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The $150M secret
Turning $1000 into a $150,000,000 company in 3.5 years.
By reading The $150M secrets book you'll be able
Start and successfully launch a business, no matter your prior experience.Steal all the secret strategies that helped me build a $150,000,000 company in just 3.5 years with only $1,000.Understand why some businesses fail and others succeed.Avoid all the mistakes that I have made so you can replicate what I did even faster.Be part of the biggest exclusive community of bootstrapped entrepreneurs worldwide.
I’m Guillaume Moubeche, the CEO and co-founder of lempire. In the last 3.5 years, I co-founded 2 businesses that generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for clients worldwide. For over 5 years now I’ve helped entrepreneurs worldwide launch and scale their businesses.
By reading The $150M secrets book you'll be able
Start and successfully launch a business, no matter your prior experience.Steal all the secret strategies that helped me build a $150,000,000 company in just 3.5 years with only $1,000.Understand why some businesses fail and others succeed.Avoid all the mistakes that I have made so you can replicate what I did even faster.Be part of the biggest exclusive community of bootstrapped entrepreneurs worldwide.
I’m Guillaume Moubeche, the CEO and co-founder of lempire. In the last 3.5 years, I co-founded 2 businesses that generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for clients worldwide. For over 5 years now I’ve helped entrepreneurs worldwide launch and scale their businesses.
222 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 16, 2022
411 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
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March 2, 2024I read this book back in September, and I don't remember a single thing now. Three cheers for highlights!
Highlights:
Yellow highlight | Location: 3,950
As an entrepreneur, here are a few things that are easy to document: Why did we want to work on this project? How did we get our first beta testers? How did we get our first customers? Why did we decide to work on that specific project?
Yellow highlight | Location: 3,977
What do we want to accomplish in the next X years? What struggles did we face working in the X industry? What are our learnings after X months of being entrepreneurs?
Yellow highlight | Location: 5,108
Once you start seeing results you ask them to hop on a Zoom call and record it so you can get a testimonial and build a success story. Here are a few questions to ask during the recorded call: Can you describe the problem you were facing before you actually started working with me?
Yellow highlight | Location: 5,137
Can you please detail the frustrations you were experiencing when trying to solve this problem? Can you please describe the moment you understood that my service was the solution to the problem you were facing? What does your day-to-day look like now that this problem has been solved?
Yellow highlight | Location: 11,551
When writing content your goal should be for people to share it.
Yellow highlight | Location: 11,651
After spotting these topics we decided to spend some time finding the best keywords to use (using tools like Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, etc.) to be sure that a lot of people were searching for those specific topics.
Yellow highlight | Location: 11,700
By knowing what people search for, you can create an article that answers all questions people might have about a specific topic. This is usually how you make sure that your article ranks on top of Google search results.
Yellow highlight | Location: 12,813
In order to push this co-creation even further, we decided to launch a new type of weekly content called “lemlister of the week”.
Yellow highlight | Location: 12,830
Essentially, each week, we pick a lemlister who had amazing results with his/her sales prospecting campaign and we explain why it worked. From the targeting down to the copy.
Yellow highlight | Location: 14,460
By asking people to jump on a podcast or interview with you, you confirm their status. On top of it, people are 100x more likely to accept an interview offer than a networking call. Why? Status again. Being interviewed shows that you are an expert and it validates your position as a thought leader.
Yellow highlight | Location: 14,489
So how exactly do you make sure to be able to interview anyone on earth? Here’s the exact template Vuk and I came up with.
Yellow highlight | Location: 16,355
For all media you’ll need to have 2 things: A compelling story to tell A story that is in line with the content strategy of the
Yellow highlight | Location: 16,370
media/podcast/blog where you want to be interviewed.
Yellow highlight | Location: 16,578
I wanted to share this secret framework we’ve used to get on any podcast. It’s built around 3 questions: What’s in it for them? Try to understand who they are, why they are doing this podcast, and see how you can help them
Yellow highlight | Location: 16,600
achieve their goals. What story do you want to tell? If you understand their audience you need to find a compelling story for them so they don’t feel like you’re on the podcast simply to promote your product/service. How can you help them get more views? Every single person doing a podcast or running a blog is trying to get a bigger audience. If you help them understand that you’ll help them achieve just that within your outreach - it’s a win!
Yellow highlight | Location: 16,646
here is the exact email we used to get featured on 10s of podcasts when we started the scale mode with lemlist.
Subject: I've got a story for you {{firstName}}
Hi {{firstname}}
My name is Guillaume and I'm the CEO and co-founder of lemlist.
