This Week in Startups is brought to you by…
Vanta. Compliance and security shouldn't be a deal-breaker for startups to win new business. Vanta makes it easy for companies to get a SOC 2 report fast. TWiST listeners can get $1,000 off for a limited time at https://www.vanta.com/twist
OpenPhone. Create business phone numbers for you and your team that work through an app on your smartphone or desktop. TWiST listeners can get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://www.openphone.com/twist
DevSquad. DevSquad helps startups design better products. If you need UI and UX expertise and don’t want to hire an entire design team, head to http://devsquad.com/startups and book a call. Mention that you are coming from TWiST to get 10% off.
*
Todays show:
Josh Reeves joins Alex Wilhelm to discuss building a product people love (21:11), SMB challenges (23:56), growth strategies (36:47), and more!
*
Timestamps:
(0:00) Josh Reeves joins Alex Wilhelm
(2:16) Josh's previous startups and the early days of web development
(6:26) Transition to digital solutions and security for small businesses
(10:31) Gusto's growth, success metrics, and market penetration
(13:38) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist
(14:30) Gusto's North Star, marketing strategies, and channel growth
(21:11) Building a product people love with good unit economics
(22:29) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://www.openphone.com/twist
(23:56) Challenges of selling to SMBs and Gusto's product expansion
(28:50) Maintaining simplicity in product development
(35:18) DevSquad - Visit https://www.devsquad.com/startups, book a call, and mention TWIST for 10% off!
(36:47) Ensuring product quality and the role of organic growth in marketing
(44:39) Competitive landscape in payroll and HR space
(48:54) Gusto's potential fintech ventures and communication styles among founders
(56:07) IT spending growth among SMBs and international expansion
(1:00:16) Navigating competition and partnerships
(1:01:41) Diversification of go-to-market strategies
(1:03:31) Financial strategies and thoughts on going public
*
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
*
Follow Josh:
X: https://x.com/joshuareeves
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuareeves
*
Follow Alex:
X: https://x.com/alex
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm
*
Thank you to our partners:
(13:38) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist
(22:29) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://www.openphone.com/twist
(35:18) DevSquad - Visit https://www.devsquad.com/startups, book a call, and mention TWIST for 10% off!
*
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