BUILD with Blake Bartlett

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Podcast produced by OpenView.

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Patrick Campbell (ProfitWell): What’s the “Right” Culture for Your Company? Feb 22, 2023

Culture at a startup is always tricky, but there’s one common mistake founders should avoid at all costs. It’s the desire to make everyone happy all the time. Patrick says this leads to a “culture of accommodation” which ultimately ends up not working for anyone. Hear Patrick’s journey as a founder to define the culture at ProfitWell, and how you can do the same at your startup.

Episode Highlights

[00:03 - 01:31] Episode intro: Patrick Campbell
[01:59 - 04:04] What is the role and importance of company culture in today's market environment?
[06:39 - 10:26] The culture of ProfitWell and the journey to get there
[12:15 - 16:26] The most charitable interpretation
[17:23 - 20:08] ProfitWell values and four principles
[20:21 - 23:16] Speaking their mind, being human in the most charitable way
[21:11 - 23:16] Values and principles must have trade-offs
[23:16 - 25:41] Here's how we operate, transparency in hiring
[25:46 - 32:10] Advice for making culture something more than theoretical, a real experience

Mentioned in this episode:

Connect with Patrick on LinkedIn

Follow Patrick on Twitter

Subscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Ryan Carlson (ex-Wiz, Okta): Category Creation is Overrated Dec 02, 2022

Every startup wants to create a category. This is often a mistake. Or at least it’s prioritized too early by many founders and marketers. Ryan Carlson, longtime CMO at Okta, explains why this falls flat with customers and what to do instead.

Key Takeaways:

[00:31 - 01:53] A noted skeptic on category creation
[01:54 - 02:15] Everybody wants to be a category creator
[02:16 - 03:19] Focus on how they're better than the alternative

Mentioned in this episode:

Ryan Carlson, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer at Wiz

Subscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Ryan Carlson (ex-Wiz, Okta): Company Values = Marketing Message Nov 30, 2022

Okta’s CMO for 5+ years, Ryan Carlson, says marketing’s guiding light should be the company mission and values. Marketing’s job is to tell the story of the company, not to merely promote the product or drive leads into the top of a funnel. Authentic marketing is rooted in the BIG questions. Why does this company exist? Who should care about that and why?Today’s episode will help you:

Understand this strategic approach to marketing
See the impact strategic marketing has on your audience
How to hire mission/values-aligned marketers
Leverage Ryan’s playbook for company storytelling by working directly with customers

Key Takeaways:

[00:19 - 03:37] Introduction to Ryan Carlson, and thoughts on company culture in the world of marketing
[03:44 - 06:53] What should define culture is the mission, values, and vision
[06:54 - 10:00] Imparting importance, and showing why culture mattered at Okta
[10:02 - 13:32] Authenticity, avoiding hyperbole and marketing BS
[13:43 - 16:10] Who do you hire to marketing leadership to operate more authentically?
[16:13 - 18:18] Hiring true believers, and avoiding a "customer's wrong" mentality with product market fit
[19:26 - 22:45] Understanding why people like the product and the people behind it
[22:48 - 25:40] Combining pen to paper with mission, values, and vision
[25:42 - 28:27] Storytelling and presentations, how they impact retention
[28:30 - 32:26] Story and history of your company is different
[32:32 - 35:37] Figuring out if a company operates by its values as a candidate

Mentioned in this episode:

Ryan Carlson, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer at Wiz

Subscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Raj Sarkar (ex-1Password, Atlassian): PLG Data Infrastructure Nov 18, 2022

Raj says that most of the PLG advice out there today is missing a key foundational point: data. Many PLG companies still rely on traditional sales & marketing software that keeps data in silos. The key to winning in PLG starts with your data infrastructure, and wiring it up early helps you scale later.

Mentioned in this episode:

Raj Sarkar, CMO & Advisor

Subscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Raj Sarkar (ex-1Password, Atlassian): B2B Brand Marketing Nov 16, 2022

B2B marketers usually overlook brand in their marketing mix. Brand marketing is only for CPG companies, right? Raj makes the case that brand marketing is not optional, if you want to win your category.

But brand marketing isn’t just buying a Super Bowl ad. Before you think about channels, you need to define your brand identity and build awareness. Done right, brand marketing can become an infinitely scalable strategy to drive growth.

Key Takeaways:

[01:19 - 04:05] What exactly is brand marketing? And why is it important?
[04:06 - 05:41] Why we should dive deep into brand
[05:41 - 07:36] Differentiation in branding, infinitely scalable
[07:39 - 11:38] When to start thinking about brand, SEO, and the funnel
[13:36 - 15:36] Determining your mission and values, brand attributes
[15:36 - 17:26] Speaking ways that is consistent with identity
[17:28 - 19:45] Balancing different brand attributes in messaging
[19:47 - 21:04] House of brands or a branded house
[22:08 - 25:31] Amplifying brand marketing and the channels of choice
[25:38 - 28:58] Tracking efficacy in print and non-digital formats with modern tools
[28:58 - 30:47] Where to take action on Raj's advice

Mentioned in this episode:

Raj Sarkar, CMO & Advisor

Subscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Chris Degnan (Snowflake): VP Sales vs Founder/CEO Relationship Nov 04, 2022

Chris was Snowflake’s first sales hire, and he built the commercial business from $0 to $1B+ ARR. What is the optimal relationship between a VP Sales and the Founder/CEO during this journey?

Many sales leaders solely focus on hitting their number. That’s certainly important, but sales also plays a pivotal role in product strategy by acting as the voice of the customer. The goal is to achieve a collaborative push-pull relationship with founders and sales leaders that drives more customer value.

Key Takeaways:

[00:34 - 01:39] Feedback and writing SQL
[01:39 - 02:47] Founders interacting with customers to make product adjustments
[02:47 - 03:25] Pivoting based on feedback
[03:25 - 04:38] Early days are less about profit, more about scaling and feedback

Chris Degnan (Snowflake): Selling in a Recession Nov 02, 2022

Chris is CRO at Snowflake and has been leading sales there for 9 years. He’s helped grow from $0 to $1B+ ARR. He’s clearly a software sales legend. So how is Chris coaching his reps and leaders during today’s recessionary environment? What should you change about your sales playbook in order to keep winning in a down market?

This is the perfect episode for sales reps, sales leaders, and founders/CEOs who are looking for advice on how to navigate selling in a downturn.

Key Takeaways:

[01:58 - 03:52] The mindset and action plan of a great sales reps in a recession
[03:52 - 05:37] A passion and conviction for what you're selling
[05:42 - 07:09] Addressing specific challenges of today, adding value, saving money
[07:16 - 10:29] Understanding customer pain in difficult macro environments, solving for competitor gaps
[10:34 - 13:03] Don't waste people's time, have a genuine conversation
[13:06 - 15:27] The business value of Snowflake's model
[15:28 - 18:42] Increasing sales, driving cost savings and business value
[19:38 - 26:34] How sales reps and leadership should be thinking about success
[26:35 - 31:27] Pipeline generation and sales success
[31:26 - 32:45] It's easy to blame others
[32:45 - 36:27] Dealing with smaller budgets and cultivating empathy and problem solving
[36:27 - 39:14] Preparing for 2023 budgets and planning differently

Alex Su (Ironclad): TikTok for B2B Oct 21, 2022

Today’s shorter episode is a follow up to my longer conversation with Alex Su, Head of Community at Ironclad. In that conversation, we talk about his TikTok channel @legaltechbro and how he developed a personal brand strategy that compliments Ironclad’s community-focused GTM strategy. So if you haven’t heard that yet, go check it out now. In today’s episode, we dive into TikTok more specifically and why you shouldn’t overlook this huge new channel.

Mentioned in this episode:

Alex Su, @legaltechbro

Ironclad

TikTok

Subscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Alex Su (Ironclad): Personal Brand + Community Playbook Oct 19, 2022

Alex is big on TikTok under the handle @legaltechbro. He has quickly become one of the biggest influencers in the entire legaltech industry. How? 15 second video skits poking fun at the legal profession. It’s a counterintuitive strategy on its face, but it’s working in a big way. Alex lays out his journey and his playbook.

Conversation Highlights:

[00:10 - 01:36] Introduction to Alex Su

[01:40 - 03:11] Alex Su's personal brand and strategy for his channel @legaltechbro

[03:11 - 05:50] Going from a lawyer, to sales, to a content creator with a ton of influence

[05:51 - 07:12] The video that blew up

[07:12 - 09:41] Speak to the things you care about and that they care about

[09:43 - 11:26] Resonating authentically vs thought leadership

[11:33 - 13:49] Relating to friction, and layering in what a company does by focusing on the problem

[13:50 - 15:37] How does @legaltechbro fit into Alex's daily role at Ironclad

[15:37 - 18:02] How does making a TikTok turn into community dinners and connectivity in the buyer's journey?

[18:03 - 20:04] Connecting in a genuine human way on social

[21:03 - 24:50] What's the business value, budget, and the ROI? Answering the skeptic's questions.

