Joining the show this week is someone who’s been building and selling successful companies for 25 years. A well-known and widely respected name in the SaaS community, this guest is none other than the Co-Founder and CEO of G2, Godard Abel.
Godard joins host David Politis to discuss his journey building multiple successful businesses. Godard examines the importance of having the right co-founders, the benefits of a dialed-in team, as well as struggles when scaling a business. He delves into fundraising experiences and managing leadership transitions.
Takeaways:
- The importance of trusted co-founders. Having co-founders that are equally committed to bringing the company vision to life helped motivate Godard to continue with G2’s mission.
- Getting off the ground with reviews. After putting out G2’s alpha, Godard relied on receiving reviews at events like Dreamforce. They eventually started putting QR codes at the end of keynotes and handing out hoodies to gain thousands of new reviews.
- Struggles with Silicon Valley. G2 struggled to gain investors initially, unsuccessfully pitching themselves to investors in California. It wasn’t until they focused on local Chicago opportunities that significant investments were made into G2.
- Indirectly flooding Accel. Entrepreneur’s pitch Accel for fundraising started including G2 Grids in their decks en masse. This constant visibility got Accel to see the value in G2 and brought Godard back from Salesforce to scale the company.
- Giving executives space to operate. While he still has consistent communication and 1 on 1s, Godard is a firm believer of giving executives freedom and responsibility within their roles.
- Patience when hiring executives. David and Godard agree that rushing an executive hiring process is one of the easiest ways to hire the wrong person. Taking the time to find the right match, even if you have to wait for an individual, is worth the time.
Quote of the Show:
- “I'm not like imposing my operating ideas on them, but I wait for them to come and ask. And then I try to be a good advisor, you know, but I let that be they pull… versus me pushing.” - Godard Abel
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