Jakob Knutzen @Butter. Selling SaaS before building it

In this episode #21, we are talking with Jakob Knutzen, co-founder of Butter (https://www.butter.us/), an ‘all-in-one’ platform to run virtual workshops and meetings. Jakob shares his experience personally interviewing hundreds of potential customers before launching a product, iterating, learnings after launching Butter on ProductHunt, mistakes and challenges during the growth stage, and much more.

(0:00:08) – Modern Video Platform for Workshops 

We chat with Jakob Knuняen, CEO and co-founder of Butter, and discuss their modern video platform built for interactive and collaborative virtual workshops and meetings. Jakob tells us how he got his start in strategy consulting, moved to Indonesia to start a digital marketing agency, and then eventually moved into the gaming space, before ultimately moving into the workshops space. We learn how the name Butter came about, and how the team of founders (the hacker, the hipster, and the hustler trio) worked together to identify the right problem and create solutions to make remote workshops more efficient.

(0:10:11) – Startup Interview Tips 

We talk with Jakob Knudsen to learn more about their modern video platform built for interactive and collaborative experiences. We explore the difficulty of getting people to open up and be honest about their current processes, as well as how to strip away sugarcoating and exaggerations. We also discuss how Jakob was able to get people to talk to him about the product and how the team was able to build a minimally viable product in just three weeks.

(0:16:18) – Workshop Video Conferencing Tool Marketing 

Chris and Adam’s hard work, combined with Jakob’s communication and community building, allowed Butter to create a powerful video platform. They found a video API and put their mobile app on the side, creating a tool that was both interactive and collaborative. Their focus on workshops and facilitators, as well as their must-win features, helped them stand out from the competition and get the attention of potential users.

(0:28:34) – Remote Collaboration and VC Funding 

We explore the biggest acquisition channels for Butter and their reliance on product growth and viral acquisition loops. Jakob shares why they decided to go with venture capital instead of bootstrapping and the factors that went into that decision. We discuss the importance of questioning the default mode of taking VC funding and the freedom that comes with bootstrapping.

(0:39:19) – Async Communication and Founder Lessons 

We spoke with Jakob Knudsen, CEO and co-founder of Butter about the advantages of asynchronous video conferencing tools, how they can be used for briefings, and how Butter is using them for their strategy updates. Jakob then shared his biggest win and failure as a founder: prematurely scaling the team and creating an emotionally open team. Lastly, we discussed how the events of 2021 will affect sales businesses, and Jakob believes that CAI will have the biggest long-lasting effect, with the need for people to create healthier businesses that solve problems being the second biggest factor.

Jakob talks about their video platform and how it has been used to create powerful video experiences. We also discuss their reliance on product growth and viral acquisition loops, and how they decided to leverage these channels for their biggest acquisition. Finally, we explore how these tools can be used to create connections and foster meaningful conversations.