7d • Sales/Growth
Your sales funnel was designed in 1998.
Let that sink in.
The growth model most founders still rely on was created before the telephone was common, before cars dominated the roads, and a full century before the internet changed how customers actually buy.
Yet here we are in 2026, still pouring marketing budget into the top of a leaky container and wondering why customer acquisition costs keep climbing.
After thirty years as a CTO and co-founder scaling SaaS platforms, I can tell you the funnel is not just outdated. It is actively working against your growth.
Here is what the data shows:
→ Acquiring a new customer costs 5x more than retaining one
→ A 5% increase in retention can boost profits 25% to 95% (Bain & Company)
→ Your most valuable growth channel (advocacy) is completely invisible inside a funnel
The companies dominating their categories right now, Amazon, HubSpot, and most of the billion-dollar SaaS brands you admire, abandoned the funnel years ago.
They use the Flywheel Model.
Three forces. Force. Friction. Mass.
Three phases. Attract. Engage. Delight.
One compounding engine that gets more efficient the longer it spins.
I just dropped a new YouTube video breaking down exactly how to make the shift, plus a free ebook that goes even deeper with frameworks, case studies, and implementation steps.
Both are free. Links in the comments.
Which is your biggest gap right now? Force, friction, or mass?
Drop it below and I will reply with a specific next step you can take this week.
#StartupGrowth #SaaS #Founders #CustomerExperience #StartupVentureLab
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Your sales funnel was designed in 1998.
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