A Career Built Serving SMBs

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Miguel Armaza sits down with René Lacerte, founder and CEO of Bill, one of the fintech industry’s most successful and enduring leaders. From building PayCycle in the 1990s to now leading a publicly-traded company powering the “Fortune 5 Million”—the SMBs that are the backbone of America—René brings nearly three decades of hands-on experience in financial operations, product innovation, and organizational culture.

In this episode, René shares his singular journey, starting with childhood influences from a family steeped in entrepreneurship and jazz music, and moving through decades of building for small and mid-sized businesses. He dives deep into why serving SMBs is both uniquely challenging and vital for communities, and reveals how Bill processes over a trillion dollars annually for nearly half a million clients across the US, in partnership with more than 9,000 accounting firms.

René also shares rapid-fire insights on metrics he obsesses over (customer happiness and escalations), the importance of deep networks for founder success, and why investing in culture is the ultimate bet for long-term company excellence.

A must-listen for founders, fintech builders, and anyone passionate about the future of entrepreneurship, financial technology, and the creative power of small businesses.

Timestamped Overview
00:00 Intro & René Lacerte’s Background
04:41 Piano passion and perseverance
07:34 Dreaming of Wyntons Talent
11:52 SMBs community and identity
16:15 Entrepreneurship Requires Growth and Accountability
18:39 Being present and appreciating
20:11 Tech inspiration for SMBs
25:37 Scorecards Over Job Descriptions
29:47 AI Enhancing Creativity and Impact
33:09 Touchless Workflow Automation
35:38 Trust, data, and fintech success
39:07 Financial ecosystem and acquisitions
41:39 Embracing healthy workplace conflict
45:42 The Power of Networking
48:54 Celebration honors collective effort
51:48 The lasting impact of gratitude

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Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.

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