Podcasts about hypergrowth

Welcome back to Snafu with Robin Zander. In this episode, I'm joined by Kevan Lee and Shannon Deep, co-founders of Bonfire – a creative studio reimagining what it means to build brands, tell stories, and live meaningful lives. We talk about how Bonfire began as a "Trojan horse" – a branding agency on the surface, but really a vehicle for deeper questions: What does fulfilling work look like? How do we find meaning beyond our careers? And how can business become a space for honesty, connection, and growth? Kevan and Shannon share how their partnership formed, what it takes to build trust as co-founders, and how vulnerability and self-awareness fuel their collaboration. We explore their path from tech and theater to building Bonfire, hosting creative retreats, and helping founders tell more authentic stories. We also dive into how AI is changing storytelling, the myth of "broetry" on LinkedIn, and why transparency is the future of marketing. If you're curious about what's next for creativity, leadership, and meaningful work, this episode is for you. And for more conversations like this, stay tuned for Responsive Conference 2026, where we'll be continuing the dialogue on human connection, business, and the evolving role of AI. Start (0:00) How Bonfire Started (14:25) Robin notes how transparent and intentional they've been building their business and community Says Bonfire feels like a 21st-century agency – creative, human, and not traditional Invites them to describe what they're building and their vision for it Kevan's response: Admits he feels imposter syndrome around being called an "entrepreneur" Laughs that it's technically true but still feels strange Describes Bonfire as partly a traditional branding agency They work with early-stage startups Help with brand strategy, positioning, messaging, and differentiation. But says the heart of their work is much deeper "We create spaces for people to explore what a fulfilling life looks like – one that includes work, but isn't defined by it." Their own careers inspired this – jobs that paid well but felt empty, or jobs that felt good but didn't pay the bills Bonfire became their way to build something more meaningful A space to have these conversations themselves And to invite others into it This includes community, retreats, and nontraditional formats Jokes that the agency side is a Trojan horse – a vehicle to fund the work they truly care about Shannon adds: They're agnostic about what Bonfire "does" Could be a branding agency, publishing house, even an ice cream shop "Money is just gas in the engine." The larger goal is creating spaces for people to explore their relationship to work Especially for those in transition, searching for meaning, or redefining success Robin reflects on their unusual path Notes most marketers who start agencies chase awards and fame But Shannon and Kevan built Bonfire around what they wished existed Recalls their past experiences Kevan's path from running a publication (later sold to Vox) to Buffer and then Oyster Shannon's shared time with him at Oyster Mentions their recent milestone – Bonfire's first live retreat in France 13 participants, including them Held in a rented castle For a two-year-old business, he calls it ambitious and impressive Asks: "How did it go? What did people get out of it?" Shannon on the retreat Laughs that they're still processing what it was They had a vibe in mind – but not a fixed structure One participant described it as "a wellness retreat for marketers" Not wrong – but also not quite right Attendees came from tech and non-tech backgrounds The focus: exploring people's most meaningful relationship to work Who you are when you're not at your desk How to bring that awareness back to real life — beyond castles and catered meals People came at it from different angles Some felt misaligned with their work Others were looking for something new Everyone was at a crossroads in their career Kevan on the space they built The retreat encouraged radical honesty People shared things like: "I have this job because I crave approval." "I care about money as a status symbol." "I hate what I do, but I don't know what else I'd be good at." They didn't force vulnerability, but wanted to make it safe if people chose it They thought deeply about values – what needed to be true for that kind of trust Personally, Kevan says the experience shifted his identity From "marketer" to something else – maybe "producer," maybe "creator" The retreat made him realize how many paths are possible "Now I just want to do more of this." Robin notes there are "so many threads to pull on" Brings up family business and partnerships Shares his own experience growing up in his dad's small business Talks about lessons from Robin's Cafe and the challenges of partnerships Says he's fascinated by co-founder dynamics – both powerful and tricky Asks how Shannon and Kevan's working relationship works What it was like at Oyster Why they decided to start Bonfire together And how it's evolved after the retreat Kevan on their beginnings He hired Shannon at Oyster – she was Editorial Director, he was SVP of Marketing Worked together for about a year and a half Knew early on that something clicked Shared values Similar worldview Trusted each other When Oyster ended, partnering up felt natural – "Let's figure out what's next, together." Robin observes their groundedness Says they both seem stable and mature, which likely helps the partnership Jokes about his own chaos running Robin's Café – late nights, leftover wine, cold quinoa Asks Shannon directly: "Do you still follow Kevan's lead?" Shannon's laughs and agrees they're both very regulated people But adds that it comes from learned coping mechanisms Says they've both developed pro-social ways to handle stress People-pleasing Overachievement Perfectionism Intellectualizing feelings instead of expressing them "Those are coping mechanisms too," she notes, "but at least they keep us calm when we talk." Building Trust and Partnership (14:54–23:15) Shannon says both she and Kevan have done deep personal work. Therapy, reflection, and self-inquiry are part of their toolkit. That helps them handle a relationship that's both intimate and challenging. They know their own baggage. They try not to take the other person's reactions personally. It doesn't always work—but they trust they'll work through conflict. When they started Bonfire: They agreed the business world is unpredictable. So they made a pinky swear: Friends first, business second. The friendship is the real priority. When conflict comes up, they ask: "Is this really life or death—or are we just forgetting what matters?" Shannon goes back to the question and clarifies  Says they lead in different ways. Each has their "zone of genius." They depend on each other's strengths. It's not leader and follower – it's mutual reliance. Shannon explains: Kevan's great at momentum: He moves things forward and ships projects fast. Shannon tends to be more perfectionist: Wants things to be fully formed before releasing. Kevan adds they talk often about "rally and rest." Kevan rallies, he thrives on pressure and urgency. Shannon rests, she values slowing down and reflection. Together, that creates a healthy rhythm.  Robin notes lingering habits Wonders if any "hangovers" from their Oyster days remain. Kevan reflects  At first, he hesitated to show weakness. Coming from a manager role, vulnerability felt risky. Shannon quickly saw through it. He realized openness was essential, not optional. Says their friendship and business both rely on honesty. Robin agrees and says he wouldn't discourage co-founders—it's just a big decision. Like choosing a spouse, it shapes your life for years. Notes he's never met with one of them without the other. "That says something," he adds. Their partnership clearly works—even if it takes twice the time. Rethinking Marketing (23:19) Kevan's light moment: Asks if Robin's comment about their teamwork was feedback for them. Robin's observation  Notes how in sync Shannon and Kevan are. Emails one, gets a reply CC'd with the other. Says the tempo of Bonfire feels like their collaboration itself. Wonders what that rhythm feels like internally. Kevan's response  Says it's partly intentional, partly habit. They genuinely enjoy working together. Adds they don't chase traditional agency milestones. No interest in Ad Age lists or Cannes awards. Their goal: have fun and make meaningful work. Robin pivots to the state of marketing (24:04) Mentions the shift from Madison Avenue's glory days to today's tech-driven world. Refers to Mad Men and the "growth at all costs" startup era. Notes how AI and tech are changing how people see their role in work and life. Kevan's background  Came from startups, not agencies. Learned through doing, not an MBA. Immersed in books like Hypergrowth and Traction. Took Reforge courses—knows the mechanics of scaling. Before that, worked as a journalist. Gained curiosity and calm under pressure, but also urgency. Admits startup life taught him both good and bad habits. Robin notes  Neither lives the Madison Avenue life. Kevan's in Boise. Shannon's in France. Shannon's background Started in theater – behind the scenes as a dramaturg and producer. Learned how to shape emotion and tell stories. Transitioned into brand strategy in New York. Worked at a top agency, Siegel+Gale. Helped global B2B and B2C clients define mission, values, and design. Competed with big names like Interbrand and Pentagram. Later moved in-house at tech startups. Saw how B2B marketing often tries to "act cool" like B2C. Learned to translate creative ideas into language that convinces CFOs. Says her role often meant selling authentic storytelling to risk-averse execs. Admits she joined marketing out of necessity. "I was 27, broke in New York, and needed a parking spot for my storytelling skills." Robin connects the dots  Notes how Silicon Valley's "growth" culture mirrors old ad-world burnout. Growth at all costs. Not much room for creative autonomy. Adds most big agencies are now owned by holding companies. The original Madison Avenue independence is nearly gone. Robin's reflection  Mentions how AI-generated content is changing video and storytelling. Grateful his clients still value human connection. Asks how Bonfire helps brands tell authentic stories now that the old model is fading. Kevan's take  Says people now care less about "moments" and more about audiences. It's not about one viral hit—it's about building consistency. Brands need to stand for something, and keep showing up. People want that outcome, even if they don't want the hard work behind it. Shannon adds Notes rising skepticism among audiences. Most content people see isn't from who they follow, it's ads and algorithms. Consumers are subconsciously filtering out the noise. Says that's why human storytelling matters more than ever. People crave knowing a real person is behind the message. AI can mimic tone but not authenticity. Adds it's hard to convince some clients of that. Authentic work isn't fast or easily measured. It requires belief in the process and a value system to match. That's tough when your client's investors only want quick returns. Robin agrees  "Look at people's incentives and I'll tell you who they are." Shannon continues Wonders where their responsibility ends. Should they convince people of their values? Or just do the work and let the right clients come? Kevan says they've found a sweet spot with current clients. Mostly bootstrapped founders. Work with them long-term instead of one-off projects. Says that's the recipe that fits Bonfire's values and actually works. The Quarter Analogy (35:36) Robin quotes BJ Fogg: "Don't try to persuade people of your worldview. Look for people who already want what you can teach, and just show them how." He compares arguing with people who don't align to "an acrobat arguing with gravity – gravity will win 100% of the time." The key: harness momentum instead of fighting resistance. Even a small, aligned audience is better than chasing everyone. Kevan shares Bonfire's failed experiment with outbound sales: They tried reaching out to recently funded AI companies. "It got us nowhere," he admits. That experience reminded him how much old startup habits – growth at all costs, scale fast – still shape thinking. "I thought success meant getting as big as possible, as fast as possible. That meant doing outbound, even if it felt inauthentic." But that mindset just added pressure. Realizing there were other ways to grow – slower, more intentional – was a relief. Now they've stopped outbound entirely. Focused instead on aligned clients who find them naturally. Robin connects it to a MrBeast quote. "If I'm not ashamed of the video I put out last week, I'm not growing fast enough." He says he doesn't love the "shame" part but relates to the evolution mindset – Looking back at work from six months ago and thinking, I'd do that differently now. Growth as a visible, measurable journey. Robin shifts to storytelling frameworks: Mentions Kevan and Shannon's analogies about storytelling and asks about "the quarter analogy." Kevan explains the "quarter" story: A professor holds up two quarters: "Sell me the one on the right." No one can – until someone says, "I'll dip it in Marilyn Monroe's purse." That coin now has emotional and cultural value. Marketing can be the same – alchemy that turns something ordinary into something meaningful. Robin builds on that: You can tell stories about a coin's history – "Lincoln touched it," etc. But Kevan's version is different: adding new meaning in the present. "How do you imbue something with value now that makes it matter later?" Shannon's take: It's about values and belonging. "Every story implicitly says: believe this." That belief also says: we don't believe that – defining who's in your tribe. Humans crave that – community, validation, connection. That belonging is intangible but real. "Try selling that to a CFO who just wants ROI. Impossible — but it's real." Kevan adds: Values are one piece – authenticity is another. Some brands already have a genuine story; others want to create one. "We get asked to dip AI companies into Marilyn Monroe's purse," he jokes. The real work is uncovering what's true or helping brands rediscover it. The challenge: telling that story consistently and believably. Robin mentions Shannon's storytelling framework of three parts – Purpose → Story frameworks → Touch points. Shannon breaks it down: Clients usually come in with half-baked "mission" or "vision" statements. She uses Ogilvy's "Big Ideal" model: Combine a cultural tension (what's happening in the world) with your brand's best self. Then fill in the blank: "We believe the world would be a better place if…" That single sentence surfaces a company's "why us" and "why now." It's dramaturgy, really — same question as in theater: "Why this play now?" "Why us?" Bonfire's own version (in progress): "We believe the world would be a better place if people and brands had more room to explore their creativity." Kevan adds: it's evolving, like them. Robin relates it back to his own story: After selling Robin's Café, he started Zander Media to tell human stories. He wanted to document real connections — "the barista-customer relationships, the neighborhood changing." That became his north star: storytelling as a tool for change and human connection. "I don't care about video," he says. "I care about storytelling, helping people become more of who they want to be." Kevan closes the loop: A good purpose statement is expansive. It can hold video, podcasts, even a publishing house. "Maybe tomorrow it's something else. That's the beauty — it allows room to grow." Against the Broetry (49:01) Kevan reflects on transparency and values at Bonfire He and Robin came from Buffer, a company known for radical transparency — posting salaries, growth numbers, everything. Says that while Bonfire isn't as extreme about it, the spirit is the same. "It just comes naturally to invite people in." Their openness isn't a tactic – it's aligned with their values and mission. They want to create space for people to explore – new ideas, new ways of working, more fulfilling lives. Sharing their journey publicly felt like the obvious, authentic thing to do. "It wasn't even a conversation – just who we are." Shannon jumps in with a critique of business culture online Says there's so much terrible advice about "how to build a business." Compliments Robin for cutting through the noise – being honest through Snafu and his newsletter. "You're trying to be real about what selling feels like and what it says about you." Calls out the "rise and grind" nonsense dominating LinkedIn: "Wake up at 4 a.m., protein shake at 4:10, three-hour workout…" Robin laughs – "I'll take the three-hour workout, but I'll pass on the protein shake." Shannon and Kevan call it "broetry" The overblown, performative business storytelling on social media. "I went on my honeymoon and here's what I learned about B2B sales." Their goal with building in public is the opposite: To admit mistakes. To share pivots and moments of doubt. To remind people that everyone is figuring it out. "But the system rewards the opposite – gatekeeping, pretending, keeping up the facade." Shannon says she has "no patience for it." She traces that belief back to a story from college Producer Paula Wagner once told her class: "Here's the secret: nobody knows anything." That line stuck with her. Gave her permission to question authority. To show up confidently even when others pretend to know more. After years of watching powerful men "fail upward," she realized: "The emperor has no clothes." So she might as well take up space too. Transparency, for her, is a form of connection and courage – "When people raise their eyes from their desks and actually meet each other, that's power." Robin thanks Shannon for the kind words about Snafu. Says their work naturally attracts people who want that kind of realness. Then pivots to a closing question: "If you had one piece of advice for founders – about storytelling or business building – what would it be?" Kevan's advice: "Look beyond what's around you." Inspiration doesn't have to come from your industry. Learn from other fields, other stories, other worlds. It builds curiosity, empathy, and creativity. Robin sums it up: "Get out of your silos." Shannon's advice: "Make the thing you actually want to see." Too many founders copy what's trendy or "smart." Ask instead: What would I genuinely love to consume? Remember your audience is human, like you. And remember, building a business is a privilege. You get to create a small world that reflects your values. You get to hire people, pay them, shape a culture. "That's so cool, and it should make you feel powerful." With that power comes responsibility. "Everyone says it's about making the most money. But what if the goal was to make the coolest world possible, for as many people as possible?" Where to find Kevan and Shannon (57:16) Points listeners to aroundthebonfire.com/experiences. That's where they host their retreats. Next one is April 2026. "We'd love to see you there."   Companies/Organizations Bonfire Buffer Oyster Vox Zander Media Siegel+Gale Interbrand Pentagram Reforge Robin's Café Books / Frameworks / Theories Traction BJ Fogg's behavioral model Ogilvy's "Big Ideal" Purpose → Story Frameworks → Touch Point People Paula Wagner BJ Fogg MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) David Ogilvy Newsletters Snafu Kevan's previous publication  

