Grit

Instabase’s Ozge Ozcan believes that many women have been fed a false story about motherhood: That it can be seen as a “decelerator” to one’s career. Instead, she’s found that raising two daughters has made her more competent in the chaotic, fast-paced world of early-stage startups. Through this experience, she’s had to learn how to be an “amazing leader” at home and in the office.

In this episode, Ozge and Joubin talk about her experience as an immigrant to the US from Turkey; the surprises she encountered taking her first real job at a then-much smaller MongoDB; how she’s learned to prioritize family over work, or vice versa; the challenges of running a customer success team; and how she has been able to hire more than 60 people in only a year at Instabase.

In this episode, we cover:

• The dualities of Ozge’s home country, Turkey, and how she learned English (05:12)
• Wrestling with guilt in all aspects of her life, and raising two daughters with her husband (09:35)
• Understanding your triggers before burnout takes hold, and the dark side of grit (14:48)
• Working at MongoDB, “there was so much emphasis” on feeling (22:18) 
• Spotting and fixing broken processes in enterprise tech, and when to apply old-school problem-solving (26:15)
• A common misconception about how pregnancy and motherhood affect women’s ability to thrive at work (35:03)
• What Instabase does and why Ozge decided to join another early-stage company (37:18)
• The importance of metrics for customer success (41:00)
• Recruiting for CS teams and the non-negotiable skill Ozge looks for: A high tolerance for ambiguity (44:18)
• What she says when startup founders ask, “How do I set up a CS team?” (50:01)

Links:

• Connect with Ozge
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: [email protected]
• Connect with Joubin
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: [email protected] 
• Learn more about Kleiner Perkins
• This episode was edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm

Sarah Patterson, CMO of Samsara, doesn’t believe in keeping your armor up around your coworkers: “You’ve got something else on your mind, it’s going to come through,” she says. While working at Salesforce, she worked with a career coach and discovered that opening up about her personal and professional struggles brought her team closer. And that has also held true in her current role at Samsara, a fast-growing fleet management company that went public in December. 

In this episode, Sarah and Joubin discuss the silver lining of the pandemic for her family’s cohesion; why catching up on work is a form of recharging; the benefits of journaling, even if it’s in an email thread; what Samsara does for a vital but un-digitized sector of the economy; the scary experience of living in the era of “smoke days”; hiring for sustainable rapid growth; Samsara’s IPO and earning the trust of the whole team; and how Sarah prepared to interview star skiier Lindsey Vonn.

In this episode, we cover:

• Making deliberate choices about how you spend your time (06:36)
• Accepting imperfection and being vulnerable with your colleagues (11:18)
• The practice that goes into looking polished onstage (17:17)
• The year Sarah left Salesforce for BranchOut, and why she went back (23:15)
• The rapid growth of Samsara, and what it does (27:35)
• How a mandate for truckers in North America laid the groundwork for Samsara’s business (33:39)
• How Sarah thinks about the challenge of hiring, and why “what you do” is not the most important thing (39:32)
• “Trial by fire” - earning the trust of workers who were at Samsara before her (42:43)
• Is it easier to be an interviewer or an interviewee? (52:55)

Links:

• Connect with Sarah
  • LinkedIn
• Connect with Joubin
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: [email protected] 
• Learn more about Kleiner Perkins
• This episode was edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm

Kate Ahlering might be the perfect guest for this podcast. She eventually worked her way up to Chief Sales Officer of Glassdoor, but when she joined in 2013, she helped define the company’s leadership framework as GRIT: Growth, Results, Integrity, and Team. Glassdoor has continued using those values since her departure in 2020, and now as the CRO of Calendly, she is applying a similar framework to another fast-growing enterprise.

In this episode, Kate and Joubin discuss her first leadership experience, captaining her college basketball team before ever playing a game; the wild ride of working at Glassdoor when it was doubling every year; the perspective and confidence that comes from working experience; brokering consensus when deciding a company’s values; the increasingly complex use cases for Calendly; and a ridiculous Twitter feud over “Calendly etiquette.”

In this episode, we cover:

• Kate and Joubin’s past interactions, including a disagreement over San Diego cuisine (03:02)
• How being raised by two salespeople and playing basketball at the University of Virginia shaped Kate’s worldview (06:01)
• Working at Glassdoor “never felt easy,” but she later realized it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience (14:47)
• Her big legacy at Glassdoor, defining its values as GRIT: Growth, Results, Integrity, and Team (20:38)
• Building trust with a team in a rapidly-changing environment, and working alongside Indeed — a former competitor now owned by Glassdoor’s parent company (26:16)
• Calendly’s interview process and the dangers of offering a thorough plan before you’re inside the company (32:08)
• The surprising depths of Calendly’s complexity in enterprise, and why founder Tope Awotona (accidentally) made the business model freemium (36:15)
• Kate could have gone almost anywhere after Glassdoor — why she chose Calendly, and what motivated her to achieve? (42:36)
• When she’s going to bed every night, what does Kate wish she was spending more time on? (48:14)

