Dan Layfield
Growth Leader | Scaled Codecademy $10M→$50M ARR | Consumer Subscription & PLG Expert
Bio
Most startups don't die from bad ideas. They die from being five monetization wins away from survival and not knowing which five to prioritize. I've lived that tension. At Codecademy, we had massive traffic but were terrible at converting it. The company was probably five wins away from being sold for parts. We figured out pricing, paywalls, trial structures, checkout flows, cancellation saves, win-backs, and activation, and grew from $10M to $50M ARR. That playbook got us acquired for $500M. Since then, I ran the home feed at Uber Eats, spent two years consulting with post-PMF startups trying to crack monetization, and now I'm implementing PLG at a 2,000-person enterprise SaaS company that had never done a single self-serve trial. I'm here because I've seen too many almost-there companies run out of runway. If you've got traffic but can't convert it, users who won't pay, or churn you can't explain, let's talk. What's the monetization problem keeping you up at night?
Expertise
Conversion rate optimisation
At Codecademy, we had millions of users and couldn't convert them. I obsessed over paywalls, checkout flows, and trial-to-paid transitions until we hit $50M ARR. Let me help you find the wins hiding in your funnel.
Growth marketing
I grew Codecademy from $10M to $50M ARR through a relentless focus on conversion, retention, and lifecycle optimization—not just acquisition. I'll help you build a growth engine that compounds, not one that leaks.
Mindset coaching
Startup life is brutal. I've been through the "five wins from death" moments, the pivots, the almost-failures. Sometimes you just need someone who's been there to talk through the fog. I'm happy to be that person.
Pricing strategy
Pricing isn't guesswork—it's experimentation. I've tested pricing tiers, trial lengths, discounts, and checkout psychology across consumer products. Unsure what to charge or how to structure your plans? Let's dig in.
Product management
At Diligent, I spent a year fixing product management before we could start PLG. I've built the metrics, lifecycle moments, and team structures that let product drive growth. If your PM function feels reactive, I can help.
Product market fit
I specialize in what happens after PMF—when you have users but haven't cracked revenue. That transition is where most companies get stuck. If you've got signal but can't scale it, let's figure out what's blocking you.