Ep.234: Alex (@aebridgeman) is joined by Auren Hoffman (@auren).
In this episode, I sit down with Auren Hoffman, CEO of SafeGraph and partner at Flex Capital. The conversation centers around Auren’s experiences in running data companies and his insights into the data as a service market. We discuss the slower-than-expected growth in the buyer's market for data, and what it takes for data companies to achieve significant scale, using ZoomInfo as a prominent example. The discussion also covers team management, including hiring and letting go of employees. I highly recommend Hoffman’s podcast 'World of DaaS’ for those interested in data businesses.
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Links:
Auren on X
World of DaaS Podcast
SafeGraph
Flex Capital
Topics:
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:04:27) - What trend are you trying to learn more about in the Data market today?
(00:09:58) - Factors in why companies may not be buying data
(00:14:13) - Are there cracks in the “data is the new oil” thesis?
(00:15:50) - Common guidelines for data companies
(00;17:54) - How would you apply a B2B SaaS playbook to a data sales company?
(00:18:53) - What is the sales process for SafeGraph?
(00:22:17) - How have you reinvented yourself as a CEO?
(00:26:17) - How do you audit your time?
(00:28:40 - What traits do you look for in recruiting executives?
(00:33:47) - Leveraging tools to help one person be as effective as 2-3 people
(00:40:19) - Are there common reasons you’ve found someone not to be successful?
(00:42:41) - What questions do you ask to find if someone is a good fit?
(00:44:53) - What lessons have you learned from hiring and managing?
(00:55:46) - Flex Capital
(00:57:12) - How can folks reach out to you?
Think Like an Owner 