Welcome to In Pursuit of Scalability blog!

I have and continue to accumulate many lessons learned while building SaaS, technology, entertainment, and professional services companies. And since knowledge not shared is wasted, this blog is the medium for me to share the best practices, learnings, and advice.
Sincerely,
Apolinaras “Apollo” Sinkevicius

Talent Arbitrage – How I Find the Best People

15 years ago, when I left the entertainment for the tech industry, how useful my talent experience would be. Yet, I use that knowledge every day, and I am thankful to my mentors. It has become my "secret sauce" that helped build talented, effective, and loyal teams....

Customers, not shareholders, pay your bills

I had to get several insurance quotes last week, since my current agent was not living up to my customer service expectations (especially considering the amount of commission they receive).  Only one of the three companies I contacted impressed me, and this prompted...

How do I get my boss to respond to my e-mails? Guide to communicating with executives.

One of the most common complaints I hear from people is that their leaders do not respond quickly enough to their emails, which then blocks their work progress. While it does take two to tango, it is on the one communicating to make sure the medium, the content, and...

Stars vs. Constellations – steps to building solid high-performing teams

When it comes to startups and fast-growing scalable businesses, sustainable growth companies are built by teams of shining constellations rather than just several bright stars. A team of people that can feed off each other and grow together will beat any company...

Operations Leadership

North Star and Hero KPIs of SaaS

North Star and Hero KPIs of SaaS

While ARR is our "north star" KPI, it is an imperfect measure of progress, success, or company value. ARR does not tell the full story because it only shows quantity and not the quality of the revenue. As an operator, I rely on what I call "hero KPIs" to guide the...

The Future of Knowledge Work and the Post-Pandemic Workplace

The Future of Knowledge Work and the Post-Pandemic Workplace

It has been a year since the Black Swan event of the COVID-19 pandemic started shaking industries to the core. None of us have a crystal ball and can predict the future, but we must develop our thesis and get in action.  Don't let a good crisis go to waste....

Lessons Learned

Leadership Lessons I Learned at My Father’s Funeral

Leadership Lessons I Learned at My Father’s Funeral

While it has been two decades since I lost my father, I still think a lot about the lessons he taught me. He was an incredible role model and shaped my views on being a father, husband, leader, businessman, and decent human. Two days of my life are deeply seared into...

7 Rules for How to Sell to “Darth Vader”

7 Rules for How to Sell to “Darth Vader”

Before an incredible mentor helped me discover my love for the craft of operations, I started my sales career as a talent agent in the entertainment industry. Some of us have it, and some of us do not. Hence I discovered I was much more effective at figuring out how...

Parenting and Startups – Struggles, Biases, Lessons Learned

Parenting and Startups – Struggles, Biases, Lessons Learned

After eight years of parenthood, as I am updating this post, I can say nothing can truly prepare you for being a new parent and entrepreneur. Just the new role of a parent is hard enough, yet many of us are also building companies and careers simultaneously. The...

Talent Management

The Future of Knowledge Work and the Post-Pandemic Workplace

The Future of Knowledge Work and the Post-Pandemic Workplace

It has been a year since the Black Swan event of the COVID-19 pandemic started shaking industries to the core. None of us have a crystal ball and can predict the future, but we must develop our thesis and get in action.  Don't let a good crisis go to waste....

Startup Finance & Legal

North Star and Hero KPIs of SaaS

North Star and Hero KPIs of SaaS

While ARR is our "north star" KPI, it is an imperfect measure of progress, success, or company value. ARR does not tell the full story because it only shows quantity and not the quality of the revenue. As an operator, I rely on what I call "hero KPIs" to guide the...

Scalable SaaS Best Practices: The Legal Agreements Discipline

Scalable SaaS Best Practices: The Legal Agreements Discipline

SaaS is a beautiful business model. Over the last fifteen years, I got to build four companies in the B2B SaaS space. I love the efficiency of the model! Frankly, building companies would be so much more expensive without the cost efficiencies SaaS products bring. ...

Reflections on Raising Money and Fetishes of Those Watching

Reflections on Raising Money and Fetishes of Those Watching

For those of us in startups, opening up Twitter means seeing at least 1 or 2 funding announcements every couple of hours. And the congratulations and retweets roll in, if you are any good, journalists and bloggers need a piece of you too. But the fanfare and...

Coaching 1st-time founders and augmenting seasoned entrepreneurs