Growth Unscripted: Recent Episodes
Carolyn Betts | Host of Growth Unscripted | CEO & Founder of Betts Recruiting | Entrepreneur, Carolyn Betts, Growth Unscripted
Growth Unscripted is a weekly podcast featuring badass professionals building great companies and even better careers. Join top executives to learn where they failed, where they crushed it, and everything in between.
On this week’s episode, Patrick joins Carolyn to discuss building a hybrid work culture at LiveOps “before hybrid was cool,” how talent is everywhere, why companies shifted to hybrid work faster than he expected, cost of living compensation adjustments, bringing remote teams together, how investors have changed which companies they invest in, and how remote work builds meritocracy.
Tim tells us about his journey from being homeschooled in Illinois to becoming a sales executive in Silicon Valley, learning how to manage people that were more senior than he was, changing Hired’s business model, why he joined Sama, working for an impactful organization, and empowering people to be successful.
Calling all SDRs! You don’t want to miss this one. Seth joins Carolyn to talk about being passionate about sales development and training other people leaders, making a career out of the SDR role, working with Aaron Ross at Predictable Revenue, building a successful career without a college degree, working at Google, and how to hire the right people.
Jake discusses working at CareerBuilder and Glassdoor, his midwestern background, ticket sales with the TB Rays, bringing business plans to interviews, getting fired, effective sales leadership, keys to getting promoted, sales team bonding in a remote world, learning the startup game, why he started Skaled, and the future of sales.
Katie joins Carolyn to chat about being the first employee of Betts, becoming the first head of talent at DFJ, her extensive experience in venture capital, DE&I hiring strategies, the future of remote work, and her advice for other people who’d like to work in venture capital.
John talks about starting Yodle right after college, yellow pages, inside sales at Yodle and ProfitFuel, growth companies and almost taking Yodle public, Yodle’s acquisition by web.com, founding OJO, how he’s using his learnings from Yodle to lead OJO, his father’s construction business, and his advice to other entrepreneurs.
Amy sits down with Carolyn to discuss how she creates an inclusive company environment in which people can thrive, founding AnswerLab, how they shifted their strategy to conduct user research remotely, AnswerLab’s commitment to inclusivity, the origins of her passion for user research, growing up in Tennessee, and moving to Japan.
1:38 Amy discusses her background and growing up in a small town outside of Knoxville, TN
4:07 Amy talks about learning Japanese and moving to Japan
10:13 The origins of Amy’s passion for creating experiences that everyone loves
14:28 Why Amy decided to found AnswerLab and how she came up with the idea
17:03 AnswerLab’s strategy and how they first brought on enterprise clients
20:02 Amy talks burnout and perfectionism
24:45 Why AnswerLab creates an inclusive culture in which people can thrive
28:09 How AnswerLab converted 89 in-person research projects to remote, and how they avoided losing any revenue in Q2 2020
35:42 AnswerLab’s human centered work project and their million dollar commitment
46:44 Amy’s closing DE&I advice to other leaders
Carlos tells us about helping take MongoDB public, what’s next for TripActions, growing up in Miami, his first sales jobs, working at PTC, moving to Barcelona, tech in the late 90’s, his key to building successful sales teams, and his career advice.
1:25 Carlos talks growing up in Miami and his first sales jobs
3:20 His experience at PTC and why they have a great sales organization
6:38 Carlos reflects on moving to Barcelona
7:47 Leaving PTC to start a company
10:58 Reflecting on tech in the late 90’s
14:10 The key to building successful sales teams
16:54 How Carlos joined MongoDB and his experience taking them public as CRO
28:36 Why every salesperson at TripActions builds at least some of their own pipeline
33:18 How Carlos builds a great sales culture
37:33 How TripActions has found opportunity during a global disruption
43:19 Career advice from Carlos
Nick joins Carolyn to discuss Gainsight’s acquisition by Vista, growing up in Pittsburgh, the importance of community in the growth of the customer success field, how he runs a human-centric company, his passion for creating equal opportunities for all people, and his advice to other entrepreneurs.
