Episode 269

269 Collin Stewart - Product-Market Fit vs. Go-To-Market Fit: The Mistakes That Could Kill Your Growth

What happens when a failed musician turns into a SaaS sales powerhouse? In this episode of SaaS Fuel, Jeff Mains sits down with Collin Stewart, CEO of Predictable Revenue and host of the Predictable Revenue Podcast. Collin shares raw, real stories from his journey—including early startup failures, the brutal truth about product-market fit, and what founders get wrong when scaling too fast.

We dive deep into customer development, outbound sales strategies, and how AI is shaping the future of SaaS. Whether you're pre-revenue or pushing past $10M ARR, this episode will sharpen your go-to-market strategy and help you build a predictable, scalable revenue engine.

Key Takeaways

00:00 - The harsh truth about product-market fit

02:00 - Why customer validation is key to success

04:00 - Meet Colin Stewart: failed musician to SaaS leader

07:00 - Early startup mistakes and lessons learned

12:30 - The danger of scaling before understanding your customer

16:00 - Why niching down beats going broad

21:00 - How to leave bias out of customer interviews

26:30 - Why founders get go-to-market strategy backwards

30:30 - Introducing Champion Leadership Group

34:00 - Signs you’re not ready to scale

39:00 - The Market Fit Matrix explained

44:00 - What makes outbound actually work

47:00 - The real reason AI SDR tools fall short

51:00 - Where SaaS sales is headed with AI

56:00 - Why AI won’t kill sales—it will upgrade it

58:00 - Where to find Colin + free founder resources

Tweetable Quotes

“The biggest mistake founders make? Scaling before they really understand their customers.” — Colin Stewart

“AI won’t kill sales—it’ll just kill bad sales processes.” — Collin Stewart

“Customer interviews aren’t for validation. They’re for revelation.” — Jeff Mains

“You don’t need perfect messaging if you have the perfect list.” — Collin Stewart

“Most teams are doomed or blessed before they’re even built—because of strategy.” — Collin Stewart

“SaaS isn’t about growth hacks. It’s about solving real pain for real people.” — Jeff Mains

SaaS Leadership Lessons

"Strong product-market fit is a spectrum" – You might not be at zero; you just need to strengthen your understanding of the customer.
Scaling before validation is a costly mistake – Don’t throw gas on a fire that’s not even lit yet.
Customer discovery is not for confirmation – Go in with curiosity, not to validate what you already believe.
Your ICP needs laser-focus – “Accountants” isn’t narrow enough. Be specific: left-handed accountants using QuickBooks.
Build strategy before team or tools – Most sales orgs fail due to poor upfront go-to-market planning, not bad reps.
AI can supercharge sales—but only if your fundamentals are solid – Garbage data and vague targeting make even the smartest tools useless.