SaaSy Talk Unfiltered

Episode Summary: A candid conversation with Alex Kottoor, co-founder of SceneDoc, sharing significant moments from his journey of conceptualising, growing, and eventually selling his company. Kottoor details SceneDoc's evolution, starting from their days as a note-taking app to their impactful niche as a service for public safety entities. He discusses the challenges and achievements they faced, from hiring the right team to finding product-market fit. He also stresses the importance of being customer-obsessed, having a supportive spouse, and advises new entrepreneurs to trust their gut and start their journey as soon as possible, closing the session with further insights on investment cycles, funding, and sales methodologies.

Key Takeaways:

• Building a successful startup requires a combination of domain expertise, sales skills, and the ability to adapt to the needs of the market.
• Hiring the right team at each stage of growth is crucial, and founders should prioritize hiring for the stage they are in rather than solely focusing on domain expertise.
• Founders should be prepared to weather the storm and have a high pain tolerance, as running a startup is a constant grind.
• Founder-led sales can be effective, but it's important to transition to a VP of sales at the right time and hire someone who can scale the sales process.
• Understanding the market and focusing on a specific target audience can lead to predictable growth and attract the attention of larger players in the industry.

Notable Quotes:

• "You need to hire for the stage of growth you're at and not lose sight of the type of business you're trying to build."
• "Pain tolerance is key. You have to be able to weather the storm and crawl through the mud longer than everybody else."
• "The more you can be in the trenches with prospects and customers, the more optionality you'll have in funding the business."

Chapters

00:23 The Journey of Building SceneDoc

02:37 The Turning Point: From Picky Note to SceneDoc

04:49 The Growth and Evolution of SceneDoc

05:37 Challenges and Learnings in the Early Days

08:26 Building the First Team and Overcoming Challenges

11:34 The Evolution of Leadership Style and Team Building

18:50 Reflections on the Journey and the Reality of Running SceneDoc

21:38 The Strategy Behind SceneDoc's Success

25:51 The Unconventional Approach to Enterprise Sales

28:20 The Journey to Predictable Growth

28:52 Transitioning from Founder-led Sales

29:31 The Role of a CEO in Sales

30:32 Understanding Investment in Startups

30:57 The Importance of Knowing Your Market

32:15 The Decision to Raise Capital

33:14 The Biggest Mistake and Rewarding Moments

35:32 Advice for Aspiring Founders

37:35 The Next Wave of Dana Growth

41:02 Quick Fire Round

Subscribe to our Newsletter:

https://substack.com/@saasytalkunfiltered

Michael is currently the CEO of Tradify, a job management application used by thousands of trade businesses globally to simplify their job quoting, scheduling, management and invoicing.
Summary:

Ricky and Sean interview Michael Steckler, the CEO of Tradify. Michael shares his journey into the tech industry, from starting in media sales to working at Microsoft and Criteo. He discusses the challenges and rewards of transitioning from a founder to a CEO and the importance of building a strong leadership team. Michael also talks about the unique aspects of the New Zealand tech scene and the opportunities and challenges of running a global software company from a remote location. He emphasizes the importance of having a support structure as a CEO and the value of networking and learning from other leaders. Michael shares his insights on budget planning, pricing strategy, and the key factors that have contributed to Tradify's success. He also discusses the importance of authentic company values and metrics in driving business growth.
Key Takeaways:

• The strongest founders recognize their weaknesses and build a team that complements their strengths.
• Moving from a founder to a CEO requires measurable impact, trust, credibility, and understanding company culture.
• Building a support structure as a CEO is crucial, including a strong network of mentors and peers.
• The most rewarding moments for Michael at Tradify are seeing long-term employees reflect on the company's growth and impact.
• Building a successful company culture involves authentic values, leading by example, and fostering open communication.
• Key factors contributing to Tradify's success are a great product, understanding the customer, and a scalable go-to-market strategy.
• Metrics play a crucial role in driving business growth, differentiating between vanity metrics and operational metrics.

Quotes:

• "The strongest founders...assemble great teams and recognize that."
• "If you're going to be a CEO, you need to...thoroughly understand that business."
• "Values aren't about being that value 100 percent...It's about calling each other out on it."
• "Having a great product and understanding your go-to-market are the key factors in cracking the code for business success."
• "Understanding...the most important metrics to the business...is probably the most important thing for me."
• "Understanding the difference between vanity metrics and metrics that really drive the business...is important."
• "If you have a bad ENPS, everything else you're worrying about is irrelevant."
• "Keep executing, keep growing the business, keep growing the team, do all the things that we're doing well, and fix things that we're not doing so well."
• "The number one thing I care about is respect...That is the most important thing."

