The Daily Standup Back to the startup grind | Jon Johnson
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May 16, 2025 Jon Johnson, a customer success expert at Great Question and co-host of the Ed Churns podcast, shares valuable insights a few weeks into his new role. He discusses the thrilling chaos of early-stage startups and how they require a fresh perspective on customer success, emphasizing genuine relationships over traditional metrics. Jon highlights the importance of curiosity for growth and the need to redefine success metrics in customer success management. He also shares personal career transitions and the power of community in building lasting professional networks.
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Early-Stage Startup Experience
- Jon Johnson shares his first 45 days at an early-stage startup, describing the chaos like "fresh baby diaper skin".
- He balances fixing urgent issues with building long-term systems for customer success.
Building Protections At Speed
- Smaller companies have shorter communication chains letting employees move faster but requiring protective systems.
- Jon now builds protections he once found a burden, showing maturity in managing startup chaos.
Redefining Customer Success
- Customer success metrics like renewal do not guarantee actual customer success or value realization.
- CSMs must coach customers to define and track their own success metrics beyond corporate targets.