ICP Truth Bombs - Aditya Tulsian, Chargebee | Founder's Deep Dive E22 | SaaSBoomi Podcast

SaaSBoomi

Welcome to another episode of Deep Dive! Suresh, our host, and Aditya Tulsian, our guest, delve into the critical role of ICPs and how organizations deal with acquisition journeys.

Aditya is a seasoned entrepreneur who founded Numberz, which was acquired by Chargebee, prior to which he held a very important role at Intuit. After an MBA at ISB Hyderabad, launching QuickBooks in India was the experience that revealed a universal truth to him: businesses worry about cash flow, not accounting. In 2016, inspired by these insights, Aditya co-founded Numberz, initially for Indian small businesses, later expanding globally. The company recently got acquired by Chargebee, uniting visionary forces.

In the world of startups, understanding the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is like holding the compass that guides the business. The success, failure, or struggles of any company can be traced back to the clarity or confusion they have about the ICP. Aditya and Suresh nail down what it takes to find your perfect ICP, and the struggles and pressures of navigating an acquisition conversation with both the buyer and the team.

Key Takeaways:

00:00 - Meet Aditya Tulsian!

07:00 - Finding the perfect ICP - Problem first or person first?

08:13 - Mr. Cook’s billionaire’s business blueprint

09:15 - When Suresh narrowly missed meeting Mr. Cook

11:13 - Nuances of B2B and B2C with ICP

15:15 - Narrowing down customer segments to ICP

17:54 - Your ICP is actually a combination of 3 people

19:09 - How BYJU’S missed the ICP

21:50 - Tally vs Intuit

22:37 - Numberz’s journey with ICP

27:42 - The buyer, user and influencer of Numberz

30:20 - Repercussions of a vague ICP

32:00 - The fundamental difference between Box and Dropbox

33:46 - Product team’s role in finding the ICP

35:00 - The impact of the right ICP on marketing

38:53 - A leader’s job in the organization

39:45 - Critical points to keep in mind during an acquisition

44:16 - Handling uncertainties like a pro during acquisitions

48:44 - Managing your team’s concerns around an acquisition

52:45 - Closing thoughts

Key Mentions

01:37 - Numberz

01:40 - ChargeBee

03:18 - Intuit

03:47 - QuickBooks

10:36 - KissFlow

12:52 - Facebook

19:10 - BYJU’S

21:50 - Tally

32:01 - Box

32:03 - Dropbox

41:43 - Freshworks