1:12 Nick talks about growing up in Pittsburgh and being a Steelers fan
3:07 The importance of community in the growth of the customer success field
7:25 Nick discusses founding his first company, chipshot.com, while at Harvard, and how it almost IPOed
11:31 Why Nick is known as being a “fun CEO” and how he’s motivated to create a human-centric company
18:50 How Gainsight handles tough situations
23:33 Nick’s passion for creating equal opportunities for all people at Gainsight and in the customer success field
31:20 Gainsight’s future and it’s acquisition by Vista
36:50 Nick’s advice to other entrepreneurs
If there’s anyone who knows how to dream, it’s Ron DeShay. After arriving in Los Angeles with his Ford Explorer on a U-Haul, he quickly rose through the ranks of Hollywood to become a producer on American Idol, the revolutionary show that “broke television.” On this week’s episode, Ron joins Carolyn to discuss his arrival in Hollywood, the beginning of his career in entertainment, including acting in Pamela Anderson’s TV show, his transition to behind the scenes work, and his influential role in creating American Idol. He also discusses leaving the #1 show on television to found World of Dreams and his upcoming production, A Better World Project, which aims to bring people together and end racism. In addition, he talks about how he’s revolutionizing the way content is created, and how inspiring others to dream is at the core of his mission at World of Dreams.
1:34 Ron talks about growing up in Bastrop, TX, his early interest in entertainment, and arriving in Hollywood with his Ford Explorer on a U-Haul.
4:35 Ron discusses the beginning of his Hollywood career which included acting in several commercials and having a role on Pamela Anderson’s show, V.I.P.
5:45 After taking a 6 month break, Ron gets a behind the scenes entry-level position as a logger on a show called American Fighter Pilots.
6:42 Ron meets the executive producer his first day on the job and he gets promoted to associate producer on day 4.
8:03 Fighter Pilots is canceled after 3 weeks on the air, but he becomes an associate producer on the show that became American Idol.
9:00 Ron talks about the challenges of transforming the U.K. version of American Idol for American audiences and A-list celebs who passed up the chance to host American Idol.
12:34 Ron tells us about his defining moment of screening a first cut of the show for UK producers, Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick, and how it influenced the creation of the show.
17:31 The reasons why American Idol had universal appeal, had something that everyone could relate to, and became the show that “broke television.”
25:04 Why Ron left the #1 TV show in America to start his business.
30:12 The importance of seeing opportunities in difficult situations.
35:20 How Ron came up with the idea for World of Dreams and the importance of being a sponge and learning everything you can.
43:39 The 4 lines of business within World of Dreams Entertainment Group and how he created a technological platform in which content creators can get feedback from the people who are watching the content like millennials and Gen Z.
49:05 Ron discusses A Better World Project and the show’s mission to bring people together and end racism by partnering with the National Student Council Association.
58:24 The World of Dreams shoe line and Dubai’s influence on Ron.
Jaimie discusses her experience at Andreessen Horowitz, her transition from sales engineer to sales rep at VMware, joining Zendesk, losing her job during the dot-com bubble, working with small companies, her management style, and her sales process.
1:52 Jaimie discusses her experience at Inktomi and losing her job during the dot-com bubble
3:17 Jaimie’s transition from sales engineer to sales rep at VMware
10:42 Carolyn and Jaimie talk about managing people and two common types of new managers
15:10 Why Jaimie left VMware
17:12 What Jaimie Learned by working with small companies
20:40 Jaimie discusses joining Andreessen Horowitz
25:58 Jaimie’s experience at Andreesen
30:14 An explanation of the MEDDIC sales process and why it’s so effective
37:09 How Jaimie ensures people enjoy working with her
40:56 The biggest leadership lesson that Jaimie learned
46:15 Why Jaimie left Andreessen and joined Zendesk
Kim Seabrook, Shopify’s Head of Revenue US West and Salesforce Alum, joins Carolyn to talk about leaving Salesforce after 14 years, why she makes mentoring other women a priority, the importance of asking for new opportunities, the 4 things that keep people happy in their current role, promoting inclusivity, and remote work cultures.
1:31 Kim discusses why she left Salesforce after 14 years
6:44 How Kim was able to ensure she was promoted consistently at Salesforce
10:47 Why Kim makes mentoring other women a priority and the importance of asking for new opportunities
15:30 Kim talks about refusing to be bumped when she was the only woman speaking at a Salesforce event
18:43 The 4 things that keep people happy in their current job
21:32 How Kim maintains a great company culture
25:43 The importance of staying connected when people are working remotely
28:44 How Kim builds a culture of inclusivity
40:21 Company cultures are changing because of remote work
41:57 Why Kim decided to make removing the pressure to drink at company events one of her priorities
44:23 How remote culture affects new grads in their first job
Christina Stembel, founder & CEO of Farmgirl Flowers, sits down with Carolyn to discuss growing up in a town with 3,600 people, why she started Farmgirl Flowers, bootstrapping her company, the Farmgirl Flowers bike couriers, the 104 no’s she received from VC firms when trying to raise capital but is now grateful for, and more from her founder’s journey.
