The Journey of Scaling a Tech Company - Godard Abel - Not Another CEO Podcast - Episode #9

Sep 17, 2024

Godard Abel, Co-Founder and CEO of G2 and a seasoned force in the SaaS community, shares his wealth of experience. He emphasizes the critical importance of trusted co-founders and building a committed team. Godard recounts innovative strategies for gathering user feedback and the struggles G2 faced in Silicon Valley before finding success in Chicago. He also discusses leadership transitions, the challenges of recruiting top talent, and the impact of generative AI on software purchasing, all while reflecting on his family's entrepreneurial legacy.

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Intro

00:00 • 2min

The Power of Co-Founders

01:31 • 4min

Building a Tech Marketplace: Challenges and Insights

05:42 • 23min

Navigating Leadership Transitions in Tech Companies

28:52 • 5min

Executive Recruitment and Scaling Challenges

33:32 • 13min

Navigating Uncertainty and the Future of AI in Software Purchasing

46:37 • 6min

Legacy of Entrepreneurship

52:09 • 5min

Driven by Vision

56:40 • 6min

Joining the show this week is someone who’s been building and selling successful companies for 25 years. A well-known and widely respected name in the SaaS community, this guest is none other than the Co-Founder and CEO of G2, Godard Abel.

Godard joins host David Politis to discuss his journey building multiple successful businesses. Godard examines the importance of having the right co-founders, the benefits of a dialed-in team, as well as struggles when scaling a business. He delves into fundraising experiences and managing leadership transitions.

Takeaways:

The importance of trusted co-founders. Having co-founders that are equally committed to bringing the company vision to life helped motivate Godard to continue with G2’s mission.
Getting off the ground with reviews. After putting out G2’s alpha, Godard relied on receiving reviews at events like Dreamforce. They eventually started putting QR codes at the end of keynotes and handing out hoodies to gain thousands of new reviews.
Struggles with Silicon Valley. G2 struggled to gain investors initially, unsuccessfully pitching themselves to investors in California. It wasn’t until they focused on local Chicago opportunities that significant investments were made into G2.
Indirectly flooding Accel. Entrepreneur’s pitch Accel for fundraising started including G2 Grids in their decks en masse. This constant visibility got Accel to see the value in G2 and brought Godard back from Salesforce to scale the company.
Giving executives space to operate. While he still has consistent communication and 1 on 1s, Godard is a firm believer of giving executives freedom and responsibility within their roles.
Patience when hiring executives. David and Godard agree that rushing an executive hiring process is one of the easiest ways to hire the wrong person. Taking the time to find the right match, even if you have to wait for an individual, is worth the time.

Quote of the Show:

“I'm not like imposing my operating ideas on them, but I wait for them to come and ask. And then I try to be a good advisor, you know, but I let that be they pull… versus me pushing.” - Godard Abel

Links:

Twitter: https://x.com/godardabel
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/godardabel/
Website: https://www.g2.com/

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NQ9oAB2XKlgWeL8iEQXg0
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/not-another-ceo-podcast/id1751581707
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7c6328f0-9b42-41db-8fe2-d263b4fbb261
Transistor: https://podcast.notanotherceo.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotAnotherCEOPodcast