuation at approximately 90 million dollars based on the low dilution figure and questioning liquidation preference dynamics.
Sponsor Segment: Acuity Scheduling Promotion 0000 Nathan delivers a solo sponsor read for Acuity Scheduling before transitioning into the Famous Five segment.

Statements from this episode (15)

Opinion
Ferrara: CRMs fail when restricted to sales and marketing teams
“So I think the biggest problem with serum today is that it's only sales and marketing people that use it, but ultimately everybody in your company should be using A relationship platform for the whole business, because everybody in the company touches the cust…”
John Ferrara Jun 16, 2017 ▶ 3:19
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Nimble reached nearly 100,000 monthly website visitors with zero marketing spend
“We got our monthly recurring revenue, monthly recurring unique users to our website at almost a 100,000 uniques per month with zero marketing spend.”
John Ferrara Jun 16, 2017 ▶ 4:59
Insight
Ferrara: Companies should earn influencer advocacy without paying direct fees
“You don't pay them. So what you do is you identify the key influencer of your core constituency in and around the areas of promise your product, so thought leaders that are inspirational in and around the areas of functionality of your products or services, an…”
John Ferrara Jun 16, 2017 ▶ 5:43
Assertion Supported
Nimble signs deal with Microsoft to resell CRM through Outlook VARs
“We just signed a deal with Microsoft where they became a reseller of Nimble. Microsoft has started to resell Nimble with Outlook through their VARs And they're going to gift their VARs Nimble, so that their VARs can be better, smarter, faster at sales and mark…”
John Ferrara Jun 16, 2017 ▶ 6:59
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Ferrara: Microsoft passes all Nimble revenue to VARs
“Microsoft currently is passing through all that revenue to the VARs. So Microsoft's not actually getting a margin on nimble. So the VARs are getting that margin, and so ultimately what's happening is that the VARs make the margin on the monthly current revenue…”
John Ferrara Jun 16, 2017 ▶ 7:55
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Ferrara: VARs earn 20% margin selling Nimble
“About 20%.”
John Ferrara Jun 16, 2017 ▶ 8:14
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Ferrara: Nimble ARPU reaches nearly $30 per month
“So it's actually closer to 30 dollars today, and we see it continuing to grow higher”
John Ferrara Jun 16, 2017 ▶ 8:30
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Ferrara: Nimble reached $225k MRR in March 2017
“So which about 225,000 dollars.”
John Ferrara Jun 16, 2017 ▶ 10:12
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Ferrara: Nimble has around 10,500 customers
“It's about 10,500.”
John Ferrara Jun 16, 2017 ▶ 10:25
Assertion Partly supported
Microsoft bundles Nimble CRM directly inside Outlook Mobile
“Microsoft has bundled Nimble inside of Outlook Mobile.”
John Ferrara Jun 16, 2017 ▶ 11:46
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Nimble's Microsoft integrations convert at double the website rate
“And today, a visitor to our website, we're converting at five percent to trial. But on these outlook mobile and office five integrations, we're converting that double that rate at 10% to trial, which is amazing.”
John Ferrara Jun 16, 2017 ▶ 14:17
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Latka: Pipedrive is generating over $1M in MRR
“You've got Pipe Drive with Timo. They just raised a bunch of money. They're doing about a little over a million dollars per month in MR.”
Nathan Latka Jun 16, 2017 ▶ 14:55
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Latka: Contactually raised $13M and reaches $700k MRR
“Then you've got like a Contaxly, which is the band up there in Washington, D.C. Is really focused on the realtor market. They've raised thirteen million bucks, doing about 700 grand a monthly recurring revenue.”
Nathan Latka Jun 16, 2017 ▶ 15:07
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Nimble surrendered under 15% equity in its $9M Series A round
“Lower.”
John Ferrara Jun 16, 2017 ▶ 18:15
Opinion
Ferrara: Microsoft does not innovate, they iterate
“Microsoft doesn't innovate, they iterate.”
John Ferrara Jun 16, 2017 ▶ 19:56
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