Day in the Life - Commerce Catalyst and SAAStr
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- Commerce Catalyst: Where Operators Talk Ops
- Founder-to-Founder: Interviewing Super Coffee at AMZPrep
- Off to SaaStr: Big Ideas, Bigger Milestones
- 2 Major Milestones at SaaStr
- Ready to See Luminous in Action?
What does a typical day look like when you're building one of the fastest-growing ERP platforms for commerce brands?
For Luminous founder and CEO Jared Ward, it's a back-to-back sprint across Utah and California—speaking at Commerce Catalyst, hosting founder interviews, and aligning with the team at SaaStr while closing in on major milestones.
Here's a behind-the-scenes look at a day in the life.
Commerce Catalyst: Where Operators Talk Ops
Jared kicked things off at Commerce Catalyst, Utah's hub for scaling eCommerce brands.
The session? A candid panel alongside Thread Wallets COO Mitch Sanders and Michelle Luchese from Manly Bands—diving deep into what most operators avoid talking about:
Operations tech. ERPs. The stuff that breaks if you get it wrong.
"Of the operators that raised their hands, who feels like the technology you use to power your operations is just a black hole of never-ending terror?"
Most hands went up.
That’s exactly why Luminous exists—to bring clarity, speed, and trust back into how commerce brands run inventory, orders, and fulfillment.
Founder-to-Founder: Interviewing Super Coffee at AMZPrep
Next up: a virtual interview with Blair Forrest of AMZPrep and one of the founders of Super Coffee.
It was part of the ongoing Talking ERPs series—real conversations with real operators scaling real businesses.
No scripts. No theory. Just lessons from the trenches.
Off to SaaStr: Big Ideas, Bigger Milestones
After a full day of speaking and interviewing, Jared caught an evening flight to San Francisco for SaaStr Annual, the industry’s biggest SaaS event.
The Luminous team gathered to get out of the weeds and think strategically. Here's what stood out:
1. SaaS Has Entered a New Era
"The bar is way higher than it's ever been."
With the rise of AI and pressure to move faster, platforms need to be multi-product, capital-efficient, and excellent across the board. There's no room for slow-moving, single-feature plays.
Luminous is built for this environment.
2. VCs Now Want Profitability and Efficiency
Gone are the days of growth at any cost. Investors are leaning hard into sustainable SaaS models—and that’s exactly where Luminous shines.
2 Major Milestones at SaaStr
While at the event, Luminous quietly crossed two huge markers:
- $83K MRR — Our first $1M ARR month from SaaS revenue.
- $1M sold this year — Proof that our go-to-market is firing on all cylinders.
“Last year we went to SaaStr with three people. This year, we brought seven. Our US team is 14 strong—and growing.”
That’s traction. That’s momentum. And it’s only the beginning.
Ready to See Luminous in Action?
If you're still managing inventory on spreadsheets, struggling with your ERP, or worried about scaling into chaos—we should talk.
Book a demo today and see why the fastest-growing commerce brands are making the switch to Luminous.
Video transcript
What's going on, guys? Jared here, founder and CEO of Luminous. We're going to Commerce Catalyst, an event here in Utah for all the Utah e-commerce companies. On top of Commerce Catalyst, I also have a Zoom event with Blair Forrest from AMZ Prep, where we're interviewing one of the founders of Super Coffee. Then after that, we're going to SaaStr in San Francisco, where we have our yearly planning for Luminous with the entire team.
So I'm catching up at 8:00 after these two events, with a bunch of meetings packed in between. Today you get to see what it's like to be me on a busy day, so come follow me along. Let's go.
Commerce Catalyst: the ERP panel
Okay, I'm here at Commerce Catalyst, just through those doors. We're going to have a panel in just a second. I'm talking with Mitch Sanders, COO of Thread Wallets, and Michelle from Manly Bands. Let's go have a discussion about ERPs.
"The topic today: I want to dive into what seems to be a really taboo topic, which is operations tech for e-commerce companies. Of the operators who raised their hands, who feels like the technology you use to power your operations is just a black hole of never-ending terror?"
"Listen, I don't judge anybody. Everybody has different orientations. I have a strong orientation here. Fun fact: I've actually tried every single ERP. Literally, pick one. Pick a random one. I guarantee you I've tried it."
Zoom interview, then off to SaaStr
Now we're heading over to our Zoom event with Blair Forrest from AMZ Prep. Blair, see you in 20 minutes. Then we're flying out to SaaStr. We have a flight to catch to San Francisco. We're here at the airport. Follow me.
Takeaways from SaaStr
We got back from SaaStr, and it was incredible. SaaStr is always an opportunity for the entire team to get out of the weeds and think high level.
Number one: we're entering a new phase of SaaS where the bar is higher than it's ever been, with the emergence of AI and the shift in the market. SaaS companies now have to go multi-product really fast, and you have to be excellent at everything you do: top tier, the best of the best.
There's also a new phase in this VC and SaaS era: capital-efficient companies. VCs are prioritizing capital-efficient businesses that are near profitable or actually profitable. I think all of these things bode well for Luminous.
Two big milestones
Last year we went to SaaStr with three people. This year we went with about seven, and our team has expanded even more. We're now at about 14 full-time US employees, plus about 10 more full-time overseas.
We also hit two massive milestones while we were at SaaStr, so congrats to us. First, we hit a million in billing: this is the first month we're going to bill $83,000 of pure SaaS. Second, we've officially sold a million dollars this year, so our go-to-market has been super successful.
If you like this content, follow and subscribe on YouTube, LinkedIn or TikTok, at Join Luminous or Jared Ward. Thanks, guys. See you.