Podcast Summary: "10 Years to $10M ARR: Lessons from Precoro’s Founder"
Podcast: The SaaS Revolution Show
Host: Alex Theuma (appearing as Alex Diemer in this transcript)
Guest: Andrew Zavolov, Founder & CEO of Precoro
Date: January 22, 2026
Episode Overview
This episode features Andrew Zavolov, founder and CEO of Precoro, a procurement centralization and automation SaaS platform, reflecting on his 10-year journey to nearly $10M in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR). Hosted by Alex Theuma, the conversation dives into Andrew's beginnings, the strategic and cultural foundations of Precoro, the influence of AI in B2B SaaS, his approach to sales and growth, and the path ahead for his company.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Early Experience and Entrepreneurial Roots
- Andrew’s first roles included car sales at Volkswagen, equity trading, and working at Groupon.
- Each position shaped his understanding of people, motivation, and the mechanics of business.
Notable Quotes:
"Cars sales experience is so great. So...you understand that almost all the cars are pretty the same, but you have to explain...it's not about the car, it's more about the needs of a person."
— Andrew Zavolov, [03:52]
- Sales roles taught Andrew the importance of understanding people and building connections.
- Equity trading introduced him to analytical thinking, markets, and higher-caliber professional environments.
- At Groupon, he learned about online business models—insights that fueled his entrepreneurial endeavors.
2. The Path to Precoro: Pivoting and Learning from B2B Failures
- Early ventures included a gift card marketplace and an office procurement/catering platform.
- Lessons from unscalable models guided Andrew to seek global, scalable solutions.
Notable Quotes:
"As soon as we will need gift cards, they would buy gift cards from us. And as soon as they need catering...they would order this...We started locally and the market was not big enough. We couldn't scale it abroad."
— Andrew Zavolov, [08:34]
- Key lesson: Focus on big, addressable markets and scalable approaches.
3. Hiring, Motivating, and Growing the Right Team
- Andrew prioritizes hiring for motivation and potential, not just obvious skill.
- Internal growth and transparency are foundational for culture.
- He takes a hands-on approach, spending time with employees and fostering open relationships.
Notable Quotes:
"I love seeing people grow inside of our company...you have to be fair with them, you have to build connections."
— Andrew Zavolov, [11:02]
- Precoro's managers and salespeople have long tenures (6–9 years), reflecting strong internal culture.
4. Building a Winning, Transparent Company Culture
- Precoro treats the team like a sports team—not a family—focused on performance and growth.
- Team motivation is driven by clear connection to revenue and KPIs.
Notable Quotes:
"We don't have this any kind of bullshit like we're [showing a] great feature...We need money to keep going and the best feedback from the market is money."
— Andrew Zavolov, [13:29]
"It's not a family...But we are in a competition...It's a teamwork and somebody wants to drink some beer in the morning, you can't let him to do it because he will fail."
— Andrew Zavolov, [14:35]
- Transparency around numbers and goals is a core motivator.
5. Growth Levers & Strategic Planning
- Growth comes from balancing openness to advice and focus in execution.
- Decision-making is quick and adaptable; annual planning is important, but the team remains flexible to seize new opportunities.
Notable Quotes:
"At some point...you have to be very open-minded...At the other point...you have to be very focused on what you are executing."
— Andrew Zavolov, [16:18]
"My goal is to be ready to take the opportunity and I believe that each day could give you a great opportunity."
— Andrew Zavolov, [17:55]
6. AI in B2B SaaS: Perspective and Practical Use
- Andrew views AI as a tool, not a destination, and deploying it pragmatically to solve user pain points (e.g., data capture from invoices).
- Adoption, not just technological innovation, is key; investment in people and processes is critical.
Notable Quotes:
"AI is not a destination, it's a tool. But having a tool doesn't mean that you will do the job."
— Andrew Zavolov, [19:10]
"To make AI work you need capital and people...most of us...we are lazy enough so we want to buy something and it will do the job for us. It doesn't do this job."
— Andrew Zavolov, [20:06]
- In marketing, there is a challenge of AI-created spam and diminishing email effectiveness, making old-school methods (like cold calling) effective again.
7. Sales Approach: Inbound to Outbound Dynamics
- For 10 years, Precoro relied mostly on inbound and product-led growth.
- Outbound (notably cold calling) is now increasingly important, especially for mid-market customers.
Notable Quotes:
"We hired a person who hired SDRs. They do cold call and they are in the US and they call to US. I think it's important. We use so much software—I would say that software sometimes costs more than people doing cold calling."
— Andrew Zavolov, [24:20]
- Investing in software and research enables efficient outbound targeting.
8. Sizing Ambitions: From $10M to $100M ARR
- Andrew sees the next five years as an execution race, aiming for $100M ARR by sustaining 70% year-on-year growth.
- Hitting scale enables further investments in brand, PR, and talent.
Notable Quotes:
"I believe we have to get to 100 million. To get to 100 million, we need five more years...It's doable if you have smart enough people motivated to do something together."
— Andrew Zavolov, [28:18]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:52 | Andrew Zavolov | "It's not about the car, it's more about the needs of a person and especially when you're doing it offline... sales maybe is most important part for any entrepreneur." | | 08:34 | Andrew Zavolov | "We started locally and the market was not big enough. And I believe the solution was great, but we couldn't scale it abroad." | | 11:02 | Andrew Zavolov | "I love seeing people grow inside of our company...I like to find people who can grow and find a way to do it with them together." | | 13:29 | Andrew Zavolov | "The best feedback from the market is money. So we need our clients to pay bills and that's from day one till now." | | 14:34 | Andrew Zavolov | "I want to be part of Olympic team. So it's not a family...we are in a competition...teamwork and somebody wants to drink some beer in the morning, you can't let him to do it because he will fail." | | 16:18 | Andrew Zavolov | "A combination which is the most difficult one. I mean at some point...be very open minded...at the other point...be very focused on what you are executing." | | 19:10 | Andrew Zavolov | "AI is not a destination, it's a tool. But having a tool doesn't mean that you will do the job." | | 24:20 | Andrew Zavolov | "We hired a person who hired SDRs. They do cold call and they are in US and they call to US. I think it's important we use so much software..." | | 28:18 | Andrew Zavolov | "We have to get to 100 million...we need five more years. It's doable if you have smart enough people motivated to do something together..." |
Key Timestamps & Segments
- Early Career and Entrepreneurial Roots: [03:52]–[08:34]
- Hiring and Motivation Strategies: [11:02]–[13:29]
- Building Culture and Driving Growth: [13:29]–[15:55]
- Approach to Strategy and Planning: [16:18]–[18:35]
- AI in SaaS and Team Adaptation: [19:10]–[21:41]
- Outbound Sales & Market Dynamics: [24:20]–[27:55]
- Ambitions for the Future: [28:18]–[29:37]
Final Thoughts
Andrew Zavolov’s journey embodies tenacity, adaptability, and a grounded, human-centered approach to SaaS leadership. His focus on people, pragmatism about technology like AI, and willingness to adapt sales methods as the market shifts, offer practical and inspiring lessons to any founder seeking to reach scale in the B2B SaaS space.
For more insights and community resources, visit sasdoc.com.