[24:50 - 27:18] Considering content's effect on inbound marketing

[27:19 - 29:35] Exploring ideas, realizing when nobody is doing the idea it may be brilliant

[29:37 - 32:27] Where to begin? Select the right platform for your audience.

Mentioned in this episode:

Alex Su, @legaltechbro

Ironclad

TikTok

Subscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Mark Roberge (Stage 2): B2C Growth vs. B2B PLG Oct 13, 2022

Mark is now a VC at Stage 2 Capital, and also teaches a class at Harvard Business School called “Decoding Growth in Silicon Valley.” It focuses on applying the best practices from B2C growth to B2B GTM playbooks. Today on BUILD, he gives us the key organizational and strategic “must-have” pillars in order to embrace the future of B2B growth and win with PLG.

Mark Roberge (Stage 2): How HubSpot Became PLG Oct 05, 2022

Mark was CRO at HubSpot for 9+ years. He built the successful sales-led GTM playbook that helped the company scale to nearly $100M ARR. Then he shifted gears and helped pioneer PLG at HubSpot, effectively disrupting the original GTM playbook he built at the company. Hear Mark walk through the full story on how HubSpot became PLG, and how you can transition to PLG at your company.

Conversation Highlights:

[3:18] Hubspot's PLG story: How it began
[7:08] The complexity of adding a free product, and maintaining your revenue
[13:28] Through the PLG lens: What was the starting point, and how Hubspot made self-service work within the CRM space
[18:41] The intricacies of forming a new pricing tier
[28:39] Disrupting yourself before someone else does
[31:26] Advice from Mark: What is the first step? And how long after that can we expect to see some results?

Katie Burke (HubSpot): How Should Employees Navigate Today’s Macro Environment? Sep 23, 2022

Katie shares the advice she’d give a friend or family member who is deciding to stay in a role or recruit for a new one. Most of the advice today is focused on leaders and companies. Katie’s advice for you, the employee, is fresh and spot on.

Katie Burke (HubSpot): Leading & Hiring People in a Recession Sep 21, 2022

Katie has been Chief People Officer at HubSpot since 2017. She has helped the company grow to thousands of employees globally. Katie outlines her top priorities in today’s uncertain macro environment — both for existing employees and for recruiting new talent. Must listen for any leader today!

Conversation highlights:

[01:40 - 03:04] What is happening in the talent markets given the macroeconomic environment
[03:04 - 03:58] Is top talent pronounced more in one area or industry than another?
[04:01 - 05:47] Three factors leaders should be thinking about in regard to existing talent inside their organization
[05:56 - 08:32] Great storytelling is important right now especially, and the idea of cartoon clarity
[08:33 - 14:05] Prioritization in the age of downsizing, focusing on what matters most
[15:02 - 19:12] What people need to keep top of mind for their current team: transparency and communication around decisions
[19:17 - 22:24] Switching gears to recruiting and new talent
[22:26 - 24:52] Screening for adaptability in the hiring process
[24:54 - 29:56] Creating culture after the covid new normal

Krista Anderson-Copperman (Asana): What is a Chief Customer Officer? Sep 09, 2022

Krista was CCO at Okta for 6 years, and held a similar role at Salesforce before that. But this is a relatively new role at large software companies. What does it mean exactly? And what makes for a good CCO?

Conversation highlights:

[01:20] What is the Chief Customer Officer
[02:22] The glue between an organization and its customers

Krista Anderson-Copperman (Asana): Today’s Team vs. Tomorrow’s Team Sep 07, 2022

Let’s face it. Statistically, your current team is not likely to be your future team. It’s incredibly rare for any single leader to stay with a company through multiple phases of growth. As a board member and advisor to companies like Asana, Krista’s job is to assess teams and help CEOs determine who’s gonna make it and who isn’t. What she looks for to determine this may surprise you.

Conversation highlights:

[00:09] Intro — Meet Krista
[02:11] Having a team for the future
[05:09] Common traps people fall into when building their teams
[10:15] Addressing and assessing whether or not you have a team for the future
[12:37] Lean on others, and learning what your business should be solving for
[15:03] Characteristics to look for in future-proofing your team: passion and curiosity
[19:24] Embracing and loving change
[22:31] Finding the truth and not just hearing the right answer
[25:29] The challenge of scale and growing teams with the business
[27:33] A good starting point for looking at teams and defining if they're tomorrow's team

Kyle Poyar (OpenView): How I Do Content Aug 26, 2022

Kyle is a one-man content machine. If you follow him on LinkedIn or subscribe to his Substack, you know this is true. How does Kyle approach content? What is his personal brand strategy? How did he win at Substack?

Kyle Poyar (OpenView): Top of Funnel for PLG Aug 24, 2022

PLG breaks traditional SaaS top of funnel. Why? Trusty channels like content marketing, email nurture and in-person events don’t translate to PLG. Kyle has identified what works for PLG leaders like Zapier, Figma and Calendly, and shares a new top of funnel playbook built for the PLG era.

Conversation highlights:

[01:54] Problems PLG companies face when it comes to top of funnel
[04:16] Thinking about building for the end user, and building to be discovered
[08:19] Full empathy and finding solutions to user problems, the customer perspective
[11:33] SEO and Organic Search: How to get discovered and what things folks should focus on bringing to their business
[12:57] What SEO best practices should PLG companies consider
15:15[] Opportunities for PLG businesses and the RFP template
[16:13] Viral loops in products, and what they look like
[22:11] What role community plays in top of funnel for PLG businesses
[24:42] What app stores and distribution channels look like for users
[27:05] Where should folks get started

Harini Gokul (AWS): The Importance of Range for Leaders Today Aug 12, 2022

Everyone today claims to be an expert in their social media profile. But truly being a world-class expert requires extremely narrow focus. Harini argues that range and breadth is just as important, but often overlooked today.

Harini Gokul (AWS) Customer Success as Offense Aug 10, 2022

Harini leads customer success at AWS, which is arguably the most important enterprise technology vendor today. She says customer success needs to play proactive offense more than reactive defense. By starting with your customer’s customer, you can align your strategic initiatives with your customers’ to achieve win-win outcomes.

Key Takeaways:

[ 00:07 ] Overview of episode

[ 02:47 ] What customer centricity means to Harini

[ 06:44 ] Customer success as offense vs. defense

[ 15:50 ] How customer success should partner with other teams, and should they partner with customer success?

[ 22:54 ] How to get a good interface between CX and product, and correctly prioritizing what needs built

[ 27:27 ] What you can do to move from defense to offense in your CX org

Martin Gontovnikas (HyperGrowth): What PLG Means for the CEO Jul 29, 2022

A lot of PLG talk is focused on operational strategies and tactics. But what does PLG mean for the CEO of a company? What should your mindset be? How do you address common objections you might hear from your team (especially if transitioning to PLG for the first time).

Key Takeaways:

[00:04] Fully supporting product level growth
[00:39] Investing in sales, self-service, and not optimizing for the local maximum
[02:27] KPIs and linking to revenue
[03:18] Growth teams need support and buy-in

Mentioned in this episode:

Martin Gontovnika, Co-Founder and General Partner at HyperGrowth Partners

HyperGrowth Partners

Subscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Martin Gontovnikas (HyperGrowth): Why You Should Embrace a Community Strategy (and How to Do It) Jul 27, 2022

“Community” is a major buzzword today, and for good reason. Community creates leverage, and lots of it. Gonto ran marketing and growth at Auth0 for 7 years before the $6.5 billion acquisition by Okta. He cuts through the buzzword noise to give us his perspective and playbook on why (and how) to win with a community strategy.

Key Takeaways:

[00:27] Overview — Building a community
[02:24] Defining community, and why is it trending
[04:56] Creating communities through open source products, enterprise solutions, and other methods
[08:55] How to identify members to target if you're building from scratch
[13:31] Tapping into existing communities and identifying communities to target
[21:17] Doing research with a user, interviewing developers, and engaging on Twitter
[26:30] What does a community team look like, and who owns the effort in a PLG company?
[30:02] KPIs and measuring the business value of building community

Mentioned in this episode:

Martin Gontovnika, Co-Founder and General Partner at HyperGrowth Partners

HyperGrowth Partners

Subscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Cliff Weitzman (Speechify): How to Learn Anything Jul 15, 2022

Cliff has a secret learning strategy: recruit the best people in the world at a skill to personally train you. It’s easier than you think. They’re just a DM away. Check out this quick pro tip and try it out yourself!

Key Takeaways:

[00:34] Rule 25 — How to find the best people in the world at a skill

Mentioned in this episode:

Cliff Weitzman, Founder & CEO of Speechify

Cliff's YouTube video, 28 Lessons for Turning 28

Speechify

Subscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Cliff Weitzman (Speechify): The Value of Building a Personal Brand and Audience as a Startup Founder CEO Jul 13, 2022

Cliff is the Founder CEO of Speechify. He’s also a “full-time” YouTuber, with an awesome channel that features startup advice, life hacks, and self-improvement philosophy. He explains the why and how behind his personal brand strategy on YouTube, and we dive deep into one of my favorite videos of his, “28 Rules for Turning 28.”

