Startup Sales: Forto's Journey from First Customer to Enterprise Unicorn - Michael Wax, Forto

About this episode

Michael Wax from Forto demonstrates impressively how a startup without a finished product can become an enterprise unicorn with over half a billion in investment. His experiences building sales structures offer valuable insights for all founders looking to scale their sales organizations.

The First Customer Without a Finished Product

Today, Forto enables companies to transport goods worldwide and offers solutions for selecting and monitoring optimal supply chains. But like every startup, Forto had to start from zero. The first crucial question: Who was willing to pay for a solution that didn't even exist yet?

The answer reveals the art of early startup sales: identifying potential customers with such urgent problems that they were willing to work together on developing a solution. These first customers became partners in product development.

The Leap to Enterprise Customers

A critical turning point for any B2B startup is the transition from initial test customers to real enterprise deals. At Forto, this was a deliberate strategic step that transformed the entire business model.

The market signaled its readiness for the solution through concrete demand and companies' willingness to sign longer-term contracts. This development was crucial for the company's further scaling.

How the ACV Evolved

With the focus on enterprise customers, Forto's Average Contract Value (ACV) changed dramatically. Higher-value solutions for larger companies led to correspondingly higher contract volumes. This development is typical for successful B2B SaaS companies that go "upmarket."

The increase in ACV had direct implications for sales economics: Higher deals justified longer sales cycles and the deployment of experienced sales professionals.

From Solo Sales to Sales Team

How long Michael Wax drove sales alone and when the transition to a professional sales team took place is one of the most common questions from startup founders. The answer shows: There is a right time, but it's different for every company.

The transition requires not only the right timing decision, but also the founder's willingness to give up control and place trust in others.

Hiring Your First Senior Salesperson

When hiring the first senior person for your sales team, there are crucial factors to consider:

• –Experience in comparable markets and sales cycles
• –Ability to develop structure and processes
• –Cultural fit with the startup environment
• –Willingness to actively sell, not just manage

The right first senior hire in sales can make the difference between successful scaling and costly mistakes.

Cross-selling and Upselling: Customer Success vs. Sales

A strategic decision that concerns many companies: Where should the focus for cross-selling and upselling lie - in Customer Success or in the Sales team?

At Forto, we see how important this decision is for growth. The right assignment affects not only revenue development, but also customer satisfaction and retention. The answer depends on product complexity, the length of customer relationships, and internal resources.

Key Learnings for Startup Founders

Michael Wax's experiences at Forto offer concrete actionable recommendations:

• –First customers can be acquired even without a finished product
• –The transition to enterprise customers requires strategic planning
• –The first senior salesperson should be carefully selected
• –Cross-selling and upselling strategies must fit the company structure

Forto's journey shows: Successful startup sales is less art than systematic approach. With the right strategy and suitable employees, even complex B2B markets can be successfully developed.