I've listened to a few episodes on your podcast and I think you guys are doing some fantastic work.
{{Sentence}}
I'd love to be your guest on the show.
For the past 1.5 years I've been building lemlist, an email outreach tool based on dynamic personalization (text, images, videos, landing pages). Our tool helps businesses get more replies to cold emails, adn makes their sales process far more contextual and human.
After listening to your work, I believe your audience might enjoy hearing about my journey. My promise to you is that I'll share an honest and practical story - signing 10k customers and growing 30%MoM in a vastly competitive market.
Of course, there's a lot of topics we could be talking about too:
1) How to make personalization and automation work together
2) Building a 2.5X community on Facebook and why that matters so much
3) Leveraging LinkedIn for greater engagement and business growth
4) Bootstrapping your SaaS towards profit by focusing on Product and Brand
For references and credibility, you can check out my LinkedIn profile and an episode I did with Nathan Latka.
Anyways, I'd love to hear your ideas and would be thrilled to join {{Podcast}} If you're up for it, lemme know. :)
Much love,
Guillaume
{{sentence}} is a personalized sentence specific to that person so it doesn't read like a form letter
Yellow highlight | Location: 17,768
SaaS businesses are usually sold between 2x to 4x the ARR if they are profitable and under $1,000,000 in ARR.
Yellow highlight | Location: 17,778
Once the business crosses the $1,000,000 in ARR the multiples can go to 4x to 7x and once the business crosses $10,000,000 in ARR this is where the multiples can skyrocket to 20x.
Yellow highlight | Location: 17,825
When you fundraise, the valuation of your company is not the present valuation, it’s the future one. Let me explain. Let’s say that you receive a funding offer of $20,000,000 at a $100,000,000
Yellow highlight | Location: 17,859
This valuation means that with the $20,000,000 you would get during a
Yellow highlight | Location: 17,865
funding round, the expected valuation you could get if you use that money the right way would be $100,000,000.
Yellow highlight | Location: 17,879
We see a lot of VC-backed startups that are raising money at crazy ARR multiples which means that they are forced to reach really high valuation later down the road in order to be able to exit their company. Which in most cases, never happens.
Yellow highlight | Location: 17,945
When selling a SaaS business, you have 4 different options: Direct sale: when a buyer (company or private) comes to you (or the other way around) and asks to buy your company Marketplace sale: there are tons of marketplaces where you can list your business (flippa, mircoacquire, etc.) Auction sale: you can have a
Yellow highlight | Location: 17,975
set of buyers willing to make an offer for your company (checkout “Deal or bust“ from Nathan Latka) Broker sale: you will go through a third party that will help you find a buyer and that will get incentivized on the sale
Yellow highlight | Location: 18,805
4 things to avoid at all costs
Note: the 4 things to avoid are having someone take your company in a direction you hate after the sale, doing things on your own instead of getting lawyers and perspective of other founders who sold, staying in the company too long after the sale, and not having a plan for what's coming next.
Yellow highlight | Location: 18,828
1. Due diligence on the buyer The person or company that will acquire your company will be the one in charge of it afterward. If you care a lot about your project and what you built, it’s important that you trust the buyer and that you’re aligned with what they want to do with the company.
Yellow highlight | Location: 18,892
You think that the higher the price the better. That’s absolutely NOT true. The terms of the deals are 10x more important than the actual money. Or at least they can really be a pain in the a**, so make sure to have really good lawyers on your side.
Yellow highlight | Location: 18,942
Every entrepreneur I talked to that had to go through an earn-out period and had to stay at the company, regretted it.
Yellow highlight | Location: 18,991
4. Not having a plan for what’s coming next
Yellow highlight | Location: 19,897
it was the best way for founders to be even more ambitious! To him, the bigger a business gets the more weight on the founders’ shoulders. Doing some cash out is the best way to relieve that weight from your shoulders.
Highlights:
Yellow highlight | Location: 3,950
As an entrepreneur, here are a few things that are easy to document: Why did we want to work on this project? How did we get our first beta testers? How did we get our first customers? Why did we decide to work on that specific project?
Yellow highlight | Location: 3,977
What do we want to accomplish in the next X years? What struggles did we face working in the X industry? What are our learnings after X months of being entrepreneurs?
Yellow highlight | Location: 5,108
Once you start seeing results you ask them to hop on a Zoom call and record it so you can get a testimonial and build a success story. Here are a few questions to ask during the recorded call: Can you describe the problem you were facing before you actually started working with me?
Yellow highlight | Location: 5,137
Can you please detail the frustrations you were experiencing when trying to solve this problem? Can you please describe the moment you understood that my service was the solution to the problem you were facing? What does your day-to-day look like now that this problem has been solved?