1:10 Christina discusses why she started Farmgirl Flowers
4:09 Christina talks about growing up in a town with 3,600 people in Northern Indiana, not going to college, and working at Stanford
7:53 Why the e-commerce flower industry was declining in 2009
10:55 How Christina created a new design category of flower bouquets for Farmgirl Flowers
15:06 The origins and end of the bike courier service at Farmgirl Flowers
21:34 Challenges with shipping and projecting sells for perishable products like flowers
25:07 The difficulty of getting peonies throughout the year and Christina’s thoughts on purchasing a peony farm
28:44 Christina discusses the 104 no’s she received from VC firms when trying to raise capital, and why she’s now grateful that she never raised funding
36:34 Why Farmgirl Flowers uses burlap bags and how it cuts down on plastic use
1:41 Bianca talks about how November 2020 was the biggest sales month ever for Birdies.
3:56 The origins of the Birdies idea.
9:32 International trade show for shoes and apparel in Las Vegas.
11:37 Bianca discusses working with her Co-Founder, Marisa Sharkey.
16:25 Producing the first Birdies.
20:26 Investment from Andy Dunn of Bonobos.
21:36 Leaving Facebook, going full time with Birdies, and getting encouragement from Sheryl Sandberg.
22:39 Raising seed funding with Kirsten Green.
23:24 Bianca’s relationship with Sheryl Sandberg and why she went to work at Facebook.
28:41 Learning how to lead and manage people at Birdies.
35:17 The importance of listening to what customers want.
39:24 New product lines from Birdies.
1:41 Heidi tells the story of how ThirdLove was founded.
3:17 Heidi discusses starting ThirdLove with her husband, Dave.
4:53 Heidi talks about making business decisions when she doesn’t agree with her husband or other team members.
6:36 Learn how the industry landscape has changed since ThirdLove was founded.
8:58 Hear how ThirdLove focuses on the customer being the woman instead of the man.
11:51 Heidi explains why she published an open letter to Victoria’s Secret in the New York Times.
16:22 Learn more about the TL Effect, a mentorship program from ThirdLove for female founders of color.
20:19 Hear about a new comedic campaign from ThirdLove.
21:03 Carolyn and Heidi reflect on the “To Each, Her Own” campaign.
24:18 Learn more about new product lines coming from ThirdLove
27:03 Heidi discusses inventory challenges and how she ensures customers get the products they want.
28:55 Heidi talks about the challenges ThirdLove faced in 2020.
2:00 Experiencing your company struggle with severe economic downturn, and what informed Becky's decision to go to business school
7:28 Why Becky moved from big 4 consulting to executive search
14:00 The importance of not waiting until you’re unhappy to make a career move
18:20 Balancing a family with an executive level career
25:20 Becky’s journey from Recruiting Manager to VP of Global Recruiting
33:50 Emerging from COVID-19 with a growth mindset
7:00 Adjusting to International business and the value of becoming a product expert.
11:00 Using relationship building with accounts as you develop expertise.
15:00 Structuring a job search and planning your next move.
16:30 Breaking into SaaS without prior experience.
21:11 Moving from a role in management back to individual contributorship.
25:30 Deciding between management and individual contributorship.
29:40 Why grit is the most important value on Julie's team.
3:00 Managing the on boarding and training huge new hire classes
5:15 Challenges of interviewing through hypergrowth
9:00 Hypergrowth’s effect on product & operational complexity
13:45 What to look for in a CEO/business leader
15:45 Identifying Matt’s leadership style
18:40 Lessons Matt has taken from one VP role to the next
22:00 Shifting hiring focus away from major geographies
28:00 Building a culture across remote offices
34:30 Balancing sales hiring with marketing output
3:00 Identifying your passions in order to do your best work
7:21 Building content & community
16:40 The virtue of consistency vs. the pitfall perfection
18:15 Developing your non-work identity,
20:15 Dealing with haters.
(3:07) Self-educating vs. learning in academia.
(5:50) Determining career & lifestyle motivations.
(10:18) Kevin's fallout with first mentor.
(18:30) Advancing quickly by bringing structure to unstructured teams.
(20:12) Kevin’s leadership mistake of trying to create miniature versions of himself.
(21:25) How much of your full personality should you bring to sales? How much you should follow the recipe?
(25:00) What your buyer wants as opposed to the routine sales teams want to create.
(31:00) Using a handful of reps to prove out concept of predictable revenue.
(34:08) Knowing when it’s time to leave your baby.
(36:43) On VPs of Sales being set up to fail, and how to ask the right questions to determine your expectations.
(42:00) Pros and Cons of bootstrapping.
(45:00) Where to go once you’ve raised funds.
Welcome to Growth Unscripted. The badass professionals. The real questions. The truth behind how top execs got to where they are and how you can follow in their footsteps. Brought to you by Betts CEO & Founder, Carolyn Betts.