E2: Webflow's VP Finance Ivan Makarov on Understanding Startup Equity
Run the Numbers
00:00
Becoming a Finance Leader at Scale
CJ asks how Ivan evolved as Webflow's first finance hire and Ivan explains growth, mentorship, and building a personal board.
Play episode from 05:09
Transcript
Transcript
Episode notes
Webflow’s VP of Finance, Ivan Makarov, joins host CJ Gustafson on the second episode of Run The Numbers, where they go straight into the unfiltered. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/metrics
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SPONSORS:
NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand 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 ✅ NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/metrics and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.
Tropic is the next-generation Procurement Platform that’s helping modern CFOs take control of their budgets and bottom line. By combining approval workflows, supplier management, and pricing benchmarks all in one place, Tropic makes savings opportunities easy to find and act on. 🌴 Visit www.tropicapp.io/metrics to learn how.
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RECOMMENDED PODCAST:
The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord.
https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics
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X / TWITTER:
@cjgustafson222 (CJ)
@TurpentineMedia (Turpentine)
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(00:34) CJ's opening monologue: on startup equity
(05:03) Start of CJ and Ivan's interview
(06:00) How Ivan been able to evolve his role over time at Webflow
(09:17) What kept Ivan up at night in the early days of Webflow?
(11:01) On recruiting
(13:23) The inflection point for Webflow
(14:20) Setting culture at Webflow as a finance leader
(15:45) Sponsor: Netsuite
(17:00) On taking risks in your career
(19:30) The most misunderstood elements of startup equity
(23:01) How Ivan thinks about addressing equity questions from Webflow employees
(25:22) How to think about equity
(26:13) Ivan's philosophy on taking advantage of secondary opportunities
(28:25) Ivan's take on Ramp's down round and if companies should allow employees to sell
(30:13) How much should founders take off the table?
(31:50) The first metric Ivan looks at in the morning
(33:22) The top 3 metrics Ivan steers his exec team to look at
(34:29) The last thing Ivan's asked his team to run the numbers on
(37:52) Ivan's approach to work-life balance
(40:46) Long-ass lightning round: an example of when Ivan screwed up on the job, Webflow’s finance software stack, the craziest thing someone has tried to expense
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
---
SPONSORS:
NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand 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 ✅ NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/metrics and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.
Tropic is the next-generation Procurement Platform that’s helping modern CFOs take control of their budgets and bottom line. By combining approval workflows, supplier management, and pricing benchmarks all in one place, Tropic makes savings opportunities easy to find and act on. 🌴 Visit www.tropicapp.io/metrics to learn how.
---
RECOMMENDED PODCAST:
The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord.
https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics
---
X / TWITTER:
@cjgustafson222 (CJ)
@TurpentineMedia (Turpentine)
---
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(00:34) CJ's opening monologue: on startup equity
(05:03) Start of CJ and Ivan's interview
(06:00) How Ivan been able to evolve his role over time at Webflow
(09:17) What kept Ivan up at night in the early days of Webflow?
(11:01) On recruiting
(13:23) The inflection point for Webflow
(14:20) Setting culture at Webflow as a finance leader
(15:45) Sponsor: Netsuite
(17:00) On taking risks in your career
(19:30) The most misunderstood elements of startup equity
(23:01) How Ivan thinks about addressing equity questions from Webflow employees
(25:22) How to think about equity
(26:13) Ivan's philosophy on taking advantage of secondary opportunities
(28:25) Ivan's take on Ramp's down round and if companies should allow employees to sell
(30:13) How much should founders take off the table?
(31:50) The first metric Ivan looks at in the morning
(33:22) The top 3 metrics Ivan steers his exec team to look at
(34:29) The last thing Ivan's asked his team to run the numbers on
(37:52) Ivan's approach to work-life balance
(40:46) Long-ass lightning round: an example of when Ivan screwed up on the job, Webflow’s finance software stack, the craziest thing someone has tried to expense
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
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