Founder @ Valubyl | Product-Led Growth Advisor

Currently building Valubyl: The leading PLG agency for B2B SaaS onboarding and activation.

We’ve helped 30+ B2B SaaS companies turn free signups into paying customers by upgrading their self-serve onboarding experience.

We’ve partnered with world-class PLG teams like Instantly, Signwell, Freckle, Gymdesk, PromptLayer, Rosie... and delivered insane results like:

👉 Databox: activation up from 30% → 48%
👉 Stockpress: free-to-paid conversion up from 10% → 31%

If you want more paying customers from your freemium or free trial, let’s chat.

Feel free to send me a DM, email at yaakov@valubyl.com, or book an intro call with the link above.

Yaakov Carno

Woah, I just went to cancel my Lovable subscription and this blew my mind 🤯 Check out this new plan they surface in their downgrade flow:

For the last few days, I've been debating if I should downgrade. 

It's not that I don't love the product, I do, it's just that a couple of my projects are already live and I don't expect to make big changes for the next few months. 

Paying for a tool that’s just sitting there didn’t feel great.

The only problem is that I didn't want to my live sites to get that "made with Lovable" badge again...

But I decided I'd just downgrade and deal with it.

Then this happened 💸 They hit me with a "Lite" option... 
(and no, you won't find it on their pricing page)

Same 5 credits/day as their free plan, giving you just enough room to make small tweaks... BUT they also allow you to keep all your custom domains and remove Lovable branding.

In so many products, these are the exact levers used to block downgrades and force users to stay on higher plans.

But here... it actually felt like a really thoughtful gesture.

Not sneaky. Not manipulative. Not a 27-step downgrade maze.

AI credits are still new for consumers. This felt like Lovable was saying: 
"Hey there, I totally get that you're still figuring out how to use and budget a tool like this, so here's the perfect way we can keep building together."

And it was actually exactly what I needed.

Whatever happens with these monetization experiments, one thing is clear:

This is a company that's obsessed over what their users want and need, and it shows in every part of their product.

Founder @ Valubyl | PLG activation systems for self-serve B2B SaaS

20 hour journey ahead with our 2 year and 7 month old kiddies. Wish us luck 😬✈️

Goodbye Australia 🇦🇺

No alternative text description for this image

This is what happens when you prioritize removing friction over creating context:

Teams obsess over reducing friction and removing steps, but most of product design challenges are actually about helping people understand.

Users arrive mildly interested and slightly confused about what your product does. If they don't quickly understand what they're looking at or why it matters, they'll just leave.

Making it easier to do confusing things just gets people to leave quicker.

Your goal is to make it to make it obvious why each step matters and how it gets them closer to solving the problem they came for.

That's the best way to speed up time-to-value.

One of the things I love most about what I do is working with incredible teams around the world. The flip side is that most of it ends up being virtual.

Nothing beats working with great people in person.

So good to spend time with the klaro team in Sydney.

Thanks for having me over Niklas Olsson, Kogulan Baskaran, Farley Schaefer!

2026 marks our 4th year building Valubyl. It's been an epic journey working closely with 30+ B2B SaaS companies on PLG, and a real privilege partnering with industry leaders like Instantly, Databox, Signwell, Freckle, and many more.

In theory, self-serve onboarding should be easier than ever. AI can guide, generate, explain...
But in reality, activation has become even more fragile.

Products are more powerful. AI started showing up everywhere.

And yet most onboarding experiences still struggle to make that power feel concrete. We’re in an abstract phase of AI adoption where capability has moved faster than understanding.

Teams are struggling to onboard people into AI-powered products, and the old playbooks aren’t holding up.

What’s interesting is that our niche hasn’t changed at all.

We’re still focused on product-led, self-serve SaaS. Still obsessed with onboarding, activation, and getting people to real value.

But how we work, and how much of the outcome we’re able to own, has changed a lot.

Over the last few years, it’s become obvious that activation is a real and painful challenge for teams, from super early-stage companies to PLG leaders at scale.

We see the same outcomes again and again: users signing up with intent but never reaching value, onboarding that’s missing or vague, and teams left guessing where momentum actually breaks.

So heading into year four, we’re evolving in a very intentional way. Same hyper-niche, just much deeper execution.

We’re taking ownership of activation systems across onboarding, lifecycle, and monetization. Not just advising, but helping teams actually build, connect, and run them.

And alongside that, we’re going to start sharing a lot more of the work itself.

Not so much polished thought leadership. No hot takes.

Real, practical assets pulled straight from client work. The stuff teams are actually struggling with right now: making value obvious, shortening time-to-value, fixing quiet drop-offs, and turning self-serve usage into something that sustains a business.

Same core belief as always: product value is the growth strategy.

Value first, revenue follows.

If you’ve followed along so far, thank you! 😁
If you’re new here, welcome 👋

Happy 2026!

User activation is completely different for AI products. 

In traditional PLG, activation followed a familiar path: 

Setup → Aha → Habit. 

You helped the user get started, reach their first moment of value, and eventually form a repeatable pattern of success. 

Today, activation happens inside a continuous conversational cycle: 

Prompt → Context → Output → Action → Habit. 

Each stage feeds the next. Each interaction teaches the system, and the user, what to expect. 

What used to be setup and “aha” moments now happen almost simultaneously, the second a user starts typing. 

Let's break it down: 

👉 Prompt: The new “signup” 
This is where users declare intent. A great prompt experience helps them express what they want without friction or doubt. 

👉 Context: The hidden setup. 
Some products infer it from behavior or connected data; others still ask explicit onboarding questions to better personalize results. Both paths work if they make the outcome more relevant. 

👉 Output: The moment of truth. 
The first result must be both impressive and useful. “Wow” gets attention, but relevance drives retention. 