Key Takeaways:

[02:45] Meet Cliff, CEO of Speechify, and his YouTube channel
[06:31] Connecting with an audience, and thinking "will this be interesting to someone?"
[08:15] 28 Rules for Turning 28
[12:27] Rule #10: Lead with Love
[15:55] Rule #22: Speed is critical
[21:36] How to begin writing your own rules for your age

Mentioned in this episode:

Cliff Weitzman, Founder & CEO of Speechify

Cliff's YouTube video, 28 Lessons for Turning 28

Speechify

Subscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

John Eitel (Canva): How PLG Founders Can Avoid Common Mistakes in Adding a Top-Down Sales Motion Jun 24, 2022

Adding a top-down sales motion is a make-or-break moment for PLG companies. If it’s done right, it can make you the next big thing in your category. If it’s not done right, it can break your team and ultimately compromise your position in the market. The answer? All-in commitment from the founders and key leaders. Enterprise PLG is a team sport!

Key Takeaways:

[00:06] The most common mistakes John sees PLG founder make when adding sales to a bottom-up or self-service motion
[02:15] The hidden subtext to be helpful

Mentioned in this episode:

John Eitel, Former Global Vice President of Sales & Success at Canva

Canva

Subscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

John Eitel (Canva): Bottom-Up + Top-Down Jun 22, 2022

John built the global sales team at Canva, which allowed the company to expand further into the enterprise. He walks us through everything a PLG founder needs to know about adding a top-down motion to a bottom-up, product-led foundation. When should PLG companies do this? Why is it necessary? What is the strategy? And how do you do it IRL?

Key Takeaways:

[4:35] Repeatability in enterprise customers and understanding where these deals stall out
[8:01] Stall points in enterprise spending and getting purchase approval
[10:30] Embracing a top-down motion for PLG companies
[14:17] Combining bottom-up and top-down to scale business using customer success stories
[17:24] Communicating to executives the story of what software adoption saves
[20:24] A broader context and story of how the platform improves customer lives
[22:47] How the data component can make or break sales efforts
[27:40] Where is adoption happening and using data to determine who gets involved
[30:10] How to get the entire company working with sales

Mentioned in this episode:

John Eitel, Former Global Vice President of Sales & Success at Canva

Canva

Subscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Annie Pearl (Calendly): Career Growth in Product Management Jun 10, 2022

A product professional’s role changes dramatically over time as a company and product scales, and as the individual develops additional skills and experiences. Annie says you need to “product manage” your own career as a PM in this highly dynamic environment.

Calendly is an OpenView portfolio company. For a full portfolio list please visit ov.vc

Key Takeaways:

[0:13] What it's like for Annie to product manage her career as a PM

Mentioned in this episode:

Annie Pearl, Chief Product Officer at Calendly

Calendly

Subscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Annie Pearl (Calendly): Building Enterprise Products Jun 08, 2022

Every PLG business will eventually have to build for the enterprise. Why? Bottom up adoption can indeed go “all the way up”...to the C-level of large organizations. But to get that 6- or 7-figure contract, you’ll need to beef up the product for the big leagues. Annie has gone through the journey at Glassdoor, and now at Calendly. She shares her playbook with us in today’s episode.

Calendly is an OpenView portfolio company. For a full portfolio list please visit ov.vc

Key Takeaways:

[2:10] What it looks like for PLG businesses to embrace enterprise

[4:42] Three components that make adopting enterprise easier said than done

[7:49] How to tackle the PLG plus enterprise transition in terms of people

[17:00] Maintaining simplicity and the end user experience as a philosophical north star

[19:51] Trades offs of embracing enterprise products from the PLG standpoint, and how to manage them

[22:57] Building solutions for personas and horizontal platforms

[28:06] Platforms and opting into layers of complexity

[30:01] Foundational step number one to building towards enterprise

Mentioned in this episode:

Annie Pearl, Chief Product Officer at Calendly

Calendly

Subscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Andrew Gazdecki (MicroAcquire): Founder M&A Mistakes Jun 01, 2022

Founders often shoot themselves in the foot when it comes to running an M&A process. Andrew points out the most common mistakes he’s seen, and how to avoid them.

