j. David Group

The 2021 Unicorn CRO Job Description vs. the 2024 Donkey CRO Job Description. Inspired by the incomparable Sam Jacobs' post yesterday about the role of the CRO in 2021 vs. what's needed in a CRO in 2024. (Check in out in the comments.)

"What major setbacks did you face early on and how did you overcome them?" That was one of the 26 questions I asked the GOATS who agreed to let me interview them for the GOATS of Growth book so far. Many more interviews to publish, but wanted to release an excerpt to that question about setbacks now, given the challenges many companies have faced over the last 18 months or so. Each person shared a different set of challenges, but one common theme I picked up on was their ability to persist and persevere when things got hard. You can hear more of each of their answers on today's episode of The GOATS of Growth by searching for it in your listening apps or simply clicking the link in the comments below. Big thanks and shout out to John McMahon, Elissa Fink, Ed Calnan, Mark Roberge,Laura Zwahlen, and Ryan Burke for agreeing to set aside your valuable time to be interviewed. Turns out that another theme has emerged; Great leaders are also gracious people.

If your LTV:CAC is 3:1, what does that mean and what decisions need to be made? If it's 4:1 or 2:1, what does it me and what decisions should be considered and made? All I knew before my interview with 2X CEO, Meshach Amuah-Fuster was that 4:1 was much better than 2:1, but what I didn't know was how to inspect and scrutinize those ratios to make better decisions for my business. And now I do. That's the best part about hosting a podcast like The GOATS of Growth. I don't have an MBA, but I can learn directly from successful, and current, operators and then share what I learn with other people. It's almost like being the professor and the student at the same time! So, if you're a lifelong learner, geek out on data, and want to temporarily satisfy your curiosity about how other operators are making decisions about growth and profitability, you will LOVE this episode! Check out this quick mashup for some data-driven dopamine and listen to the full episode wherever you listen to your podcasts--or just click the link below in the comments. Meshach, thanks for joining the show and teaching me about something I didn't know before!

How do you... Lead sales from an early-stage start-up to an IPO in 2 years? Go from $3M to $150M in 6.5 years--leading to a successful exit? Build a sales org from the ground up to successful acquisition in 2 years? Lead sales for 2 years, close the largest deal in company history, and then get acquired by META for $1B? Well as Vince Beese, the Founder of Sales HQ told me on The GOATS of Growth, the first thing you need is product market fit. But, product, market, fit alone is not a silver bullet for success. You need more. A lot more. Like testing and iterating and testing, and hiring and...you know, the work. The stuff that some might find boring, but I find endlessly fascinating. And the work is what we discussed on the latest episode of my podcast. Below is a mashup from the show, but to hear the full episode the link will be in the comments. Thanks for coming through in the clutch, Vince! It turned out great! Shout out to the great Susan Whittemore for introducing me to Vince. Much appreciated, my friend! You're the best!

Check out my interview with CRO/Operating Partner, Sherri Sklar, about how her success at a portfolio company led to her an Operating Partner opportunity with Edison Partners. We cover a range of topics including: --What a Private Equity Operating Partner does --How she got her first Operating Partner opportunity --How she makes strategic decisions that drive growth and increase commercial value --Why pattern recognition is critical to success --Common challenges growth-stage companies face and how to handle them --The significance of recruiting, assessing, and hiring top talent --And much more In the clip below, you'll hear Sherri talk about how she got started with a company she was brought in to help, the challenges they were facing, and how she helped them grow 200% in 6 months. The link to the full episode will be in the comments. Sherri, thanks for all you shared on The GOATS of Growth!

After researching tens of thousands of candidates over the years, I'll share an observation and some advice for hiring managers trying to cap the downside.    It may not be the "job hoppers" you should worry about "hopping" again.   It may be the "job holders" you need to worry about.   I've noticed a trend in people who have a high likelihood of quitting their next job within a year are those who just finished, or are coming close to finishing, a long run at their previous company.    They're now on the hunt for something new and exciting and hope your opportunity will be the ONE.   But it doesn't quite measure up to their expectations, or it's harder than they expected, so they leave quickly in search of the next one.   Could THEY be labeled as a job hopper now?   Could the traditional "job hopper" dig into their next opportunity and stabilize because they have more to prove?   Possibly.   But just don't assume someone with longevity is a better candidate simply because they're not a "job hopper".   They may likely be an even GREATER flight risk from what I've seen.   Approach with caution

Thanks to Scott Anderson and Jason Ingargiola from And1 Advisors for joining me on The GOATS of Growth to discuss something that is always at the top of my list when matching candidates to companies---and that's culture. Especially in the early days. So, after holding many leadership roles from early-stage to Fortune 500 companies, I wanted to have them on to talk about the must haves when building a team and developing the right culture--at any stage and size. Below is a short excerpt from the episode, but to hear the entire episode, please search for The GOATS of Growth in your podcast listening app, or simply look for the link to the show in the comments below. Scott and Jason, thanks for joining me on the show!

In full transparency, I started using RevenueBase recently and invited my friend, and Co-Founder/ CEO, Mark Feldman on to talk about contact data and how to use it. I was particularly interested in tapping into his growth marketing expertise to learn the nuances of email marketing and how to strike a balance between quantity and quality. Can you personalize at scale and if so, how? Please check out the full episode by searching The GOATS of Growth in your preferred podcast listening app, or look for the link below in the comments. Mark, thanks for joining me my friend. Much appreciated!

In an interview I did recently on EnableMinutes with Katie McElroy I was asked, among other things, to share what qualities I look for when interviewing Revenue Leaders. Revenue Leaders that get these 2 things right, will have exponentially better results than their peers. Link to the full episode is in the comments. (Sorry for MY low video quality, btw!) Katie, thanks for having me on! It was fun!

I've spoken with a lot of CROs who have expressed an interest in making a move from "Operator" to Operating Partner. So, I decided to interview someone who has already done it successfully. In today's episode of The GOATS of Growth, you'll hear my interview with Kevin McShane, M.B.A., Private Equity Operating Partner, whose journey includes a National Championship for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, as he played a key role as a linebacker for the legendary coach Lou, Holtz! He later went on to become a 3X PE-backed CRO, with multiple successful exits, which eventually led to his Private Equity Operating Partner role, where he currently leads the HKW go-to-market practice to help drive capital efficient revenue growth across the fund. So, if you've ever contemplated making a move from Operator to Operating Partner, this is the episode for you. Below is a brief excerpt from the show, but to listen to the full episode, click the link in the comments or search for The GOATS of Growth on your podcast listening app. Kevin, thanks for being so gracious with your time and for helping me educate my listeners on something that will help them in their careers.