Links:

• Connect with Kate
  • LinkedIn
  • The profile of Kate as a UVA basketball captain
• Connect with Joubin
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: [email protected] 
• Learn more about Kleiner Perkins
• This episode was edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm

When Rippling CEO Parker Conrad was raising a massive $250 million round last year, he didn’t start by presenting his deck to venture capitalists in person. Instead, he sent a 39-minute demo of his product, recorded on the video app Loom. And, Loom’s CEO Joe Thomas says, “That was the most pleasant surprise.” 

In this episode, Joe and Joubin discuss how Loom “stands on the shoulders of giants” like Google, Instagram, and Snap; Joe’s preparations to become a father for the first time; Loom’s overnight success and why the first six months after its Series A were the hardest; what Joe has learned about recruiting and building teams that can trust each other; and how Loom markets and recruits — including how it uses its own product internally.

In this episode, we cover:

• Joe’s grandfather Wally — a proud business owner, a “man of the people,” and his personal hero (03:17)
• How Snap, the first company to validate Silicon Beach as a real hub for tech innovation, pushed the boundaries of design and subconsciously influenced Loom (05:29)
• The consumerization of enterprise and why Loom has experienced such rapid growth (13:30)
• Why starting a company is just like having a kid: “You’re never really ready for either” (18:45)
• The stock market downturn, managing risk, and the most important thing founders can do in the face of uncertainty (25:57)
• The first indications that Loom was going to be huge, and its humble origins as a Google Chrome extension (32:45)
• Why the time AFTER Loom’s Series A fundraise was the “hardest window” of Joe’s CEO career, and a discussion about the people who helped him survive it (39:43)
• How to recruit people to do jobs you can’t do yourself, and the core characteristics that make for good startup employees (48:10)
• Why working remotely won’t kill company culture (53:00)
• Paid user acquisition and how Joe thinks about go to market strategy (01:03:43)
• How Loom uses its own product internally as a creative resource for recruitment (01:07:34)
• The other CEOs Joe admires most, what Grit means to him, and the key roles he’s hiring for right now (01:10:32)

Links:

• Connect with Joe
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: [email protected]
• Connect with Joubin
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: [email protected] 
• Learn more about Kleiner Perkins
• This episode was edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm

When Andy Kofoid was growing up in the working-class town of Joliet, Illinois, he dreamed of getting to college and — like a lot of his relatives — worked in construction. Today, Andy is laying digital foundations at Databricks, a data analytics and AI company that works with enterprise brands including Adobe, NBCUniversal, and Starbucks. Previously the COO of ExactTarget, which Salesforce acquired for $2.6 billion in 2013, Andy thought his career might end there. “I wasn’t looking” for another gig after Salesforce, he recalls, “but I knew I had another run in me.”

In this episode, Andy and Joubin talk about the Chicago tech scene; the trade-offs between fully remote work and physical offices; walking away from success to build something new; reinventing yourself as a new kind of leader in a complex, unstructured environment; and separating your self-worth from your professional accomplishments. Andy also discusses the people and culture at Databricks and how he balances his demanding career with “what really matters” — being a good husband, father, friend, and person.

In this episode, we cover:

• Andy’s first job, his family, and his favorite baseball team: The Chicago Cubs (04:56)
• Transitioning among different types of roles within a company (10:11)
• The physical office as a representation of your company’s culture, and the difference between Chicago and San Francisco’s post-COVID tech scenes (13:07)
• Why Andy left Salesforce for Databricks, and how he knew he had another run in him (19:40)
• Becoming a better leader and accepting “A huge dose of humility” (23:41)
• How leaders are perceived by the people underneath them on the org chart, vs. how they perceive themselves (30:51)
• The interview process at Databricks and overcoming the “industry domain hurdle,” to speak AI and data fluently (40:10)
• How Andy creates balance in his life, and the correlation between pressure and responsibility (44:05)
• The most difficult, sleepless nights in Andy’s career and how he recovers when things aren’t going his way (01:02:01)
• What Grit means to him, and the sort of person who should apply for open roles at Databricks (01:10:54)

Links:

• Connect with Andy
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
• Connect with Joubin
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: [email protected]
• Learn more about Kleiner Perkins
• This episode was edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm

Doug Merritt joins this episode on the tail end of his impressive run as Splunk’s CEO. With decades of leadership in what can be described as an “exploratory career,” Doug breaks down his professional roadmap and provides insight on how he was able to transform companies and the cultures that hold them together.  

In this episode, Doug shares his perspective on the new wave of innovation as a seasoned executive and how he stays relevant in a “world of teenagers.” He talks about his 8-year evolution at Splunk and the incredible companies he’s helped grow. Doug discusses founding his first company, Icarian, and why he has always wanted to be an entrepreneur. Through his endeavors, Doug has always stayed balanced and expounds on how he masters his personal and professional habits. Doug also shares his take on the influence of technology and the future of web 3.0.

In this episode, we cover: 

• 3 habits Doug formed as a child to cope with his frequent moves to new locations—all before he reached the 8th grade. (5:32)
• The story behind Doug’s bike ride up Mount Aspen during the Kleiner Perkins CEO Summit. (15:07)
• A discussion about connectivity and how COVID has affected Doug and Joubin’s attachment to their physical location. (18:30)
• Doug’s time at Oracle and his journey into sales - Doug defines the important qualities of a good sales rep. (28:00)
• The history of Icarian and why Doug was inspired to found the startup -  and a look at Doug’s transition to PeopleSoft. (38:46)
• Doug’s evolution at Splunk, from SVP to CEO, and the board pitch that got him there. (49:03)
• How Doug inspired confidence after taking the CEO position, an exploration of Splunk’s revenue valley of death, and how Doug cultivates positive self-talk. (57:29)
• Doug reflects on previous chapters of his career and gives perspective on what’s to come - plus his overview of web 1.0 to 3.0. (01:08:03)

Links:

• Connect with Doug
  • LinkedIn
  • Splunk
• Connect with Joubin
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: [email protected] 
• Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

Stord, a Kleiner portfolio company, and its co-founder/CEO, Sean Henry, are defying a multitude of limits. While Sean is ranked as the youngest unicorn founder, he refuses to let his age define him. Demonstrating an entrepreneurial spirit from a very young age, he’s always angling for the advantage. Sean has undoubtedly found a crucial advantage with Stord, as it continues to rise as a leading cloud supply chain platform and pioneer in the industry.

In this episode, Sean discusses his Stord journey–from building the company to its massive scale–and Stord’s groundbreaking concept that has feet in two worlds. He provides valuable insight on the “first-time founder mindset” and the competitive advantages that come with founding a hyper-growth company. Sean also offers a perspective for anyone who has doubts about their own ability to be an innovator and founder.

In this episode, we cover: 

• How Sean's first business of selling electronics on eBay came into being - and what he loves about supply chain. (05:04)
• A look at Stord’s cloud supply chain platform - and why Sean does not want to be defined by his age as a young founder. (13:23) 
• Sean’s thoughts on the impostor syndrome that founders of hyper-growth startups experience - and a discussion about correlating professional credibility with age. (19:58)
• The Steve Jobs quote that changed Sean’s life as an entrepreneur - and why Atlanta, Georgia is the perfect location for Stord. (24:40)
• The tension between living in your current state, your desired future state, and the delta in between - and a look at Stord’s growth into a billion-dollar business. (30:26)
• Sean’s unique, yet successful series A pitch to Kleiner Perkins - and a look at the supply chain industry and Stord’s impact on the 1.3 trillion dollar global market. (41:34)
• Sean’s Medium article about the “first-time founder mindset” and why it’s important to “learn how to learn.” (54:26)
• Why it’s a great time to join Stord. (58:39)

Links:

• Connect with Sean
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Stord
• Connect with Joubin
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: [email protected] 
• Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

Links Referenced:

• “Gratitude and Happiness” article 
• The Hard Thing About Hard Things
• Be Obsessed or Be Average

Tom Mendoza, former President at NetApp, knows that there is a way to do business while bringing out the good in it. Tom has embedded this throughout his career and continues to make it a philosophical and practical focus. While Tom’s incredible journey may speak for itself, we take a deeper look at his core leadership values, how it has inspired his generosity and resilience, and the impact it continues to have on others.

In this episode, Tom discusses his humble beginnings in Long Island during the post-WWII era and the namesake for the Mendoza Business School and scholarship program. He expounds on important quotes that he still lives by, and why trust is critical when building a successful company. Tom also shares insight on his massive success at NetApp and how he grew the company from zero to a billion.

