43: Inside the Mind of a Billion Dollar Startup Founder - Rod Drury of Xero Accounting

Rod Drury conveys a palpable sense of urgency. If there’s one thing he’s picked up in his many years as an entrepreneur, it’s that having a certain velocity can make all the difference.

“Biggest thing I’ve learned in business is actually making things happen. So picking up the phone, asking why, why aren’t we doing it now, why’s it going to take a week, let’s go do it today,” Drury says. “Just driving urgency, and getting things done puts you so far ahead of most other businesses that you can win in a really significant way.”   

It’s the kind of attitude you’d expect from the cofounder and CEO of a company that went public on day one, raising $15 million out of the gate with only about 100 customers. (“I think they were all blood relatives.”)

Since that early IPO in 2007, Drury’s accounting software company Xero has been essentially building a startup in the public eye, and that very sense of urgency has translated to some pretty incredible momentum. Over the course of eight years, the company has raised more than $300 million, they now have more than 1,000 staff, and more than 400,000 customers globally.

Not bad for a little company from New Zealand.

In this interview you will learn:

- Rod's key ingredients to success

- What it takes to build a Billion Dollar Startup

- Why Rod decided to list Xero on the NZ stock exchange when everyone doubted him

- How to develop a compelling vision and lead a team to success

- How Rod manages his life and work life balance

- Raising capital & pitching 101

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