Breakthrough SaaS Growth with The Jasons

Hosted by Jason Whitehead & Jason Noble

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Episodes

125

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

SaaS growth isn’t owned by a single team - it’s a cross-functional sport. Each week, hosts Jason Noble (UK) and Jason Whitehead (US) dig into what actually drives sustainable growth across product, pricing, onboarding & adoption, customer success, sales, marketing, finance, and leadership . Expect candid conversations, practical playbooks, and board-level perspectives on topics like AI (beyond the hype), data quality & trust, in-product guidance, value realization, renewals, expansion, and customer experience . You’ll hear from founders, investors, product and revenue leaders who’ve built real results - not just slideware. Formerly known as The Jasons Take On , the show has evolved to reflect a broader mission: turning insight into action that breaks through silos and accelerates SaaS growth . Same Jasons. Bigger vision. Sharper takeaways. Subscribe and explore more at breakthroughsaasgrowth.com . 🌐 Web 🎙️ Apple podcast 💼 LinkedIn 🐦 X

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 15, 2026Episode 12515 min

When AI Becomes the User

AI agents are no longer just assistants. They are starting to become real users of software. In this episode, Jason Noble and Jason Whitehead explore what happens when AI agents begin booking meetings, updating records, triggering workflows and moving work across systems on behalf of humans. That shift changes how SaaS products are designed, sold, supported and measured. A great user interface is no longer enough. SaaS companies now need to think about APIs, data models, permissions, interoperability, workflow design and trust. The big question: if an AI agent became the main day-to-day user of your product, what would break first? Your interface, your data model, your permissions or your value proposition? 🌐 Web 🎙️ Apple podcast 💼 LinkedIn 🐦 X #AI #SaaS #CustomerSuccess #Leadership #Trust #B2B #GTM #Retention #ArtificialIntelligence #BusinessGrowth

June 1, 2026Episode 12415 min

Is AI Killing Trust in SaaS? (part 1 of 3)

The first of a 3 parter... AI is making people faster, sharper and more productive. But it’s also creating a new problem in SaaS and business leadership: manufactured credibility. In this episode of Breakthrough SaaS Growth with The Jasons, we explore what happens when AI helps people sound more prepared, more informed and more connected than they really are. The trigger for this conversation? Someone reached out claiming they had listened to our podcast and thought they would make a great guest. The message sounded thoughtful and personalised. But when we spoke, they admitted they had never listened to the episode at all. That moment exposed something bigger. AI is making it dangerously easy to create the appearance of competence without the substance behind it. We discuss: The rise of fake personalisation in sales and outreachWhy AI-generated credibility collapses under human interactionHow trust is lost in small momentsThe growing gap between polished messaging and operational realityWhy AI is amplifying bad behaviour rather than creating itWhat SaaS leaders, Customer Success teams and GTM organisations should do differently This is not an anti-AI episode. It is a conversation about responsibility, judgment and what happens when efficiency starts replacing authenticity. Because customers eventually detect the gap between what sounds good and what is actually true. And in SaaS, trust is still the real growth engine. 🌐 Web 🎙️ Apple podcast 💼 LinkedIn 🐦 X #AI #SaaS #CustomerSuccess #Leadership #Trust #B2B #GTM #Retention #ArtificialIntelligence #BusinessGrowth

May 26, 2026Episode 12342 min

AI is exposing a trust problem in SaaS - with Catherine Dowden-King

Everyone is talking about AI as the next growth engine in SaaS. But AI is also exposing something much more uncomfortable: a growing trust problem between vendors and customers. In this episode of Breakthrough SaaS Growth with The Jasons, we’re joined by Catherine Dowden-King, a community creator working with senior data, analytics, digital and AI leaders. Catherine helps leaders become more visible, credible and connected through honest conversation, community and clearer communication around data and AI. We explore why trust is no longer a soft concept in SaaS. It now directly affects adoption, retention, renewal, expansion and growth. Customers are being asked to trust more claims, more data, more automation and more AI-driven decisions they cannot always see or explain. That makes clarity, credibility and value proof more important than ever. This is not a conversation about AI features. It is about what happens when customers stop believing you. In this episode, we discuss: why AI is exposing trust gaps that already existed in SaaShow vague AI messaging damages customer confidencewhy buyers often trust people and peer communities more than brandswhere sales, product and customer success unintentionally erode trustwhy transparency around data and AI mattershow trust affects adoption, renewal and expansionwhat SaaS leaders should do differently in an AI-first market

May 18, 2026Episode 12231 min

Why treating every customer the same hurts SaaS growth - with Christine Day

Most SaaS companies say they understand the 80/20 principle. Far fewer use it to make better decisions about Customer Success, retention and growth. The result is predictable. Teams spread effort evenly across the customer base. High-value customers are often under-supported. Lower-value customers consume disproportionate time, attention and resource. That might feel fair. But it can quietly damage growth. In this episode of Breakthrough SaaS Growth, we speak with Christine Day, growth strategist and founder of Results 2Day, about why treating every customer the same is a costly mistake. We explore how SaaS leaders can use better customer segmentation, real customer data and sharper prioritisation to improve retention, expansion and post-sale growth. We discuss: Why MRR and deal size alone can be misleadingHow to identify high-value customers using real dataWhy SaaS companies struggle to operationalise the 80/20 principleWhat leaders should stop doing immediatelyWhat to do with the "other 80%"How smarter prioritisation improves retention and expansion This is a practical conversation for SaaS CEOs, CROs, CCOs and Customer Success leaders who want to focus resources where they create the greatest commercial value. Connect with Christine on LinkedIn Go to the Result2Day site for more details Find out about Christine's book Click here for more information on 80/20 Growth Strategy

May 11, 2026Episode 12131 min

Why embedded finance is the next growth lever for vertical SaaS - with Patrick O’Donnell

Most SaaS platforms have spent the last few years adding payments. But payments alone are no longer the breakthrough. They are the baseline. In this episode of Breakthrough SaaS Growth, we speak with Patrick O’Donnell, Global Commercial Director for Payments and Embedded Finance at Phorest Salon Software, about what comes next for vertical SaaS platforms. Pat has spent 25 years in payments across Citi, Mastercard and dLocal. He is now building payment and financial capabilities inside a vertical SaaS business, giving him a practical view of where embedded finance creates real customer value. We explore why payments have become table stakes, what financial friction customers still face and how vertical SaaS companies can use data, trust and customer context to create better financial experiences. We discuss: Why payments are now expected, not differentiatingWhere embedded finance creates value beyond monetisationHow vertical SaaS platforms can reduce financial friction for customersWhy customer trust matters when adding financial productsHow data can unlock better customer experiencesWhat customers should be able to do tomorrow that they cannot do today This is a practical conversation for SaaS CEOs, CROs, CCOs, product leaders and payments teams thinking about embedded finance, customer value and the next stage of SaaS growth. Connect with Pat on LinkedIn

June 10, 2026Episode 12033 min

Is AI killing SaaS or exposing weak products?

Is AI killing SaaS, or is it exposing products that were always more convenience than substance? In this episode of Breakthrough SaaS Growth, The Jasons explore what AI really changes in SaaS and what it does not. The market is nervous. Some SaaS categories look vulnerable. Many products are being challenged by AI agents, automation and lower switching costs. But not every SaaS business is equally exposed. Systems of record, process depth, workflow ownership, customer trust and embedded business value still matter. Possibly more than ever. We discuss: Why AI is forcing SaaS leaders to rethink defensibilityWhich SaaS categories are most vulnerableWhy convenience-led products may struggleWhy systems of record still matterHow CRM, adoption and agentic AI change the debateWhere SaaS companies can still build durable value This is a practical conversation for SaaS CEOs, founders, product leaders, CROs, CCOs and Customer Success leaders trying to understand where AI creates risk, where it creates opportunity and what stronger SaaS businesses need to prove next.

June 7, 2026Episode 11932 min

Why Customer Success must become Customer Growth

Customer Success was built for a different phase of SaaS. It helped companies improve adoption, protect renewals and support customers after the sale. But the market has changed. Budgets are tighter. CFO scrutiny is higher. Buyers expect clearer ROI. SaaS companies can no longer rely on adoption activity and relationship management as proof of value. In this episode of Breakthrough SaaS Growth, Jason Whitehead and Jason Noble explore whether Customer Success is evolving into something bigger: Customer Growth. We discuss what this shift really means for SaaS companies, including how teams move from activity-based customer relationships to outcome-driven value creation, from defending renewals to driving expansion and from support-style engagement to a commercially confident growth engine. We cover: Why the original Customer Success model is under pressureHow the SaaS subscription model changed vendor accountabilityWhy adoption alone is no longer enoughHow Customer Success can drive retention, expansion and NRRWhy metrics, incentives and ownership need to evolveHow Sales, CS, Product and Finance need to align around customer value The breakthrough challenge: If your sales team stopped selling tomorrow, would your existing customers grow your business, or would revenue slowly decline? This is a practical episode for SaaS CEOs, CROs, CCOs and Customer Success leaders who want to turn post-sale execution into a real growth engine.

March 31, 2026Episode 11834 min

Why SaaS companies need Revenue Kickoffs, not Sales Kickoffs - with Kristi Faltorusso

Revenue is a team sport. So why do so many SaaS companies still run Sales Kickoff as if revenue belongs to Sales alone? In this episode of Breakthrough SaaS Growth, Jason Noble and Jason Whitehead are joined by Kristi Faltorusso to explore the shift from Sales Kickoff to Revenue Kickoff. This is not about changing the name of an event. It is about changing how SaaS companies align teams around revenue, retention, expansion and customer value. We discuss what real revenue alignment looks like across Sales, Customer Success, Marketing, Services and Support, and why too many companies invite CS into the room without truly integrating them into the strategy. We cover: Why Sales Kickoff can reinforce the wrong behavioursWhat Revenue Kickoff should mean in a SaaS businessHow to align Sales, Customer Success, Marketing, Services and SupportWhy retention and expansion need to be part of revenue planningHow shared metrics, incentives and enablement change the conversationWhat leadership teams need to do differently This is a practical conversation for SaaS CEOs, CROs, CCOs, Revenue leaders and Customer Success leaders who want to build a genuinely revenue-aligned business. Connect with Kristi on LinkedIn

May 29, 2026Episode 11732 min

Why AI is putting SaaS retention under pressure - with Josh Schachter

Is AI making SaaS churn worse, or is it exposing weak customer value that was already there? In this episode of Breakthrough SaaS Growth, Jason Noble and Jason Whitehead are joined by Josh Schachter, SVP of AI Strategy & Market Development at Gainsight and host of the Unchurned podcast, to explore what is really putting SaaS retention under pressure. The conversation covers why AI is changing customer expectations, how build versus buy is becoming a bigger threat and why tighter financial scrutiny is changing renewal conversations. We also discuss what Customer Success needs to do differently if it wants to protect GRR, improve retention and remain commercially relevant in the AI era. We cover: Whether AI is increasing churn risk or exposing weak valueWhy build versus buy is becoming a bigger issue for SaaS vendorsHow CFO scrutiny is changing renewal conversationsWhy GRR is under pressureWhat Customer Success must do differently to protect retentionHow SaaS leaders can prove value more clearly in the AI era This is a practical conversation for SaaS CEOs, CROs, CCOs, Customer Success leaders and revenue teams trying to understand what really threatens retention and what to do about it. Connect with Josh on LinkedIn:

March 17, 2026Episode 11638 min

How CSMs stay strategic in the AI era - with Chad Horenfeldt

AI is changing Customer Success. As automation takes on more admin, reporting and repetitive work, the CSM role is shifting. Staying busy is no longer enough. In this episode of Breakthrough SaaS Growth, Jason Noble and Jason Whitehead are joined by Chad Horenfeldt, one of the most recognised voices in Customer Success, to explore what strategic Customer Success really looks like in the AI era. We discuss how CSMs can move beyond product usage, adoption metrics and reactive account management, and become more focused on business outcomes, executive conversations and measurable customer value. We cover: How AI is changing the role of the CSMWhat separates a strategic CSM from a busy CSMWhy product usage is not the same as customer valueHow to move customer conversations towards business outcomesWhy executive engagement matters more in the AI eraWhat Customer Success leaders need to change now This is a practical conversation for CSMs, Customer Success leaders, CCOs and SaaS executives who want CS to stay relevant, commercial and valuable as AI changes the work. Connect with Chad on LinkedIn

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