178: Activation Is Broken: Why Most SaaS Teams Get It Wrong (and How to Fix It)
Wed Jan 21 2026
Databox is an easy-to-use Analytics Platform for growing businesses. We make it easy to centralize and view your entire company's marketing, sales, revenue, and product data in one place, so you always know how you're performing.
Learn More About DataboxSubscribe to our newsletter for episode summaries, benchmark data, and moreRodrigo Fernandez has helped 400+ SaaS companies drive over $1B in self-serve revenue and he’s seen one problem kill growth over and over again: no one truly owns activation.
In this episode, Rodrigo breaks down:
Why “activation” is almost always misdefined (and who should actually define it)How teams confuse activity with value — and what to track insteadThe fatal flaws in bottom-up metrics and AI gimmicksWhat a real product activation journey looks like (solar system analogy and all)Why most PLG stacks are noisy, bloated, and doomed from the startIf you're stuck at $10M and can’t see a path to $20M, this might be why.
🎤 Want more insights and stories from top GTM leaders? Join 14k newsletter subscribers here: http://bit.ly/46wZp17🎧 Browse more episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYOS40nvFZ65Yo4OnoJT2wVSqrnjCWDbt📊 Databox is Modern BI for teams that need answers now. It offers the best of BI, without the complicated setup, steep price, or long learning curve. Try it free today! http://bit.ly/3RQg2wS
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Databox is an easy-to-use Analytics Platform for growing businesses. We make it easy to centralize and view your entire company's marketing, sales, revenue, and product data in one place, so you always know how you're performing. Learn More About DataboxSubscribe to our newsletter for episode summaries, benchmark data, and moreRodrigo Fernandez has helped 400+ SaaS companies drive over $1B in self-serve revenue and he’s seen one problem kill growth over and over again: no one truly owns activation. In this episode, Rodrigo breaks down: Why “activation” is almost always misdefined (and who should actually define it)How teams confuse activity with value — and what to track insteadThe fatal flaws in bottom-up metrics and AI gimmicksWhat a real product activation journey looks like (solar system analogy and all)Why most PLG stacks are noisy, bloated, and doomed from the startIf you're stuck at $10M and can’t see a path to $20M, this might be why. 🎤 Want more insights and stories from top GTM leaders? Join 14k newsletter subscribers here: http://bit.ly/46wZp17🎧 Browse more episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYOS40nvFZ65Yo4OnoJT2wVSqrnjCWDbt📊 Databox is Modern BI for teams that need answers now. It offers the best of BI, without the complicated setup, steep price, or long learning curve. Try it free today! http://bit.ly/3RQg2wS