(The Number One Most Popular Solo Talk at Seattle Tech Week 2025)

From Zero to $1M+ in ARR: How to Market Your AI or SaaS Startup

What people said about this talk:

“I'm a former big agency creative director who, for the past 15 years, has tried to serve entrepreneurs. Your tactics for $0 to $1M were both inspiring and frustrating... why didn't I think of these!?!?!?”

“Gregory, yours was the most useful and interesting of all I attended.”

“Great presentation with examples.”

“Definitely learned few things about marketing :)”

(Download the slides here)

↓

A practical guide for startup founders aiming to grow their AI or SaaS business to over $1 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR). The guide is highly tactical, emphasizing low-cost, high-impact marketing methods. It breaks the journey into three key stages over 24 months:

Stage 1: $0–$100K ARR (Months 1–6)
Focus on product-market fit and landing the first 50 customers using tactics like:

  • Targeting micro-verticals

  • Running VIP beta programs

  • Leveraging AI feedback

  • Engaging niche communities (Reddit, Slack)

  • Personalized cold outreach

Stage 2: $100K–$500K ARR (Months 7–12)
Emphasis on scaling and building repeatable systems, including:

  • Hosting office hours and podcast tours

  • Creating “powered by” widgets

  • Cold email campaigns

  • Guerrilla marketing and teardowns

Stage 3: $500K–$1M+ ARR (Months 13–24)
Focus shifts to optimization and expansion with strategies like:

  • Multi-channel outreach

  • Content partnerships

  • Influencer and webinar collaborations

  • Targeted advertising