Hilda Mwangi is a customer-centric CFO with experience across private equity, large enterprises, the public sector, and startups. 

In this episode of Good Revenue, host Neeta Bidwai and Hilda cover:

• Risk assessment, resource allocation, and prioritizing quality over quantity in revenue, EBITDA, and customer acquisition.
• Hilda emphasizes the importance of strategic planning, effective team collaboration, and adaptive leadership.
• The pitfalls seen in venture-backed models that prioritize quantity, leading to high churn rates and misallocated resources.
• Importance of team-based strategic planning and highlights the necessity of understanding and adapting to customer needs.
• The changing buyer journey, the role of marketing in this new era, and the need for predictive rather than reactive strategies.
• Key takeaways include the role of a visionary CEO, the importance of cohesive teamwork, and the critical need for resilience and perseverance in business leaders.

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Where to find Hilda:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hildamwangicfo/

Where to find Neeta:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/neetabidwai/

Where to find Good Revenue:

https://goodrevenue.io/goodrevenue

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHrhuWbpYnUwrR75H2Ip4yQ

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Highlights:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:15 The Role of a CFO in Large Entities

02:01 Quality vs. Quantity in Revenue

03:52 Challenges in Investor-Backed Models

07:40 Resource Allocation in Uncertain Times

10:42 Teamwork and Strategy in Decision Making

12:40 Addressing Misaligned Expectations

16:20 Fixing Business Models and Customer Issues

21:30 The Importance of Attribution in Marketing

30:15 High-Performance Companies and Leadership

32:17 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

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Referenced:

• Neustar: https://home.neustar/

• Fannie Mae: https://www.fanniemae.com/ 

• HAZ: https://hazadvisors.com/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amy Gershkoff Bolles is a founder, former CEO, and public company board member with deep expertise in strategy and operations.

In this episode of Good Revenue, host Neeta Bidwai and Amy cover:

• Her diverse experiences leading startups, growth stage companies, and public companies like eBay, Zynga, WPP, and Levi Strauss.
• How to turnaround a company in less than 1 year. 
• The importance of building teams by hiring for potential rather than traditional experience, which leads to diverse and creative teams.
• How to balance strategy and operations, using data-driven metrics while understanding the limits of ROI calculations for certain initiatives.
• Short-term and long-term initiatives, the importance of team alignment in turnarounds, and how empathetic leadership is crucial for success.
• Risk vs investment calculus involves 3 vectors: balance short & long term, risk of potential upside, and holistic perspective on the total timeline in terms of risk / return.
• The significant challenge of representation in the tech industry and suggestions to improve diversity in executive roles and boardrooms.
• What sets high-performing companies apart, including clear strategic decisions and robust operational systems.

Join us for actionable insights for balancing strategic initiatives and executing successful turnarounds.

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Where to find Amy:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amygershkoff/

Where to find Neeta:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/neetabidwai/

Where to find Good Revenue:

https://goodrevenue.io/goodrevenue

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHrhuWbpYnUwrR75H2Ip4yQ

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Highlights:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:16 Amy's Career Journey

01:08 Building Successful Teams

04:01 Diversity and Hiring Philosophy

05:19 Strategy and Operations

08:39 Balancing Short-term and Long-term Goals

14:38 Executing Turnarounds

22:05 Empathetic Leadership

25:34 Challenges in the Tech Industry

31:32 High Performance Companies

33:58 Conclusion and Farewell

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Referenced:

Levi Strauss: https://www.levistrauss.com/ 

EBay: https://www.ebay.com/ 

WPP: https://www.wpp.com/ 

Zynga: https://www.zynga.com/ 

Tradesy: https://www.vestiairecollective.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kara Cabassa, a Customer Success leader with diverse experience in B2B and B2C firms, offers candid insights into effective Customer Success practices, particularly the impact of poor revenue decisions on Product, Sales, and Marketing.

In this episode of Good Revenue, host Neeta Bidwai and Kara cover:

• The often undervalued function of customer success in SaaS and tech companies.

• Her experiences transitioning from ad agencies to customer success roles, and why she believes in only hiring people with experience delivering services under pressure.

• Root causes of customer dissatisfaction, emphasizing the need for experienced leaders and robust processes early in a company’s lifecycle.

• The importance of process implementation, the need for strong leadership, and the pitfalls of poor sales-to-success handoffs.

• Strategies for achieving better alignment and collaboration between sales and customer success teams.

• Insights on diagnosing and addressing root issues within companies, providing exceptional service, and the importance of forming strong client relationships.

• Kara’s approach to balancing revenue responsibilities and retaining customers to optimize lifetime value.

• Why you should hire individuals with grit and adaptability over purely technical experience or prestigious resumes.

• Advice for CEOs to listen to CS teams and address root issues holistically for better long-term customer value and business performance.

This straightforward conversation is rich with examples, practical advice, and reflections on what makes high-performing customer success teams and companies stand out.

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Where to find Kara:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/karacabassa/

Where to find Neeta:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/neetabidwai/

Where to find Good Revenue:

https://goodrevenue.io/goodrevenue

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHrhuWbpYnUwrR75H2Ip4yQ

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Highlights:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:24 The Importance of Customer Success

00:51 Challenges in Customer Success

03:31 Sales and Customer Success Handoffs

05:48 Strategies for Effective Customer Success

11:33 The Role of Relationships in Customer Success

20:32 Diagnosing and Addressing Customer Fit Issues

26:01 Balancing New Business and Retention

35:50 Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways

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Referenced:

Chute / Ignite: https://ignitetech.ai/

Amperity: https://amperity.com/ 

Optimizely: https://www.optimizely.com/ 

Evolv AI: https://evolv.ai/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike Heilmann is a Revenue Operations and Sales executive with two decades of experience scaling revenue organizations from zero to several hundred million dollars at companies like Demandbase and StrongView. 

In this episode of Good Revenue, host Neeta Bidwai and Mike cover:

• The ‘Wild West’ phase in startups and the transition to scalable, structured processes.

• Importance of writing clear and comprehensive instructions for new hires.

• Challenges at the $100 million revenue mark, including reorganizing different business units for better customer experience.

• Building sales playbooks and maintaining relevance to the sales team’s real-world needs.

• The critical role of humility and adaptability for executives transitioning between companies.

• Necessity of focusing on the customer experience for growth.

• Advice on annual planning, including starting early and setting realistic goals.

• Problems with overly aggressive growth targets and their impact on the organization.

• The importance of internal synergy between sales and marketing, realistic and collaborative annual planning, and avoiding unqualified leads.

• Challenges of resource management in young, non-profitable companies and the need for realigning goals.

• Buyer behavior changes and its impact on sales and marketing strategies.

• The role of intent data and customer observable behaviors in identifying valuable accounts.

• Balancing long-term and short-term priorities in sales and marketing activities.

• Examples of scrappy marketing tactics during tough economic times.

• The significance of sales and marketing alignment and holding joint accountability for pipeline and revenue goals.

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Where to find Mike:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeheilmann 

Where to find Neeta:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/neetabidwai/

Where to find Good Revenue:

https://goodrevenue.io/goodrevenue

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHrhuWbpYnUwrR75H2Ip4yQ

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Highlights:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:14 Scaling Revenue: From Startup to Success

01:34 Building a Scalable Sales Machine

03:27 Creating Effective Sales Playbooks

06:04 Navigating Organizational Changes

07:59 Annual Planning and Growth Challenges

18:07 Aligning Sales and Marketing

30:57 Surviving Tough Economic Times

39:47 Final Thoughts and Advice for Executives

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Referenced:

• Strongview: http://www.strongview.com/ 

• DemandBase: https://www.demandbase.com/ 

• ScaledRev: https://www.scaledrev.com/  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spencer Fox is the SVP Business Lead at Cannes Lions Advisory, part of internationally known Cannes Lions, an authority in brand, marketing, and creative excellence.

In this episode of Good Revenue, host Neeta Bidwai and Spencer cover:

• Insights from the ‘Marketing Challenges’ report by Lions, and the importance of maintaining a strategic focus in marketing efforts

• Shift in focus for marketers from tactical metrics back to strategic objectives

• Spencer emphasizes the importance of aligning creative ambition with commercial strategies like AB InBev and Skinny

• Role of technology, data, and metrics in modern marketing, emphasizing the need for a balance between short-term and long-term goals

• Practical advice for CMOs and CEOs, underscoring the necessity of clarity in purpose and business objectives

Cannes Lions Report Highlights:

• Data reality for most companies is: “Data soup; too much, too little, the wrong sort, poor quality.”

• 4 major challenges for CMOs: #1 Ability to win over the C-Suite, #2 Connecting disparate data sources to commercial decisions, #3 Achieving alignment across diverse disciplines, #4 Implementing unified KPIs across diverse activities. 

• Attribution remains a huge challenge: “As channels multiply, data proliferates and processes become ever more complex, marketers increasingly struggle to connect the various kinds of measurements available to them. This makes it hard to prepare a coherent, single-minded case for the Board.”

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Where to find Spencer:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerjordanfox/ 

Where to find Neeta:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/neetabidwai/

Where to find Good Revenue:

https://goodrevenue.io/goodrevenue

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHrhuWbpYnUwrR75H2Ip4yQ

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Highlights:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:26 Spencer Fox's Career Journey

02:28 Marketing Challenges and Strategic Insights

04:25 Creativity and Commercial Outcomes

06:39 Balancing Short-term and Long-term Goals

08:21 Building Effective Brand Strategies

10:18 Creative Transformation and Business Case

16:05 Data, Technology, and Measurement

22:07 High-Performing Brands and Their Secrets

26:31 Final Thoughts and Advice for CEOs

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Referenced:

• Cannes Lions Marketing report & analysis: https://www.canneslions.com/news/marketing-challenges-whitepaper

• The Long & Short of It by Les Binet & Peter Field: https://www.amazon.com/Long-Short-Balancing-Long-Term-Strategies/dp/085294134X 

AB Inbev: https://www.ab-inbev.com/ 

Skinny & Cannes Lions: https://adage.com/article/special-report-cannes-lions/telecom-brand-skinny-wins-cannes-lions-2023-radio-audio-grand-prix/2500491

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kristy Friedrichs is Chief Operating Officer at New Relic, and was formerly their Chief People Officer after a 15-year career at Bain & Company.

In this episode of Good Revenue, host Neeta Bidwai and Kristy cover:

• Embedding empathy in leadership, improving organizational communication, and maintaining a healthy company culture during turbulent times, like the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Effective influence, profitability, and sustainable revenue growth with guest Kristy Friedrichs, Chief Operating Officer at New Relic.
• The importance of taking on challenges without feeling fully prepared, using first principles thinking, and fostering strong organizational culture and leadership dynamics.
• Key topics discussed include navigating business model transformations, especially shifting to consumption and platform-based pricing at New Relic, managing the transition from a founder-led to a professional CEO-led company, and driving organizational change.
• Working with HR and finance for scaling, understanding priorities during transformations, and maintaining healthy leadership dynamics to prevent toxic environments.
• Organizational culture, particularly the balance between written and unwritten rules,along with strategies for restoring trust after breaches.
• Advice for CEOs on practicing empathy, communicating effectively, and maintaining performance accountability to drive high performance in companies.

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Where to find Kristy:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristy-friedrichs-mcbride-6590a127/

Where to find Neeta:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/neetabidwai/

Where to find Good Revenue:

https://goodrevenue.io/goodrevenue

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHrhuWbpYnUwrR75H2Ip4yQ

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Highlights

00:00 Introduction to Good Revenue

00:19 Meet Kristy Friedrichs: Career Journey

01:28 Navigating Challenges and Surprises

04:36 COVID-19: Leadership During Crisis

08:15 Driving Organizational Change

15:03 Transitioning from Founder to CEO

18:12 Partnering with HR for Success

22:04 Fostering Healthy Leadership Dynamics

24:40 Defining and Repairing Company Culture

28:15 Empathy and Trust in Leadership

30:09 Strategic Decision Making in Tough Times

35:18 Final Thoughts and Advice for Executives

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Referenced:

• Bain & Company: https://www.bain.com/
• New Relic: https://newrelic.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Neeta Bidwai explores the intricacies of Product-Led Growth (PLG), providing a comprehensive guide for tech and SaaS companies aiming to implement or enhance their PLG strategies. Neeta distinguishes between starting from scratch with a self-serve or freemium motion and adding it to an existing sales-led motion.

In this episode of Good Revenue, we cover:

• Why it’s easier to start with PLG, and why you have to still plan ahead for marketing and sales, no matter how good your product is

• Mapping the business model across all four go-to-market functions: Product, Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success for success

• Why you shouldn’t optimize for signups alone, and why unified go-to-market goals and data sharing need to be built into your strategy from the start

• Designing price, product, and GTM for the unique needs, value, and WTP of each segment you want to acquire and retain

• The evolving role of sales teams in a PLG model: you’ll lose pipeline, you may have too many reps, you may need to change the role of SDRs

• The potential challenges when transitioning from a sales-led to a PLG model and offers solutions to mitigate them: even though you have Sales, you should never assume customers actually want to talk to someone unless they ask 

The episode is packed with practical advice and real-world examples, making it a valuable resource for those looking to drive sustainable revenue growth.

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Where to find Neeta:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/neetabidwai/

Where to find Good Revenue:

https://goodrevenue.io/goodrevenue

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHrhuWbpYnUwrR75H2Ip4yQ

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Highlights:

00:00 Introduction to Good Revenue

00:21 Deep Dive into Product-Led Growth (PLG)

00:56 Starting from Scratch with PLG

01:07 Marketing and Sales Planning for PLG

02:25 Importance of Brand and Marketing in PLG

05:24 Unified Go-to-Market Goals

06:51 Data Sharing and Communication in PLG

09:59 Enterprise Segment Considerations

11:05 Sales Team Dynamics in PLG

13:03 Lead Management and Customer Conversion

15:13 Adding PLG to a Sales-Led Model

23:16 Conclusion and Next Steps

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Sound by RPS: https://www.rps-audio.com/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Neeta Bidwai breaks down Product Led Growth (PLG) and why it’s critical to think through the business model and the go-to-market strategy before you build.

In this episode of Good Revenue, we cover:

• The history and context of PLG including its origins and advocacy by tech & SaaS firms during the height of growth-at-all-costs

• The benefits of PLG (a.k.a. self-serve or freemium business models), such as user-centric design, cost-effective customer acquisition, and its role in addressing market competition

• Why strong marketing, sales, and a viable business model are still essential, regardless of whether you start with PLG or integrate it into an existing go-to-market model or product

• Significant challenges and pitfalls associated with PLG, including proper pricing & packaging, and the need for a unified internal strategy

• The necessity of conducting ongoing, deep customer research and the prioritization of high-revenue customer segments for sustained growth — there is no replacement for talking directly with customers

• The importance of aligning product, marketing, and sales teams to avoid internal conflicts and drive business success

Neeta’s comprehensive discussion offers valuable insights for businesses considering or struggling with implementing a self-serve strategy, providing practical advice and strategic recommendations to optimize this business model.

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Where to find Neeta:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/neetabidwai/

Where to find Good Revenue:

https://goodrevenue.io/goodrevenue

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHrhuWbpYnUwrR75H2Ip4yQ

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Highlights:

00:00 Introduction to Good Revenue

00:20 Exploring Product Led Growth (PLG)

01:13 History and Context of PLG

03:46 Defining Product Led Growth

04:32 Challenges and Considerations in PLG

09:09 Strategies for Successful PLG Implementation

11:27 Customer Research and Segmentation

14:45 Pricing and Packaging in PLG

16:24 Conclusion and Next Steps

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Sound by RPS: https://www.rps-audio.com/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Carrie Holtz, with over two decades of experience at Alix Partners and PWC, is an expert in organizational transformation and turnarounds, particularly in human resources. 

In this episode of Good Revenue, host Neeta Bidwai and Carrie cover:

- The importance of commitment to personal values, excellence, a growth mindset, and relationship building in career progression.

- Key advice for senior leaders including the importance of setting clear, aligned goals, fostering a culture of inclusion, and treating employees like business owners.

- The nuances of leadership, high-performance team dynamics, and organizational transformation and restructuring.

- Common misconceptions about executive coaching, which is for high-performing individuals seeking to reach their potential, and why all execs should have one.

- Essential themes including the power of alignment, strategic thinking, and adapting to change for long-term success in business.

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Where to find Carrie:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrieholtz/

Where to find Neeta:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/neetabidwai/

Where to find Good Revenue:

https://goodrevenue.io/goodrevenue

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHrhuWbpYnUwrR75H2Ip4yQ

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Highlights:

01:57 Navigating Career Challenges and Embracing Change

03:26 Proudest Moments and Bold Moves in Carrie's Career

04:58 Insights on Business Turnarounds and Restructurings

09:18 The Importance of Strategic Thinking and Alignment

16:58 High-Performance Teams: Culture, Inclusion, and Continuous Improvement

27:19 Executive Coaching: Misconceptions and Benefits

34:34 The Role of Self-Care and AI in Executive Coaching

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Referenced:

- Carrie Holtz executive coaching: https://carrieholtzcoaching.com/ 

- Essentialism by Greg McKeown: https://bookshop.org/p/books/essentialism-the-disciplined-pursuit-of-less-greg-mckeown/9404336?ean=9780804137409&next=t

- Coach K (legendarily of Duke University): https://coachk.com/ 

- Alix Partners: https://www.alixpartners.com/

- PwC: https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/consulting.html 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Neeta Bidwai discusses the importance of market segmentation as a critical tool for effective business growth and revenue optimization. Customers have diverse interests, purchasing power, and needs. Segments allow you to tailor your approach. Target segments reveal relevant patterns, enabling you to create products customers love, communicate effectively, optimize campaigns, and shorten cycles.

In this episode of Good Revenue, we cover:

- What segmentation is, its benefits, and how to correctly implement it to gain a competitive edge. 

- Why industry verticals and market cap alone are insufficient for a segmentation. Segmentation offers more than personas or ideal customer profiles.

- The difference between segments, personas, and ideal customer profile (ICP), and why segments enable you to educate and influence customers before they’re in market, optimizing the buyer journey.

- How segments help prioritize resources, deliver value, differentiate products, validate the product roadmap, and prioritize multi-product and multi-brand offers.

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Where to find Neeta:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/neetabidwai/

Where to find Good Revenue:

https://goodrevenue.io/goodrevenue

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHrhuWbpYnUwrR75H2Ip4yQ

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Highlights:

00:22 The Power of Segmentation

03:17 Types of Segmentation

04:24 Segments vs. Personas and ICP

12:48 Benefits of Segmentation

24:20 Steps to Effective Segmentation

30:07 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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Sound by RPS: https://www.rps-audio.com/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.