The Goats of Growth

In today's episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Jared Robin, Co-Founder of RevGenius and a new side-hustle he calls The Collab. He revealed his secret about how he builds online, empathetic and inclusive communities which are now boasting a remarkable 40k+ members. What intrigued me the most were Jared's organic growth strategies which were a combination of LinkedIn and a referral program. Pay close attention to the specific ways he used both.  If community-building is anywhere on your radar, this episode is a must-listen.  Jared Robins Linkedin Profile The value of a welcome email (00:01:05) Discussion on the impact of a well-written welcome email and its significance for the right audience. Building empathetic communities (00:03:33) The approach to creating inclusive and empathetic communities for go-to-market leaders. Creating a private community for senior leaders (00:06:04) The rationale and structure behind the creation of a paid private community for senior leaders. Passion projects and community building (00:09:11) The philosophy behind passion projects and the importance of community movements. The growth journey of Rev Genius (00:12:10) Insights into the initial steps and growth strategy of Rev Genius, including the decision to delay monetization. Formation of Rev Genius and early growth tactics (00:14:57) The formation of Rev Genius, initial growth strategies, and the transition from LinkedIn chat to Slack. Utilizing LinkedIn and referral programs for growth (00:20:27) The impact of using LinkedIn, referral programs, and badges for community growth and engagement. Adviser role becomes the norm (00:21:40) Discussion about the trend of having multiple jobs and the experience of being invited to a new job. Transition to Slack community (00:23:24) The shift to using Slack for the community, website development, and initial member growth. Community engagement tactics (00:26:05) Strategies for community engagement, including onboarding, volunteer network, and managing engagement over time. Sponsorship and revenue growth (00:34:21) The various ways sponsors engage with the community, revenue sources, and the core team's structure. Team growth and revenue goals (00:42:29) Discussion about the need for team expansion based on revenue growth and the long-term revenue goals. Sleep and leisure activities (00:45:14) Jared talks about his average hours of sleep and his favorite leisure activity. Impact of AI and collaboration (00:46:36) Jared discusses the potential impact of AI and collaboration on future growth and development.

In this episode of "The Goats of Growth," I had the pleasure of chatting with Carol Meyers, a seasoned go-to-market executive, about the ins and outs of serving on a company's board. We covered everything from snagging a board seat to the impact and responsibilities of board members, touching on the time commitment involved. Carol shared some fascinating experiences, including insights into crisis management and the dynamics of board interactions. We also dived into the path to board membership for different C-level executives and unraveled the distinctions between a board of directors and advisors. A must listen and let us know your key takeaways.    Carol Meyers Linkedin Profile   Getting the First Board Member Seat (00:02:00) Carol Meyers shares her experience of getting her first board member seat and the value of being a potential customer. Purpose of Asking Questions (00:04:36) Carol Meyers explains the reasons for asking questions during board meetings, including seeking clarification, provoking different viewpoints, and ensuring good governance. Measuring Value as a Board Member (00:07:22) Carol Meyers discusses how she gauges her impact as a board member and the indicators of adding value, such as team and CEO appreciation and the implementation of ideas. Time Commitment as a Board Member (00:09:58) Carol Meyers outlines the varied time commitments for board members, including meetings with company leaders, preparation for board meetings, and the flexibility required for unexpected events. Weekly Meetings with CEO (00:12:24) Carol Meyers describes her weekly meetings with a CEO, emphasizing the evolving nature of discussions and the role of collaboration and support for the CEO. Challenges Faced as a Board Member (00:13:42) Carol Meyers highlights potential challenges faced by board members, including crises, mergers, and leadership transitions, and the need for proactive and flexible responses. Dynamics Between Board Members (00:16:08) Carol Meyers discusses the dynamics between board members, particularly in venture-backed companies, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing shareholder interests over personal agendas. OpenAI and Sam Altman Board Situation (00:19:12) Jay asks Carol Meyers about the board situation with OpenAI and Sam Altman, seeking her opinion and explanation of what went wrong. The unique situation (00:19:30) Discussion about a unique situation where a nonprofit board transitioned into a for-profit business, causing misalignment and poor handling. Career path to the board (00:21:18) Advice for C-level executives on how to position themselves for a board seat, emphasizing personal responsibility, learning, and networking. Importance of P&L responsibility (00:23:20) The significance of profit and loss responsibility for board members, and its relevance in board discussions and decision-making. Transition to board roles (00:27:12) Advice for executives without a clear path to board seats, focusing on learning and broadening expertise to become valuable board members. Board of directors vs. advisors (00:29:41) Differentiating between the roles of board of directors and advisors, including responsibilities and compensation. Motivation and goals (00:33:14) Discussion on personal motivation and a big goal, with a focus on achievement and a light-hearted goal of improving at golf. Learning preferences and sleep habits (00:35:34) Carol's preferred way of learning and staying sharp, and her transition to getting eight hours of sleep per night. Leisure activities and favorite character (00:37:29) Carol's diverse leisure activities, including golf, boating, and traveling, and her admiration for Audrey Hepburn as a favorite character. Introduction to Inflection (00:40:09) Introduction and discussion about the app "Inflection" and its features. Using LinkedIn (00:42:10) The use of LinkedIn as the preferred platform for communication and networking.

In this episode of "The Goats of Growth," I sit down with Breen Sullivan, founder of The Fourth Effect. We discuss her company's mission to match board-ready women with companies seeking new board members.  Our conversation took us through the intricacies of advisory versus governing boards, exploring the significance of directors and officers insurance, and dissecting the strategic roles governing boards play in the corporate landscape. A great discussion that shed light on boardroom dynamics. Breens Linkedin Profile You can tour the platform here. Background and Founding of The Fourth Effect (00:01:26) Breens background and the founding of The Fourth Effect to empower women in board appointments. Breaking into the Board Candidate Pipeline (00:03:41) Advice on entering the board candidate pipeline and positioning oneself for board roles. Difference Between Advisory and Governing Boards (00:08:31) Explanation of the distinctions between advisory and governing boards, including contractual relationships and fiduciary obligations. Stratifying Roles within the Governing Board (00:17:34) Discussion on selecting individuals for the governing board and their roles, emphasizing strategic high-level involvement. Compensation and Independence in Fiduciary Boards (00:18:43) Insight into the compensation, independence, and trust aspects of fiduciary boards, emphasizing the importance of high trust and independence. The difference between advisory and governing board (00:22:08) Discussion on the difference between advisory and governing boards, including liability and insurance. Function of the governing board (00:25:31) Exploration of the role and expectations of governing board members in advising and impacting the company. Types of directors (00:30:34) Explanation of the differences between independent directors, executive directors, and non-executive directors. Word of mouth growth and backroom investment club (00:32:28) How the platform grows through word of mouth and the role of the backroom investment club in connecting companies and board candidates. The importance of diversity and the link between boardrooms and cap tables (00:35:50) Discussion on the significance of diversity in boardrooms and the connection between board service and equity investment. Rapid fire five and bonus question (00:38:54) A series of quick questions and answers, along with a bonus question about a personal fact not found on LinkedIn. Reaching out to The Fourth Effect (43:43) Breen shares how to contact The Fourth Effect and invites listeners to visit their website. Corporate Partnerships and Professional Development (46:06) Breen discusses opportunities for corporations to support women's memberships and professional development at The Fourth Effect.

Welcome to another episode of "The Goats of Growth"! Today, I sit down with Evan Macedo, the Treasurer & VP of Operations/Finance at Sapers and Wallack, a financial services business. We're diving into the world of executive benefits packages and why they matter for venture and private equity portfolio companies In our chat, Evan breaks down why these packages are a big deal for attracting and keeping the best talent. He shares practical tips on designing these benefits, making sure they match what employees really want and need. Plus, if you're a new executive, Evan has some straightforward advice on how to negotiate your own package. Evan Macedos Linkedin Profile https://sapers-wallack.com/ The importance of executive benefits packages (00:02:03) Discussing why having the right executive benefits package is critical for attracting and retaining talent. Case study: Offering a competitive executive benefits package (00:03:59) Exploring how a tech company under $100 million in revenue can offer a benefits package to incentivize a new Chief Revenue Officer and retain them. Common mistakes in executive benefits packages (00:09:34) Highlighting the lack of communication and understanding of benefits as a common issue in companies. The importance of communication and meaningful benefits (00:10:18) We discuss the importance of effective communication and offering benefits that hold personal value to employees. The "Keep Plan" to incentivize employee retention (00:11:22) Evan introduces the "Keep Plan," which offers financial incentives for employees with children going to college, encouraging them to stay with the company. The Sharpe Concept for maximizing retirement savings (00:12:38) Evan explains the Sharpe Concept, a supplemental alternative retirement program that allows individuals to maximize their retirement savings beyond traditional 401(k) plans. Unreasonable Expectations (00:21:41) Discussion on the importance of doing homework on a company and avoiding unreasonable expectations from an incoming employee. Long-Term Investment (00:22:12) Importance of finding the right fit between company goals and employee goals to avoid making a bad hire and the benefits of upfront due diligence. Motivation to Help People (00:23:33) Evan's motivation to wake up every day and help people by solving their retirement worries and providing peace of mind. Evan Macedo's contact information (00:31:46) Evan shares his contact information and encourages listeners to visit the company's website to learn more about their services. Show notes with Evan Macedo's details (00:32:15) Jay mentions that they will include the details of Evan Macedo's contact information in the show notes for easy reference.    

In this episode of "The Goats of Growth", I had the plasure of talking with Cliff McDonald, co-managing partner of BrainHeart Growth and Chief Growth Officer of RehabPath. Cliff shares his personal journey with addiction and recovery, and how this led him to his role at RehabPath. We discuss the importance of managing career stress, aligning personal values with one's work, the significance of emotional intelligence in team dynamics, and the necessity of psychological safety in the workplace. Cliff dives into insights on evaluating a company's culture and the importance of authentic core values. Cliff Macdonalds Linkedin Profile The journey to Rehab Path (00:01:08) Cliff McDonald discusses his transition from BrainHeart Growth to becoming the Chief Growth Officer at RehabPath. Working in behavioral health (00:03:11) Cliff shares his personal experience with substance use disorder and his passion for working in the behavioral health industry. Discovering Rehab Path (00:07:04) Cliff explains how he came across Rehab Path and his initial involvement with the company before joining as a formal team member. The importance of having a guide in recovery (00:11:22) Cliff discusses how having a platform like RehabPath can match individuals with treatment providers. The pressure of being revenue responsible (00:12:25) Cliff reflects on the pressure of being revenue responsible and shares a story about Shaquille O'Neal's perspective on pressure in comparison to his own experience. The importance of finding meaning and mission in work (00:16:54) Cliff talks about the significance of finding meaning and purpose in one's career, and how being tied to the mission of an organization contributes to overall well-being and prevents burnout. The importance of engagement and relationships (00:21:53) Discussion on the significance of engagement and relationships in finding the next opportunity and experiencing positive emotions and achievement. The value of core values and team dynamics (00:24:56) Exploration of the importance of core values and team dynamics in creating a positive work environment and successful teams. Challenging toxic cultures in sports and business (00:30:16) Conversation about the need to challenge toxic cultures in sports and business, promoting psychological safety and creating a safe environment for individuals to perform their best. The culture of an organization (00:31:11) Discussion on how to evaluate the culture of an organization during the interview process and how to uncover if it is authentic or just lip service. Authentic core values (00:33:01) Importance of authentic core values in a company and how they are proven or disproven through stories shared by leaders. The spiritual life and past life exploration (00:41:44) Cliff discusses his experience of feeling free in nature and speculates about being an explorer in a past life. The story of the two wolves (00:42:27) Cliff shares an old Native American tale about the two wolves that exist within each person, one representing negative emotions and the other representing positive emotions. Reflections on fatherhood and future lives (00:43:24) Cliff and Jay discuss the idea of coming back in a future life, with Cliff expressing a desire to come back as a wolf and Jay jokingly suggesting he wants to come back as his own children.

In this episode of "The Goats of Growth", I interview Lindsay Meyl, co-founder of RevAmp, a platform that enhances the impact of revenue teams by analyzing and intervening in all revenue-generating activities. We discuss discuss her bottoms-up capacity model  and the common mistakes people make in capacity planning--particulary pertaining to have the proper GTM resources to hit your target.  You do not want to miss out on this episode if you're capacity planning for 2024.  Lindsey Meyls Linkedin Profile Bottoms Up Capacity Planning Model (00:04:34) Jay discusses the bottoms up capacity planning model created by Lindsay and asks her about common mistakes people make in their planning for the future. The go-to-market strategy (00:11:13) Explains the different components of a go-to-market strategy, including outbound and inbound actions, partner plays, and customizing resource ratios. Assigning demand channels (00:12:18) Discusses how the model assigns specific demand channels based on the go-to-market motion, allowing for easy translation into pipe council meetings. Establishing baselines and improving productivity (00:17:07) Emphasizes the importance of setting personal baselines for performance and improving from there, rather than relying on external benchmarks. Also discusses the relationship between headcount and productivity in achieving revenue goals. The monthly targets for revenue (00:21:04) Discussion about the monthly targets for each team to ensure they are on track to meet the revenue target. The importance of having a tool like Revamp (00:21:59) The need for a tool like Revamp to provide visibility and ease of analyzing information to improve performance. Knowing when to scale (00:23:31) Exploring the concept of scaling based on leading indicators of success, such as time to value and net retention revenue. The big goal (00:31:17) Lindsay Mitchell talks about her goal for Revamp to become the next HubSpot and disrupt the go-to-market industry. Preferred way to learn (00:32:17) Lindsay discusses her preferred ways to learn, including listening to podcasts and participating in go-to-market communities and courses. Favorite thing to do when not working (00:34:09) Lindsay reveals that she enjoys reading as her favorite activity when she's not working.

In this episode of "The Goats of Growth", I had the pleasure of speaking with Josh Atkins, VP of Sales and General Manager of Life Sciences at Qualtrics. We discuss the best approach to building a successful sales team, including his "AEIOU" approach, while emphasizing hiring individuals with a deep understanding of the industry and a passion for their work. We also delve into the importance of clear communication, prioritizing wellness, and fostering a passionate and active work environment. Josh Atkins Linkedin Profile Building a New Life Sciences Team (00:02:23) Josh Atkins discusses his role as the VP of Sales and General Manager of Life Sciences at Qualtrics and the process of building a new team. Core Competencies for Sales Reps (00:03:45) Josh Atkins shares the core competencies he looks for when hiring sales reps, including being active, an ensemble player, inquisitive, an operator, and having industry knowledge. The Evolution of Hiring Criteria (00:09:26) Josh Atkins talks about how his hiring criteria evolved over time and the advantage of having the freedom to build his own team. The Love Language of Life Sciences (00:10:30) Josh discusses the importance of finding people who have a passion for life sciences and can understand the industry. Evolution of Team Building (00:12:29) Josh talks about his desire to build his own team and the shift in his thinking when it comes to location and qualifications of potential team members. Screening for Operators (00:18:40) Josh explains how he screens for operators by assessing their ability to navigate different roles and stakeholders in order to advance a deal. The prioritization of deals (00:20:31) The importance of showing up prepared, giving a pre-read, and clearly communicating your ask to prioritize your deal. The role of leaders in deals (00:20:54) The need for leaders to understand their role and be specific about what they need to do to support the deal. Defining enterprise sales (00:23:31) The ability to articulate a solution hypothesis, ingest data, and understand the client's business to effectively engage in enterprise sales. The victim mentality and excuses (00:30:13) Josh Atkins discusses how he used to make excuses to cover up lack of results and the feeling of being a victim in his career. Taking radical self-assessment and surrounding oneself with smart people (00:31:00) Josh Atkins emphasizes the importance of creating a path, chart, and list to avoid forgetting important tasks, and the value of self-understanding and surrounding oneself with intelligent individuals.

In this episode of "The Goats of Growth," I had the pleasure of sitting down with Colin Spector, the VP of Sales at Orum—an innovative AI-powered live conversation platform. We dive deep into a discussion about the core skills essential for success in sales, such as grit, curiosity, and care, and Colin shared invaluable insights into how he nurtures these qualities within his team. A key highlight was Colin emphasizing the significance of leaders actively listening to their team members' ideas. A must listen for leaders with ambitions of growing their team. Colins Linkedin Page Developing Sales Skills and Empowerment (00:04:05) Colin discusses the importance of grit, curiosity, and care in sales reps, and how to empower them to think outside the box and improve their skills. The reason for pattern interrupt (00:11:09) Colin explains how using an engineer as a salesperson was a pattern interrupt that led to more successful meetings. The importance of attitude and activity (00:14:05) Colin discusses the two levers that can be controlled every day: attitude and activity, and how they contribute to success in sales. Caring and champion building (00:18:03) Colin emphasizes the importance of caring for customers and building champions by helping them solve their problems and achieve their goals. Taking care of each other in business (00:22:12) Discussion about the importance of taking care of employees, sales reps, and customers in order to create a positive work environment. Big goal: Purchasing a rental property in Portugal (00:23:06) Colin's goal of buying a rental property in Portugal that can be used as a vacation property for his family. Learning new information through immersion(00:24:24) Colin's preferred way of learning new information, including languages and industries, by immersing himself in the culture and language.

In this podcast of The Goats of Growth, I had the pleasure of talking with Ron Gupta, Chief Revenue Officer at Ushur, an AI-powered customer experience platform. Ron highlighted the key strategy of focusing on customer retention and lifetime value, especially in the enterprise market. He stressed the importance of understanding reasons for declining revenue and investing in existing customers to expand market share. Ron also touched on challenges in scaling, emphasizing the need for strong customer success, marketing, and account management. Check out the episode for quick insights into growing a business and excelling in the world of AI and customer experience. Ron Guptas Linkedin Profile Customer Retention and Lifetime Value (00:05:42) Ron prioritizes focusing on customer retention rates and lifetime value. He explains that for enterprise companies, it is crucial to invest in existing customers, especially if there are product issues or flaws. By over investing in existing customers, companies are more likely to retain them and increase their lifetime value. Increase Market Share (00:09:01) Ron mentions that by focusing on customer retention and lifetime value, companies can automatically increase their market share. He gives an example of selling to subsidiaries within an enterprise, which allows for an increase in market share. Expand into New Markets (00:09:01) Ron also mentions that by focusing on customer retention and lifetime value, companies can expand into new geographies. He gives an example of starting with selling in the US and then expanding to the European entity of a customer. The importance of customer feedback (00:09:27) Exploring the value of gathering feedback from existing customers to improve products and features. The snowball effect of customer success (00:11:35) Discussing how satisfied customers can lead to increased case studies, higher net promoter scores, and more positive reviews, which can attract new customers. Investing in existing customers (00:13:13) Highlighting the need to allocate resources towards customer success, marketing, and account management in order to drive growth from the existing customer base. Sales Enablement and Cross-Pollination (00:18:41) Discussion on the importance of sales enablement and cross-pollination of successful strategies among customers, partners, and the university program. Selling to Existing Customers.(00:19:38) The significance of selling to existing customers, the lower cost involved, and the role of capabilities, success, marketing, and account management in this process. Motivation and Goal Setting (00:20:26) The motivation for winning, personal goal of achieving work-life balance, and the preferred timeframe for accomplishing it.

In this episode of "The Goats of Growth" I interview Alex Levin, CEO and Co-Founder of Regal.io, a customer engagement platform. Alex discusses the company's approach and focus on customer outcomes which has led to significant revenue growth for over 150 brands. He also talks about the importance of balancing growth and burn rate, and how Regal maintains a competitive edge despite having less funding than incumbents. Alex Levins Linkedin Profile The $2 billion in revenue and value proposition (00:01:22) Alex Levin explains the value proposition of Regal and how they quantify the $2 billion in revenue they have helped drive for brands. The importance of engaging customers in communication (00:02:11) Alex Levin discusses how engaging customers in thoughtful communication leads to higher customer lifetime value and how Regal helps facilitate this. Scaling the team and the role of engineering (00:04:51) Alex Levin explains why Regal hasn't needed to double their team despite doubling their business, particularly highlighting the role of engineering and the importance of effective communication within a team. The concept of removing people from a project (00:10:01) The strategy of removing people from a project instead of adding them to ensure focus and efficiency. Zero-based budgeting and linking metrics to hiring decisions (00:11:41) The concept of zero-based budgeting and the importance of linking hiring decisions to metrics or revenue goals. Investor expectations and growth vs burn rate (00:13:46) The expectations of public markets regarding growth and burn rate, and how it affects hiring decisions and investor attractiveness. Marketing spend and payback period (00:19:38)  Discussion on the percentage of revenue spent on marketing and the payback period for SaaS companies. Competition and competitive advantage (00:20:37)  Exploration of competition in the market and the competitive advantage of startups in terms of distribution. Attributing success to market opportunity (00:24:32)  The importance of being in the right market with growth potential for success, rather than solely relying on the strength of the team. Big goal and timeline (00:28:55) Alex Levin shares his big goal of reaching 10 billion in revenue for their customers within a year or two. Leading with empathy (00:30:46) Alex Levin explains how he leads with empathy by considering the needs and priorities of different stakeholders, including employees, customers, and investors, while making decisions.