Key Takeaways:

[0:23] The Biggest Mistake Founders Make Selling Their Business

Mentioned in this episode:

Andrew Gazdecki, CEO of MicroAcquire

MicroAcquire

Subscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Andrew Gazdecki (MicroAcquire): How to Sell Your Startup May 25, 2022

There is a dearth of good advice on how to sell or exit your startup. Most people use outdated slogans like “companies are bought, not sold” but offer little practical advice to navigate a daunting M&A process. Andrew has sold two software companies previously, and now is building MicroAcquire, the founder-friendly marketplace for selling startups. He shares everything he knows about selling companies.

Key Takeaways:

[1:17] Andrew talks about Bizness Apps—his first company—and the experience of being a founder

[3:01] What selling his first company was like for Andrew

[4:09] Paths available to folks considering selling their startup outside huge IPOs and unicorn acquisitions

[6:25] What does it take to sell the company?

[8:35] The role of marketing in telling the story of your company for someone else to believe in and buy the company

[10:39] Addressing myths about selling, and the reality that founders aren't trained to sell their businesses

[16:03] Understanding why you want to sell, and setting it up for success

[18:33] What is MicroAcquire, and how can startup founders leverage the service?

Mentioned in this episode:

Andrew Gazdecki, CEO of MicroAcquire

MicroAcquire

Subscribe toBlake Bartlett on YouTube.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Yaw Aning (Malomo): Productizing Services May 18, 2022

Services-based startups are often dismissed as unscalable “body shops.” But agencies and consultancies are often where product ideas hatch. Yaw reveals his pro tips for how to identify *which* product ideas are worth building as an agency.

Key Takeaways:

[0:08] Advice for an agency, consultancy, or freelance operation on knowing which idea to go after and build

Mentioned in this episode:

Yaw Aning, Cofounder and CEO of Malomo

Malomo

Subscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Yaw Aning (Malomo): Services Founder vs. SaaS Founder May 11, 2022

Many SaaS startups are launched out of services companies. Yaw was running an agency building apps, and kept seeing a consistent pain point in his ecommerce clients’ workflows. So he built a SaaS product to address the need, and boom💥, his startup Malomo was born. This is a common founding story, but it’s often underappreciated as an entrepreneurial path. Hear Yaw’s story, and what other services founders can learn from his journey.

Key Takeaways:

[3:56] Best practices for building products that Yaw has learned as an agency founder and a SaaS founder

[11:36] Yaw's path from building products for others to building something of his own

[17:25] Validating a solution before building

[20:36] A walled garden between Malomo's product and services teams

[25:18] The role of services in a SaaS company

Mentioned in this episode:

Yaw Aning, Cofounder and CEO of Malomo

Malomo

Subscribe toBlake Bartlett on YouTube.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Peter McKay (Snyk): The CEO’s #1 Job May 04, 2022

A company is only as good as its people. And if a company is growing fast, then it’s only as good as the last hire. CEOs should set the tone by striving to be the top performing recruiter at the company.

Key Takeaways:

[0:10] "People, culture is the top job for a CEO."

Mentioned in this episode:

Peter McKay, CEO of Snyk

Snyk

FollowBlake Bartlett on Linkedin.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Peter McKay (Snyk): Leading Through Hypergrowth Apr 27, 2022

Hypergrowth is hard. Sustaining hypergrowth is even harder. Leaders need to constantly bring new talent into the organization to avoid plateaus. The tricky part? New talent almost always entails changing roles for existing team members. Peter says the answer is to embrace the pain of difficult conversations to maintain speed.

Key Takeaways:

[2:54] What makes hypergrowth hard for a startup leader?

[5:48] Anticipating plateaus to guide company success, and answering "What could go wrong?"

[9:42] The time to anticipate plateaus is when things are going really well.

[13:56] Early indicators of problems, and staying ahead to scale talent with the organization]

[17:07] Adding specialized talent rather than replacing people

[20:02] How to approach tough conversations

[24:51] Choosing the pain of difficult conversation, and the context of delivering bad news

[27:32] Understand what you're good at and be proactive in finding talent who can do the things you don't like to do

Mentioned in this episode:

Peter McKay, CEO of Snyk

Snyk

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

May Habib (Writer): AI Primer on GPT-3 Apr 20, 2022

GPT-3 is a deep learning language model from OpenAI, and it has taken the developer world by storm. May Habib is the Co-Founder and CEO of Writer, an AI writing assistant for teams, and she unpacks what GPT-3 is and why it’s so promising for SaaS companies.

Mentioned in this episode:

Maya Habib, CEO at Writer

Writer

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

May Habib (Writer): Why Founders Should Focus on Distribution Apr 13, 2022

Founders often obsess over product, and for good reason. It’s hard to have a good business with a terrible product. May Habib argues that is only half the solution for founders. It’s equally important to obsess over product distribution. After all, it’s hard to achieve and maintain hypergrowth with terrible distribution.

Mentioned in this episode:

Maya Habib, CEO at Writer

Writer

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Alex Bilmes (Endgame): The PLG Funding Boom Explained Apr 06, 2022

PLG companies are raising larger rounds than ever, at higher prices than ever. Seeing this prompts two BIG questions. Why is this happening? What are these companies going to do with all that cash? Alex works directly with these companies and their GTM teams, and tells us what he has been seeing.

To hear this interview and more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our website, or search for BUILD with Blake Bartlett in your favorite podcast player.

Mentioned in this episode:

Alex Bilmes, Founder and CEO at Endgame

Endgame

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Alex Bilmes (Endgame): Product-Led Sales Mar 30, 2022

Product-led sales is selling to companies that already use your product. How hard can that be? Very hard, it turns out. PLG companies need to think about sales in a fundamentally different way in order to succeed. Alex has dedicated his career to solving this problem, and he shares his expertise with us.

To hear this interview and more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our website, or search for BUILD with Blake Bartlett in your favorite podcast player.

Mentioned in this episode:

Alex Bilmes, Founder and CEO at Endgame

Endgame

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

The Bottom Line on PQLs Mar 23, 2022

PQLs are a hot topic, but they are very tricky to define and implement correctly. Jesus helps clarify and illustrate the role of PQLs in a broader PLG analytics stack.

Mentioned in this episode:

Jesus Requena, Vice President of Growth Marketing at Figma

Figma

Unity

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Jesus Requena (Figma): PLG Data & Analytics Mar 16, 2022

PLG changes the customer journey. A customer advances by taking actions directly in the product, which means product analytics are paramount to PLG success. Jesus Requena tells the story of how he built the PLG analytics stack at Unity, and the unexpected insights it uncovered. He shows you how embracing product analytics can change your company’s go-to-market results.

Mentioned in this episode:

Jesus Requena, Vice President of Growth Marketing at Figma

Figma

Unity

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Devang Sachdev (Snorkel AI): The Story of Your Product Mar 09, 2022

Your product’s story is really the story of your customers. Listen to Devang’s straightforward framework for successful product storytelling.

Mentioned in this episode:

Devang Sachdev, Vice President of Marketing at Snorkel AI

Snorkel AI

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Devang Sachdev (Snorkel AI): Platform GTM Mar 02, 2022

Everyone wants to be a platform, but be careful what you wish for. Platform go-to-market is radically different from application go-to-market. It requires a whole different framework and a special focus on solutions. Devang describes the platform GTM frameworks he developed at Twilio and Snorkel AI.

Mentioned in this episode:

Devang Sachdev, Vice President of Marketing at Snorkel AI

Snorkel AI

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Beth Steinberg (Chime): Talent Development Is Crucial Today Feb 23, 2022

Career paths today look less like a ladder and more like a checkerboard. You go somewhere to acquire a skill, even if it’s a non-linear move on your resume. This is especially true for Gen Z. Hear how to leverage talent development to attract more top candidates to your squares on the checkerboard.

Mentioned in this episode:

Beth Steinberg, SVP of People and Talent at Chime

Chime

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Beth Steinberg (Chime): Scaling Your People & Talent Feb 16, 2022

Most startups and VCs focus on headcount growth. Success is often measured in how many times your headcount has multiplied. Scaling your people and talent deliberately requires balancing four factors: culture, structure, talent acquisition, and management systems. Hear how Beth has tackled this at Chime, one of the fastest growing fintech companies on earth.

Key Takeaways:

[2:34] The focus usually is on the number of hires; is this the right direction?

[4:35] Blake and Beth explain why faster is good, but it’s not the only thing.

[5:27] What is a model for scale for the people in talent function and why do you need one?

[6:00] Beth shares the example of Nike and their use of a model to scale.

[7:17] Beth talks about a model with four pillars: culture, structure, talent, and management systems and process. She starts explaining what culture looks like in this model.

[8:02] Beth dives deep into the concept of structure.

[9:00] Beth shares about talent.

[10:03] What are management systems and processes about?

[11:34] Beth explains why there has been a big misunderstanding of what culture is.

[15:08] Beth expands on why the ideal structure doesn’t matter if you have everything else in place.

[16:50] Structure goes hand-in-hand with culture; it is about clarity, communication, and collaboration.

