On this episode, host Lloyed Lobo of Boast.AI welcomes Henry Schuck, CEO & Founder at ZoomInfo.

 

Over the past five years, ZoomInfo has grown 10X to more than one billion in revenue with over 3,000 employees and 25,000 customers.

 

Today, Henry joins us to share lessons from starting and growing the company from his dorm room to global scale.

 

Specifically, Henry dives into:

2:32 - ZoomInfo's bootstrapped backstory

4:32 - Raising venture capital versus bootstrapping

7:26 - Finding your first customers

10:51 - Biggest challenges with sales in the beginning

14:40 - Milestones you should be setting in the early days

18:19 - Tactics to address customer retention

25:09 - When to onboard a CFO

28:39 - Key channels that were prioritized in ZoomInfo's go-to-market engine

36:50 - How raising funding changed the dynamic of the company

38:52 - How to maintain startup culture as you scale

44:17 - How to give feedback

49:16 - Key team members to hire from startup to scaleup

53:45 - The number one superpower a founder needs to develop

56:54 - Unconventional advice founders ignore, but shouldn't

 

Learn more at https://tractionconf.io

 

Connect with Henry Schuck: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hschuck

 

Learn more about ZoomInfo at https://www.zoominfo.com/

 

This episode is brought to you by:

 

Extend your company’s hiring budget with VanHack’s pool of 400,000 remote engineers at a lower cost than local hires. Join companies like Dapper Labs, 1Password, Brex and Dooly who hired great engineers with VanHack. Mention “Traction Remote” when you sign up today to get 10% off your first hire at https://VanHack.com.

 

Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.

 

Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca 

Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com

On this episode, host Lloyed Lobo of Boast.AI welcomes Udi Ledergor, CMO at Gong.

 

With massive shifts and uncertainty in the markets, most companies are working on defensive plans such as reducing spending and increasing cash.

 

Defensive strategies might help companies survive, but in order to exit the current climate in a market-leading position, companies must learn to play offense.

 

Udi shares his ideas on how to play offense during a downturn. He covers marketing topics such as demand, brand, channels, team, tools, and metrics.

 

More specifically, Udi covers:

 

3:00 - Important skills needed to become a CMO

4:24 - How to leverage data to become more creative

6:43 - Offensive versus defensive marketing tactics

14:46 - Getting early customers and building a marketing strategy with no budget

26:04 - How startups should identify and prioritize marketing channels

31:37 - Skills and resources needed when transitioning from startup to scaleup 

37:39 - Key characteristics to becoming a mega-brand

44:23 - Gong's Superbowl ad and the results

48:58 - Balancing brand and performance investments

55:29 - Perfect marriage of creativity and data

1:00:21 - Book recommendations

1:01:55 - Unconventional advice founders shouldn't ignore 

 

Learn more at https://tractionconf.io

 

Connect with Udi Ledergor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/udiledergor

 

Learn more about Gong at https://www.gong.io/

 

This episode is brought to you by:

Extend your company’s hiring budget with VanHack’s pool of 400,000 remote engineers at a lower cost than local hires. Join companies like Dapper Labs, 1Password, Brex and Dooly who hired great engineers with VanHack. Mention “Traction Remote” when you sign up today to get 10% off your first hire at https://VanHack.com. 

 

Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.

 

Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca 

 

Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com

On this episode of the Traction podcast, host Lloyed Lobo welcomes Jason VandeBoom, Founder & CEO of ActiveCampaign.

 

ActiveCampaign has managed to build a big business by taking some less-than-obvious paths.

 

Jason shares his take on traditional growth strategies. He tells us why they don’t always make sense and gives a breakdown of the lessons learned from scaling the unscalable into a long term sustainable business.

 

More specifically, Jason discusses:

 

0:56 - ActiveCampaign’s founding story

3:12 - Prioritize customer experiences over product experiences

8:21 - Find your own path

12:58 - Don't go global, be global

15:34 - Why pain doesn't equal success

18:00 - Figure out the right validators

 

Learn more at https://tractionconf.io

 

Connect with Jason VandeBoom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jvandeboom

 

Learn more about ActiveCampaign at https://www.activecampaign.com/

 

This episode is brought to you by:

 

Extend your company’s hiring budget with VanHack’s pool of 400,000 remote engineers at a lower cost than local hires. Join companies like Dapper Labs, 1Password, Brex and Dooly who hired great engineers with VanHack. Mention “Traction Remote” when you sign up today to get 10% off your first hire at https://VanHack.com. 

 

Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.

 

Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca 

 

Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com

On this episode, host Lloyed Lobo of Boast.AI welcomes Eric Siu, Chairman of Single Grain and a serial entrepreneur, author, podcast host, investor, and advisor to many companies.  

 

In his youth, Eric was not academically or socially successful, but he was a serious high-level eSports and poker player. He ultimately found how to convert his focus and success in gaming into a very successful career in marketing.

 

He recently published his book Leveling Up: How To Master the Game of Life, which shares a 15-level approach to winning the game.

 

Eric and Lloyed discuss what if businesses were video games, where leaders were players, using power-ups, taking risks, and using hidden strategies to achieve the next level?

 

Specifically, they dive into:

 

2:30 - Eric’s journey into entrepreneurship

4:43 - Acquiring Single Grain for $2

12:09 - The concept of leveling up in gaming and how apply it to life and business

14:57 - The newbie struggle and the challenges that come with it

18:49 - What an apprentice mentality means

20:35 - Teamwork skills and strategies leaders must use to achieve success

25:35 - How to delegate and hire amazing people when you're on a budget

30:22 - Staying on track as a CEO, marketing expert, public speaker, and podcaster

33:36 - General advice for businesses to scale

36:30 - An example of using level ups to win

38:55 - The most difficult chapter to write in his book

 

Learn more at https://tractionconf.io

 

Connect with Eric Siu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericosiu

 

Learn more at: https://www.levelingup.com 

 

This episode is brought to you by:

 

DuploCloud is a one-stop solution for all your DevOps cloud automation and compliance needs - from infrastructure provisioning and application deployment to security controls, compliance certification, and alerts. Visit https://duplocloud.com. Get two months free access by contacting [email protected]

 

Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.

 

Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca 

 

Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com

 

On this episode, host Lloyed Lobo of Boast.AI welcomes Max Lytvyn, Co-Founder, Head of Revenue, and Board Member at Grammarly.

 

Since 2009, Grammarly has grown into one of the most successful bootstrapped companies on the web. More than 30 million daily active users rely on its AI-powered digital writing assistant to help them communicate more clearly, effectively, and mistake-free.

 

Today, Max shares how the company turned its mission and values into powerful practical tools to supercharge growth.

 

Specifically, Max covers:

 

3:42 - The difference between values, missions, and visions

5:56 - Why values are mandatory

13:18 - What makes values effective during interviews and investor conversations

15:29 - How to stay true to your values

 

Learn more at https://tractionconf.io

 

Connect with Max Lytvyn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-lytvyn/

 

Learn more about Grammarly at https://www.grammarly.com

 

This episode is brought to you by:

DuploCloud is a one-stop solution for all your DevOps cloud automation and compliance needs - from infrastructure provisioning and application deployment to security controls, compliance certification, and alerts. Visit https://duplocloud.com. Get two months free access by contacting [email protected]

 

Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.

 

Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca 

 

Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com

On this episode of the Traction podcast, I welcome Daniel Saks, Co-Founder & Co-CEO at AppDirect.

 

As more and more enterprises put employees in the driver’s seat to pick the right tools for their organizations, you need to balance between designing for both end-users and the IT department to stay competitive.

 

Daniel shares tips on how to transition from a traditional sales-led model to a product-led growth (PLG) model and how that transition helped AppDirect get more enterprise customers.

 

Specifically, Daniel will discuss:

1:29 - AppDirect's journey from startup to unicorn

5:55 - Pivoting from enterprise sales-led to PLG

10:52 - What PLG means and how companies should think about it

17:05 - Comparing enterprise sales to PLG

24:49 - Key traits for success when transitioning from sales-led to PLG

27:43 - Reducing the friction during transition in an 800-person company

34:02 - An example of a collaborative PLG project at AppDirect and the outcomes it produced

37:20 - Issues that deter collaboration, and solutions to improve collaboration

43:31 - Resources to implement PLG

47:24 - PLG metrics that drive the leading indicators of success

55:00 - Coming up with the price point for your first PLG offering

 

Learn more at https://tractionconf.io

 

Connect with Daniel Saks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielsaks/

 

Learn more about AppDirect at https://www.appdirect.com/

 

This episode is brought to you by:

 

DuploCloud is a one-stop solution for all your DevOps cloud automation and compliance needs - from infrastructure provisioning and application deployment to security controls, compliance certification, and alerts. Visit https://duplocloud.com. Get two months free access by contacting [email protected]

 

Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.

 

Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca 

Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com

On this episode of the Traction podcast, host Lloyed Lobo of Boast.AI welcomes Yinon Costica, Co-Founder and VP of Product at Wiz.

 

Explosive growth is every startup’s dream but it’s not easy. It’s rarely ever a linear path.

 

Mistakes are inevitable. They can make or break your business’ success while you’re scaling your teams, troubleshooting your product, and onboarding your first clients.

 

In this episode, Yinon shares the mistakes the team at Wiz made early on that ended up helping their business skyrocket into exponential growth and become the fastest-growing cybersecurity company in the world.

 

Specifically, Yinon covers:

 

1:12 - The backstory behind Wiz

3:43 - Key developments that shape you as a founder

6:44 - Coming together to work with co-founders from a previous company

9:27 - Keeping the team together during the toughest times

13:27 - Becoming a $6 billion company in 18 months

17:18 - Key questions that founders should ask potential customers

21:12 - Picking initial questions to ask future customers

25:22 - Tactics to acquire customers early on

30:24 - How culture plays a role in scaling

37:07 - Recruiting too many employees

40:32 - How to prioritize what to build and what not to build

42:23 - What is product debt and how do you determine it within a company?

50:25 - How startups should think about building products with simplicity

54:49 - Key KPIs to measure success

1:00:14 - How to find people who don't require micromanagement

 

Learn more at https://tractionconf.io

 

Connect with Yinon Costica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yinonc/?originalSubdomain=il

 

Learn more about Wiz at https://www.wiz.io/

 

This episode is brought to you by:

 

DuploCloud is a one-stop solution for all your DevOps cloud automation and compliance needs

—from infrastructure provisioning and application deployment to security controls, compliance certification, and alerts. Visit https://duplocloud.com. Get two months free access by contacting [email protected]

 

Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.

 

Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca 

 

Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com

 

On this episode of the Traction podcast, host Lloyed Lobo of Boast.AI welcomes Andres Botero, Chief Marketing Officer at BlackLine (Nasdaq: BL).

 

A successful customer advocacy program turns loyal customers into spokespeople for your brand, making it one of the most effective forms of marketing. According to Gartner, more than 75% of B2B buyers consult three or more sources before they make a purchase decision.

 

In this session, Andres shares the playbook for turning customers into spokespeople. Specifically, Andres covers:

 

3:47 - Skills that are fundamental to a marketing leader

6:51 - What is advocacy marketing

8:54 - Key ingredients for building an advocacy program

12:57 - How to identify and target ideal customers

19:20 - How to incentivize customers to give testimonials

22:32 - Tools to scale customer testimonials and referrals

25:57 - Proving the ROI of customer advocacy

30:33 - Key metrics to stay on top of for a smaller company

34:53 - How to manage referenceable assets

 

Learn more at https://tractionconf.io

 

Connect with Andres Botero: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andresmbotero/

 

Learn more about BlackLine at https://www.blackline.com/

 

This episode is brought to you by:

 

DuploCloud is a one-stop solution for all your DevOps cloud automation and compliance needs — from infrastructure provisioning and application deployment to security controls, compliance certification, and alerts. Visit https://duplocloud.com. Get two months free access by contacting [email protected]

 

Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.

 

Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca 

 

Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com

On this episode of the Traction podcast, host Lloyed Lobo of Boast.AI welcomes Craig Nile, VP Sales at Codat.   With experience helping grow some of the biggest names in SaaS, such as Salesforce and Slack, Craig shares the playbook for building and scaling enterprise sales teams from zero to a billion. 

Specifically, Craig covers:

1:47 - The backstory behind the journey into sales

7:25 - When is the right time to bring in a sales leader?

11:10 - What the first 90 days look like as a new sales leader

14:13 - How smaller companies should think about sales quotas

19:06 - Key hires a sales leader should make

24:20 - What percentage of quota a BDR is responsible for generating

27:35 - Key traits for a BDR

29:55 - What quotas and comp look like for an account executive

33:32 - Favorite two questions to ask when interviewing sales reps

37:56 - Leading indicators to watch out for to make sure reps hit their numbers

42:16 - Favorite way to help account executives during sales cycles

48:13 - Different selling styles and when to use them

56:37 - How to enable a sales team

1:00-59 - How to leverage account-based marketing

1:08:33 - Advice for founders that doesn't get enough recognition

 

Learn more at https://tractionconf.io

 

Connect with Craig Nile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craignile/

 

Learn more about Codat at https://www.codat.io/

This episode is brought to you by:

 

DuploCloud is a one-stop solution for all your DevOps cloud automation and compliance needs - from infrastructure provisioning and application deployment to security controls, compliance certification, and alerts. Visit https://duplocloud.com. Get two months free access at https://lp.duplocloud.com/partner/traction 

 

Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.

 

Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca 

 

Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com

On this episode of the Traction podcast, host Lloyed Lobo of Boast.AI welcomes Chandar Pattabhiram, Chief Marketing Officer at Coupa Software.

With so much attention on Product-Market fit, many startups forget about Go-to-Market fit which is crucial for long term sustainable growth.

Chandar discusses how to drive what he calls “speedboat marketing,” sharing strategies and hard-earned lessons from 25 years of scaling companies.


Specifically, Chandar dives into:

4:11 - Why so many startups fail at "go to market fit"

6:39 - What is speedboat marketing?

9:08 - Key elements of speedboat marketing that companies can use to drive growth

10:58 - What is a flywheel?

15:40 - Educating the market before it exists

20:00 - Turning content into customer acquisition

23:39 - How to leverage allbound marketing

27:08 - How to turn your customers into advocates

31:36 - What you need to turn your startup into a megabrand

37:08 - How to build a great, infectious culture

41:10 - Best practices for communication

46:30 - Key roles and skills needed when you're building a new marketing team

51:43 - When is the right time to bring on a CMO

56:45 - Chandar's favorite movie stars and lessons he learned from them

58:46 - Coupa Software's tech stack


Learn more at https://tractionconf.io

Connect with Chandar Pattabhiram: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chandarp/

Learn more about Coupa Software at https://www.coupa.com/



This episode is brought to you by:

DuploCloud is a one-stop solution for all your DevOps cloud automation and compliance needs - from infrastructure provisioning and application deployment to security controls, compliance certification, and alerts. Visit https://duplocloud.com. Get two months free access by contacting [email protected]


Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.


Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca 

Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com