Yellow highlight | Location: 11,551
When writing content your goal should be for people to share it.
Yellow highlight | Location: 11,651
After spotting these topics we decided to spend some time finding the best keywords to use (using tools like Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, etc.) to be sure that a lot of people were searching for those specific topics.
Yellow highlight | Location: 11,700
By knowing what people search for, you can create an article that answers all questions people might have about a specific topic. This is usually how you make sure that your article ranks on top of Google search results.
Yellow highlight | Location: 12,813
In order to push this co-creation even further, we decided to launch a new type of weekly content called “lemlister of the week”.
Yellow highlight | Location: 12,830
Essentially, each week, we pick a lemlister who had amazing results with his/her sales prospecting campaign and we explain why it worked. From the targeting down to the copy.
Yellow highlight | Location: 14,460
By asking people to jump on a podcast or interview with you, you confirm their status. On top of it, people are 100x more likely to accept an interview offer than a networking call. Why? Status again. Being interviewed shows that you are an expert and it validates your position as a thought leader.
Yellow highlight | Location: 14,489
So how exactly do you make sure to be able to interview anyone on earth? Here’s the exact template Vuk and I came up with.
Yellow highlight | Location: 16,355
For all media you’ll need to have 2 things: A compelling story to tell A story that is in line with the content strategy of the
Yellow highlight | Location: 16,370
media/podcast/blog where you want to be interviewed.
Yellow highlight | Location: 16,578
I wanted to share this secret framework we’ve used to get on any podcast. It’s built around 3 questions: What’s in it for them? Try to understand who they are, why they are doing this podcast, and see how you can help them
Yellow highlight | Location: 16,600
achieve their goals. What story do you want to tell? If you understand their audience you need to find a compelling story for them so they don’t feel like you’re on the podcast simply to promote your product/service. How can you help them get more views? Every single person doing a podcast or running a blog is trying to get a bigger audience. If you help them understand that you’ll help them achieve just that within your outreach - it’s a win!
Yellow highlight | Location: 16,646
here is the exact email we used to get featured on 10s of podcasts when we started the scale mode with lemlist.
Subject: I've got a story for you {{firstName}}
Hi {{firstname}}
My name is Guillaume and I'm the CEO and co-founder of lemlist.
I've listened to a few episodes on your podcast and I think you guys are doing some fantastic work.
{{Sentence}}
I'd love to be your guest on the show.
For the past 1.5 years I've been building lemlist, an email outreach tool based on dynamic personalization (text, images, videos, landing pages). Our tool helps businesses get more replies to cold emails, adn makes their sales process far more contextual and human.
After listening to your work, I believe your audience might enjoy hearing about my journey. My promise to you is that I'll share an honest and practical story - signing 10k customers and growing 30%MoM in a vastly competitive market.
Of course, there's a lot of topics we could be talking about too:
1) How to make personalization and automation work together
2) Building a 2.5X community on Facebook and why that matters so much
3) Leveraging LinkedIn for greater engagement and business growth
4) Bootstrapping your SaaS towards profit by focusing on Product and Brand
For references and credibility, you can check out my LinkedIn profile and an episode I did with Nathan Latka.
Anyways, I'd love to hear your ideas and would be thrilled to join {{Podcast}} If you're up for it, lemme know. :)
Much love,
Guillaume
{{sentence}} is a personalized sentence specific to that person so it doesn't read like a form letter
Yellow highlight | Location: 17,768
SaaS businesses are usually sold between 2x to 4x the ARR if they are profitable and under $1,000,000 in ARR.
Yellow highlight | Location: 17,778
Once the business crosses the $1,000,000 in ARR the multiples can go to 4x to 7x and once the business crosses $10,000,000 in ARR this is where the multiples can skyrocket to 20x.
Yellow highlight | Location: 17,825
When you fundraise, the valuation of your company is not the present valuation, it’s the future one. Let me explain. Let’s say that you receive a funding offer of $20,000,000 at a $100,000,000
Yellow highlight | Location: 17,859
This valuation means that with the $20,000,000 you would get during a
Yellow highlight | Location: 17,865
funding round, the expected valuation you could get if you use that money the right way would be $100,000,000.
Yellow highlight | Location: 17,879
We see a lot of VC-backed startups that are raising money at crazy ARR multiples which means that they are forced to reach really high valuation later down the road in order to be able to exit their company. Which in most cases, never happens.
