The Goats of Growth Laying the Proper Foundation for Going Public, with Steven Birdsall (Part 2)
In this (part 2) episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Steven Birdsall, a 3X CRO and 4X COO, of both private and public companies.
To recap part 1, we explored pivotal nuances between private and public companies, with a focus on the challenges and opportunities of going public as well as the strategies for optimizing go-to-market approaches, including insights on maintaining focus, achieving margin expansion, and the significance of the "rule of 50" in creating value.
This episode is a contuation of that discussion, but it starts off with Steven answering the question of how to manage expecatations when you have multiple investors, in his case, Board members from 5 separate PE firms. Whether you're in that position now, or it's possible you could be in the future, you'll find Steven's perspective and advice helpful.
What to listen for:
Managing Expectations with Board Members Managing the expectations of different board members requires understanding their specific goals and context, whether it's achieving rule of 50 or market expansion.
Doing more with less: Explains two ways to do more with less: planting seeds by developing new products and adjusting pricing.
Transparency in communication Emphasizes the importance of transparent communication from the CEO when making changes, such as cutting resources or expanding into new markets.
Focus, efficiency, and channel model Discusses the importance of focusing on a specific market, improving efficiency, and utilizing channel models effectively for growth.
What motivates Stephen? Stephen discusses his motivation to help others in various aspects of his life, such as at work, at home, and in church.
Stephen's goal to become a CEO Stephen shares his goal to become a CEO and his decision to leave his current company to focus on achieving this goal by the end of the year.
And much more!