👉 Action: The bridge. 
The most important first step in the actual product. Real activation happens when users apply what they got: editing, publishing, sharing, or integrating it into their workflow. 

👉 Habit: The loop compounds. 
Each prompt teaches the system and the user, tightening trust and shortening time-to-value. 

The first principles of activation haven't changed. 
Time-to-value and retention are still the critical metrics.

✅ And the goal remains: help users reach value, quickly and repeatedly, in a meaningful way that keeps them coming back.

What's changed is how that value is delivered. 

And AI products need to adapt.

We serve as your B2B sales rep for a fraction of the cost of hiring a full-time employee.

🛑 I help commercial roofing owners book qualified meetings with property managers and building owners.

If buyers can’t see proof fast, they don’t call.

We build a simple system to put your proof in front of the right titles.

The result: more roof walks and better bid opportunities.

What we do:

➤ Manage your LinkedIn profile + content (so you don’t look generic)
➤ LinkedIn ads (targeted to the people who approve work)
➤ Google + AI visibility (so you show up where buyers research)

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿
U.S. commercial roofers doing $1.5M to $10M+ who want steadier deal flow.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀
13+ years in contractor marketing. Google Partner. 40+ commercial roofing companies served.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁:
Profile cleanup, proof-driven content, ad targeting, and simple reporting you can understand.

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗲
Based in Pennsylvania. I work with commercial contractors and keep marketing simple and measurable.

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹
Book a call and I’ll show you what I’d fix first: calendly.com/kodaaugust

Koda August

Commercial roofing owners,

There was a shift in 2008 that buried a lot of roofers.

We’re watching the next one happen right now.

Back then, Google decided who got the first call.
Today, it’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Perplexity, Claude.

Property managers aren’t browsing anymore.
They’re asking one question and getting a short list.

1 to 3 names.
Then the roof walk gets booked.

In 2008, the winners were the roofers who showed up on page one.
In 2026, it’ll be the roofers AI can understand and trust.

This shift won’t feel loud.
It’ll feel quiet… until bids stop coming in.

The companies that adapt early won’t just survive it.
They’ll own the next decade of attention.

#CommercialRoofing #AEO
#KodaGrowsRoofers

I help commercial roofing companies show up in ChatGPT and stay top-of-mind on LinkedIn.

Commercial roofing owners,

In 2026, I’m offering 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 + 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀.

Over the last 5 years, I’ve built 𝟮𝟯,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 and booked 𝟱𝟬𝟬+ 𝗶𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 using LinkedIn.

Now I’m helping other roofers do it faster.

Here’s what we handle for you:

𝟭. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
When a property manager clicks your profile, they immediately see:
• What systems you install
• Where you work
• Why you’re a safe pick

𝟮. 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀
Clean connection requests.
No pitching. No spam.
Just the right people seeing your name every week.

𝟯. 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲
Proof posts. Risk posts. Process posts.
The kind of content that builds trust before the first call.

𝟰. 𝗜𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘅 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁
When property managers reply, we move the conversation toward a roof walk.

If you want LinkedIn to start producing real conversations with property managers, this is the system.

Book time here: calendly.com/kodaaugust

#CommercialRoofing #AEO
#KodaGrowsRoofers

Commercial roofing owners,

This post is based on a comment from John Kenney III, He nailed it.

Property managers are not judging your “personal brand.”

They’re judging your operational discipline.

Owner posts work because they show how you run the business day to day:
• How you handle problems
• How you communicate
• How your process actually works

That’s what makes an owner post outperform a company page.

But there’s a catch.

If your post says “we’re organized” and your jobsite is chaos, you lose trust fast.
If your post says “we communicate” and the property manager gets ghosted, you lose.
If your post says “we have a process” and closeout is a mess, you look fake.

So founder-led LinkedIn only works when the ops match the message.

If you want owner content to turn into roof walks, make sure these are tight first:
• Daily updates. Same time. Same format.
• Clear issue log. What happened. What’s next. Who owns it.
• Service response standards. Same-day call back.
• Closeout package that is clean and on time.

Post the truth.
Then back it up in the field.

#CommercialRoofing #AEO
#KodaGrowsRoofers

Commercial roofing owners,

Property managers don’t want a proposal first.
They want certainty first.

And in 2026, that “certainty” is getting built before they ever call you.

Inside ChatGPT.
Inside Google AI.

They ask things like:
Who is reliable for EPDM repairs
Who documents work well for ownership groups
Who won’t create tenant headaches

Then AI gives a short list.

If your company is not clear online, you do not make the list.
No list. No call. No proposal.

That’s why “showing up in ChatGPT” matters.

It is not about traffic.
It is about being the name AI feels confident recommending.

Property managers want certainty.
AI only repeats what it can clearly understand.

#CommercialRoofing #AEO
#KodaGrowsRoofers

Commercial roofing owners,

Big milestone for us.

PR Newswire just featured Lauer Media Company for our work in Answer Engine Optimization.

Why that matters for roofers.

Google used to send people to 10 links.
Now AI gives a short answer and a short list.

AEO is how you become one of the names AI recommends.

Search is shifting fast.
Property managers ask AI direct questions.
AI repeats what it can understand and trust.

What we’re building for commercial roofers:
• Proof pages that answer real owner questions
• Schema so AI reads your site right
• FAQ pages that match how people search
• Tracking so you can see the lift

Best line from the release:
Search is moving from being found to being chosen as the answer.

If you want to be one of the first names AI says, that’s our work.

#CommercialRoofing #AEO
#KodaGrowsRoofers

taplio

The Battle

Yaakov Carno

Koda August

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreYaakov Carno's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreKoda August's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Yaakov Carno

Koda August

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Yaakov Carno's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreKoda August's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreYaakov Carno's LinkedIn Performance