Grit

Latest Episodes:

Chief Business Officer at Compass, Rob Lehman: Leadership by Fire Oct 04, 2021

Show notes

Rob Lehman, Chief Business Officer at Compass, has an entrepreneurial spirit that has already set him forward in a burgeoning and exciting career at a young age. Rob’s path has come by no accident. His determination to be at the innovative edge and his unconventional approach to finding his bearing at Compass speak to Rob’s unique take.

Rob’s business-focused mindset developed early on in his childhood. In the fourth grade, Rob started a basketball camp with an all too original name. As Rob advances his career, he continues to cultivate that mentality and brings a unique offering to the world of real estate.

In this episode, learn more about Rob’s highly unconventional job search and why he makes the case for the value of the real estate agent as a deeply underappreciated asset to any business. Rob and Joubin also talk about what it is like to be the young guns at their respective companies and how they push to make the more senior members around them see their value, strengths, and much more.

In this episode, we cover:

An overview of Rob’s background - and his earliest memory as an entrepreneur beginning in the fourth grade. (1:22)
Searching for Compass: Rob details his methodical research and what he turned down as he sought opportunities to work for an early-stage company. (3:43)
Rob’s pivot from finance to strategy and operations - and why the real estate agent is a profoundly misunderstood professional. (10:15)
Rob reflects on his first signs of product market fit - and the power of momentum when building a company. (16:09)
A deep dive on finding the best talent - and why real estate agents are a powerful business entity. (21:39)
Rob explains why it is crucial to think in the future and be comfortable with rapidly adapting your business. (31:40)
Understanding the diversity of the real estate industry - and Rob’s mindset as a younger person surrounded by veterans in the field. (37:01)
Creating Space: Joubin and Rob discuss the impact of effective time management and how your calendar can be your strategy. (42:09)
Looking back on Rob’s earlier days at Compass and some key takeaways. (46:22)

Links:

Connect with Rob
- Email: rob@compass.com
Connect with Joubin
- Twitter
- LinkedIn
- Email: gtmg@kleinerperkins.com
Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

COO Cameo, Brian Frank: From Professional Networks to Celebrity Networks Sep 27, 2021

Show notes

To say that Brian Frank, Chief Operating Officer of Cameo, comes from a non-traditional background into the career field of sales might be an understatement. Brain’s career began in law and he spent nearly a full career there before transitioning to sales in 2008, where he has been exceedingly active.

Brian’s multifaceted background has given him a wide range of skillsets and a deep wisdom that has become invaluable to the organizations where Brian has worked. His focus on constantly learning through experience, as well as an emphasis on transparency has led him to the hard won successes that allow him to gain these perspectives.

In this episode, Brain and Joubin talk about Brian’s shift from law, his tenure at LinkedIn, and how experiential learning led to the inspiring story behind Brian’s decision to take up the guitar. Brian also goes into the details on Cameo and their meteoric rise, his influence there, and more.

In this episode, we cover:

Brian talks about his shift from law, to finance, and finally to sales. (1:09)
Brian’s colorful employment history (which began at age 13) prior to graduating from UC San Diego. (6:41)
How Brian approaches outbound opportunities - and how a quick LinkedIn message led to a business partnership. (10:37)
What Brian’s LinkedIn colleagues have to say about him - and his inspiring anecdote about how he met his guitar instructor, Marty Schwartz. (13:34)
The story behind Brian’s ban from LinkedIn - and why his experiential learning style works for him. (17:15)
All things sales ops: From defining the role to hiring and developing talent. (21:53)
‘What do you value most?’: Joubin and Brian rank and discuss career, money, company and manager. (32:17)
The lowest points of Brian’s LinkedIn ride - and what led him to be more transparent and open with his team. (36:37)
What is Cameo? Breaking down Cameo and its fascinating growth. (45:34)
How Brian assessed Cameo to determine if he was a fit - and his mindset when joining the company. (51:06)
Why most businesses are demand constrained - and more on Cameo’s B2B expansion. (54:16)

Links:

Connect with Brian
- LinkedIn
- Cameo
Connect with Joubin
- Twitter
- LinkedIn
- Email: gtmg@kleinerperkins.com
Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

President of Field Operations at BetterUp, Marc Maloy: Building Better Organizations by Building Successful People Sep 20, 2021

Show notes

Marc Maloy’s storied career with IPOs and acquisitions has helped him develop essential insights into career success, leading him to become President of Field Ops at BetterUp.

While Marc’s history is steeped with successful transitions, at each step he never failed to stay focused on the people. Marc remains focused on empathy, developing leaders first, and helping everyone in an organization reach their objectives.

In this episode of Go to Market Grit Marc and Joubin go into the details on Marc’s offerings to RVPs and the importance of forecasting, lessons and takeaways from Marc’s acquisitions, notes on leadership, and what he brings to BetterUp.

In this episode, we cover:

With two IPOs and an acquisition under his belt, Marc shares why an IPO is a milestone and not just the end goal. (3:04)
Why mentorship and building a formal career development plan helps avoid distraction and encourages pipeline generation. (4:32)
Career planning with Marc: The importance of helping people reach their personal and professional goals. (9:06)
The concept of your 50 50: Why RVPs should understand the process behind forecasting. (14:16)
What Dan Shapero (Linkedin COO) and Marc have in common - and the most important quality of a leader. (17:27)
From Glint to LinkedIn: Marc shares what he would have done differently during the acquisition - and what he’s learned. (23:27)
What is BetterUp? The vision of BetterUp - and how it helps people thrive through the whole person assessment. (29:17)
Permission to languish: The impact of top-performing athletes, like Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles, as the lines between our mental, physical, personal and professional lives continue to blur. (31:50)
Leading with empathy: What it means to help your team drive flourishment in their personal lives. (37:26)
Why authenticity is an effective leadership style - and why Marc signed up to be a Lyft Driver. (42:01)
Seek to serve others before you seek to serve yourself: How this mindset enhances performance. (46:08)
Hiring employees who embody BetterUp's value of "zest" - and Marc’s favorite interview question. (50:22)
President of Field Operations: The meaning and importance of Marc’s role at BetterUp. (53:00)
KPIs, metrics, and the health of your business: Marc's answer to the question he has asked many CEOs. (55:46)

Links:

Connect with Marc
- Email: marc.maloy@betterup.com
Connect with Joubin
- Twitter
- LinkedIn
- Email: gtmg@kleinerperkins.com
Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

CEO Incorta, Scott Jones: From Running Sales to Running a Company, and Everything in Between Sep 13, 2021

Show notes

Since the 1990s, Scott Jones has had a successful career working in sales at technology companies including SAP, Tableau, and Alteryx.

In early 2021, Scott took a job that had never before appeared on his resume — the role of Chief Executive Officer at Incorta, a company creating direct data analytics software.

On this episode of Go to Market Grit, Joubin and Scott talk about Scott’s career, the value of making relationships with others in business, and the questions Scott had as he settled into his new role as CEO of Incorta.

In this episode, we cover:

Scott's career up until his current role as CEO at Incorta and the story of his very first job. (1:42)
A more prominent role at a smaller company: The factors behind Scott's decision to leave SAP to work at Alteryx in 2017. (5:37)
'A relationship business': The value of making connections and building a professional network. (9:01)
The responsibilities of a CEO, the common qualities of successful leaders. and the conversation that put Scott on the path to eventually running a company. (12:41)
Imposter syndrome: Dealing with self-doubt and insecurity, why failure is part of success, and the importance of taking risks. (16:27)
How Scott's current company, Incorta, is streamlining data delivery to business users through a data and analytics platform — and why Scott wanted to work at Incorta. (22:59)
Fundraising and dealing with a board and investors: Questions Scott had when he took his first CEO job — and keeping a company's co-founders around as a new CEO. (26:42)
Problem-solving, selling, and messaging: Scott's first fundraise as CEO. (33:59)
How the responsibilities of a CEO differ from that of a CRO — and the importance of being self-reflective when preparing for a CEO role. (37:07)
The "prep homework" Scott gives to salespeople and sales engineers when they start work at Incorta. (44:24)
What the word grit means to Scott. (46:44)

Links:

Connect with Scott
- LinkedIn
Connect with Joubin
- Twitter
- LinkedIn
- Email: gtmg@kleinerperkins.com
Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

Head of eSports at Activision Blizzard, Brandon Snow: Building 'Generational Fandom' of Professional Video Game Teams Sep 06, 2021

Show notes

Ever wonder how McDonald’s came up with its famous “I’m Lovin’ It” tagline? Brandon Snow knows all about it — in fact, he worked for the German advertising agency Heye & Partner when it pitched the winning slogan years ago.

With an impressive career that took him to live in Poland, Germany and China, Brandon has worked for not only Heye & Partner, but also the NBA as a senior marketing leader. Now, Brandon works as head of Activision Blizzard Esports — where he leads the effort to leverage the company’s popular video games such as Overwatch and Call of Duty to create city-based global franchise esports leagues.

On this episode of Go to Market Grit, Joubin and Brandon talk about the importance of creativity and charisma in the advertising industry, Brandon’s experience working for the NBA in China, and Activision Blizzard’s vision to build “generational fandom” around its esports leagues over time.

In this episode, we cover:

'I'm lovin' it': Brandon's experience of working at marketing firm Heye & Partner as it first pitched McDonald's now-famous worldwide tagline. (3:03)
Why Brandon left the NBA to transition from marketing to sales — and his eventual return to the NBA to work in sales. (7:02)
'Managing an orchestra': The incredibly long hours spent working on pitches as head of new business of an advertising agency — and the chances a pitch will succeed. (10:55)
The importance of creativity and charisma in the advertising business — and how sports sponsorship has evolved over time. (13:50)
Brandon's experience working for the NBA in Beijing, China — and the importance of embracing how different cultures conduct business. (18:38)
China, Hong Kong, and the NBA: The politics of running a global business. (24:04)
How Activision Blizzard is creating professional, NFL-like global esports leagues with its existing video game IPs. (28:01)
Activision Blizzard's vision to build 'generational fandom' in its professional, global, and city-based esports leagues over time. (35:06)
Ticket sales, sponsors, and digital goods: The revenue models behind the 'Overwatch' and 'Call of Duty' esports leagues. (39:55)
Activision Blizzard's franchise model for esports leagues — and why the esports industry must mature past sponsorship as its main revenue source. (43:16)
What other entertainment industries can learn from the video games business — and why Activision Blizzard continues to invest in its already popular video game franchises. (49:17)
What the word grit means to Brandon. (53:53)

Links:

Connect with Joubin
- Twitter
- LinkedIn
- Email: gtmg@kleinerperkins.com
Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

Head of Revenue and BD at Asana, Oliver Jay: The Cutting Edge of Product-Led Growth Aug 30, 2021

Show notes

When Oliver Jay worked for venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates in the late 2000s, he found that the most rewarding aspect for him was working with portfolio companies and watching the beginnings of sales operations.

“But as an associate, let’s be honest, I was there to crunch numbers, and write memos, and source deals,” Oliver said. “That’s why I decided to leave. Even though I loved the job intellectually, I just wanted a piece of the action.”

Soon after, Oliver earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, and flexed his sales knowledge at companies like Dropbox. Now, Oliver works as Head of Global Revenue and Business Development at Asana, a company developing a work management platform.

On this episode of Go to Market Grit, Joubin and Oliver talk about Oliver’s upbringing, the benefits of implementing “checks and balances” into the hiring process, and how to blend product-led growth and value enterprise sales.

In this episode, we cover:

How Oliver educated himself about go-to-market operations by embarking on a 'campaign' to meet and learn from successful sales leaders. (3:03)
'I learned a ton': Oliver's thoughts on the value of business school. (9:04)
Oliver's experience as an immigrant in the United States — and how he wants to teach authenticity and grit to his children. (12:18)
How Oliver learned that he had an eye for identifying talent — and how he motivates and inspires teams with long term goals. (17:31)
Building 'checks and balances' into the hiring process. (21:56)
Uber vs. Grab: Oliver's firsthand experience on the board of Grab as it competed with Uber for the Asian rideshare market. (24:19)
'Seed, land, and expand': What Oliver's experience working at Dropbox taught him about structuring sales organizations at product-led companies. (28:06)
Oliver's current business, Asana, its work management platform — and building a ‘balanced’ company culture. (38:28)
Uncovering whether a job candidate understands excellence during an interview — and the value of helping people grow and develop. (41:28)
What the word grit means to Oliver. (44:41)

Links:

Connect with Oliver
- https://asana.com
Connect with Joubin
- Twitter
- LinkedIn
- Email: gtmg@kleinerperkins.com
Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

SVP Sales at Affirm, Eric Morse: Exploring The Partnership Between Engineering and Sales Aug 23, 2021

Show notes

Eric Morse is unabashedly a “super nerd.”

With a degree in physics from Duke University, Eric taught himself how to program and joined a consulting firm where he worked at implementing PeopleSoft, a human resource management system. Eventually, Eric found his way into sales — working at Google, NetSuite, and Ayden — until he eventually and most recently became SVP of Sales at Affirm, Inc. in 2018.

On this episode of Go to Market Grit, Joubin and Eric talk about Eric’s interest in technology, collaborative sales environments, and how Eric’s company Affirm is changing the way consumer loans work.

In this episode, we cover:

From $0 to $60 million in 18 months: How Eric's background studying physics and learning to program helped him sell the Google Cloud Platform in the early 2010s. (2:47)
Technology and product-market fit: How Eric evaluates companies during a job search. (12:10)
Why it takes Eric time to understand a company's technology upon being hired — and how he makes an immediate impact on how teams are structured and organized. (16:09)
Building a collaborative and supportive sales environment. (19:57)
Eric's current company, Affirm, and its role as a financial loan lender for consumers and as a marketing accelerator for merchants. (24:11)
A tech company in finance: How Affirm calculates borrower risk during the underwriting process — and how the company assumes liability of the loans it lends. (29:36)
Affirm loan vs. credit cards: How Eric believes Affirm can help people budget for goods and services in a transparent way. (33:42)
'The consumer has to be the center': How Affirm is keeping its responsibilities to the consumer as competition increases. (38:01)
Affirm’s company culture of debate and discussion. (45:09)
What the word grit means to Eric. (48:09)

Links:

Connect with Eric
- Email: eric.morse@affirm.com
Connect with Joubin
- Twitter
- LinkedIn
- Email: gtmg@kleinerperkins.com
Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

CRO Front, LB Harvey: Moving Up-Market + Operational Excellence Aug 16, 2021

Show notes

Many successful LinkedIn alumni have been welcomed as guests on this podcast — and this week, the insightful LB Harvey will be joining those ranks.

After starting her sales career as a Sales Executive at Corporate Executive Board, LB spent six years as an account executive and sales leader at LinkedIn before moving to Intercom to work in sales leadership. Now, LB serves as Chief Revenue and Success Officer of Front, a growing company creating a customer communication platform.

On this episode of Go to Market Grit, Joubin and LB talk about authenticity in the workplace, interviewing job candidates, and tips for successfully bringing a company up-market.

In this episode, we cover:

Why LB decided to leave LinkedIn — and how she built cross-functional go-to-market knowledge. (3:13)
'A high-quality revenue machine': LB's current company, Front, and its customer communication platform. (7:12)
The 'inner competitor' within LB, the innate and learned aspects of confidence, and the importance of staying authentic. (11:24)
The importance of being clear with job candidates about the opportunities, challenges and expectations of the role. (22:36)
Why LB is 'biased against' having team members partake in the evaluation of a manager or director level job candidate. (26:55)
Asking sales job candidates how they prioritize their calendars to evaluate for intensity, productivity and speed. (29:18)
The importance of executive alignment when working to bring a company up-market. (31:59)
Why investing in sales operations is critical in the early stages of bringing a company up-market. (37:06)
The benefits of outbound sales — and why sales leaders should focus on operational excellence. (39:44)
What the word grit means to LB. (43:28)

