GLN TeachAbout - The Revenue Triangle for Startups - Joseph Akpan

[Paul Terlemezian]

Session Leader Joseph Akpan

The Core Premise: Every founder is chasing growth, but sometimes in the rush to scale, they treat the three most important levers of their business as mere byproducts:

1. Pricing is treated as a byproduct of a "gut feeling" or a quick look at a competitor.
2. Packaging is treated as a byproduct of whatever features the dev team finished this month.
3. Deal Execution is treated as a byproduct of the "hustle" required to close a check.

This session introduces The Revenue Triangle, moving you from "Byproduct Revenue" to a disciplined architecture that increases both your current margins and your future valuation.

 1: Pricing (The Value Engine)

• Beyond the "Byproduct" Price: Stop picking numbers based on what "feels fair." Pricing must be enabled by Quantifying the Pain—calculating the cost of the manual labor or technical debt you are replacing.
• The Value Metric: Identifying the specific unit of value that scales your revenue automatically as your customer succeeds.
• Volume Economics: Designing the "Glide Path" so your pricing scales predictably for Enterprise "whales."

 2: Packaging (The Product Guardrails)

• Beyond the "Byproduct" Feature List: Stop letting your roadmap dictate your tiers. Packaging is about Knowing Thy Customer—distinguishing between the User (features) and the Buyer (ROI and security).
• Tiered Value Bundles: Organizing your product to solve progressively larger organizational problems (Individual → Team → Enterprise).
• Strategic Gating: Using compliance and governance features to ensure you aren't undercharging the customers who cost the most to support.

 3: Deal Execution (The Discipline Engine)

• Beyond the "Byproduct" Negotiation: Stop letting every deal be a "one-off" exception. Execution is about Sales Enablement—giving the team the tools to defend the value narrative.
• Guardrails & The "Give-to-Get" Matrix: A framework where price concessions are traded for strategic wins like upfront cash or multi-year terms.
• Contract Standardization (Std Ts&Cs): Why "Bespoke Debt" and non-standard terms are valuation-killers that create friction during M&A due diligence

The format of this session will be:

1. Five minutes of welcome and introductions
2. Segment A - Ten minutes of listening to the interests and perceptions of those who wish to learn about The Revenue Triangle for Startups with Joseph off-camera and muted.
3. Segment B - Ten minutes of formal presentation by Joseph regarding The Revenue Triangle for Startups.
   
4. Segment C - Ten minutes of listening to the reactions to the formal presentation while Joseph is off-camera and muted.
5. Segment D - Ten minutes of open conversation including Joseph.

Topic: GLN TeachAbout - The Revenue Triangle for Startups
Time: Mar 24, 2026 02:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83741175363?pwd=jo0d3DdWEhdwwuCv6mQdcUDbH...

Meeting ID: 837 4117 5363
Passcode: 524507

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[Daniel Shorr]

Sorry I missed this.  Looks like it was a great session (and love the format).

[Paul Terlemezian]

I am glad to see that you will be connecting with Joe. The format has worked well - most of the time!

[Daniel Shorr]

Our call was Joe was very helpful: gave some good food for thought and a concrete exercise to run with some of our clients and partners.