The moment that stayed with him began at a marketplace where sales dashboards showed 40% gross margin—yet finance closed the books at 20%, Boon tells us. The gap, he discovered, lived in the shadows: rebates, discounts, and “free” services that never touched operational metrics. He manually traced economics to the client level and found margins many considered healthy were thin—or nonexistent. One customer representing roughly 30% of revenue delivered 0% gross margin, Boon tells us.That scene explains his broader path. He started in London investment banking “working on deals 24/7,” then spent five years at McKinsey across Europe on corporate finance and strategy. At Zalando he founded Strategic Finance to ready the company for IPO—tightening the P&L and working capital. Hypergrowth taught him that unchecked hiring breeds overlap and data drift, so ownership and reporting must evolve with scale, Boon tells us.He gravitates to complexity. At his current company—public since 2021 and combined with a U.S. competitor bought for “about a billion USD”—systems sprawl and legacy platforms made accuracy difficult while two-thirds of revenue came from the U.S., across 130 countries with people in 14, Boon tells us. He cut legal entities from 28 to 14, moved to one ERP, and shortened the monthly close from “15 days” to “five or six days,” Boon tells us. Two efficiency programs, a 120 million refinancing, and a rights issue 60% oversubscribed rebuilt credibility.Back at the marketplace, he installed a pricing director reporting to finance, killed blanket rebates, and tied commissions to net revenue. Within 12 months, margin rose from 20% to 40%, Boon tells us—proof that disciplined economics, not dashboards, drive durable turnarounds.

Mit 1,7 Milliarden Euro Umsatz im ersten Halbjahr 2025 und Millionen ausgelieferten Mahlzeiten pro Woche in 18 Ländern hat sich HelloFresh in den letzten 14 Jahren zum weltweit führenden Anbieter von Kochboxen entwickelt. Doch heute steht nicht mehr das schnelle Wachstum im Fokus, sondern nachhaltige Kundenbindung. Geschäftsführerin DACH, Juliane Kappel, spricht über Personalisierung durch Daten und KI, über 15.000 gesammelte Rezepte und wie HelloFresh die Vorlieben seiner Kund:innen immer besser versteht. Außerdem erklärt sie, wie Marketing, Vertrieb und die Ready-to-Eat-Marke Factor zusammenwirken, um den wachsenden Wunsch nach Convenience zu bedienen. Das Gespräch im Überblick: (1:45) HelloFresh vom Berliner Startup zum globalen Kochbox-Anbieter (7:30) Menüplanung & Technologie: Wie Daten und KI Mahlzeiten optimieren (13:26) Kundenerlebnis & Personalisierung: Jede Lieferung als individuelles Erlebnis (23:40) Marketing- und Vertriebsstrategien von HelloFresh (36:30) Ready-to-Eat & Convenience-Produkte: Wie sich HelloFresh und Factor ergänzen (40:37) Zukunfts- und Expansionspläne von HelloFresh Podcast-Host – Karo Junker de Neui: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karojunker https://etribes.de/ Newsletter: https://www.kassenzone.de/newsletter/ Community: https://kassenzone.de/discord Disclaimer: https://www.kassenzone.de/disclaimer/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KassenzoneDe/ Blog: https://www.kassenzone.de/ Kassenzone” wird vermarktet von Podstars by OMR. Du möchtest in “Kassenzone” werben? Dann https://podstars.de/kontakt/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=shownotes_kassenzone

Some stories are told for inspiration, some for entertainment, but a very few become instruction manuals for the next generation. Today's Extrology episode documents one such manual, written by a leader forged through experiences at Oracle, Salesforce and Siebel Systems - Steve Garnett.He grew up in a council house in Liverpool, mentored by one maths teacher who changed everything. Behind Steve's work scaling some of the most iconic tech machines in history, lies a lesson in systems, scar tissue and scale with soul. What Steve's doing now with education, legacy and angel investing reveals not just how to build billion dollar companies, but how to build the kind of life that compounds…Lee and Steve discuss:The power of resilience and mentorship in shaping a life and careerLeadership at Oracle, Siebel, and Salesforce, and how they maintain high-performing The critical role of core valuesChallenges and opportunities presented by technological revolutions, and the need for leaders to adapt and drive change from the topLegacy, philanthropy, and giving backSteve Garnett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stgarnett/?originalSubdomain=ukSend us a textGet in touch: lee@extrology.comExtrology: https://www.extrology.com/ https://www.instagram.com/extrologypodcast/ https://www.tiktok.com/@extrology https://substack.com/@extrology https://www.youtube.com/@extrology Lee Cooper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leecooperrecruiter/

In this episode, Mallory Contois, VP of Growth at Maven and founder of The Old Girls Club, traces her path from hypergrowth operator to community builder. She reflects on the “up, down, up” rhythm of her career, from Pinterest's rocket ship years to rediscovering fit after leaving Metafy, and shares what she's learned about ego, feedback, and identity along the way.Mallory opens up about being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult and how that reframed her communication, leadership, and approach to feedback. She explains why no one is an “A-player everywhere,” how environment shapes performance, and what it takes to design work that truly fits your strengths.Now leading growth at Maven while scaling a 2,000-member community, Mallory gets practical about following momentum, hiring for energy, and coaching the edges. She also reframes mentorship, arguing that small, intentional peer communities can be more powerful than chasing a single mentor, and offers practical advice for giving and receiving feedback without losing your voice.In this conversation, you'll learn:- How to identify your fit Venn diagram (subject matter × work style × company size) and use it to choose roles that compound- A 3-part coaching framework to channel “bulldozer” energy into clear, respectful collaboration- Why building a peer community can be the highest-leverage “career hack” you controlThings to listen for:(00:00) Intro(03:31) First tech job (06:11) Hypergrowth lessons at Pinterest(10:12) Thank you to our sponsor, Navattic(14:37) Realizing no one is an A-player everywhere(17:49) ADHD in the workplace(28:23) Coaching and neurodiversity at work(31:39) Leaving Metafy and its aftermath(43:08) Mallory's advice to her younger self(47:18) Trusting instincts and following momentumA huge thanks to this episode's sponsor:Navattic: Interactive Product Demo Software - https://navattic.com/value Resources:Connect with Mallory:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorycontois/ Mallory's official website: https://www.mallorycontois.com/The Old Girls Club: https://www.jointheogc.com/ Connect with Andrew:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/ Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.coHire Andrew as your coach: https://deliveringvalue.co/coachingJoin Growth OS: https://deliveringvalue.co/growth-operating-system

