Peer Effect

Bob is the CEO and Co-Founder of Crossbeam, which has raised over $100m and 15k companies use. Backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Bob already built and sold 2 businesses.

Today he takes us back to a board meeting in January 2016.

The subject of discussion is a company he started with his Co-Founder, Jake, in 2008.

The business was a hot startup in the 2011/12 era and raised a lot of VC money.

But technology changed. The market moved. And suddenly the forecasts were falling behind what they needed.

It left them with 3 options.

• Do you go and try to raise more money?
• Do you try and sell the business?
• Do you trim expenses and turn the business into something more self-sustaining?

Bob and his Co-Founder, Jake Stein had to navigate the daunting task of making critical decisions in a capital-constrained scenario.

They realised that their early success was fleeting and the market, a moving target, was drifting away from their product.

But what Bob and his partner did was turn failure into a lesson, and build a different business.

Despite facing a lot of rejection, they resiliently worked toward the future of a product they knew would ultimately be successful.

Their experience emphasises the importance of continuous innovation in technology.

In this episode we discuss,

• The importance of continuous innovation in technology
• The crucial role of optionality
• The importance of transparency, honesty, and continuous self-evaluation

As today’s episode wraps up, it leaves us with a lesson about the importance of always being able to value your business higher than anyone else.

This mindset helped Bob and his partner navigate their challenges and emerge stronger.

From fundraising, and pivoting the business, to laying off employees, Bob is sharing the mindset of valuing the business higher than anyone else, a belief that carried them through the most challenging times.

Learn from the ups and downs of Bob Moore and Jake Stein’s journey and how they applied these lessons to their business.

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What does it really take to scale beyond the early wins?

For founders who’ve already seen a degree of success, reaching the next level means facing new challenges, and Keven Lavelle, founder of Harbor and Mizzen + Main knows all about it.

He’s taken both companies to impressive heights, from securing a spot on Time Magazine’s 2024 Best Inventions list to hitting hundreds of millions in revenue!

Together, we dive in:

• How joining a founder forum can offer you unmatched support & accountability– and where to find them!
• The differences between founding your first and second startup—and why experience doesn’t always mean an easier road ahead.
• Lessons learned in building a peer network that challenges you to make better decisions, see blind spots, and avoid common scaling mistakes.

Stay updated on Kevin's journey of building Harbor by following him on LinkedIn.

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Normally CEO coaching is highly confidential but on this podcast brave founders and CEOs will jump in a time machine and relive some of their toughest moments while I coach them through it. We’ll explore what they did, what their options were and most importantly the why behind their choices and actions. Hit subscribe to get to the root of the biggest challenges facing ambitious entrepreneurs and how to overcome them.

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Today I'm joined by Jack Dyrhauge who is the Founder of Neuropool. He is an ADHD, Autistic entrepreneur on a mission the change employment odds for Neurodiverse job seekers

We speak about would you do what you do for free and how there can still be personal consequences even if you love it. Plus some great tips on how to improve the neurodiversity of your business

Key Takeaways

• To survive and truly enjoy the journey plan for business AND personal
• Take the time to figure out what you’re rushing towards and if that truly is success.
• When approaching neurodiversity start with asking all your existing staff for ideas on what you can do better

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Today I'm joined by James O’Donnell, Commercial Director of Social Ink, the social media marketing company that helps CEOs and businesses create stories online through social media and building communities.

We speak about why you should be creating authentic content that shares your story.

Key Learnings:

• People love hearing stories. Content that is story-based gets on average three times as many views and twice as many interactions.
• Just jump in. Don't let the need for perfection stop you starting
• Use "pillar content" to focus your message so you can be passionate AND relevant to your business

More from James:

Connect with James on LinkedIn or at peer-effect.com