In Depth How Gusto built a $9.5 billion company by identifying a burning problem
40 snips
Jul 1, 2025 
Tomer London, co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Gusto, discusses his journey from helping in his father's clothing store to building a $9.5 billion payroll platform. He emphasizes the importance of hiring for humility and embracing customer rejection as a path to innovation. London shares insights on conducting scrappy customer research and why emotional urgency is crucial for product development. He reveals how Gusto evolved from payroll solutions to a multi-product platform, focusing on creating tools that truly resonate with small business owners.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Childhood Shapes Founder Mindset
- Tomer London grew up helping in his father's small clothing store in Israel, gaining firsthand experience of small business challenges.
- This upbringing deeply shaped his motivation to build useful tools for small businesses.
Hire for Humility, Not Just Talent
- Hire for humility and a growth mindset, not just raw intelligence or skillset.
- Build a team that can admit mistakes, give honest feedback, and evolve together.
Seek Customer Rejection and Urgency
- Spend extensive time speaking with customers to predict their thoughts and gain deep intuition.
- Seek strong emotional reactions, either positive urgency or negative rejection, as polite feedback is insufficient.