In this episode, CJ sits down with Brandon Sullivan, CFO at 2X, to unpack one of the most enduring tensions in business — the uneasy relationship between finance and marketing. From the myth of clean ROI to the chaos of martech spend, Brandon explains why measuring marketing impact is far harder than most CFOs think, and how spreadsheet logic can lead to bad decisions. He shares what it's like to run finance inside a 1,200-person marketing org, why cutting too deep in downturns can backfire, and what it takes to actually bridge the gap between teams that speak different languages. Along the way, he reveals lessons from scaling 2X across time zones, building global reporting rhythms, and redefining how finance and marketing can finally pull in the same direction.—LINKS:Brandon Sullivan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonsullivan2x/2X: https://2x.marketing/CJ on X (@cjgustafson222): https://x.com/cjgustafson222Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com—RELATED EPISODES:From Facebook's Hypergrowth to Daffy's Disruption: A CFO's Playbook for Saying Yes—TIMESTAMPS:(00:00:00) Preview and Intro(00:02:28) Sponsor – Aleph | Rillet | Fidelity Private Shares(00:05:55) Behind Enemy Lines: Finance Meets Marketing(00:07:00) Why CFOs and CMOs Clash(00:08:12) The Myth of Marketing ROI(00:10:19) Why Marketing Is So Hard to Measure(00:11:23) The Single Source of Truth Problem(00:15:29) Sponsor – Mercury | RightRev | Tipalti(00:19:35) The Three Buckets of Marketing Spend(00:21:26) The Long-Term Cost of Cutting Program Spend(00:23:27) How AI and ChatGPT Are Changing Marketing Attribution(00:25:43) Building a Modern Finance Team(00:27:55) The First-Time CFO Learning Curve(00:31:05) From Solo Operator to Scaled Finance Org(00:32:41) Why Weekly Reporting Beats Monthly Reviews(00:40:10) Working with Private Equity Partners(00:43:43) The Founding Story of 2X(00:48:12) Running a Global Team Across Time Zones(00:54:00) Long-Ass Lightning Round(00:57:00) Advice to Younger Self(00:58:58) Finance Stack and Craziest Expense Story(00:59:58) Credits and Sign-Off—SPONSORS:Aleph automates 90% of manual, error-prone busywork, so you can focus on the strategic work you were hired to do. Minimize busywork and maximize impact with the power of a web app, the flexibility of spreadsheets, and the magic of AI. Get a personalised demo at https://www.getaleph.com/runRillet is the AI-native ERP modern finance teams are switching to because it's faster, simpler, and 100% built for how teams operate today. See how fast your team can move. Book a demo at https://www.rillet.com/metricsFidelity Private Shares is the all-in-one equity management platform that keeps your cap table clean, your data room organized, and your equity story clear—so you never risk losing a fundraising round over messy records. Schedule a demo at https://www.fidelityprivateshares.com and mention Mostly Metrics to get 20% off.Mercury is business banking built for builders, giving founders and finance pros a financial stack that actually works together. From sending wires to tracking balances and approving payments, Mercury makes it simple to scale without friction. Join the 200,000+ entrepreneurs who trust Mercury and apply online in minutes at https://www.mercury.comRightRev automates the revenue recognition process from end to end, gives you real-time insights, and ensures ASC 606 / IFRS 15 compliance—all while closing books faster. For RevRec that auditors actually trust, visit https://www.rightrev.com and schedule a demo.Tipalti automates the entire payables process—from onboarding suppliers to executing global payouts—helping finance teams save time, eliminate costly errors, and scale confidently across 200+ countries and 120 currencies. More than 5,000 businesses already trust Tipalti to manage payments with built-in security and tax compliance. Visit https://www.tipalti.com/runthenumbers to learn more.#RunTheNumbersPodcast #FinanceVsMarketing #CFOInsights #MarketingROI #BusinessStrategy This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cjgustafson.substack.com

Marc Zuccaro with Golden Eagle Strategies talks about his firm's Dynamic Hypergrowth ETF (HYP). The ETF holds about 60 companies that show 40% or more year-over-year growth. Marc says the ETF aims to capture the maximum possible upside through this suite of names, as he explains how Golden Eagle reassess the ETF every month and manages downside risk.======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day. Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/ About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

SaaStr 824: VC in the AI Era - Exactly What's Getting Funded, Why & When with SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin In this episode, SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin delves into the current state of venture capital (VC) funding, informed by data from over a thousand reviewed pitch decks and approximately 400,000 startup valuations on SaaStr AI. Learn about the latest trends, what VCs are looking for, and what it takes to secure funding in today's market. We'll discuss the performance metrics and benchmarks necessary for SaaS and AI startups and how AI-native companies are reshaping investment dynamics. Discover SaaStr AI's new tools, including pitch deck reviews and real-time valuation benchmarks, to help you understand where your startup stands and improve your funding prospects.   00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:41 VC Funding Trends and Insights 02:11 Top Quartile SaaS Benchmarks 03:14 AI Native Companies and Hypergrowth 08:00 Public vs. Private Company Growth Expectations 10:22 VC Funding Criteria and Expectations 15:35 SaaStr AI Tools and Resources 20:15 Practical Advice for Founders 26:26 Conclusion and Final Thoughts    --------------------- This episode of the SaaStr podcast is Sponsored by Salesforce: Connect data, automate busywork and empower teams like nobody's business with the one platform that grows with you, every step of the way. Learn how Salesforce works for Startups at salesforce.com/smb.  --------------------- This episode of the SaaStr podcast is Sponsored by Intercom:  Fin is the #1 AI Agent for resolving complex queries like refunds, transaction disputes, and technical troubleshooting—all with speed and reliability. See how Fin can deliver the highest resolution rates and highest-quality customer experience at fin.ai/saastr.  --------------------- If you're serious about B2B and AI, you need to be in London this December.   SaaStr AI London is bringing together more than 2,000 leaders and founders for two days of practical advice on scaling into the new year.    We'll have speakers flying in from OpenAI, Wiz, Clay, Intercom, and all your favorite SaaS companies, including yours truly with Harry Stebbings for a live 20VC podcast. It'll be fun, and it's all in the heart of London.    Don't miss out: get your tickets with my exclusive discount by going to podcast.saastrlondon.com   ---------------------   Hey everybody, the biggest B2B + AI event of the year will be back - SaaStr AI in the SF Bay Area, aka the SaaStr Annual, will be back in May 2026.    With 68% VP-level and above, 36% CEOs and founders and a growing 25% AI-first professional, this is the very best of the best S-tier attendees and decision makers that come to SaaStr each year.     But here's the reality, folks: the longer you wait, the higher ticket prices can get. Early bird tickets are available now, but once they're gone, you'll pay hundreds more so don't wait.    Lock in your spot today by going to podcast.saastrannual.com to get my exclusive discount SaaStr AI SF 2026. We'll see you there.

Recorded at Index Ventures London - Investors in Multiverse The Billion-Dollar Fix for Skills | Euan Blair on AI, Hiring & the Future of Work In this episode of Jimmy's Jobs of the Future, Multiverse CEO Euan Blair shares what it really takes to build a billion-dollar startup - and how AI is forcing a total rethink of education, hiring, and skills. We cover:

What really makes company culture crack as you scale from 10 to 30+ people? In this candid conversation, Aaron Schmookler (co-founder of The Yes Works) sits down with Àlex Rodríguez Bacardit (CEO, MarsBased) to unpack the patterns they have seen across startups and mid-size teams, remote and on-site.We dive into: preventing culture erosion during hypergrowth, why manager span of control matters, how to sell services without hard selling, practical leadership habits (Be Obvious), and the realities of building trust in distributed teams. Real stories touch on TextExpander, Medtronic, and SOG Knives, with step-by-step ideas you can apply tomorrow.If you lead a team, sell B2B services, or you are scaling a product org, this episode gives you actionable frameworks for structure, communication, and conflict, without the fluff.Support the show

In this episode, Bill Banham sits down with Q Hamirani, Chief People Officer at HighLevel, one of the fastest-growing remote-first SaaS platforms serving agencies and consultants worldwide.With 1,600+ employees spread across the globe and 1,000 new hires added in a single year, HighLevel's meteoric rise demands a People strategy that can scale without losing its soul. As the company's cultural architect, Q is at the helm of building a durable, people-first operating system that keeps teams aligned, inspired, and moving fast—no matter the time zone.A trusted advisor to founders, boards, and accelerator programs like Techstars, Q blends startup grit with global operational experience and deep HR expertise. His leadership journey spans hypergrowth environments at Airbnb, Paper, and now HighLevel—giving him a front-row seat to how People leadership is evolving in the age of AI and distributed teams.Inside this episode:Scaling Culture Like an Operating System: How HighLevel structures communication, decision-making, and goal-setting to keep 1,600+ employees rowing in the same direction.Remote Leadership Rituals: From all-hands forums to the monthly Founder's Corner, Q shares the leadership touchpoints that anchor strategy across borders.Evolving the CPO Role: Why today's Chief People Officer must blend innovation, business acumen, and cultural fluency to thrive in distributed, AI-enabled workplaces.Hiring for Mission Alignment: How values-based interviews and compelling onboarding narratives—like HighLevel's “skateboard-to-Ferrari” story—help transmit founder intent to every new joiner.The Human Side of Hypergrowth: How creativity, music, and transcendental meditation help Q lead with empathy and resilience, and how parenthood shaped his leadership lens.Whether you're scaling a remote startup or professionalizing a late-stage rocket ship, this conversation is packed with tactical frameworks, cultural insights, and hard-won wisdom to help People leaders build lasting alignment at speed.Connect with Q Hamirani on LinkedIn.If you find this episode valuable, subscribe, share it with a colleague, and leave a quick review.Support the showFeature Your Brand on the HRchat PodcastThe HRchat show has had 100,000s of downloads and is frequently listed as one of the most popular global podcasts for HR pros, Talent execs and leaders. It is ranked in the top ten in the world based on traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness. The podcast is also ranked as the Best Canadian HR Podcast by FeedSpot and one of the top 10% most popular shows by Listen Score. Want to share the story of how your business is helping to shape the world of work? We offer sponsored episodes, audio adverts, email campaigns, and a host of other options. Check out packages here. Follow us on LinkedIn Subscribe to our newsletter Check out our in-person events