Yellow highlight | Location: 17,945
When selling a SaaS business, you have 4 different options: Direct sale: when a buyer (company or private) comes to you (or the other way around) and asks to buy your company Marketplace sale: there are tons of marketplaces where you can list your business (flippa, mircoacquire, etc.) Auction sale: you can have a
Yellow highlight | Location: 17,975
set of buyers willing to make an offer for your company (checkout “Deal or bust“ from Nathan Latka) Broker sale: you will go through a third party that will help you find a buyer and that will get incentivized on the sale
Yellow highlight | Location: 18,805
4 things to avoid at all costs
Note: the 4 things to avoid are having someone take your company in a direction you hate after the sale, doing things on your own instead of getting lawyers and perspective of other founders who sold, staying in the company too long after the sale, and not having a plan for what's coming next.
Yellow highlight | Location: 18,828
1. Due diligence on the buyer The person or company that will acquire your company will be the one in charge of it afterward. If you care a lot about your project and what you built, it’s important that you trust the buyer and that you’re aligned with what they want to do with the company.
Yellow highlight | Location: 18,892
You think that the higher the price the better. That’s absolutely NOT true. The terms of the deals are 10x more important than the actual money. Or at least they can really be a pain in the a**, so make sure to have really good lawyers on your side.
Yellow highlight | Location: 18,942
Every entrepreneur I talked to that had to go through an earn-out period and had to stay at the company, regretted it.
Yellow highlight | Location: 18,991
4. Not having a plan for what’s coming next
Yellow highlight | Location: 19,897
it was the best way for founders to be even more ambitious! To him, the bigger a business gets the more weight on the founders’ shoulders. Doing some cash out is the best way to relieve that weight from your shoulders.
January 7, 2024
I have been avoiding entrepreneurship books and usually suggest to friends seeking recommendations to read the Y Combinator startup guidelines to acquire the right mental models or explore biographies of people they find inspiring. Apart from that, it's not worth the time. I agree with Naval Ravikant's view that "business is the bottom of the barrel. There’s no actual skill called business; it’s too generic."
Guillaume is one of the few who make an exception by laying down practical strategies rather than abstract theories. I have been following him for a while now and always appreciated his actionable wisdom. Despite the title possibly sounding cliché, a rule of thumb is to listen to people who have walked the walk. I gave the book a try because I appreciate the honesty in his narrative, showcasing not just success stories but also the lessons learned from his failures.
He offers real templates and screenshots of cold outreach to acquire your first customers, content to position yourself as a thought leader in your industry, and guidance on building a strong, loyal customer base. The last part about getting your company acquired felt like a guide to navigate through a bureaucratic process and didn't need to be included, so I skipped through it.
It's worth a read for anyone wanting to start a side project or build an online audience by graciously sharing their knowledge and documenting their journey.
Guillaume is one of the few who make an exception by laying down practical strategies rather than abstract theories. I have been following him for a while now and always appreciated his actionable wisdom. Despite the title possibly sounding cliché, a rule of thumb is to listen to people who have walked the walk. I gave the book a try because I appreciate the honesty in his narrative, showcasing not just success stories but also the lessons learned from his failures.
He offers real templates and screenshots of cold outreach to acquire your first customers, content to position yourself as a thought leader in your industry, and guidance on building a strong, loyal customer base. The last part about getting your company acquired felt like a guide to navigate through a bureaucratic process and didn't need to be included, so I skipped through it.
It's worth a read for anyone wanting to start a side project or build an online audience by graciously sharing their knowledge and documenting their journey.
July 19, 2023
This was very helpful to read. He really shared a lot of inside business how to, mistakes and unconventional choices that worked and why. I'm realizing that I really don't have the drive and mental capacity to be a typical business owner.
I'm more drawn to the arts, marketing and PR side of things. But it was inspiring to read how open, honest and encouraging he and his partners were during their journey to help 1,000,000 entrepreneurs.
I gleaned some very helpful content writing, marketing and community building which I'll definitely will be using.
Thank you for writing this book. I definitely will refer this book to entrepreneurs and artists for clear, concise business advice, tips and know how.
I'm more drawn to the arts, marketing and PR side of things. But it was inspiring to read how open, honest and encouraging he and his partners were during their journey to help 1,000,000 entrepreneurs.
I gleaned some very helpful content writing, marketing and community building which I'll definitely will be using.
Thank you for writing this book. I definitely will refer this book to entrepreneurs and artists for clear, concise business advice, tips and know how.
