Clarity Beats Headcount Every Time

One of the clearest lessons from the episode: size doesn't equal strength. N Squared capped their team at 20 people on purpose, to protect autonomy, communication and focus.

"We didn't want to grow just to grow. We wanted a company that felt healthy and human."

Listen to the full episode of SaaS Stories with Natalie MacLees

That cap forced hard choices, but it also sharpened decision making, built more trust across the team and sped up iteration. When everyone knows what matters and where the business is headed, growth comes from clarity, not chaos.

Hire For the Pain, Not the Org Chart

Natalie's early hiring advice cuts through a lot of noise: don't hire off a theoretical org chart, hire for what's actually blocking you right now.

Their first hire wasn't a marketer, a salesperson or a senior developer. It was a customer support lead.

"We were spending hours every day answering tickets which meant we weren't building. That hire freed us up to move forward."

If you're in the early stages, look at where your time is leaking. Who could take a critical but repeatable task off your plate so you can get back to growing the business? It's not glamorous, but it's effective.

Build Culture Like a System, Not a Vibe

Culture can feel fluffy until you actually build it.

In the podcast, Natalie broke down how they turned culture into everyday practice: using EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) to set quarterly priorities, defining 10 internal values that guide hiring and performance, setting clear, realistic boundaries around work hours and responsiveness, and holding regular check ins, retrospectives and 1:1s.

None of this is overengineered. It's deliberate. Without a shared rhythm and language, remote teams drift fast.

"We hire adults. That means we don't micromanage, but we do set expectations."

Autonomy Needs Structure to Work

Giving people freedom without structure doesn't create autonomy, it creates confusion.

Real autonomy needs defined outcomes (what does success look like), a clear roadmap (what are we working toward), and communication rhythms (how do we stay in sync).

Natalie's team uses quarterly "rocks," scorecards and light weight project tools to stay aligned, without daily check ins or tracking anyone's mouse movements. It's a model that trusts people, while still giving them the direction they need to execute with confidence.

Model the Balance You Want Your Team to Have

One of the most powerful insights in the episode wasn't about systems. It was about modelling behaviour.

"We can't say we respect work-life balance and then email our team at 9pm on a Saturday. That doesn't add up."

In fast moving SaaS environments, especially in small teams, founder energy sets the tone. Natalie and her co-founder are intentional about protecting team health, including their own. That means async work as the default, clear time-off boundaries, and mental health support and compassion built into 1:1s.

It's no surprise this pays off in retention, engagement and performance.

The Right Systems Free People Up

There's a fear in startups that too much process kills creativity. Natalie makes a strong case for the opposite.

"The right systems don't slow us down, they stop us from solving the same problems over and over again."

From onboarding checklists to support workflows to how they prioritise dev work, repeatability is a theme, but the process isn't rigid. It's human first.

The result: faster delivery, fewer mistakes, and more time for deep work. Startups often confuse scrappy with sloppy. The best teams use process to focus energy, not to control people.

Hire the Person, Not Just the Role

One of the most practical points Natalie shared was about hiring: they don't just hire to fill a role, they hire to grow the company.

That means asking candidates what else they're good at besides their main skill, what they want to learn, and how they like to work.

They've brought on people who've shifted roles over time, added new strengths to the team, or built expertise in places no one had planned for. It's a lesson in hiring for potential, not just the job description, especially in small teams where flexibility is gold.

Great Support Beats Great Marketing

N Squared isn't a marketing heavy company. They don't run big ad campaigns or sponsor conferences. Instead, they invest in excellent, human support, and that drives word of mouth and long term loyalty.

Natalie noted how many of their reviews talk more about the people behind the product than the features themselves.

"People don't just remember what your product does. They remember how you made them feel when something went wrong."

If you want to grow quietly but powerfully, support is your leverage.

Accessibility Is a Leadership Call, Not an Add-on

Natalie is a vocal advocate for digital accessibility, not just because it's ethical, but because it's practical.

Accessible products reach more users, perform better on SEO, are more usable for everyone, and reduce legal and compliance risk.

But most of all, building accessibly from the start forces clarity and simplicity, which are good design principles for everyone.

"If your product can be used by someone with a screen reader, it's going to be easier for everyone to use."

It's a mindset shift: build for inclusion, not retrofitting.

You Don't Have to Play the VC Game

The biggest message from this episode: you don't have to follow the traditional tech playbook.

N Squared is profitable, sustainable, remote first and values driven. They don't chase blitzscale. They don't raise funding. They don't burn out.

"We didn't want to build a unicorn. We wanted to build a company that supports great people doing great work."

They're not alone. More founders are questioning the pace and pressure of SaaS norms and choosing to build quieter, more intentional companies instead.

If that's you, this conversation is your permission slip.

Final Thoughts

You don't need a billion dollar valuation to build a successful SaaS business. You need a strong foundation, a healthy team, clear priorities, systems that scale with you, and a vision that lasts beyond the next funding round.