Ernesta, an accessible luxury direct-to-consumer rug brand launched in 2023 by a Peloton co-founder, is revolutionizing the home décor industry with quick-turnaround custom rugs measured down to the inch. In this episode for Retail Rx, Ian Fredericks, CEO of Hilco Global Capital Solutions and the executive director of Hilco Global's retail and consumer platform, chatted with Jennifer Parker, chief sales officer at Ernesta, about the brand's innovative approach, commitment to customer experience and retail expansion plans. Parker credited her diverse career background—from Bloomingdale's to Peloton, where she worked with Peloton CEO and Ernesta founder John Foley—for shaping her leadership style and passion for customer-centric strategies. At Ernesta, her focus is on building a strong foundation for growth, fostering collaborative teams and embracing an omnichannel retail strategy. The company's unique value proposition includes rapid delivery (Ernesta custom rugs arrive in two to four weeks, an impressive timeline for any custom category). The podcast also highlighted Ernesta's dedication to both consumers and trade professionals through services like virtual consultations, design renderings and seamless purchase experiences. The brand's hybrid model also allows customers to customize rugs and view real-time pricing online, then step into showrooms to touch and feel the rugs, receive personalized advice and procure samples to experience back in their home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ulrich Prediger, Gründer von JobRad, spricht über den Weg zum erfolgreichen Geschäftsmodell. Er teilt, wie sie das Dienstrad-Leasing nach dem Vorbild des Dienstwagens entwickelten, warum Lobbyarbeit entscheidend war und wie sie durch clevere PR-Arbeit ein rasantes Wachstum erreichten. Was du lernst: Wie du ein komplexes Geschäftsmodell entwickelst Die Bedeutung von Lobbyarbeit für neue Märkte Warum PR wichtiger als klassisches Marketing sein kann Wie du Hypergrowth richtig managst ALLES ZU UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery  Mehr zu Ulrich: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ulrich-prediger/  JobRad: https://www.jobrad.org/  Join our Founder Tactics Newsletter: 2x die Woche bekommst du die Taktiken der besten Gründer der Welt direkt ins Postfach: https://www.tactics.unicornbakery.de/ 

The Blue-Collar Twins sit down with Byron Gifford—the “godfather of door-to-door”—to unpack his ground-zero start in summer sales, the Evergreen chapters (launch, rapid expansion, strategic exits), and the operating cadence that lets his team add tens of thousands of accounts without melting down. It's a masterclass in self-financing hypergrowth, centralizing ops, and developing leaders who can actually carry the load. You'll hear: Hypergrowth reality: why fast scale feels like self-financing—and why people are harder than cash.Ground zero of D2D: Salesnet → Eclipse → starting a pest company from a marketing engine.Evergreen playbook: launch, densify, sell, reinvest—then rinse and repeat across markets.Centralized backbone: one call center, cookie-cutter ops, and tech/termite cross-sell that de-risk seasonality.Beyond the doors: building non-D2D channels (digital, referrals, tech upsells) until they rival summer volume.Leadership & longevity: morning “elevated state,” systems, and a health comeback that reset the throttle. Show links: From Gym Teachers to Service Leaders: The Julio Twins' Story | Last Bite Mosquito, Viking Pest https://youtu.be/DAYxtzhswxs From PE Teachers to Pest Control Owners: The Julio Twins Share Their POTOMAC Experience https://youtu.be/HAx9noqsqTo https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgiannamore www.potomaccompany.com https://bluecollartwins.com Produced by: www.verbell.ltd Timestamps 00:00 – Cold open: cash for growth vs. developing the right people 00:48 – Intros: the Blue-Collar Twins welcome Byron “godfather of D2D” Gifford 01:42 – BYU mission → first summer selling → top rookie with Salesnet 03:18 – Salesnet bankruptcy, pivot to Eclipse, and launching a pest company from a sales org 06:00 – 2008 crash, reset, and the road back 08:58 – Evergreen launch: Seattle → Portland (sale) → Denver/Albuquerque; a parallel trash-marketing sidecar 14:00 – D2D economics: densification, rising CAC, and the 2–3 year LTV/retention bend 18:58 – “A-Team” cadence: department heads, cash-model precision, people as the limiter 22:00 – Morning routine: elevated state, gratitude, workouts, and living by the calendar 27:00 – Lyme disease detour → stem-cell recovery → throttle back on full 29:56 – Branch-owner model (50% local equity), lessons, and selective sales to strategic buyers 36:52 – Beyond D2D: digital, tech-sales, and termite cross-sell compounding into real scale 40:00 – Ogden, UT hub: central call center and cookie-cutter ops for multi-market control 43:26 – Panels, PestWorld, and a PCT Top-10 goal on the horizon 49:00 – Leadership philosophy: set expectations, kill drama, find solutions, keep moving

On this episode of Chit Chat Stocks, Brett provides a comprehensive research report on a small-cap stock seeing rapid revenue growth due to changing dynamics in the defense sector. Subscribe to our newsletter for the full report, out Friday. We discuss:(00:00) Introduction(06:02) A New Player in Defense(10:47) Innovations in Subsea Technology(19:44) Product Categories and Market Applications(22:02) Competitive Landscape and Market Positioning(28:04) Regulatory Challenges and Industry Barriers(32:54) Building Trust in Defense Contracts(36:44) Anduril's Disruption in Defense Tech(38:50) Competitive Analysis(42:06) Future Growth Prospects (46:59) Management Insights and Leadership Transition(53:53) Financial Projections and Market Positioning*****************************************************JOIN OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER AND CHAT COMMUNITY: https://chitchatstocks.substack.com/ *********************************************************************Chit Chat Stocks is presented by Interactive Brokers. Get professional pricing, global access, and premier technology with the best brokerage for investors today: https://www.interactivebrokers.com/ Interactive Brokers is a member of SIPC. *********************************************************************Fiscal.ai is building the future of financial data.With custom charts, AI-generated research reports, and endless analytical tools, you can get up to speed on any stock around the globe. All for a reasonable price. Use our LINK and get 15% off any premium plan: ⁠https://fiscal.ai/chitchat *********************************************************************Portseido is your best portfolio tracking & reporting solution that helps you track all investments in one place. We personally use the software to track our portfolio returns across brokerage accounts.Try it for free today: https://portseido.com/?fpr=ryan63 *********************************************************************Disclosure: Chit Chat Stocks hosts and guests are not financial advisors, and nothing they say on this show is formal advice or a recommendation.

When Holly Grey first examined Horizon3.ai, she saw more than a cybersecurity startup. She saw a technology that could change the way companies safeguard themselves. Traditional pen tests, she tells us, are human-driven, vary widely by auditor, and usually happen just once a year. Horizon3.ai, by contrast, “started out as a technology alternative to pen testing.” Its platform can be deployed “within minutes, not hours or weeks or months,” Grey tells us, and has already executed “over 100,000 pen tests.”The system identifies exposures, connects them to known threat actors, and—most critically—prioritizes which vulnerabilities to fix. It integrates directly with tools like Jira, creates tickets, and confirms results after remediation. “Even as a CFO, I want to know we're not exposed,” Grey explains. That value proposition has already attracted more than 4,000 customers, she tells us.Her decision to join Horizon3.ai was equally deliberate. Grey noticed two respected colleagues had recently come aboard, including the CRO. That relationship, she says, is vital: “I need to know that I can trust that CRO implicitly.” After doing her own diligence, Grey was convinced of the company's momentum: “It's hard to grow over 100% year over year, and do that multiple years, without having product market fit.”The timing was fortuitous. Just as the company raised $100 million in Series D funding, its VP of Finance resigned. Horizon3.ai was ready to appoint its first CFO. “Here I am,” Grey tells us, “and I could not be happier in terms of joining.”

Amit Bendov is Co-Founder & CEO of Gong, the leading AI-sales platform. The company has raised about over $600 million from some of the best in the world including Sequoia, Thrive, Salesforce and more. Gong has surpassed US$400 million in ARR, serves thousands of customers (including multiple Fortune 10s), and is valued at over $7BN.  AGENDA:  00:00 – Why CRM Was Always a Lie and Gong's Secret Insight 04:30 – Will AI Kill Salesforce? Mark Benioff's Nightmare 08:15 – Why 99% of VCs Said No to Gong's Seed Round 12:00 – The Shocking Trial Close That Changed Everything 18:00 – Can AI Make Every Seller Perform Like LeBron? 20:30 – Will Sales Software Shift from Software Budget to Human Labor Budget? 25:00 – Why AI SDRs Are “Stupid” and Bound to Fail 35:00 – Gong's Darkest Hour: Shrinking, Churn, and Losing Muscle 41:30 – The Re-Acceleration Playbook: How Gong Got Back to Hypergrowth 54:00 – Would Amit Ever Sell Gong—or Take It Public?    

How do finance leaders enable growth while fostering a culture of partnership, positivity, and saying yes? In this episode, CJ interviews Ed Park, Head of FP&A at Facebook during its explosive hypergrowth years, Head of Finance and Internal Operations at Asana, the current CFO of Daffy, and a “glass-half-full” finance leader. Ed shares stories about working at Facebook in the early days, how he brought finance into the company's engineering and product-first culture, and how he built trust while navigating rapid user and infrastructure expansion. He talks about his role at Asana, why the company plans in episodes, not quarters, how they discovered their unique “three user” metric, and how they transitioned from bottoms-up to sales-led growth. Ed also gives an introduction to donor-advised funds and how Daffy, his current company, is disrupting this field. The conversation covers how a company's business model shapes its destiny, finding the balance between what's urgent and what's important, and Ed's glass-half-full approach to being a finance leader who enables teams by saying yes.—LINKS:Edward Park on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwardyparkDaffy: https://www.daffy.orgCJ on X (@cjgustafson222): https://x.com/cjgustafson222Mostly metrics: RELATED EPISODES:Big Systems Thinking for Building a Finance Org: Advice From a Zoom Hypergrowth Survivor — —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Preview and Intro(02:16) Sponsor – Aleph | RightRev | Navan(06:43) Ed's First Job at a Startup: Head of FP&a at Facebook(11:35) Bringing Finance Into an Engineering and Product-Led Culture(16:42) Sponsor – Rillet | Pulley | Brex(20:34) Balancing What Was Urgent Versus Important(25:02) Monetizing Facebook(26:48) Becoming a Glass-Half-Full Finance Leader(33:27) Managing Four Chefs at Asana(35:38) How Asana Plans in Episodes, Not Quarters(42:48) Monetization Model Intuition and the “Three User” Metric(48:13) Transitioning From Bottoms-Up to Proactive Sales at Asana(53:24) Daffy's Monetization Model and Donor-Advised Fund Innovation(57:34) How a Business Model Shapes Destiny(1:00:02) Ed's “How Might We” Approach to Being a CFO(1:01:56) Long-Ass Lightning Round: A Big Mistake(1:04:38) Advice to Younger Self(1:05:44) Finance Software Stack(1:07:57) Craziest Expense Story—SPONSORS:Aleph automates 90% of manual, error-prone busywork, so you can focus on the strategic work you were hired to do. Minimize busywork and maximize impact with the power of a web app, the flexibility of spreadsheets, and the magic of AI. Get a personalised demo at https://www.getaleph.com/runRightRev automates the revenue recognition process from end to end, gives you real-time insights, and ensures ASC 606 / IFRS 15 compliance—all while closing books faster. For RevRec that auditors actually trust, visit https://www.rightrev.com and schedule a demo.Navan is the all-in-one travel and expense solution that can give you access to exclusive, proprietary Nasdaq-validated data that reveals what's happening with corporate travel investments. See the Navan Business Travel Index at https://navan.com/bti.Rillet is the AI-native ERP modern finance teams are switching to because it's faster, simpler, and 100% built for how teams operate today. See how fast your team can move. Book a demo at https://www.rillet.com/metrics.Pulley is the cap table management platform built for CFOs and finance leaders who need reliable, audit-ready data and intuitive workflows, without the hidden fees or unreliable support. Switch in as little as 5 days and get 25% off your first year: https://pulley.com/mostlymetrics.Brex offers the world's smartest corporate card on a full-stack global platform that is everything CFOs need to manage their finances on an elite level. Plus, they offer modern banking and treasury as well as intuitive expenses and accounting automation, bill pay, and travel. Find out more at https://www.brex.com/metrics#FacebookBusinessModel #FPandA #StartupFinance #MonetizationStrategy #DonorAdvisedFunds This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mostlymetrics.com

Are you wrestling with how to scale your sales team without losing focus on what truly matters? Do you wonder how to maintain a customer-centric approach as your company experiences hypergrowth? Or maybe you're trying to figure out the right time and way to segment your go-to-market organization. This episode offers deep, practical insights on these pressing challenges, straight from one of cybersecurity's fastest-growing companies.In this conversation, we discuss: 

In this episode of The Playbook Universe, we sit down with Paul Cap, Chief Revenue Officer at MongoDB, to explore the core leadership principles and sales execution strategies that have driven one of the most explosive growth stories in tech. Paul shares his personal path from finance into sales, the pivotal mindset shifts that helped him lead at scale, and the mission-first approach that keeps MongoDB thriving. We dive into building high-performance teams, the early indicators of future CRO talent, and what separates great companies from the rest. Whether you're a first-line manager or a seasoned sales leader, this conversation delivers hard-earned lessons from the frontlines.

Ben Thomas is the founder and CEO of Gatby, a groundbreaking energy choice platform that uses reverse auctions to help consumers access lower, fixed-rate electricity plans. A former private equity investor with Morgan Stanley and a co-founder of Nutiliti, Ben brings Wall Street savvy to Main Street problems — and is on a mission to create more transparency, fairness, and savings in a confusing utility marketplace.With Gatby now live across Texas and helping thousands of renters and homeowners save money on energy, Ben is ready to share how he's combining data, empathy, and disruption to bring power back to the people — literally.Ben's Links:Website: https://gatby.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gatbyenergychoiceInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/gatby__/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gatby/Freebie: https://gatby.com/electricity-providersBook Recs:Amp It Up: Leading for Hypergrowth by Raising Expectations, Increasing Urgency, and Elevating Intensity: https://amzn.to/4e4a0mFThe Impatient Entrepreneur's links:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheImpatientEntrepreneurPod⁠LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theimpatiententrepreneurpod/⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimpatiententrepreneurpod/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheImpatientEntrepreneurPod⁠Online: https://www.theimpatiententrepreneurpod.comConnect with us⁠⁠: https://www.theimpatiententrepreneurpod.com/contact⁠Kwedar & Co.'s links:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kwedarco⁠LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kwedarco⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kwedarco⁠YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KwedarCo⁠Online: www.kwedarco.comConnect with us: https://www.kwedarco.com/book-consultation

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In this episode of East Coast Elite, Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne sit down with Martin Mao, co-founder and CEO of Chronosphere. From his early days at Uber to founding one of the most disruptive startups in observability, Martin shares what it takes to navigate uncertainty, build conviction, and win at scale. We dive into the mindset shifts behind leaving a tech giant to build something bold, how Martin sees the future of observability, and what it means to lead with clarity in a rapidly evolving market. If you're a founder, engineer, or operator seeking real insights from a builder at the top, this one's for you. Key Topics Covered 00:00 Intro 02:10 What Makes a Strong Founder 04:48 Why Martin Left Uber 09:22 Founding Chronosphere 13:41 Competing with Industry Giants 19:05 The Startup Learning Curve 26:38 Early GTM Decisions 33:20 Scaling with Intent 39:40 Balancing Vision and Feedback 46:14 Leadership Lessons in Hypergrowth 50:12 What's Next for Chronosphere 52:49 Closing Reflections   3 Biggest Lessons Leaving comfort for conviction: Martin's leap from Uber shows that bold moves start with internal clarity, not external certainty. Product-market fit is just the beginning: Real traction comes from execution, team culture, and continuous iteration. Disruption requires ruthless focus: Be crystal clear on who you serve and why your product matters—then say no to everything else. Thanks for listening! This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns. If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel! Connect with Hunters & Unicorns Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com Twitter:   / huntersun1corns   Instagram:   / huntersandunicorns   Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog   Notable Quotes “You don't need to have all the answers before you start.” “It's not about being better—it's about being different in a meaningful way.” “Startups work when you're solving real pain, not just building cool tech.” This episode is sponsored by SELR & PG:ai   #softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #playbookuniverse

Can you really build and launch a startup without writing code, or even knowing how to?As AI tools promise lightning-fast product development, many founders still fall into old traps: over-validating, under-executing, or waiting too long for a technical cofounder.In this episode, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein are joined by Eric Simons, founder of StackBlitz and creator of the viral AI app builder Bolt.new. Eric shares how modern tools like Bolt and Cursor are redefining what it means to be a founder, turning product managers, designers, and even marketers into full-stack startup builders.They explore how AI coding agents are changing team composition, cycle times, and what the real founder skillset looks like in 2025.In this episode, you will:Discover why reality-based iteration—not ideas—is the true startup superpowerLearn how AI tools like Bolt give non-technical founders real shots on goalUnderstand the evolving role of the technical cofounder in the AI eraCompare top-down and bottom-up AI workflows (e.g. Bolt vs Cursor)Avoid common pitfalls when prompting AI tools to build production-grade appsExplore how startup team roles are converging—and where creative tension still mattersHear the origin story of Bolt's breakout growth and what made it an overnight success (after 7 years)The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:Follow, rate, and review us in your listening appSubscribe to the TSP Mailing List to gain access to exclusive newsletter-only content and early access to information on upcoming episodes: https://thestartuppodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe Secure your official TSP merchandise at https://shop.tsp.show/ Follow us here on YouTube for full-video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNjm1MTdjysRRV07fSf0yGg Give us a public shout-out on LinkedIn or anywhere you have a social media followingKey linksGet your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/Learn more about Chris and YanivWork 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthurIntro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/

On today's Legally Speaking Podcast, I am delighted to be joined by Jonathan Keen.Jonathan is the Senior Director of Legal, International at Figma, a leading collaborative design tool for building meaningful products. With over 12 years of experience as an in-house lawyer for high-growth businesses, he provides legal advice on strategic initiatives.He is also a Member of the Global Legal and International Leadership Teams at Figma. Jonathan has been recognised in the Lawyer Hot 100, Legal Business GC Powerlist and the British Legal Awards. So why should you be listening in? You can hear Rob and Jonathan discussing:- Jonathan Moving from Private Practice to In-House Legal Roles- Figma's International Growth and Success- Legal Team Empowerment and Motivation- The Importance of Continuous Improvement in Tech Company Culture- Career Advice and Key Recommendations from JonathanConnect with Jonathan here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-keen-6748a9143/

We want to hear from you.If you've been enjoying the show, we'd love your input. It only takes a minute to answer our listener survey, and your feedback really helps us improve the podcast: https://forms.gle/6j5GLzwK6GQF7Hzx7In this episode, Chris sits down with Oscar Höglund—Co-Founder and CEO of Epidemic Sound—for an inside look at the mindset, strategy, and resilience it takes to build a billion-dollar business at the intersection of music, media, and tech.From cold-starting a music licensing company in Sweden to scaling a global brand used by YouTubers and filmmakers around the world, Oscar shares the real story behind Epidemic's rise—including the decisions that nearly broke the business, the bets that paid off, and why creativity and data don't have to be enemies.If you're a creator, founder, or anyone trying to do big things without burning out, this episode is packed with honest insights on scaling with soul, leading through uncertainty, and staying rooted in purpose while navigating growth.Timestamps:(00:04) – The Origins of Epidemic Sound(06:42) – Startup Struggles and the First Big Pivot(12:15) – Licensing, Creators, and the Market Gap(19:08) – Building Culture and Protecting Simplicity(25:36) – Creativity vs. Data: Finding the Right Balance(33:14) – Leadership Lessons in Hypergrowth(40:10) – Advice for Founders: Curiosity, Courage & Staying HumanCheck out today's guest, Oscar Höglund: Oscar's Website: https://corporate.epidemicsound.com/Oscar's LinkedIn: https://se.linkedin.com/in/oscarh%C3%B6glundCheck out The Futur:Website: https://www.thefutur.com/Courses: https://www.thefutur.com/shopLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-futur/Podcasts: https://thefutur.com/podcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefuturishere/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theFuturisHere/Twitter: https://x.com/thefuturishereTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thefuturishereYoutube:https://www.youtube.com/thefuturishereCheck out Chris Do:Website: https://zaap.bio/thechrisdoLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/thechrisdo/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/BizOfDesignInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/thechrisdo/Twitter:https://x.com/thechrisdoTikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@thechrisdoThreads:https://www.threads.net/@thechrisdoZaap:

Today on the show we have Kevin Indig, Growth Advisor and Partner at HyperGrowth Partners, a stage accelerator that invests time into early-stage startups to help them achieve and sustain rapid growth post-Series A. Kevin is also the former Director of SEO at Shopify and VP of SEO & Content at G2, with a rich background advising top startups like Glean, Toast, and Reddit.In this episode, Kevin breaks down how AI is fundamentally changing the world of SEO. We explore why 2024 might have been the last year of peak organic traffic, how AI is creating higher-intent traffic that converts better, and why brand trust matters more than ever in search results.Kevin also dives into how LLMs use search engine data to ground responses, why traditional content strategies are losing relevance, and how modern companies should pivot toward first-party data, robust documentation, and strong communities.We also discuss the evolving role of Chrome, why Reddit is having a moment, and why retention—not just clicks—is becoming the ultimate SEO metric.As usual, I'm excited to hear what you think of this episode, and if you have any feedback, I would love to hear from you. You can email me directly on andrew@churn.fm. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter.Key Resources:WebsiteLinkedInGrowth MemoHyperGrowth PartnersGoogle I/OOpenAIChatGPTRedditPerplexityPostHogChurn FM is sponsored by Vitally, the all-in-one Customer Success Platform.

In this episode of The Ross Simmonds Show, Ross unpacks the silent bottlenecks that are stalling high-potential B2B companies, regardless of their size or success. Drawing from years of experience working with startups to publicly traded enterprises, Ross highlights the most overlooked internal barriers to growth and, more importantly, how to eliminate them. You'll walk away with actionable advice and frameworks to optimize your messaging, sales cycle, onboarding flow, content strategy, and team alignment, all aimed at transforming friction into momentum. Key Takeaways and Insights: Common B2B Bottlenecks Misaligned Messaging Speaking to investors instead of customers is a fatal UX misstep. Use real customer language on homepages and in sales materials. Focus on emotional resonance and clarity, not buzzwords. Apply the AIDA framework: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. Bloated Revenue Process Long, complicated sales cycles add friction, not value. Reduce approvals and handoffs—especially for low-ticket SaaS products. Make buying intuitive: include pricing, live demos, streamlined decks.

As industrial greentech scales, it faces hypertransformation: disrupting value chains, deploying new tech, demanding huge capital, and struggling with rapid growth. This is a stage at which traditional startup playbooks can't keep up.So, how do founders and investors survive, and thrive, through this chaos?Laurits Bach Sørensen, Co-Founder of Nordic Alpha, shares a powerful new framework: Hypertransformation. This is how Nordic Alpha sold Spirii to Edenred for €175M and Wiferion to Tesla for €82M. In this conversation, we cover:- Why green tech needs more than capital to win- The $215 trillion reindustrialization opportunity- How U.S. and China outplay Europe on policy- The 4 forces of hypertransformation- Why Northvolt failed, and how it could've been saved- … and more!⌛TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction02:13 Introduction to Nordic Alpha5:24 The Need for Re-Industrialization 11:42 Skepticism in Climate Tech 15:18 Understanding Hyper Transformation 19:01 Four Forces of Hyper Transformation 27:54 Capital Expenditure in Hypergrowth 36:48 Managing Hypergrowth 39:20 Northvolt Case Study 49:50 Free Tools You Can Use 53:34 Rapid Fire Questions

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, Zoom went from steady growth to hyperscale almost overnight, even generating a backlog of a million tickets. Sarah Riley was a finance leader in the company at the time. She joins CJ to talk about what she learned from the experience and how it impacted her in her current role as CFO of dbt Labs. She also explains the influence of Helmer's Seven Powers framework on her strategic decisions. The discussion covers how Sarah's evolved pricing models, and helped bring product-led and sales-led growth together into a single go-to-market strategy at dbt Labs. She breaks down how she uses big systems thinking to build out a finance org, how to create healthy off-ramps for pilots, and what's actually okay to break when “moving fast and breaking stuff”. She also touches on the current use cases for AI in finance and for turning your team from “doers to reviewers”.—LINKS:Sarah Riley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahjriley/dbt Labs: https://www.getdbt.com7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy: https://7powers.com/CJ on X (@cjgustafson222): https://x.com/cjgustafson222Mostly metrics: http://mostlymetrics.comRELATED EPISODES:Wasted Capital and Where to Find It: The CFO's Guide to Spoilage Levers Leakages: —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Preview and Intro(02:18) Sponsor – Pulley | Navan | NetSuite(05:53) Being at Zoom at the Start of the Pandemic(10:14) Challenges Caused by the Influx of Customers(14:06) Takeaways From Sarah's Time at Zoom: M&A and Build Versus Buy(15:49) Sponsor – Planful | Tabs | Rippling Spend(19:38) Taking Advantage of Your High Share Price for M&A(20:56) What dbt Labs Does(24:27) Pricing Evolutions at dbt Labs: Freemium and Open-Source(27:51) Seat-Based, Usage-Based, Hybrid, or Outcome-Based Pricing(30:27) Pros and Cons of a Free Component(32:17) Finance and Sales in dbt's Evolving Go-to-Market Strategy(34:09) The Evolution of dbt Labs' ICP(35:09) The Helmer 7 Powers Framework(40:39) Being a Big Systems Thinker While Building a Finance Org(44:16) Moving and Iterating Quickly: Creating Healthy Off-Ramps for Pilots(46:19) What You Can and Can't Break When “Moving Fast and Breaking Stuff”(47:32) The Current State of AI and Use Cases in Finance(51:20) Long-Ass Lightning Round: Boundary Definition(52:08) Advice to Younger Self(52:56) Finance Software Stack(55:20) Craziest Expense Story—SPONSORS:Pulley is the cap table management platform built for CFOs and finance leaders who need reliable, audit-ready data and intuitive workflows, without the hidden fees or unreliable support. Switch in as little as 5 days and get 25% off your first year: pulley.com/mostlymetrics.Navan is the all-in-one travel and expense solution that helps finance teams streamline reconciliation, enforce policies automatically, and gain real-time visibility. It connects to your existing cards and makes closing the books faster and smarter. Visit navan.com/Runthenumbers for your demo.NetSuite is an AI-powered business management suite, encompassing ERP/Financials, CRM, and ecommerce for more than 41,000 customers. If you're looking for an ERP, head to https://netsuite.com/metrics and get the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine Learning.Planful's financial planning software can transform your FP&A function. Built for speed, accuracy, and confidence, you'll be planning your way to success and have time left over to actually put it to work. Find out more at www.planful.com/metrics.Tabs is a platform that brings all of your revenue-facing data and workflows - billing, AR, payments, rev rec, and reporting - onto a single system so you can automate and be more flexible. Find out more at: tabs.inc/metrics.Rippling Spend is a spend management software that gives you complete visibility and automated policy controls across every type of spend, saving you time and money. Get a demo to see how much time your org would save at rippling.com/metrics.#hypergrowth #7Powers #FinanceStrategy #bigsystemsthinking #GoToMarketStrategy Get full access to Mostly metrics at www.mostlymetrics.com/subscribe

How do you know when a company is ready to go public? And what do you do to prepare for this? Chirag Shah, CFO of Motive and former CFO of Kong and Cornerstone OnDemand, joins CJ to share insights from his experience of scaling businesses from $30 million to nearly $1 billion and tripling ARR. He talks about taking companies public and how he helped take one private again in a $5.2 billion deal. In this episode, he explains what signals indicate that a company is ready to accelerate its growth, the art and science of building sales capacity, and how to balance efficiency and growth in hypergrowth mode. He also covers how to achieve a great valuation without a strong performance, the biggest headache on the road to IPO, and whether you should IPO in the first place or remain private.—LINKS:Chirag Shah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chirag-shah-787b1b20/Motive: https://gomotive.com/CJ on X (@cjgustafson222): https://x.com/cjgustafson222Mostly metrics: http://mostlymetrics.com—TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Preview and Intro(02:11) Sponsor – Tabs | Rippling Spend | Pulley(06:25) Personal Product Market Fit: Preparing Companies for IPOs(10:34) How Being a General Manager Made Chirag a Better CFO(15:02) Sponsor – Navan | NetSuite | Planful(18:11) Asking Better Questions in Finance(20:08) Signals That a Company Is Ready To Accelerate Its Growth(25:10) The Art and Science of Building Sales Capacity(28:35) The Dangers of Adding Too Many Sales Reps(33:22) Determining the Numbers of Recruiters and Sales Manager Interviews(35:03) How To Garner a Great Valuation Without a Strong Performance(37:18) The Sweet Spot for Earnings Guidance(41:22) The Biggest Headache on the Road to IPO(44:03) Underappreciated Challenges of Being a Public SaaS Company(46:42) Taking Cornerstone OnDemand Public and Then Private Again(50:17) IPO or Stay Private: Advice for CFOs(52:15) Optimizing for Public Company Holders Versus Private Equity Investors(55:05) Balancing Efficiency and Growth in Hypergrowth Mode(58:34) Long-Ass Lightning Round: Preparation for Being a CFO(01:01:34) Advice to Younger Self(01:04:04) Finance Software Stack(01:05:01) Craziest Expense Story—SPONSORS:Tabs is a platform that brings all of your revenue-facing data and workflows - billing, AR, payments, rev rec, and reporting - onto a single system so you can automate and be more flexible. Find out more at: tabs.inc/metrics.Rippling Spend is a spend management software that gives you complete visibility and automated policy controls across every type of spend, saving you time and money. Get a demo to see how much time your org would save at rippling.com/metrics.Pulley is the cap table management platform built for CFOs and finance leaders who need reliable, audit-ready data and intuitive workflows, without the hidden fees or unreliable support. Switch in as little as 5 days and get 25% off your first year: pulley.com/mostlymetrics.Navan is the all-in-one travel and expense solution that helps finance teams streamline reconciliation, enforce policies automatically, and gain real-time visibility. It connects to your existing cards and makes closing the books faster and smarter. Visit navan.com/Runthenumbers for your demo.NetSuite is an AI-powered business management suite, encompassing ERP/Financials, CRM, and ecommerce for more than 41,000 customers. If you're looking for an ERP, head to https://netsuite.com/metrics and get the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine Learning.Planful's financial planning software can transform your FP&A function. Built for speed, accuracy, and confidence, you'll be planning your way to success and have time left over to actually put it to work. Find out more at www.planful.com/metrics.#scaling #goingpublic #hypergrowth #IPO #PrivateVersusPublic Get full access to Mostly metrics at www.mostlymetrics.com/subscribe

On today's episode, we're talking with Jeremy Pollock, VP of Product at WP Engine. In this episode, we discuss: Why speed is the new moat — Jeremy is pushing PMs to use AI, ship code, and move fast, because in the AI era, slow teams fall behind for good How WP Engine is enabling product teams to use AI — through access, training, and best practices that turn weeks of work into hours And, How big, aspirational product goals create momentum — giving teams the motivation to “eat their vegetables” and tackle the foundational work required for long-term success Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dane-molter-6b937231/ Navan: https://navan.com/ Resources (Ethically) cheat your way to $250M+ | Mikal Lewis, Product Exec. (Whole Foods, Nordstrom): https://youtu.be/5txeT2U_YQo Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:06 Dane Molter's Journey From Amex to Grubhub 01:44 The Grubhub Experience: Embracing Imperfection 04:08 The Push for Hypergrowth in Product 05:19 Lessons in Product Risk and Innovation 06:59 The Bigger Picture: Product Beyond Technology 09:30 Focusing on Bravery in Product Innovation 12:12 Applying Product Lessons at Navan 17:50 Enterprise Travel Challenges and AI Solutions 19:53 Business Outcomes and Accountability 20:13 Learning Business Mechanics at Amex 26:15 The Importance of Small Tests in Product Testing 34:27 Navigating AI and Emerging Technologies 37:45 Outro Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPod.byLogRocket)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr).

In this week's episode of The Future of Security Operations podcast, Thomas is joined by Raymond Schippers. With 15 years of experience leading detection and response teams, Raymond is a seasoned security leader with high-impact roles at Check Point and Canva under his belt. He recently became co-founder of Huntabil.IT, a Melbourne-based company providing organizations with tailored advisory services to align with their unique threat landscapes and business goals. In this episode: [02:27] Landing his first security internship at Siemens as a teenager [03:18] Reflecting on some state-sponsored attacks he encountered while working IR at Check Point [04:45] Working with government partners to attribute and dismantle APTs [08:10] The challenges of remediating threats for anonymized customers [09:30] What inspired Raymond's move from Check Point to Canva [10:35] Building Canva's blue team during the company's phase of hypergrowth [12:40] Rethinking the interview process to prioritize diversity in hiring [18:02] Proven strategies for reducing burnout and alert fatigue in IR [21:09] How Raymond's team used automation to scale security operations at Canva [23:16] The state of AI in security - and its most effective use cases [28:53] What inspired Raymond to found Huntabil.IT [31:09] Raymond's approach to working with non-profit organizations [39:15] The under-reported threats that could reshape the future of SecOps [44:06] Anticipating the biggest challenges security teams will face over the next five years [46:42] Connect with Raymond Where to find Raymond Schippers: LinkedIn Huntabil.IT Where to find Thomas Kinsella: LinkedIn Tines Resources mentioned: Cyber Threat Alliance Raymond's talk on avoiding team burnout at BSides Perth

In this episode, Tobi chats with Adam Schuck, Senior Engineering Director at Canva, a company that has scaled to over 5,000 employees, 2,000+ engineers, and 230 million MAUs while remaining profitable. Adam shares his journey through startups (including acquisitions by Twitter and Canva) and large tech companies like Google, leading to his current role managing 220 engineers at Canva. They dive deep into the challenges and strategies behind Canva's hypergrowth, including:

In this episode of From Start-Up to Grown-Up, host Alisa Cohn sits down with Daniel Yanisse, co-founder and CEO of Checkr, to discuss the exhilarating rise and the challenges of sustaining a high-growth company. Checkr revolutionized the background check industry, scaling from a $1M revenue run rate in just three months to processing millions of background checks annually. But with hypergrowth came intense operational, cultural, and leadership challenges.Daniel shares how he navigated:Hiring at hyperspeed—and why some employees quit on day one.The "hangover" after hypergrowth—losing key executives and investor pressure.How to hire and retain top executives—and avoid common leadership hiring mistakes.Revising a company mission to balance fairness and safety while scaling.The "Fly High, Fly Low" leadership approach—balancing strategy and deep operational insights.This episode is packed with real-world lessons for founders, CEOs, and startup leaders facing the challenges of rapid growth, leadership transitions, and market shifts.

In this episode, we host Cem Kansu, Vice President of Product at Duolingo, the world's leading language-learning platform.Duolingo has experienced tremendous growth, transforming from a free translation app in 2011 to a public company valued at over $15 billion, with annual revenues exceeding $700 million. The platform now offers courses in 43 languages, boasts over 113 million monthly active users, and has expanded into math and music education.Cem has been instrumental to Duolingo's success over the past nine years, leading all core product, growth, and monetization efforts.In this episode, we'll explore Duolingo's product and market expansion strategy, how the company introduces gamification to drive engagement, and the key leading indicators used to increase monetization while staying true to its mission of free education. We'll also delve into how Duolingo runs concurrent experiments at scale and the role of voice AI in personalizing the learning experience, including innovative features like the "Video Call with Lily."What you'll learn:- Cem's journey in leading product at Duolingo and his insights on balancing growth with educational accessibility.- Strategies for building a successful freemium model in the education technology space.- How Duolingo leverages A/B testing and data-driven decision-making.- The role of AI and gamification in creating engaging learning experiences.Key Takeaways

When it comes to challenging the status quo in SaaS and product strategy, you can't fundamentally disrupt an industry without failing fast and pushing boundaries. On today's episode of LaunchPod, we're talking with Dane Molter, VP of Product and Strategy at Navan, an all-in-one travel and expense app for corporate travelers. In this episode, Dane talks about: His framework for driving product teams to “be brave,” ship faster, and attain huge goals Why perfect is actually the enemy of progress, and when good enough is actually good enough How to exceed the perceived boundaries of any solution, and deliver product that really disrupts the world Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dane-molter-6b937231/ Navan: https://navan.com/ Resources (Ethically) cheat your way to $250M+ | Mikal Lewis, Product Exec. (Whole Foods, Nordstrom): https://youtu.be/5txeT2U_YQo Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:06 Dane Molter's Journey From Amex to Grubhub 01:44 The Grubhub Experience: Embracing Imperfection 04:08 The Push for Hypergrowth in Product 05:19 Lessons in Product Risk and Innovation 06:59 The Bigger Picture: Product Beyond Technology 09:30 Focusing on Bravery in Product Innovation 12:12 Applying Product Lessons at Navan 17:50 Enterprise Travel Challenges and AI Solutions 19:53 Business Outcomes and Accountability 20:13 Learning Business Mechanics at Amex 26:15 The Importance of Small Tests in Product Testing 34:27 Navigating AI and Emerging Technologies 37:45 Outro Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPod.byLogRocket)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today. (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr) Special Guest: Dane Molter.

Andy is the founder of Artisanal Ventures and Artisanal Talent, one of Silicon Valley's top search firms. He's helped build leadership teams at companies like Databricks, Snowflake, Confluent, Abnormal Security, AcuityMD, and many more.In this episode, he shares…- How founders can differentiate in the talent war today- Maximizing the success rate of executive hires- Why interviews are a waste of time- The best ways to do references- How to choose the right search firm& more (00:00) Intro(02:02) Andy Price's Background and Career Journey(03:20) The Role of Founders in Hiring(04:32) Challenges in Early Stage Hiring(10:08) Importance of Venture Capital Brand(12:14) Effective Search Processes and Candidate Evaluation(23:27) Backchannel References and Networking(29:10) Identifying Key Players in Sales Growth(29:44) The Importance of Minimal Disruption(30:40) Effective Founder-Executive Relationships(30:57) The Role of Soak Time in Differentiation(31:52) Hiring Strategies for Rapid Growth(33:42) Common Failure Modes in Hiring(34:32) Aligning Founder and Executive Expectations(38:26) Building a Strong Talent Acquisition Team(40:51) The Talent Wars and Hiring Choke Points(44:24) Balancing Skill Sets and Company Culture(47:29) Evaluating and Upleveling Team Members(49:59) The Importance of Forecasting and Planning(51:34) Handling Executive Transitions Smoothly(59:09) The Art of Firing: Best Practices(59:32) Handling Employee Terminations with Dignity(01:02:19) Negotiating with Candidates: Tips and Tricks(01:06:31) Understanding Compensation Trends(01:08:18) Avoiding Common Founder Mistakes(01:11:28) Scaling Operations in Hypergrowth(01:15:00) Navigating the Current VC and Talent Ecosystem(01:23:34) The Importance of Specialized Search Firms(01:28:03) Adapting to the New Market Realities(01:30:46) Final Thoughts and Reflections Executive Producer: Rashad AssirProducer: Leah ClapperMixing and editing: Justin Hrabovsky Check out Unsupervised Learning, Redpoint's AI Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCUl-s_Vp-Kkk_XVyDylNwLA

Serial CFO Michael Bayer, who is currently the CFO of Wasabi, joins CJ to share wisdom from his long career. He talks about his journey from being a “CF-no" to becoming a “CF-go” while emphasizing the importance of strategic investment to fuel hypergrowth companies. He breaks down the epochs of growth that a company goes through as it scales from driving revenue to focusing on cash flow. He highlights the significance of order of magnitude thinking and hiring for future needs. Michael also introduces his “rock-turning” exercise for identifying and addressing issues when joining a company, and shares his three guiding principles: speed is God, best ideas win, and if you're not making mistakes, you're not trying hard enough. The episode concludes with an insightful story about Van Halen's "brown M&M" clause, and what finance leaders can learn from it.—SPONSORS:RightRev automates the revenue recognition process from end to end, gives you real-time insights, and ensures ASC 606 / IFRS 15 compliance—all while closing books faster. Whether it's multi-element arrangements, subscription renewals, or complex usage-based contracts, RightRev takes care of it all. That means fewer spreadsheets, fewer errors, and more time for your team to focus on growth. For modern revenue recognition simplified, visit rightrev.com and schedule a demo.Planful is a financial performance management platform designed to streamline financial tasks for businesses. It helps with budgeting, closing the books, and financial reporting, all on a cloud-based platform. By improving the efficiency and accuracy of these processes, Planful allows businesses to make better financial decisions. Find out more at www.planful.com/metrics.Brex offers the world's smartest corporate card on a full-stack global platform that is everything CFOs need to manage their finances on an elite level. Plus they offer modern banking and treasury as well as intuitive expenses and accounting automation, bill pay, and travel. Brex makes it easy to control spend before it happens, automate annoying tasks, and optimize your finances. Find out how Brex can help you make every dollar count at brex.com/metrics.Vanta's trust management platform takes the manual work out of your security and compliance process and replaces it with continuous automation. Over 9000 businesses use it to automate compliance needs across over 35 frameworks like SOC 2 and ISO 27001. Centralize security workflows, complete questionnaires up to five times faster, and proactively manage vendor risk. For a limited time, get $1,000 off of Vanta at vanta.com/metrics.Tropic is an intelligent spend management solution that consolidates your spend data and processes into one unified offering, enabling insights and decisive action. It doesn't just show you where the problems are—it helps you solve them. From spotting hidden optimization opportunities, like duplicative spend, to automating those painful procurement workflows, to giving you the best market data that turns every vendor negotiation in your favor. Tropic combines smart insights with real human expertise to keep you ahead of the curve. Visit tropicapp.io/mostlymetrics to learn how—FOLLOW US ON X:@cjgustafson222 (CJ)—TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Preview and Intro(02:16) Sponsor – RightRev | Planful | Brex(06:02) The Reason for a Sloth Background(08:31) A Company's Epochs of Growth(12:52) Staffing for the Different Epochs of Growth(17:08) Sponsor – Vanta | Tropic(21:29) The CF-No Versus CF-Go Mentalities(23:42) The “Rule Of” Metric: EBITDA or Cash Flow(27:05) The Rock-Turning Exercise(29:12) The First Rock Michael Turns Over(30:26) Forming Relationships Before Solving Problems(32:08) The Time Factor in Becoming a Good CFO(36:01) Michael's Three Simple Rules for Being a Great CFO(38:45) Creating Space for the Best Ideas(41:18) What It Means to “Rent Capital”(47:25) The Brown M&M Story Get full access to Mostly metrics at www.mostlymetrics.com/subscribe

Cette semaine, je reçois Anis Bennaceur, le cofondateur et CEO de Attention, une startup qui utilise l'IA pour transformer la manière dont les commerciaux travaillent et interagissent avec leur CRM.Au cours de cet épisode, nous sommes revenus sur le parcours fascinant d'Anis : de ses débuts dans la finance à son expérience chez Tinder, en passant par le lancement de ses premières startups avant Attention. Il partage avec nous les pivots stratégiques et technologiques qui ont permis à Attention de passer de 0 à 1 million d'ARR en 10 mois, ainsi que son approche du growth hacking et du développement produit.Nous avons parlé de l'évolution du métier de commercial avec l'IA :Remplissage automatique du CRM et gain de productivitéAutomatisation des tâches sales avec des agents IAPerspectives sur l'avenir des équipes commerciales et l'impact des voice agentsStratégies de croissance et différenciation face aux copycatsEnfin, Anis nous partage ses recommandations de lecture et ressources pour mieux comprendre la vente, l'opérationnel et l'impact de l'IA.Vous pouvez suivre Anis sur LinkedIn.Bonne écoute !Mentionnés pendant l'épisode :

Today, we're talking with Andy Boyd, CPO of Appfire, which provides a portfolio of over 100 collaboration solutions. In this episode, Andy details: His no-fail growth formula from driving product-led growth (PLG) at IBM Watson Learn from Andy's product-lead growth examples from his book, Enterprise Growth Playbook The ways he uses data to drive experimentation velocity and avoid decision paralysis How he's slingshotted his career by focusing on working with great people, rather than chasing titles or compensation - and why you should too! Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyfboyd/ Website: https://andyfboyd.com/ Appfire: https://appfire.com/ Enterprise Growth Playbook: https://andyfboyd.com/enterprise-growth-playbook/ Chapters 00:00 The Data Dilemma: Product Decision-Making 00:15 Intro 01:16 The Introduction of Product-Led Growth at IBM Watson 02:19 Driving Monthly Active Users: Strategies and Successes 03:16 Understanding Growth: Product vs. Marketing 04:01 The Early Days of PLG at IBM 05:20 From Developer to Product Manager 08:13 Launching Growth Teams Across IBM 11:39 Key Learnings from Developer-Focused Projects 14:51 The Power of Simplicity in Growth Strategies 16:46 Writing the Enterprise Growth Playbook 20:21 The Silver Bullet Myth in Growth Strategies 21:22 The Magic of Compounding Growth 22:31 Data-Driven Decision Making 26:29 Transitioning to Appfire 28:23 Scaling and Hypergrowth at Appfire 31:42 Effective Customer Feedback Mechanisms 35:31 Career Advice: From IBM to Appfire 40:23 Outro Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPod.byLogRocket)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today. (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr) Special Guest: Andy Boyd.

Welcome to the Artificial Intelligence Podcast with Jonathan Green! In this engaging episode, we dive into the evolving landscape of AI in sales with our special guest, Alex Puga, from Hypergrowth. Alex shares his insights on the integration of AI technologies within sales processes, emphasizing the importance of human oversight to maintain authenticity and trust in customer interactions.Alex underscores the necessity of "babysitting" AI tools, ensuring they augment current skills without compromising trust. He elaborates on how Hypergrowth operates as a managed service, focusing on lead generation through a detailed approach that prioritizes quality over quantity.Notable Quotes:"We want to get to this whole AI SDR world... But Hypergrowth does is we're essentially handholding the AI agents through every step of the process." - [Alex Puga] "The more we begin to use these AI agents, the more we are losing human touch... You're going to get replaced by someone that's using AI." - [Alex Puga] "These little mistakes can get bigger and bigger." - [Jonathan Green] There is a desperation for authenticity that I'm seeing in the market..." - [Jonathan Green]Connect with Alex Puga:https://www.hypergrowthgtm.com/Connect with Jonathan Green The Bestseller: ChatGPT Profits Free Gift: The Master Prompt for ChatGPT Free Book on Amazon: Fire Your Boss Podcast Website: https://artificialintelligencepod.com/ Subscribe, Rate, and Review: https://artificialintelligencepod.com/itunes Video Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtificialIntelligencePodcast

Annie Baymiller, CIO at Owens Corning, joins host Maryfran Johnson for this CIO Leadership Live interview. They discuss advancing genAI and digital strategies, boosting employee safety with predictive analytics, enterprise leverage vs. regional operating models and more.

  “Sometimes the right answer for Anthropic would be things that 99% of tech companies wouldn't even consider. You have to be appropriately open to weirdness—not weirdness for the sake of weirdness, but tied to what we're trying to achieve in the world.” —Brian Isreal, GC, Anthropic In this episode, Mary sits down with Brian Israel, General Counsel at Anthropic, to explore what it's like to operate at the legal and cultural frontier of AI. From building a hypergrowth legal team to designing a legal “front end” that prioritizes user experience, Brian shares his perspective on leadership, innovation, and navigating the edge of the possible. Topics covered include: Anthropic's mission: Building a safer transition to transformative AI and how that shapes the company's operations and values. Legal team culture: What it means to be “appropriately open to weirdness” in service of a larger mission. Hypergrowth dynamics: Lessons from scaling a legal team from one person to 27 in just two years. Front-end legal design: Translating complex legal concepts into actionable advice for fast-moving teams. AI in legal workflows: How Anthropic's own tool, Claude, has become an integral member of the legal team. Ownership and leadership: Why accountability and agency are critical in a high-stakes environment. Brian's journey to Anthropic—from NASA to startup land—is as unconventional as his approach to law. Tune in to hear his insights on culture, collaboration, and why the best legal teams are both technically excellent and human-centered. Catch the full conversation now, and don't miss Brian's take on how AI is poised to redefine the legal profession. Connect with us and join the conversation: Follow Mary on LinkedIn Rate and review on Apple Podcasts  

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… LinkedIn Jobs. A business is only as strong as its people, and every hire matters. Go to https://www.linkedin.com/twist to post your first job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Washington Post. Stay informed with trusted journalism from The Washington Post. Right now, TWiST listeners can subscribe for just 50 cents per week for your first year at https://www.washingtonpost.com/twist Beehiiv. Power your newsletters with AI tools, referral programs, and ad network features—all in one platform. Get 30 days free and 20% off your first 3 months at https://www.beehiiv.com/twist * Todays show: Alex Wilhelm kicks off the show with Cyera's Yotam Segev to dive into the state of enterprise data security. They discuss Cyera's impressive feat of raising $300 million just quarters after its previous mega-round and explore the company's recent nine-figure acquisition of Trail Security. Next, Alex unpacks ServiceTitan's successful IPO and Broadcom's milestone achievement of reaching a $1 trillion market cap. To close, Cake Equity's Kim Hansen joins the conversation to share insights into his company's growth strategy and how it's thriving in a highly competitive market. * Timestamps: (0:00) Alex kicks off the show (2:12) Cyera's Yotam Seveg joins the show (10:05) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://www.linkedin.com/twist (11:34) Evolution from information security to cybersecurity and automated data categorization (20:44) Cyera's acquisition strategy and impact on the company (28:00) Washington Post - TWiST listeners can subscribe for just 50 cents per week for your first year at https://www.washingtonpost.com/twist (29:10) AI's impact on data security and competition in the cybersecurity market (34:19) ServiceTitan IPO, market reaction, and implications for the industry (37:34) Beehiiv - Get 30 days free and 20% off your first 3 months at ⁠https://www.beehiiv.com/twist (39:05) Tech companies reaching significant market caps and IPO performances (47:17) Texas attorney general's lawsuit against tech companies over data practices (48:21) Cake Equity's Kim Hansen joins the show (49:02) Cake Equity's mission, platform, and cap table management software demo (54:29) Cake Equity's user interface, employee engagement, and expansion plans (58:22) Automation in onboarding and international growth challenges for Cake Equity * Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com * Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp * Mentioned on the show: https://www.cyera.io https://www.cakeequity.com * Follow Yotam: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yotam-segev * Follow Kim: X: https://x.com/KimHansenYeah LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimhansencake * Follow Alex: X: https://x.com/alex LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm * Follow Jason: X: https://twitter.com/Jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Thank you to our partners: (10:05) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://www.linkedin.com/twist (28:00) Washington Post - TWiST listeners can subscribe for just 50 cents per week for your first year at https://www.washingtonpost.com/twist (37:34) Beehiiv - Get 30 days free and 20% off your first 3 months at ⁠https://www.beehiiv.com/twist * Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland * Check out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow TWiST: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

Today I have the extreme pleasure of sitting down with Cameron Herold, former COO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? and the founder of an international coaching business — COO Alliance. Cameron is a bestselling author, a highly-awarded speaker, and he coaches hundreds of COOs all over the world. He's referred to as the “CEO Whisperer” and started mastering business at just 20 years old. In this episode, he reveals hyper-growth strategies that will skyrocket your business. We dive into his best tips for building a team to create maximum growth and his most sought-after marketing strategies. There's a LOT of useful information here, so get ready to take notes …Resources:Get 500 FREE Business Ideas: https://bit.ly/49aoMWnEpisode 128: https://www.upflip.com/podcastConnect with Cameron: CameronHerold.comConnect with UpFlip: On Facebook On Instagram On Youtube @UpFlipOfficial on Twitter For more insights to start, build, or grow a business, check out the resources on UpFlip.com or head to the UpFlip YouTube channel to see more interviews with business owners and experts. Thanks for listening!

Sarah Spoja, the CFO of Tipalti joins CJ to discuss M&A as a growth lever and the evolution of the CFO role in high-growth environments. Drawing from her background in private equity operations at KKR Capstone, she shares insights on the current M&A environment and the boom she predicts for the near future. She also explains how to avoid crushing the soul of a startup in the M&A process and the value of getting your hands dirty in PE Ops. As the CFO of a rapidly expanding SaaS company, Sarah sheds light on how to evolve as the company scales. She shares how to reassess priorities, balance hands-on work with strategic oversight, and navigate external-facing demands like conferences and panels. The conversation covers building investor relationships while avoiding perceptions of always being in-market and highlights the CFO's dual role as strategist and salesperson. From navigating M&A to solving problems across stages from seed to IPO, this episode is packed with insights.If you're looking for an ERP head to NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics and get a customized KPI checklist.—SPONSORS:NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than 40,000 companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅, head to NetSuite https://netsuite.com/metrics and get the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine Learning. Operators Guild is where the best CEOs, CFOs, VPs of finance, and BizOps leaders in the business connect, network, and grow together. Built by operators for operators, this members-only community is home to more than 1000 of the most elite high-growth operators in the world. Experience connection and knowledge share with professionals who understand you like no one else does. Learn more and apply at operators-guild.com. Maxio is the only billing and financial operations platform that was purpose built for B2B SaaS. They're helping SaaS finance teams automate billing and revenue recognition, manage collections and payments, and put together investor grade reporting packages.

Is your business ready to break through growth ceilings and achieve exponential success?In this episode of The Business Ownership Podcast I interviewed Kurt Uhlir. Kurt, often referred to as "The King of Scaling Businesses," is a globally recognized marketing and growth expert renowned for his ability to rapidly scale organizations across various industries and stages, from startups and IPOs to Fortune 500 firms and turnarounds. With a career spanning six continents, he has consistently identified unique growth opportunities while systemizing operations and building repeatable processes that drive success.As a trusted thought leader, Kurt has delivered impactful speeches across the United States and Europe, presenting at prestigious events such as PPAI, GDC, EXPCON, and even at the White House. His expertise has made him a sought-after advisor, working with a diverse range of leaders, from startup founders and private-equity-backed CEOs to the President of the United States.Kurt's insights have been featured in major media outlets, including Wired, TechCrunch, Thrive Global, USA Today, Business 2 Community, WGN Radio, NBC, and ABC. His passion for fostering growth and innovation continues to inspire audiences worldwide.What if scaling your business to hypergrowth was simpler than you think? Check this out!Show links: Kurt Uhlir Website: https://kurtuhlir.comKurt Uhlir on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtuhlir/Book a call with Michelle: https://go.appointmentcore.com/book/IcFD4cGJoin our Facebook group for business owners to get help or help other business owners! The Business Ownership Group - Secrets to Scaling: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessownershipsecretstoscalingLooking to scale your business? Get free gifts here to help you on your way: https://www.awarenessstrategies.com/