Don’t stop learning: How Cornerstone kept scaling, w/Adam Miller
Jun 13, 2024
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Entrepreneur Adam Miller shares how he founded Cornerstone and scaled it to over $5.2 billion. He discusses facing tough times, encountering a loan shark, navigating financial crises, making strategic decisions, hiring during crises, and perseverance in scaling a business.
Taking calculated risks, such as borrowing from a loan shark, can save a company from collapse during financial crises.
Adaptability, strategic decision-making, and perseverance are essential in navigating challenges and transforming them into growth opportunities.
Deep dives
The Near-Death Experience in 2005
Adam Miller, CEO of Cornerstone, faced a dire situation in 2005 when the company was running out of money. Despite raising some funds, they were still short. In a moment of desperation, Adam had to borrow money from a loan shark to meet payroll. This risky move saved the company from collapse, showcasing the lengths Adam went to keep the business afloat.
Surviving Market Crashes
After weathering the dot-com burst, Cornerstone faced challenges during the market crashes of 2001 and 2008. Despite financial turmoil and potential closures, Adam's decision to persevere and continue growing the company paid off. By focusing on growth opportunities and retaining clients, Cornerstone navigated through turbulent times, demonstrating resilience in the face of economic uncertainties.
Scaling Through Strategic Decision-Making
Adam's entrepreneurial journey from a one-man operation to a multi-billion dollar business involved strategic decision-making and calculated risks. By hiring talent based on potential, evolving the business model to meet market needs, and embracing challenges with innovative solutions, Cornerstone scaled from mailing out disks for remote learning to becoming a global leader in on-demand education and training.
Adapting to Global Shifts
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Adam's proactive approach in preparing for remote work showcased his ability to adapt to global shifts. By acquiring Saba Software in 2020 and ultimately selling Cornerstone for over $5.2 billion in 2021, Adam demonstrated how bold decisions and perseverance can lead to significant success in navigating crises and transforming challenges into opportunities for growth.
Founded at the dawn of the dot-com era, entrepreneur Adam Miller’s original concept for Cornerstone was a kind of Netflix for adult education: training courses through CD-ROMs. Migrating to online offerings for major corporate clients, Adam steered the company through tough times that included an encounter with a loan shark, markets collapsing, and global crises. By the time he sold the company two decades later – for more than $5.2 billion – Adam learned essential lessons about how to scale during uncertainty.