Bridget Harris, Co-founder @Youcanbook.me. On a way to bootstrap to $10M ARR
May 1, 2023
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Bridget Harris, co-founder of YouCanBook.Me, talks about bootstrapping the company to $5M ARR and their plans to double that. They discuss the benefits of affiliate programs, hiring frugality, and lessons in CEO growth and motivation. They also touch on AI and the future of humanity.
Strategic hiring decisions and cultural fit are crucial for avoiding setbacks and wasted resources.
The bootstrapping approach and emphasis on frugality were key factors in You Can Book Me's success.
Embracing a remote work structure allowed You Can Book Me to tap into a global talent pool and foster a strong company culture.
Deep dives
Success of You Can Book Me
You Can Book Me, an online scheduling tool, has achieved commercial success, with over 20,000 customers, millions of users, and more than 1.5 million bookings per month. It is widely recognized as one of the top three scheduling tools in the industry, serving a diverse range of customers, including universities and small businesses.
Lesson Learned from Early Hiring Mistakes
One of the biggest challenges was hiring the wrong people in the early years, which resulted in setbacks and wasted resources. This experience highlighted the importance of making strategic hiring decisions and prioritizing cultural fit and values alignment. The company has since refined its hiring process to ensure the right people are brought on board and valuable lessons are learned from past mistakes.
The Power of Bootstrapping and Frugality
The company's success is attributed to its bootstrapping approach and emphasis on frugality. By being mindful of expenses and making strategic decisions on where to allocate resources, they were able to grow the business and achieve profitability. This approach allowed them to retain control over their company while gradually investing in key areas of growth and development.
Embracing Remote Work from the Beginning
You Can Book Me embraced a remote work structure from the start, driven by financial considerations and the need to hire talent from diverse locations. This allowed them to tap into a global talent pool and build a team of highly skilled individuals while keeping costs manageable. Remote work also fostered a strong company culture and employee satisfaction, leading to improved productivity and retention.
Anticipating the Impact of AI
The CEO is convinced that the rise of AI, particularly chat GPT (generative pre-trained transformer) technology, will have the most profound effect on society and businesses. The potential of AI to transform knowledge, learning, communication, and problem-solving is comparable to the impact of the printing press. It is expected to revolutionize various sectors, including healthcare, public policy, and education, offering exponential gains to individuals and society as a whole.
In this episode #25, we are talking with Bridget Harris, the co-founder of YouCanBook.Me (https://youcanbook.me/), an online appointment schedule which works directly with Google, iCloud and Microsoft cloud calendars. Some founders are drawn to the opportunity to raise millions and get yet another validation from investors, as well as a chance to grow really fast to beat the market. Others only consider bootstrapping for the sake of being completely independent and having full control over their business. Bridget Harris from YouCanBookMe talks about the way they bootstrapped the company to $5M ARR and are planning to double that in the next couple of years. They've got a great set of values that drive YouCanBook.Me forward, and it definitely looks like this kind of growth is possible for them! Subscribe to our channel to be the first to see the interviews that we publish twice a week - https://www.youtube.com/@saas-group Stay up to date: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/14790796 Twitter - https://twitter.com/SaaS_group Website - https://saas.group/
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