033 Corina Ludwig - Creativity, Business Savvy & Tasty SaaS Growth Nuggets

Corina Ludwig is the President of FunctionFox, a leader in timesheet and project management software, specifically for creative professionals worldwide. Now in their twenty-second year, FunctionFox helps clients with productivity, profitability and workflow management. Organized, disciplined and focused, Corina is responsible for overseeing the FunctionFox engine, as she manages daily operations; everything from vision and planning to marketing, corporate culture and Human Resources.

Today, Corina joins the show to discuss the impact culture has on employee retention, advice for running a business during hard economic times, like a recession, and best practices for competing with larger and broader organizations in the SaaS industry.

Episode Sponsor

Small Fish, Big Pond – https://smallfishbigpond.com/ Use the promo code ‘SaaSFuel’

Champion Leadership Group – https://championleadership.com/

Key Takeaways

03:20 – Jeff introduces today’s guest, Corina Ludwig, who joins the show to discuss the inspiration to launch FunctionFox and how she launched this organization in an ever-evolving SaaS industry

07:36 – Building trust and overcoming other obstacles

09:35 – Advice for managing through a recession and client acquisition strategies

12:55 – The origin of the name FunctionFox and culture’s impact on employee retention

16:30 – The WFH (work from home) Model and how Corina builds a world-class team

22:15 – Jeff takes a moment to thank one of today’s sponsor, Small Fish, Big Pond

22:55 – Corina’s Top 10 Lessons from building a SaaS company and the role that mentors have played in her success

26:59 – A common misconception about entrepreneurship and the power of being niche focused

29:46 – Corina speculates on the future of SaaS

30:28 – WOW moments and measuring KPIs

36:11 – One piece of advice that Corina would give to aspiring entrepreneurs

37:08 – What Corina wants others to remember about FunctionFox

37:53 – Where listeners can go to connect with Corina and learn more about FunctionFox

Tweetable Quotes

“When you’re trying to sell a product at a time when people are really tight in terms of their purse strings, it’s good to be able to say, ‘Ok, we can help you with that.’ Or if someone is having a tough time and they’re laying off staff and considering closing their business, that’s not a time to be selling a product. So, we try to shift in those times to say, ‘We’re here to help.’” (08:58) (Corina)

“In the early days, we were actually called F5, or FunctionFive, and it was based on the F5 key on your keyboard. So, functionality and a shortcut to profitability was sort of the idea.” (13:05) (Corina)

“The culture has shifted for sure. And I think, as a leader, you have to be mindful of that and really ebb and flow with your team.” (18:10) (Corina)

“Hire really good people. Hire slow and fire fast. People will make or break your business.” (23:42) (Corina)

“Eventually, yes, maybe there’s freedom at the end of the game. But you have to really enjoy it. It’s kinda like having kids. They are there all the time. You can’t just hang them up and go and do something else. It’s the same thing with running a business.” (27:32) (Corina)

“For us it’s always striving for leadership excellence. It’s in our product, in our company, in our staff. And, at the end of the day, just helping our clients. I think the biggest takeaway is that our clients have had increased profitability for their businesses. Helping companies have profitable growth, having an impact on their companies, and eventually helping everyone get to that financial freedom, that’s been our greatest growth and, hopefully, our greatest legacy for people.” (37:21) (Corina)