Five Ways to Build a $100M SaaS Business

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Ever wonder how SaaS companies hit $100 million a year? This chart makes it ridiculously clear. It shows five “animals” that each represent a type of customer strategy—from millions of tiny users to a few massive ones.

Marketing Analysis

This image nails one key SaaS truth: you can win with volume or value. Either sell a cheap product that spreads like wildfire (think viral growth), or aim for fewer, high-paying enterprise clients. Each “animal” represents a different Average Revenue Per Account (ARPA) strategy.

Why It Works

  • Visual storytelling makes complex math intuitive.
  • Uses simple animals to anchor pricing strategy.
  • Highlights trade-off between volume and revenue.
  • Removes guesswork: pick your lane, then scale.

Examples

  • Zoom started with mice (freemium users) and moved to deer and elephants (corporate plans).
  • Slack did the same—viral at first, then enterprise upmarket.
  • Salesforce went straight for elephants and whales.
  • Canva thrives with millions of small paying “mice.”
  • Palantir lives off a few “whale” government contracts.

Analyzed by Swipebot

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