In this episode, we cover: 

• Tom’s childhood, beginning with his parent’s journey to Long Island, NY after World War II, and his first job as an usher at a movie theater. (03:06)
• “Bring out the good in business”: Tom shares the touching story behind his Notre Dame scholarship program and the Mendoza Business School. (07:11)
• How the phrase, “catch someone doing something right” came about - and a deep dive into Tom’s core leadership mantra. (14:53)
• A look back on the day Tom played a round of golf with Tiger Woods with Warren Buffett as his caddy. (27:01)
• NetApp–from zero to a billion: How Tom leveraged his passion for building companies to accelerate NetApp’s outstanding revenue growth - and the effect of the dotcom bubble on NetApp and its impact on company culture. (32:38)
• Why Tom almost retired from NetApp before accepting the role as President - and how NetApp encourages employees to give back to the world. (47:46)
• Tom’s perspective on customer trust and support, and why companies without a sustained sense of urgency fail. (56:43)
• How Tom combats complacency through injecting tension. (01:08:47)

Links:

• Connect with Tom
  • LinkedIn
  • NetApp
• Connect with Joubin
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: [email protected] 
• Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

Jim Steele, President of Global Strategic Customers at Salesforce, is the man, the myth, and the legend who helped increase Salesforce’s revenue from $22 million to over $5 billion. Working since he was 10 years old to support his family, Jim’s drive and ambition are still just as strong today as he views new challenges and opportunities with a “beginner’s mindset.” As Jim puts it, his 43-year career in sales is a series of stories–in this episode, he reflects on poignant moments that helped shape who he is as a leader in the industry. 

Jim offers anecdotes from his early days at IBM and paints a vivid picture of Wall Street in the ‘80s. Through his stories, Jim emphasizes an important theme—building authentic relationships—and explores the value of remembering people’s names and faces. Jim also discusses the incredible growth of Salesforce, offers takeaways from his 12-year experience, and opens up about his return to the company. 

In this episode, we cover: 

• Chateau de Steele: the story behind Jim’s Beaver Bar. (01:30)
• How Jim became the first Chief Customer Officer, ever - and he describes the lasting effect of his first job at 10 years old. (04:46)
• Jim’s perspective on humility and sincerity - and what he says to people who are not motivated at their job. (09:16)
• “IBM was the boot camp of sales training”: A key takeaway from Jim’s experience at IBM’s sales school and how it set the stage for success on Wall Street. (13:59)
• Through the “three-martini lunches” story, Jim explores Wall Street in the ’80s and the value of building trusted relationships. (21:47)
• Jim’s insight on developing personal connections and the value of remembering names and faces. (28:15)
• A look at Jim’s unconventional Salesforce interview experience - and why the Salesforce culture doesn’t accept “armchair quarterbacks.” (38:29)
• Jim reflects on the positive impact of his sabbatical and how COVID-19 gave him a new perspective on work/life balance. (48:09)
• How Jim adapts Marc Benioff's LVI methodology (listen, validate, and inspire) to his work - and a conversation about cultivating genuine relationships and active listening as a seller. (53:08)
• Jim’s perspective on empowering salespeople - and why Salesforce’s unique offering has everything to do with its customers. (01:04:31)
• What led Jim back to Salesforce, why he loves what he does, and what’s next. (01:13:28)

Links:

• Connect with Jim
  • LinkedIn
  • Salesforce
• Connect with Joubin
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: [email protected] 
• Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

B2B marketing powerhouse, Sara Varni joins this episode on her final day at Twilio to discuss her journey and what lies ahead as she steps into her new role as Chief Marketing Officer at Attentive. Sara demonstrates a stellar track record of marketing know-how and creativity and has a refreshing take on the ever-changing marketing landscape.

In this episode, Sara shares insight on what it means to speak to your audience and uses an example from her Twitter to show how products can market themselves. She reflects on her time at Salesforce and Twilio, discusses why it’s important for marketers to recharge, and explores how her disciplined mindset contributes to her success. Sara and Joubin also discuss their shared love of bowling and Sara shares her thoughts on joining Attentive at the beginning of its next phase of growth.

In this episode, we cover:

• “The full slice of life at the bowling alley”: Sara and Joubin connect over their love for bowling. (04:26)
• How Sara learned from her father’s disciplined mentality - and what it means to create a home for her children. (07:17)
• Sara follows up on her tweet about product marketing - and she shares why her 10 years at Salesforce was “the best marketing training.” (15:14)
• A look back at the marketing structural changes at Salesforce and Sara’s role as CMO - and a conversation about writing memorable copy and earning “the right to speak to your audience.” (26:14)
• Sara’s insight on why managers play a key role in cultivating a motivated team - and her take on the balancing act of working remotely. (35:39)
• Why it’s important for marketers to recharge and how that mindset led Sara from Salesforce to Twilio. (39:53)
• Twilio’s aggressive customer-centric values and go-to-market approach - how Sara navigated her son’s autism diagnosis during that stressful time of her career and what gives her peace of mind. (48:31)
• Advice Sara received from her career coach and the benefits of a consistent feedback loop for people at any stage in their career. (56:16)
• Reflecting on Sara’s last day at Twilio and why she loves being a CMO. (01:02:49)

Links:

• Connect with Sara
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Attentive
• Connect with Joubin
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: [email protected] 
• Learn more about Kleiner Perkins