Winning in a large target market with Cognism's James Isilay

May 16, 2022

29:33

Key Points:

James explains how his trading background led him to founding Cognism (01:04)
Cognism's first major pivot (02:25)
My thoughts on early pivots with a quote from Eric Ries (03:39)
James describes how Cognism's market size meant there was plenty of growth opportunity, despite competition (06:24)
I explain the advantage of starting your business outside the hyper-competitive US market with a quote from Jean-René Boidron (07:18)
James talks through why friendly, warm relationships with your early customers is key (08:53)
My opinion on networking and why you should begin marketing efforts years before your product is available (09:57)
I unpack why even mediocre companies can succeed if they have excellent product-market fit, with a quote from Wealthfront's Andy Rachleff (12:28)
James discusses the importance of mentorship (13:28)
My advice on seeking out mentors (14:21)
Why Cognism did things in the early days that wouldn't scale, with a quote from Y Combinator's Paul Graham (16:26)
My thoughts on building out your brand narrative once you've identified your competitive edge (18:55)
James describes the moats Cognism is building for the future (23:57)
Advice James would give to fellow SaaS founders (26:40)
Wrap up (28:09)

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