August 23, 2024
wow, where do I even start? “The $150M Secret” was a massive letdown. this book sucked. it sucked so bad. it’s nothing but fluff - a self-indulgent project from an author who clearly thinks he’s cracked the code to success.
spoiler alert: he hasn’t.
the entire book feels like the ramblings of someone who sold his business and now thinks he’s got the “secret sauce” to share with the world. the reality? there’s no real value here.
the so-called secret could be summarized in one sentence: “post more online about your business.” that’s it. that’s the big secret. if you’re looking for actual insight, save yourself the time and skip this book.
spoiler alert: he hasn’t.
the entire book feels like the ramblings of someone who sold his business and now thinks he’s got the “secret sauce” to share with the world. the reality? there’s no real value here.
the so-called secret could be summarized in one sentence: “post more online about your business.” that’s it. that’s the big secret. if you’re looking for actual insight, save yourself the time and skip this book.
June 12, 2023
Bootstrapping to Greatness with Humility
Absolutely inspiring read from an Authentic Rated 'G' Entrepreneur. This book has given me the push I needed to embrace posting on LinkedIn to further my business goals. Will be starting a 100 Day LinkedIn post challenge 💪 by the end of the week & will tag on the 100th Day Top 'G.' Appreciated the transparency. Highly recommended!
Cheers,
Umran
Absolutely inspiring read from an Authentic Rated 'G' Entrepreneur. This book has given me the push I needed to embrace posting on LinkedIn to further my business goals. Will be starting a 100 Day LinkedIn post challenge 💪 by the end of the week & will tag on the 100th Day Top 'G.' Appreciated the transparency. Highly recommended!
Cheers,
Umran
December 4, 2023
This book is an admirable showcase of Moubeche's entrepreneurial journey, presenting him as a commendable and impressive figure.
However, the book's focus on startup-specific scenarios limits its broader appeal. The content often feels surface-level, leaning towards common sense advice rather than providing deep, unique insights. The, at times, superficial depth of the book diminishes its overall engagement value for me.
However, the book's focus on startup-specific scenarios limits its broader appeal. The content often feels surface-level, leaning towards common sense advice rather than providing deep, unique insights. The, at times, superficial depth of the book diminishes its overall engagement value for me.
November 23, 2024
On your path G and loving ❤️ the journey ✨️ of buulding SysIntellects and CMx Contract Experience
Thanks for your honest words , passion, transparency and all the tidbits which kept me awake till 3:40am to finish reading your book..the most valuable 👍 entrepreneurial book i have read which has practical insights..wishing to meet you in person some day.
Thanks for your honest words , passion, transparency and all the tidbits which kept me awake till 3:40am to finish reading your book..the most valuable 👍 entrepreneurial book i have read which has practical insights..wishing to meet you in person some day.
January 26, 2023
Recommended Reading for Every Entrepreneur
A short inspiring read filled with lots of practical examples and templates that every entrepreneur will find useful, even if you don't have a SaaS company
A short inspiring read filled with lots of practical examples and templates that every entrepreneur will find useful, even if you don't have a SaaS company
March 22, 2023
Super Inspirational
Valuable information as an entrepreneur. You can add me as 1 more towards the 1M. Thank you for taking the time to put all the details in. Very helpful on my journey.
Valuable information as an entrepreneur. You can add me as 1 more towards the 1M. Thank you for taking the time to put all the details in. Very helpful on my journey.
May 2, 2023
fantastic book very practical
Practical frameworks and ideas for bootstrapping your startup. Must read if you are early stage or before (setting up). I’m experimenting with some ideas from the book
Practical frameworks and ideas for bootstrapping your startup. Must read if you are early stage or before (setting up). I’m experimenting with some ideas from the book
October 14, 2023
Concentrated business experience
I learned a lot and I'll need to come back to remind myself.
Plenty of advice.
I probably should use lemlist and maybe lempod to help me grow my businesses.
Thank you.
I learned a lot and I'll need to come back to remind myself.
Plenty of advice.
I probably should use lemlist and maybe lempod to help me grow my businesses.
Thank you.
August 11, 2024
Refreshing and inspiring read on growing a profitable bootstrapped B2B SaaS to $150M in valuation. Also, done in a competitive space with community-led and content-led plays.
- Favorite part: Transparent growth hacks and examples with screenshots.
- Least favorite: repetitively pushing the mission statement x50 times - we get it..
All in all - excellent read! Lots of notes and inspiration on things to try in b2b saas growth, linkedin content, etc.
- Favorite part: Transparent growth hacks and examples with screenshots.
- Least favorite: repetitively pushing the mission statement x50 times - we get it..
All in all - excellent read! Lots of notes and inspiration on things to try in b2b saas growth, linkedin content, etc.
December 28, 2022
Great book
December 31, 2024
Certains contenus intéressants mais la forme semble bâclée et précipitée
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews