Success stories deserve to be told, and that's exactly what Andy Stauffer, founder of Proofmap, helps B2B SaaS companies do every single day. After serving as VP of Sales & Marketing at Cloud Coach through its successful acquisition, Andy turned his deep understanding of social proof into a business that transforms customer wins into compelling marketing assets. His journey from corporate leader to founder showcases the power of building a business around true domain expertise, and his 'sell, then build' philosophy offers valuable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Hi, Andy! Thanks for joining us today. Tell us about your business. Who do you serve, how do you serve them, and what's the impact that your business and work makes?
Proofmap is a company focused on helping B2B SaaS companies maximize the impact of their customer social proof. Many growing SaaS companies lack the resources to effectively showcase their customer success stories, and that’s where we come in. We conduct professional customer interviews, extract key insights, and transform them into multi-purpose marketing and sales assets, including case studies, sales slides, video testimonials, and more. Our work helps businesses accelerate their sales cycle, build credibility, and generate trust with potential customers.
Tell us about the moment you finally felt like you went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur.
It was when I left my role as VP of Sales & Marketing at Cloud Coach, following its acquisition. I had spent years understanding the power of social proof in sales, and when I took time off to travel and reflect, I realized the biggest impact I could make was in helping other SaaS companies leverage their customer success stories. The moment I started securing pilot clients for Proofmap, it became real— I was no longer just thinking about starting a business, I was building it.
Describe the moment or period in your life/career that motivated you to make the entrepreneurial leap.
After Cloud Coach was acquired, I spent eight months traveling through Asia, taking a step back from the corporate world. During that time, I reflected on what I was most passionate about. I kept coming back to the idea of social proof and its impact on sales. I saw a clear gap in the market— companies had amazing customer stories but didn’t know how to leverage them. That realization was my turning point, and I knew I had to build Proofmap.
Describe a tool, service, or software that has been a game-changer for your business. How does it contribute to your success?
AI has been a game-changer for Proofmap. While I don’t lead with AI in my messaging, I use it extensively behind the scenes to automate workflows, process customer interviews, and enhance content production. AI allows me to scale my business efficiently without compromising quality, ensuring my clients get high-value assets from their customer interviews.
Another indispensable tool for my business is Salesforce. Even as a small business, I recognized the importance of having a robust CRM from the very beginning. Salesforce enables me to manage customer relationships, track sales opportunities, and automate follow-ups seamlessly. The ability to centralize customer interactions and scale my outreach efficiently has been a game-changer. It ensures that I don’t just close deals but also maintain strong relationships with my customers, which is essential for long-term success. Investing in Salesforce early has allowed Proofmap to operate with the structure and efficiency of a much larger company, positioning us for future growth.
We know that success is very often a non-linear path. Tell us about a failure, pivot point, or lesson that changed your course or direction and helped to get you where you are today.
I initially started an SEO agency because it seemed like a straightforward path to entrepreneurship. However, I quickly realized I was missing something essential.
The truth is, the more ebooks and online courses exist on how to start a particular type of business, the more it suggests that entering into a space that you may lack real domain experience in, and that's a fundamental disadvantage.
Instead, focus on what you truly know. If you don’t have hands-on experience in a field, it might be worth gaining that first before launching a business. Today, I’m building something rooted in my own firsthand experience—something I’ve navigated daily—and it’s far more fulfilling than I ever imagined.
What unconventional strategy did you employ that significantly impacted your business?
Sell, then build. Too many entrepreneurs spend months or years developing a product before validating demand. When I started Proofmap, I pitched the service before I had a fully built-out process. I secured early pilot clients, refined the offering, and then built the infrastructure around what was working. Getting real customer feedback early ensured I was building something people actually wanted.
What’s something you wish you knew sooner that you’d give as advice for aspiring or newer entrepreneurs?
Focus on your strengths and fixate less on your weaknesses.
Spending hours learning a new skill may seem like productive work but in reality, the time is now, the clock is ticking, and you should try to address these weaknesses in ways that still allow you to maximize your time on what you're best at.
A tactic I use for this is if I'm stuck trying to solve a problem for more than two hours and I don't really stand to benefit from it as a skill in the near future, I immediately explore ways to outsource it to freelancers on platforms such as Upwork to someone that specializes in said task.
Then it's up to me to make up the difference by doubling down on what I'm good at. In this case, sales and marketing.
For aspiring entrepreneurs, I would say the time to study up is while you're plotting your business, perhaps while working your 9-5.
It's not to say you don't learn a lot when running a company, you do more than ever, but there's no time to "Study", you just have to do it.
Want to dive deeper into Andy's work? Check out the links below!
- Visit Proofmap's website proofmap.com
- Connect with Andy on LinkedIn: Andy Stauffer