[18:14] Beth shares her philosophies and strategies on talent.

[20:42] Beth talks about retention and the great resignation.

[22:50] Beth tells more about management systems and processes.

[25:20] Beth shares what Survey Champions are about.

[26:11] Beth shares her perspective on where to begin building a model to scale.

Mentioned in this episode:

Beth Steinberg, SVP of People and Talent at Chime

Chime

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Jordan Walker & Justin Mitchell (Yac): Product as Marketing Feb 09, 2022

Yac started as an agency side project. But after winning a big Product Hunt hackathon, investors started tweeting at them. In a few days, Justin and Jordan were now startup co-founders, and those tweets turned into a $400k seed round. Hear how Yac made Twitter their best channel for everything, and how you can create real community online.

Mentioned in this episode:

Jordan Walker, Co-Founder

Justin Mitchell, Co-Founder and CEO

YAC

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Jordan Walker & Justin Mitchell (Yac): The $400k Tweet Feb 02, 2022

Yac started as an agency side project. But after winning a big Product Hunt hackathon, investors started tweeting at them. In a few days, Justin and Jordan were now startup co-founders, and those tweets turned into a $400k seed round. Hear how Yac made Twitter their best channel for everything, and how you can create real community online.

Key Takeaways:

[2:10] How did Jordan and Justin go from So Friendly to starting Yac?

[3:18] Are Jordan and Justin in a tech hub?

[4:02] What was it like to build Yac?

[7:00] Justin talks about how Yac certainly got bigger than expected.

[7:47] Justin and Jordan speak about the $400,000 tweet.

[11:06] Justin and Jordan initially felt it was unreal to get funded for Yac.

[12:33] Justin and Jordan started the trend of remote meetings prior to the pandemic.

[12:53] Did the origin of Yac feel like a product-market fit?

[13:42] Justin and Jordan explain how Twitter played a big role in the second phase of developing Yac.

[16:03] Jordan shares how they kept connecting through Twitter.

[17:45] How did Jordan and Justin make Twitter work for them?

[21:28] Be genuine, be nice, and keep doing it.

[22:26] Jordan talks about Emilio, a key member of Yac.

[25:59] Real is what converts.

[26:35] What does community mean for Jordan and Justin?

[30:52] When you have a hidden agenda, everybody knows.

Mentioned in this episode:

Jordan Walker, Co-Founder

Justin Mitchell, Co-Founder and CEO

Yac

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Sara Varni (Attentive & Twilio): Leading in 2022 Jan 26, 2022

The Great Resignation is scary for many companies. But Sara sees it as an opportunity, not a threat. Hear her advice for how to lead your team in 2022 and beyond.

Mentioned in this episode:

Sara Varni, CMO at Attentive

Attentive

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Sara Varni (Attentive & Twilio): PLG x Marketing Jan 19, 2022

What does marketing look like in a PLG model? Marketers know that PLG changes things, but does it change everything? Sara makes the case for finding the right balance between novel strategies and long-standing best practices for PLG marketers.

Mentioned in this episode:

Sara Varni, CMO at Attentive

Attentive

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Prashanth Chandrasekar (Stack Overflow): Our Big Mission Jan 12, 2022

Stack Overflow's mission is to empower the world to develop technology through collective knowledge. Prashanth describes how his personal story connects to this big mission, and how his team works to make this vision a reality.

Mentioned in this episode:

Prashanth Chandrasekar, CEO at Stack Overflow

Stack Overflow

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.

Prashanth Chandrasekar (Stack Overflow): Non-Dual Leadership Jan 05, 2022

Founders often have strong opinions and extreme perspectives. In the early days, this is good because it leads innovators to start companies. But as a team scales, leaders need to adopt an open mindset. Prashanth describes how this approach has led Stack Overflow to huge success by embracing counterintuitive strategies.

Key Takeaways:

[3:18] What does Prashanth mean exactly by non-dualistic leadership?

[5:02] Prashanth shares examples of non-dualistic leadership.

[7:40] Prashanth shares his thoughts about the statement “strong opinions loosely held.”

[10:22] Prashanth shares examples of some best practices and commonly accepted ideas that he had thought about differently.

[16:41] How does Prashanth think about the risk and mitigating the risk of a consensus-seeking approach?

[19:10] What are some sort of starting points for those trying to put this approach into practice?

Mentioned in this episode:

Prashanth Chandrasekar, CEO at Stack Overflow

Stack Overflow

Follow Blake Bartlett on Linkedin.

Podcast produced by OpenView.

View our blog for more context/inspiration.