logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2025
42m 53s

Kill Your Customers – The Doom Funnel Th...

Yaniv Bernstein, Chris Saad
About this episode

Are you a startup founder considering a partnership with a big player in your industry? Before you sign that deal, you might want to think twice. In this eye-opening episode we dive deep into the dangers of partnering with or selling to incumbents when you're trying to disrupt an industry.

Chris and Yaniv explore the concept of "killing your customers" not literally, of course, but in the sense of disrupting the very companies you might be tempted to partner with. They break down the "funnel of doom" that many startups fall into when pursuing B2B2C partnerships, and explain why going direct to end users is often the better strategy for truly innovative products.


In this episode, you will:

  • Discover the 10 steps of the "funnel of doom" for B2B2C partnerships
  • Learn why incumbents often struggle to understand and implement disruptive innovations
  • Understand the importance of owning your user relationships and data
  • Explore real-world case studies of successful direct-to-consumer disruptors
  • Debate the limitations of white-label and B2B business models
  • Gain insights on how to avoid common startup pitfalls when choosing a go-to-market strategy
  • Recognize the value of iterating quickly and maintaining control over your product


Links mentioned in the EP:

https://www.tsp.show/edu-b2c-vs-b2b2c-driving-direct-disruption-w-matt-holme/ 


B2B vs B2C comparison Table:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11ICK-KmnPJgzfQC1wkxz6Tf-l69pUptmk1QyKH9QB9M/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.1izb56alryed


The Pact

Honour The Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:


Key links


Learn more about Chris and Yaniv

Work 1:1 with Chris: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://chrissaad.com/advisory/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Chris on Linkedin: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


Credits

Editor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Justin McArthur⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Content Strategist: Carolina Franco https://www.linkedin.com/in/francocarolina/

Intro Voice: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jeremiah Owyang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Up next
Aug 21
Insiders React: Meta to Shrink AI Division – Is This the Beginning of the End?
Is the AI hype cycle about to burst?For months, investors and founders have chased sky-high valuations, billion-dollar hires, and promises of superintelligence, but Meta's drastic plans to cut back its AI division seem to indicate a bleak future for LLMs and AI at large.In this e ... Show More
27m 47s
Aug 18
YC Founder’s 13 Timeless Startup Principles: 'Ramen Profitable’ and More
This new era of AI-driven startups has many founders still believing success is about having the perfect product roadmap. The truth, however, is far more counterintuitive.In this episode, Yaniv and Chris dive into timeless lessons from Paul Graham’s legendary essay “Startups in 1 ... Show More
44m 14s
Aug 14
Insiders React: GPT-5 Is ‘Fast Fashion’ For Software + Apple’s $600B Commitment, Altman vs Musk (...Again)
Is AI threatening traditional subscription software models and accelerating competitive turnover? Sam Altman thinks so.In this episode, Chris and Ray discuss OpenAI’s GPT-5 release, and Altman's prediction that AI will enable a “fast fashion” era of SaaS, where applications can b ... Show More
41m 37s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2022
Welcome to The Startup of You Podcast
The Startup of You career strategy podcast, co-hosted by LinkedIn's founder Reid Hoffman and author Ben Casnocha, isn’t about cover letters or resumes. Instead, you will learn how to apply the best practices of Silicon Valley start-ups to your own life. Because whether you work f ... Show More
3m 38s
Mar 2024
When Scaling Your Start-Up, Don’t Lose What Makes It Special
So, you’ve successfully scaled your start-up and you’re growing into a mature company. What, if anything, should you retain from those early days? Harvard Business School professor Ranjay Gulati says the most successful organizations have one thing in common: a soul. “Soul” goes ... Show More
26m 57s
Aug 11
Episode 779: The 11 Weirdest Things That Only Entrepreneurs Do That Keep Getting Them Into Trouble
Are you a serial creator stuck in "go mode" who can't stop launching new things? Do you find yourself focused on generating more revenue without ever increasing your profit? Today, we perform a much-needed reality check and expose 11 of the most common toxic traits that get entre ... Show More
27m 55s
Apr 2025
The Harsh Truth About Modern Marketing (And Why You're Still Losing Attention) | GaryVee Elevate Event Throwback Keynote
In this throwback keynote from Elevate 2017 in Copenhagen — the first 40 minutes of it — I lay out the real game of business in today’s world:🎯 It’s not about who’s got the best product. 📲 It’s about who’s best at grabbing and keeping attention.Whether you’re in SaaS, hospitali ... Show More
41m 49s
Dec 2024
Sustainable Business Success
Welcome to another insightful episode of Accelerate Your Business Growth! Today, our host Diane Helbig sits down with Dr. Ian Brook, CEO and founder of Rhodes Smith Consulting, to delve into the essence of intentional transformation in the business world. In this episode, Ian hig ... Show More
41m 37s
Dec 2024
How To Pitch Your Product Without Being Too "Salesy" | Scott Clary
Learn how to invest in real estate with the Cashflow 2.0 System! Your business in a box with 1:1 coaching, motivated seller leads, & softwares. https://www.wealthyinvestor.com/ --- On today’s episode of The Wealthy Way, I sit down with Scott Clary, a powerhouse entrepreneur, inve ... Show More
1h 11m
Feb 2025
A founder’s guide to crisis management | Uri Levine (Waze co-founder, serial entrepreneur)
Uri Levine is a co-founder of Waze (which was acquired by Google for $1.3 billion in 2013), along with nine other companies (including another company he sold for over $1 billion). He’s also been on 20 boards and has been an advisor to over 50 startups. He recently released a new ... Show More
1h 23m
Nov 2024
Just evil enough: Subversive marketing strategies for startups | Alistair Croll (author, advisor, entrepreneur)
Alistair Croll is the co-author of the best-selling book Lean Analytics and a longtime product manager, entrepreneur, and startup advisor. He was also instrumental in my starting a company, funding it, and helping us exit to Airbnb as part of his Year One Labs incubator. He’s cha ... Show More
1h 15m