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Feb 13, 2017 · 19m · top-founders

EP 569: GrowSumo Helping 70 B2B SaaS Companies Grow Affiliate Programs, $100k New MRR So Far with CEO Bryn Jones

Bryn Jones · 10m spoken Nathan Latka · 7m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

In this episode of The Top, host Nathan Latka interviews GrowSumo CEO Bryn Jones on how their automated affiliate marketplace enables B2B SaaS companies to scale influencer channels and generate over $100,000 in new monthly recurring revenue.

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 40.9% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 4.8 Guest teaching 3.5 Guest disagreement 2.3 Nathan pushing back 3.8
05100:0010:001:15–5:42 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Introducing Bryn Jones and GrowSumo's Product Hunt Launch Nathan probes into Product Hunt lead quality and clarifies the dual pricing model ($300/mo self-serve vs $10k/year enterprise plus 10% cut). Bryn readily explains their marketplace concept and monetization.5:43–8:28 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Influencer Sourcing, Web Scraping, and the Sumo Score Nathan asks detailed technical questions regarding how GrowSumo qualifies influencers and calculates list size. Bryn explains the Sumo score and their social scraping architecture.8:28–11:04 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Commercial Growth, Viral Loops, and Competitive Differentiation Nathan gives strong pushback when Bryn shares vague 50% month-over-month growth metrics, demanding concrete customer figures before Bryn reveals they have over 70 paying customers.11:04–13:46 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Y Combinator SAFE Mechanics, Fundraising, and Toronto Tech Talent When Nathan asserts that a priced portion of a YC investment forces an early valuation cap, Bryn politely reframes and corrects him by detailing SAFE mechanics and valuation deferral.13:46–16:20 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Generating $100K MRR and SaaS Affiliate Program Economics Nathan quickly extrapolates from the $100k MRR metric that GrowSumo is dialed in on B2B SaaS, drilling into typical commission percentages and contractual affiliate payout terms.16:20–17:46 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions with Bryn Jones The interview concludes smoothly with Nathan's standard rapid-fire questions covering personal habits, books, and startup advice.1:15–5:42 · Guest teaching 3/10 Introducing Bryn Jones and GrowSumo's Product Hunt Launch Nathan probes into Product Hunt lead quality and clarifies the dual pricing model ($300/mo self-serve vs $10k/year enterprise plus 10% cut). Bryn readily explains their marketplace concept and monetization.5:43–8:28 · Guest teaching 4/10 Influencer Sourcing, Web Scraping, and the Sumo Score Nathan asks detailed technical questions regarding how GrowSumo qualifies influencers and calculates list size. Bryn explains the Sumo score and their social scraping architecture.8:28–11:04 · Guest teaching 3/10 Commercial Growth, Viral Loops, and Competitive Differentiation Nathan gives strong pushback when Bryn shares vague 50% month-over-month growth metrics, demanding concrete customer figures before Bryn reveals they have over 70 paying customers.11:04–13:46 · Guest teaching 6/10 Y Combinator SAFE Mechanics, Fundraising, and Toronto Tech Talent When Nathan asserts that a priced portion of a YC investment forces an early valuation cap, Bryn politely reframes and corrects him by detailing SAFE mechanics and valuation deferral.13:46–16:20 · Guest teaching 4/10 Generating $100K MRR and SaaS Affiliate Program Economics Nathan quickly extrapolates from the $100k MRR metric that GrowSumo is dialed in on B2B SaaS, drilling into typical commission percentages and contractual affiliate payout terms.16:20–17:46 · Guest teaching 1/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions with Bryn Jones The interview concludes smoothly with Nathan's standard rapid-fire questions covering personal habits, books, and startup advice.1:15–5:42 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Introducing Bryn Jones and GrowSumo's Product Hunt Launch Nathan probes into Product Hunt lead quality and clarifies the dual pricing model ($300/mo self-serve vs $10k/year enterprise plus 10% cut). Bryn readily explains their marketplace concept and monetization.5:43–8:28 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Influencer Sourcing, Web Scraping, and the Sumo Score Nathan asks detailed technical questions regarding how GrowSumo qualifies influencers and calculates list size. Bryn explains the Sumo score and their social scraping architecture.8:28–11:04 · Guest disagreement 3/10 Commercial Growth, Viral Loops, and Competitive Differentiation Nathan gives strong pushback when Bryn shares vague 50% month-over-month growth metrics, demanding concrete customer figures before Bryn reveals they have over 70 paying customers.11:04–13:46 · Guest disagreement 4/10 Y Combinator SAFE Mechanics, Fundraising, and Toronto Tech Talent When Nathan asserts that a priced portion of a YC investment forces an early valuation cap, Bryn politely reframes and corrects him by detailing SAFE mechanics and valuation deferral.13:46–16:20 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Generating $100K MRR and SaaS Affiliate Program Economics Nathan quickly extrapolates from the $100k MRR metric that GrowSumo is dialed in on B2B SaaS, drilling into typical commission percentages and contractual affiliate payout terms.16:20–17:46 · Guest disagreement 1/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions with Bryn Jones The interview concludes smoothly with Nathan's standard rapid-fire questions covering personal habits, books, and startup advice.1:15–5:42 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Introducing Bryn Jones and GrowSumo's Product Hunt Launch Nathan probes into Product Hunt lead quality and clarifies the dual pricing model ($300/mo self-serve vs $10k/year enterprise plus 10% cut). Bryn readily explains their marketplace concept and monetization.5:43–8:28 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Influencer Sourcing, Web Scraping, and the Sumo Score Nathan asks detailed technical questions regarding how GrowSumo qualifies influencers and calculates list size. Bryn explains the Sumo score and their social scraping architecture.8:28–11:04 · Nathan pushing back 7/10 Commercial Growth, Viral Loops, and Competitive Differentiation Nathan gives strong pushback when Bryn shares vague 50% month-over-month growth metrics, demanding concrete customer figures before Bryn reveals they have over 70 paying customers.11:04–13:46 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Y Combinator SAFE Mechanics, Fundraising, and Toronto Tech Talent When Nathan asserts that a priced portion of a YC investment forces an early valuation cap, Bryn politely reframes and corrects him by detailing SAFE mechanics and valuation deferral.13:46–16:20 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Generating $100K MRR and SaaS Affiliate Program Economics Nathan quickly extrapolates from the $100k MRR metric that GrowSumo is dialed in on B2B SaaS, drilling into typical commission percentages and contractual affiliate payout terms.16:20–17:46 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions with Bryn Jones The interview concludes smoothly with Nathan's standard rapid-fire questions covering personal habits, books, and startup advice.

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

0:00 · Nathan 68.7% · guest 31.3%0:00 · Nathan 68.7% · guest 31.3%3:00 · Nathan 23.2% · guest 76.8%3:00 · Nathan 23.2% · guest 76.8%6:00 · Nathan 22.6% · guest 77.4%6:00 · Nathan 22.6% · guest 77.4%9:00 · Nathan 33.4% · guest 66.6%9:00 · Nathan 33.4% · guest 66.6%12:00 · Nathan 14.4% · guest 85.6%12:00 · Nathan 14.4% · guest 85.6%15:00 · Nathan 51.2% · guest 48.8%15:00 · Nathan 51.2% · guest 48.8%18:00 · Nathan 99.2% · guest 0.8%18:00 · Nathan 99.2% · guest 0.8%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 12:23 Bryn reframing SAFE note mechanics

Bryn directly disagrees with Nathan's assertion that YC terms force an early valuation conversation, explaining how SAFEs push pricing decisions down the road.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 9:24 Nathan rejecting percentage growth figures

Nathan interrupts Bryn's claim of 50% month-over-month growth, pointing out that going from 1 to 2 is 100% and demanding real, hardcore metrics.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 12:16 Explaining the mechanics of YC funding structure

Bryn educates Nathan on modern Y Combinator deal terms, clarifying the split between priced common shares and uncapped SAFE notes.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 15:00 Nathan mapping out B2B SaaS affiliate economics

Nathan demonstrates sharp industry expertise by immediately deducing the B2B SaaS niche from the MRR metric and breaking down affiliate commission models.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Introducing Bryn Jones and GrowSumo's Product Hunt Launch 5324 Nathan probes into Product Hunt lead quality and clarifies the dual pricing model ($300/mo self-serve vs $10k/year enterprise plus 10% cut). Bryn readily explains their marketplace concept and monetization.
Influencer Sourcing, Web Scraping, and the Sumo Score 5423 Nathan asks detailed technical questions regarding how GrowSumo qualifies influencers and calculates list size. Bryn explains the Sumo score and their social scraping architecture.
Commercial Growth, Viral Loops, and Competitive Differentiation 6337 Nathan gives strong pushback when Bryn shares vague 50% month-over-month growth metrics, demanding concrete customer figures before Bryn reveals they have over 70 paying customers.
Y Combinator SAFE Mechanics, Fundraising, and Toronto Tech Talent 5644 When Nathan asserts that a priced portion of a YC investment forces an early valuation cap, Bryn politely reframes and corrects him by detailing SAFE mechanics and valuation deferral.
Generating $100K MRR and SaaS Affiliate Program Economics 6424 Nathan quickly extrapolates from the $100k MRR metric that GrowSumo is dialed in on B2B SaaS, drilling into typical commission percentages and contractual affiliate payout terms.
The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions with Bryn Jones 2111 The interview concludes smoothly with Nathan's standard rapid-fire questions covering personal habits, books, and startup advice.

Statements from this episode (13)

Assertion Not checkable as stated
Jones: GrowSumo finished top three on Product Hunt with hundreds of signups
“I think we ended the day like top three, we had hundreds of companies sign up.”
Bryn Jones Feb 13, 2017 ▶ 2:04
Disclosure
Jones: GrowSumo charges early-stage startups $300 per month
“If you're a new startup and you have a new affiliate program or you want to run a new influencer program, it's 300 dollars a month.”
Bryn Jones Feb 13, 2017 ▶ 4:49
Disclosure
Jones: GrowSumo charges enterprise clients $10k annually plus 10% payout fee
“The enterprise account is 10,000 dollars annually. In addition to this, we take a 10% fee on all payouts that you make over to your influencers.”
Bryn Jones Feb 13, 2017 ▶ 5:32
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Jones: Sending 100 invites yields 3 to 5 influencer signups
“You send out a hundred invites, you might get three to five influencers join your program.”
Bryn Jones Feb 13, 2017 ▶ 7:08
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Jones: GrowSumo grew 50% month-over-month since September 2016
“What I can say is that we've grown 50% month over months in September.”
Bryn Jones Feb 13, 2017 ▶ 9:20
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Jones: GrowSumo has over 70 paying customers
“So right now we're working with over 70 paying customers, which is great for our business.”
Bryn Jones Feb 13, 2017 ▶ 9:37
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Jones: GrowSumo beats Commission Junction and Influitive in head-to-head sales
“So right now we're winning battles against commission junction, which is an affiliate network, a very, very large affiliate network. And we're also winning battles against platforms like influitive, which isn't really an influitive yet.”
Bryn Jones Feb 13, 2017 ▶ 10:33
Assertion Supported
Jones: Influitive pays advocates in gift cards while GrowSumo pays cash
“Where we differentiate from a platform like influitive is we let people get paid cash for it. Influitive just pays, you know, gift cards and that type of thing.”
Bryn Jones Feb 13, 2017 ▶ 10:55
Assertion Supported
Jones: Y Combinator invests $120K via priced common stock and a SAFE
“Now it's one 20, 20% or 20,000 dollars of it is invested in common share. So it's a priced round. And then the other a 100,000 dollars is invest, invested on a safe.”
Bryn Jones Feb 13, 2017 ▶ 11:49
Opinion
Jones: Founders will never find more founder-friendly terms than Y Combinator's
“I strongly encourage everyone to go through the program because you're never going to receive any more founder friendly terms than what Y Combinator offers.”
Bryn Jones Feb 13, 2017 ▶ 12:08
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Jones: GrowSumo generated over $100k in monthly recurring revenue for customers
“But what I can say is we're, we've driven over a 100,000 dollars in recurring monthly revenue for our customers to date.”
Bryn Jones Feb 13, 2017 ▶ 14:01
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Jones: Successful SaaS affiliate programs pay 15% to 20% to influencers
“Right, so the average programs and the one we see to be very successful is they're paying 15 to 20% out to the influencers and it's working for everyone.”
Bryn Jones Feb 13, 2017 ▶ 15:47
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Jones: SaaS companies pay affiliate commissions for 12 to 24 months
“People are paying between 12 and 12, 12 and 24 months for that.”
Bryn Jones Feb 13, 2017 ▶ 15:59
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