Blue Horizon’s reading list is a curated collection of articles for SaaS founders and management teams. We are entrepreneurs and operators who have lived through the process of founding and scaling software companies. Here are the articles and resources we found useful this month.

Playing to Win vs. Playing to Make Plan: The Two Very Different Worlds of Silicon Valley
by Dave Kellogg

Over time, as new exit options emerged, companies could either plan to win or play to make plan. Both were good ways to make money. But those are two different worlds that require two different strategies and often attract two different types of employees. Your company will work best when you identify which mode you are in and then define strategy, hire employees, and run the company accordingly.

Four, no FIVE things to Look for in a Content Automation Solution
by Synthesis Technology

The strategic goals for implementing an automation solution are; 1) to reduce time to market for the materials, and 2) to reduce the costs associated with literature production and maintenance. These goals could be called universal.

Comparing Revenue Growth Trends in the Public and Private SaaS Sectors
by SaaS Capital

Based on our recent survey, the median private SaaS company had an annual revenue growth rate of 30%, nearly twice the rate of the median company in the SCI (16%). This result is not surprising, as the typical private SaaS company is much smaller (in terms of ARR) than its public sector counterpart, and all else equal, it is easier to achieve higher growth rates from smaller revenue bases. A more revealing comparison is looking at how private sector revenue growth rates in the latest survey compare to their recent history. When we do this, we can see that the universe of private sector SaaS companies, while not immune to the broad deceleration in revenue growth, has delivered relatively more resilient growth rates than their public sector counterparts.

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Blue Horizon acquires and invests in profitable software businesses with stable recurring revenue streams. The Blue Horizon platform combines long-term capital and industry expertise with an operating model that enables businesses and their leaders to focus on growth and profitability.