Chapters 00:00 Michael’s Background

00:05 Journey into Tech and Early Career

03:28 Taking the Helm as CEO of Tradify

04:35 Reflections on Past Experiences and Lessons from Microsoft and Criteo

06:05 Adjusting to NZ's Tech Scene

08:02 Transition from Founder to CEO

09:35 First 100 Days as CEO

17:05 Building a Support Structure as a CEO

19:39 Learning from Mistakes and Pricing Strategy

23:57 A Day in the Life of a CEO

25:39 Budget Planning for 2024

28:12 Most Rewarding Moments at Tradify

29:52 Building a Successful Company Culture

35:19 Cracking the Code: Tradify's Success Factors

40:20 Looking Ahead: Future Plans for Tradify

42:06 Quick Fire Round: Getting to Know Michael

Subscribe to our Newsletter:

https://substack.com/@saasytalkunfiltered

Co-Founder and Co-CEO Alina Vandenberghe created Chili Piper in 2016, the conversion platform for B2B sales, marketing, and implementation teams. With 45,000+ customers like Spotify, Airbnb, Gong, and Shopify, Chili Piper automates scheduling, lead qualification, and routing throughout all stages of the funnel.

The born entrepreneur started her first company before high school before she even knew what entrepreneurism was. After building mobile products loved by millions — and that were keynoted by Steve Jobs on stage — Alina decided to take her product management talents to B2B software solutions

Summary:

Alina Vandenberghe, CEO and co-founder of Chili Piper, shares her journey from Romania to the US and her passion for entrepreneurship. She discusses the challenges of working in corporate America and the freedom she found in building her own company. Alina also talks about the benefits and challenges of working with her husband as a co-founder and the importance of managing conflict in a relationship. She explains why Chili Piper decided to be a remote-first company and how they maintain a vibrant culture despite being geographically dispersed. Alina also provides insights into their hiring process for remote workers and the key characteristics they look for in candidates. She discusses the importance of onboarding and the need for self-accountability in a remote work environment. Alina shares her excitement for the future of Chili Piper and the challenges of scaling the business. She emphasizes the importance of being a problem solver and the joy she finds in building things.

Key Takeaways:

• Alina's drive for independence and freedom led her to pursue entrepreneurship and build her own company.
• Working with a spouse can be rewarding if there is trust, respect, and effective conflict management in both personal and professional life.
• Remote work offers flexibility and freedom, but it requires self-discipline and the ability to manage loneliness.
• Hiring remote workers requires finding individuals who are self-sufficient, have good work habits, and can thrive in a remote work environment.
• Onboarding is crucial for remote workers to ensure they understand the company's values, products, and remote work expectations.

Quotes:

• "The fact that it's hard and complicated, that's what excites me the most."
• "I always wanted to be the CEO of a company ever since I was a child."
• "We recommend that (remote workers) work out of an office, a shared office, a co-working space with other people."
• "As long as the values that are important to us are instilled and we are supporting their growth... then I think they're going to be okay."
• "Every stage of the company is really hard because you've not been exposed to it before... it's an ever-evolving skill set."

​Chapters:

(0:00:30) Alina's desire to come to the US for more opportunities

(0:02:35) Alina's dissatisfaction with corporate America and desire for independence

(0:03:44) Alina and her husband's successful working relationship at Chili Piper.

(0:08:19) Characteristics sought in remote workers: self-sufficiency and self-accountability.

(0:15:35) Moments of realization that the business was taking off

(0:18:44) Transitioning from founder-led sales to external leadership

(0:21:19) Work life integration vs work life balance

(0:25:52) Balancing CEO responsibilities and collaborating with the board

(0:32:39) Excitement about growing Chili Piper and facing new challenges

(0:33:57) Quick Fire-Round

Subscribe on Spotify:

SaaSy Talk Unfiltered | Podcast on Spotify

Subscribe on YouTube:

SAASY TALK UNFILTERED - YouTube

Subscribe on Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/saasy-talk-unfiltered

Subscribe to our Newsletter:

SaaSyTalkUnfiltered | Substack

Visit our Website:

SaaSy Talk Unfiltered (transistor.fm)

Follow Ricky Sevta on Linkedin:

Ricky Sevta | LinkedIn

Follow Sean Diljore on Linkedin: