Maybe We Don’t Belong Here
“Maybe We Don’t Belong Here”
Founder resourceBuilder <$5m
How we grew our revenue by 1700%
Unconventional growth ideas, how to pick a financial partner who lets you be yourself, and the case for productized services
Becca Kay · Dingus and Zazzy
Published September 1, 2022About this resource
Becca Kay, co-founder of Dingus and Zazzy, shares how they’ve scaled our company from just a few lonely employees fighting for a spot at the table, to a genuine David among Goliaths, complete with a 1700% increase in revenue.
In 20 minutes, you’ll learn:
- The unconventional ideas that helped us grow into a multi-million dollar company (almost overnight)
- How to choose the right financial partner (that lets you be yourself).
- Why Productized services are the future.
- Format
- Founder500 Austin 2022
- Inside
- 3 key moments
Explore the lesson. Sign in to access the slide download.
What you’ll learn
The deck moves from an opening question about belonging into a Rainbow Connection section and a later reflection on using data while continuing to learn.
Read the source passagesKey moments
Find the ideas you need and go straight to the source.
Be My Rainbow Connection
“Be My Rainbow Connection”
Obsessed With Data… But Still Learning
“Obsessed With Data… But Still Learning”
Preview slides
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How we grew our revenue by 1700% - Slide Deck
Becca is the co-founder and COO of Dingus and Zazzy.
- Company revenue
- $4.9M
- Team size
- 129
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Slide by slide
Each slide with a short explanation of what it shows. Open the slide text for its exact wording.
57 passages
Introduction
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Becca Kay Co-Founder of Dingus and Zazzy How we grew our revenue by 1700% … using a Kermit puppet, a Star Wars helmet, Sea Shanties, and a 1976 Cessna 172M Founder500, Sept 2022
A playful founder portrait
A rider in a cape charges forward on a moose, with birds and a dramatic landscape around them. The fanciful portrait sets the talk’s irreverent tone.
Maybe We Don’t Belong Here
Feeling out of place
A giant yellow bird sits in a meeting room while the team works around it, turning the feeling of not belonging into a visual joke.
Slide text
Maybe We Don’t Belong Here
Revenue rises after a slow start
Monthly recurring revenue climbs from a low base in early 2021 to around $300,000 by August 2022. Growth accelerates through the middle of 2021, then levels off before rising again.
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DZ Revenue Growth
The talk’s growth playbook
The roadmap pairs trying imperfect ideas and using humor with choosing aligned partners, testing candidates, and tracking numbers. It then turns to productized services, retention, and acquiring tools the business depends on.
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Over the next 20 minutes: Consistently try bad ideas, even if you don’t think it’ll work. I’m going to show you: $0-$1M $1M+ BOOTSTRAPPED AGENCY TO SAAS Use humour… a lot (If you have a sense of humour). Embrace being sold. Ask for it all the time. Choosing the right financial partner that lets you be yourself. Personality testing. OMG. Use them. I’m serious. Obsess over data. Productized services are the future. Murder your attrition rate. Acquisition mode. Owning the vertical integration.
Take the shots you can
A mock motivational poster pairs a familiar line about missed shots with a photo of Michael Scott. The joke introduces the team’s willingness to try ideas others might dismiss.
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D&Z’s “Bad” Ideas
Bad ideas can earn attention
The team groups its experiments into risky business ideas, humorous stunts, and asking prospects to pitch themselves. Examples range from cold faxing to using a Kermit puppet and flying after a sales win.
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1. Humble Beginnings Unlimited Agency? Cold faxing? Auto dialers Dialing 10 lines at once? Asking for 25 mil? HUMOR LOLZ GET SOLD BAD IDEAS Cold calling Zoom info with their own data. Flying a plane because you’re happy you made a bunch of sales. Praise squirrel Kermit can sell Sea Shanty cold emails Ask to be sold bro How dinguses are made.
A section on bad ideas
This divider introduces examples of experiments the founders themselves call bad ideas, starting with their business model.
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Feat. Our Business Model Bad Ideas
The business model feels wrong
A reaction meme sits beside the claim that the business model is a bad idea. The visual frames the coming explanation as deliberately unconventional.
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Our Business Model Is A Bad Idea
A joke about unconventional ideas
An Einstein parody reads “E=McLIFT” beside the bad-ideas heading. The visual keeps the section’s self-deprecating humor going without explaining the business model itself.
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D&Z’s “Bad” Ideas
Motivation with a dark twist
A hand-drawn forest scene of strange creatures is labeled as a motivational poster, with a small figure approaching them. The deliberately ominous image turns standard workplace inspiration into absurd humor.
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Motivational Posters
Use humor to rally the team
A costumed bear stands by a neon sign saying “We are all going to die,” under a reminder to the team. The exaggerated message uses dark humor to make an internal pep talk memorable.
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Remind Your Team The end is near…
Make fax outreach unexpected
A sample cold fax pairs a personal introduction and gift offer with a large ASCII astronaut. The example turns an outdated channel into a surprising, humorous way to get noticed.
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Cold faxing? A good idea? Shocking results… Should zennials should stay away from faxing?
Make repeated cold calls
A Michael Scott reaction image accompanies the auto-dialer heading and a tenfold callout. The joke acknowledges the discomfort of calling while presenting dialing at scale as the tactic.
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Auto-Dialers But…. x10.
Dial ten lines at once
A sales dialer interface is paired with the callout “10 Calls At Once.” The screenshot demonstrates a power-dialing setup that works through multiple outbound lines at the same time.
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10 Calls At Once Y’all! Kixie
Track which channels create deals
A dashboard compares opportunity counts across sources, with referral and email among the taller bars. Summary metrics below connect lead sources to revenue, deal size, and time to close.
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Cold e-mail. A lot But ethically bro.
Use memorable recruiting emails
Several sample hiring emails use squirrel imagery and playful language to catch creative candidates’ attention. The examples show the same unconventional voice applied to recruiting.
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Cold e-mail. Hire the Best Use Hypergen and thank us later.
More unconventional experiments
This divider signals that more examples are coming, extending the founders’ playful “bad ideas” section.
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Not Sorry. More Bad Ideas
Be My Rainbow Connection
Make invoice follow-up playful
A Kermit puppet appears beneath a joke asking whether the recipient got an invoice. The “Rainbow Connection” reference turns a routine payment reminder into a memorable image.
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Be My Rainbow Connection
Use a prospect’s own data
A sales intelligence profile is shown as the source of information for a cold call, with the founders’ headline saying the recipient found it funny. The example emphasizes making outreach personal through relevant research.
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Cold Called Zoom Info With Their Own Data He thought it was funny.
Turn the brand into a stunt
An aerial photo points to a rough mark on the ground beside the joke that it was meant to be a “D.” The caption locates the stunt in Edmonton, presenting playful brand expression as part of the story.
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That’s supposed to be a “D” 2021, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Make the brand hard to ignore
A space-themed Dingus and Zazzy identity calls itself a favorite marketing department, while small cartoon figures play around the lettering. The slide treats an eccentric brand persona as a way to stand out.
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Be Not Boring Guy. Try Vandalism!
Send a pitch deck by View-Master
A red View-Master viewer accompanies the idea of sending a pitch deck through an old-school toy. The unusual format is meant to make the package difficult to ignore.
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Send your Pitch Deck Via Old School Viewmaster Hard to ignore.
Send gifts people remember
A novelty candle featuring a portrait illustrates the promise of a gift that stands out. The slide presents an unexpected personal item as a more memorable gesture than a standard basket.
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Gift Baskets That Stand Out You Know You Want One….
Use a pigeon for direct mail
A cartoon pigeon anchors a mock “Pigeon as a Service” page describing physical letters sent through an online service. A small callout introduces Steve as the company’s first training bird, extending the founders’ absurdist brand voice.
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flypigeon.co We recommend Steve
Ask prospects to pitch you
This divider introduces a section about inviting prospects to sell themselves on why their product should be considered.
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Pitch Me, Brochacho. Ask To Be Sold
Invite prospects to pitch
A community conversation shows a buyer inviting product pitches and a reply that helps focus the seller’s message. The example frames an open invitation as a chance to tailor a pitch to what the buyer wants.
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Ask to Be Sold… Taken from RevGenius slack channel. Join it if you like making money
A Segway transition
A security guard riding a Segway serves as a visual pun on the word “segue,” bridging the sales examples to the next section.
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This Is A Segway.
Build the business deliberately
The section roadmap groups its advice around financial partners, hiring, and obsession with numbers. The hiring column highlights geography, personality and skill assessment, and trials; the final column calls for knowing and revisiting the numbers.
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2. Kicking It into Gear The Right Partners Be Yourself Know The Fine Print Come On Barbie, Let’s Go Party. FINANCIAL PARTNERS HIRING OBSESSION Stop Making It Harder For Yourself With Geography Personality Testing. L. M. F. G. Skill Assessments Trials Know Your Numbers Obeses Over Your Numbers Repeat.
Choose the right financial partners
This divider opens the financial-partner section, with a playful aside addressed to Nathan.
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Sup Nathan (you better be good for that $20) The Right Financial Partners
A high five for a funding partner
A suited man raises his hand for a high five beside the Founderpath mark. The image gives the financial-partner section a lighthearted endorsement-style introduction.
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The Right Financial Partners High Five Bro.
Fast access to approved payouts
A product screenshot shows two active payout rows with repayment progress and upcoming dates. The headline claims access in less than 48 hours, framing fast funding as the benefit being highlighted.
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Fast Cash. Less than 48 hours… A Dingus always pays their debts.
Hire better
This divider introduces the hiring section, pairing its central message with the reminder that good hiring should be expensive.
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Good hiring should be expensive. Hire Better.
Hire beyond your local market
A world map marks team locations across the Americas, Africa, Asia, and elsewhere. The broad spread supports the message not to limit hiring by geography.
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Don’t Limit Yourself
Test skills and working style
A boxing Minion illustrates the personality and skill-testing topic. The visual suggests assessing candidates through structured exercises rather than relying on an interview alone.
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Personality & Skill Testing
Compare candidate traits visually
A Criteria Corp radar chart compares traits across achievement, motivation, conscientiousness, assertiveness, cooperation, competitiveness, confidence, and openness. The plotted profile is uneven, making trade-offs across dimensions visible.
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Criteria Corp
Try working together before hiring
A meme compares a first meeting with beginning a courtship, alongside a wary Michael Scott. The joke presents a trial period as a low-stakes way for both sides to assess fit.
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Trial New Employees It’s Like, Bring A Stranger To Work Day.
Review work across the day
A time-tracking view lists team members, tasks, hours, and blocks of activity. It presents work visibility as a way to inspect how a remote team’s day is structured.
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Time Doctor
Pay attention to the numbers
This divider opens the data section and cues the audience to focus on measurement.
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Hold On To Your Butts. Obsess.
A Canadian caution
A hockey meme under a “Caution” heading plays on the speaker’s Canadian identity and signals the data section’s humorous tone.
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Caution. We Warned You We’re Canadian.
Obsessed With Data… But Still Learning
Use a dashboard to learn
A business dashboard brings deal creation, wins, revenue, close time, and currency breakdowns into one view. Its charts and summary panels show how a team can inspect sales activity and outcomes together.
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Obsessed With Data… But Still Learning Databox is our current favourite, especially if you use Hubspot!
Think big, measure progress
A Pinky and the Brain meme says they try to take over the world each night. Paired with the data section, it gives the ambition behind measurement a playful image.
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We <3 Data
Put sales metrics on display
A metrics dashboard appears beneath the same data headline, adding deal counts, contact creation, and win-rate visuals to the preceding joke. The dashboard makes measurement tangible through several business indicators.
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We <3 Data
Three bets on the future
The roadmap names productized services, reducing attrition, and owning more of the acquisition process as its three future-facing ideas. A Terminator image reinforces the forward-looking theme.
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3. I’m From The Future Productized Services And it’s gonna blow your mind. THE FUTURE MURDER ACQUISITION Your Attrition Rates Own It All
Productized services
This divider opens the productized-services section, framing it as the future of the business.
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It’s The Future. Productized Services
Compare investment scale
A bar chart compares investment levels for two companies with Dingus and Zazzy, which appears much smaller on the same dollar scale. The visual contrasts a bootstrapped business with companies shown as having much larger investment totals.
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Investments
Scaling SaaS changes the mood
A reaction meme about scaling a SaaS company illustrates the emotional shift implied by growth. The slide serves as a humorous bridge into the practical benefits of productized services.
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All the SAAS
Make services easier to buy
Three examples frame productized services as better for customers: avoid hourly billing, let them choose what they need, and remove the need to request a quote. The memes make each purchasing friction point concrete.
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Productized Services Better For Your Business No Hourly Nickel & Diming Use What You Actually Need No “Getting A Quote”
Reduce client attrition
This divider introduces the retention section with an emphatic prompt to address client attrition.
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Your attrition rates. MURDER
Client attrition declines over time
The line chart peaks in February, then trends downward through August, with a brief rise in June. By the end of the period, the plotted rate is below its January level.
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DZ Client Attrition
Call clients directly
A cat peeking around a phone accompanies a direct instruction to call every client. The slide presents personal outreach as an action the team should make itself take.
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Call All Your Clients! Get Over Yourself & Do It!
Build a recurring retention routine
The slide pairs its retention goal with monthly manager calls, daily project-manager check-ins, and retention bonuses. These recurring touchpoints and incentives form the proposed client-care routine.
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Murder Your Attrition Rates Monthly Manager Calls, Daily PM Check-Ins & Retention Bonuses
Own more of the process
This divider opens the vertical-integration section, setting up the idea of controlling more of the workflow.
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Vertical Integration Baby. Own The Process
Acquire tools and own the vertical
The slide proposes buying SaaS products the company already uses, turning subscription costs into profits, and owning more of the vertical. A laptop image supplies a comic visual for the acquisition theme.
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Acquisition Mode Purchasing the SAAS Products We Use = Own The Vertical Dues and Subscription Costs Turned Into Profits We <3 Microaquire
A humorous conclusion cue
A Lego character says it has the gist but was not listening, setting up the actual recap with a self-deprecating joke.
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In Conclusion
Recap the growth playbook
The summary returns to experiments and humor, aligned financial partners, hiring and personality testing, data, productized services, retention, and acquisition. It connects these practices to the company’s path from an agency toward SaaS.
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Over the last 20 minutes: Consistently try bad ideas, even if you don’t think it’ll work. I showed you: $0-$1M $1M+ BOOTSTRAPPED AGENCY TO SAAS Use humour… a lot (If you have a sense of humour). Embrace being sold. Ask for it all the time. Choosing the right financial partner that lets you be yourself. Personality testing. OMG. Use them. I’m serious. Obsess over data. Productized services are the future. Murder your attrition rate. Acquisition mode. Owning the vertical integration.
Thank the audience
Becca Kay closes with her name, co-founder role, company identity, and a thank-you to the audience.
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September 2022 Becca Kay Co-founder Dingus and Zazzy