Entertaining and Entrepreneurship - Howard Lerman, CEO and Co-Founder Yext [S4.E3]

Howard Lerman is the CEO and co-founder of Yext (NYSE:YEXT) a US$360m revenue business that is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. 

Maybe listeners have had interactions with Yext and never known it. Every time you google a business, or ask Siri a question, the up to date information is being powered by the Yext platform. We all know of that terrible customer experience of getting misinformation – like googling opening times for example, only to turn up and the shop or your favourite restaurant is closed. Digital knowledge management across platforms is what has built Yext into the business it is today. But this is only the first act - letting brands take control of their information via search and ensuring they are the ultimate source of truth is where Yext’s next act lies. 

Howard  is peerless in his entrepreneurial spirit, an entertainer with an infectious optimism. But this does not hide his deep strategy ability to see an opportunity and run at it with all of his energy. Above all else, this episode will shed some light on all the scaling challenges that get thrown along the journey from start up hustle to the life of a NYSE listed company. 

This podcast sets out to share  the secret sauce of great business leaders – if you enjoy this episode, why not share it with someone who you think might gain benefit – whether as a source of inspiration or to pass through a nugget of advice. TDM Growth Partners also share a great deal of content on their own website and blog pages, and they too can be a wonderful resource for executives and leaders of all businesses sizes. 

You can follow TDM (linktr.ee/tdmgrowth) and host Ed Cowan (linktr.ee/eddiecowan) across social channels.  

Link to Steve Cakebread's book - "The IPO Playbook"

Show notes:

Howard’s upbringing and entrepreneurial background (00:03:23) 

Pivoting from SME to enterprise (00:11:49)

How Answers was developed (00:15:01) 

How to drive change in consumer behaviour for search (21:34)

The operating changes required to cater for greater technology needs in search (24:00)

Howard’s transition as a CEO from founder to running a listed business (00:26:36)

When is the right time to bring in the “pros” to build the systems at scale (00:29:03)

Howard’s relationship with Yext CFO, Steve Cakebread (00:32:23) - link to Steve's book above

Response to Covid (00:37:20)

How to balance being a visionary founder with quarterly reporting (00:39:01)

Raising money at fair valuations (00:39:33)

Interacting with investors (00:41:17)

Brand impact of being a public company (00:42:44)

This podcast is created and published for informational and entertainment only. It is not financial advice. Transcripts may contain occasional errors in fact.