Links:

Connect with LB
- Email: lb.harvey@frontapp.com
Connect with Joubin
- Twitter
- LinkedIn
- Email: gtmg@kleinerperkins.com
Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

CRO/CSO Dialpad, Dan O’Connell: Taking Risks and Running a Company Aug 09, 2021

Show notes

Dan O’Connell’s career is an impressive display of how hard work can catapult a person from the bottom of the sales hierarchy to the very top of business leadership.

Having started as an account coordinator at Google AdWords in 2003, Dan has climbed the corporate ladder — eventually becoming the CEO and President of TalkIQ in 2017. Now, Dan serves as the Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Revenue Officer and as a board member at Dialpad, a company creating an AI-powered cloud communication suite.

On this episode of Go to Market Grit, Joubin and Dan discuss Dan’s experience selling online advertisements for Google in the early to mid 2000s, Dan’s experience of becoming a CEO, and the importance for senior leaders to make an effort to connect with employees.

In this episode, we cover:

'Shooting fish in a barrel': Dan's experience working for Google and selling online advertisements in the early 2000s. (5:00)
'I wanted to do more': Taking risks and avoiding career complacency. (7:36)
Identifying skilled salespeople when demand is insanely high — and the moment when Dan realized Google was a big deal. (12:45)
The key character traits of people hired on Google's go-to-market team — and how to identify ‘coachability’ in a job candidate. (22:31)
Why Dan decided to become CEO and president of TalkIQ in 2017 after working in sales — and how his father’s example motivated him.
Humility, ambition and optimism: The qualities Dan would want his children to have — and the role of parents in encouraging new opportunities and growth. (34:10)
'An awesome experience': The complexities and fun of being a tech CEO. (37:02)
Dan's current company, Dialpad, and its AI-powered cloud communication suite — and how he deals with the transition from CEO to a lower senior position. (43:47)
The skills and qualities of a successful business manager. (47:48)
What the word grit means to Dan. (51:35)

Links:

Connect with Dan
- LinkedIn
Connect with Joubin
- Twitter
- LinkedIn
- Email: gtmg@kleinerperkins.com
Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

CCO Figma, Amanda Kleha: The Strategies Behind Figma’s $10 Billion Valuation Aug 02, 2021

Show notes

When it comes to building a profitable business, Amanda Kleha has learned by doing.

Amanda’s seven-year tenure in multiple senior marketing and sales positions at Zendesk saw the company make an IPO, grow from 12 employees to 2,000, and go from $1 million to $300 million in revenue. Now, as Chief Customer Officer at Figma — a company recently valued at $10 billion that is creating collaborative design user interface platforms — Amanda is cementing her status as a top-tier business leader.

On this episode of Go to Market Grit, Joubin and Amanda talk about Amanda’s very successful run at Zendesk, her current work as CCO at Figma, and the importance of keeping the voice of the customer in focus during decision-making.

In this episode, we cover:

Structured, yet open: Amanda’s strategy for interviewing job candidates. (6:14)
Zendesk's massive growth and how it correlated with Amanda's feeling that she was having less fun working at the company. (11:22)
Building experience, gaining traction, showing impact: The benefits of sticking with a company for the long term. (14:51)
'This is the next Adobe': Figma's collaborative design user interface platform. (21:05)
How Amanda started working for Figma — and how she simplified the company's go-to-market through a combination of self-service and sales-assisted motions. (24:50)
Keeping the voice of the customer front-and-center during decision-making. (29:43)
Reflecting on negative and positive career milestones. (37:50)
How Amanda felt when others were hired to more senior positions before her at Zendesk — and how that experience helped her become more empathetic. (41:34)
Ways that sales reps at Figma stand out since quota attainment is so high. (45:33)
Leaders, fillers, and killers: Amanda's framework for product bundles. (52:11)
What the word grit means to Amanda. (1:03:07)

Links: