Grit

When Andy Kofoid was growing up in the working-class town of Joliet, Illinois, he dreamed of getting to college and — like a lot of his relatives — worked in construction. Today, Andy is laying digital foundations at Databricks, a data analytics and AI company that works with enterprise brands including Adobe, NBCUniversal, and Starbucks. Previously the COO of ExactTarget, which Salesforce acquire...

Doug Merritt joins this episode on the tail end of his impressive run as Splunk’s CEO. With decades of leadership in what can be described as an “exploratory career,” Doug breaks down his professional roadmap and provides insight on how he was able to transform companies and the cultures that hold them together.   In this episode, Doug shares his perspective on the new wave of innovation as a seas...

Stord, a Kleiner portfolio company, and its co-founder/CEO, Sean Henry, are defying a multitude of limits. While Sean is ranked as the youngest unicorn founder, he refuses to let his age define him. Demonstrating an entrepreneurial spirit from a very young age, he’s always angling for the advantage. Sean has undoubtedly found a crucial advantage with Stord, as it continues to rise as a leading clo...

Tom Mendoza, former President at NetApp, knows that there is a way to do business while bringing out the good in it. Tom has embedded this throughout his career and continues to make it a philosophical and practical focus. While Tom’s incredible journey may speak for itself, we take a deeper look at his core leadership values, how it has inspired his generosity and resilience, and the impact it co...

Jim Steele, President of Global Strategic Customers at Salesforce, is the man, the myth, and the legend who helped increase Salesforce’s revenue from $22 million to over $5 billion. Working since he was 10 years old to support his family, Jim’s drive and ambition are still just as strong today as he views new challenges and opportunities with a “beginner’s mindset.” As Jim puts it, his 43-year car...

B2B marketing powerhouse, Sara Varni joins this episode on her final day at Twilio to discuss her journey and what lies ahead as she steps into her new role as Chief Marketing Officer at Attentive. Sara demonstrates a stellar track record of marketing know-how and creativity and has a refreshing take on the ever-changing marketing landscape. In this episode, Sara shares insight on what it means to...

Many people run from uncomfortable situations. Heidi Andersen, CRO at Nextdoor, isn’t like most, as she embraces new challenges and makes mental toughness a centrality to her approach. From the very beginning of her story, Heidi has been rooted in hard work and the personal gratification of earning her success. Known as a corporate athlete, Heidi stands out from the pack and proudly holds the torc...

Sometimes social media works and sometimes it doesn’t. For Matt Epstein, Chief Marketing Officer at Rippling, it is a little bit of both. In 2011, Matt went viral after uploading a Youtube video detailing why Google should hire him. It was also accompanied by a propeller plane with his URL attached, flying over the Google campus. Apparently, Google was not impressed, however, this bold decision ul...

There is a litany of analogies for marketing. An art, a technique, a skill. Yet few strive to combine a multitude of approaches. For Meagen Eisenberg, Chief Marketing Officer at TripActions, she synthesizes a combination of art, science, and the essential ingredient–joy–to form a unique marketing strategy.  Meagen is a no BS go-getter who demonstrates an encompassing approach to how she conducts b...

For some, expanding their horizons is something that they, as individuals, strive to do. Fortunately, Philip Lacor, CRO at Unqork, takes those expansions to another level. Philip thrives as a cross-functional leader and leaves his own stamp by creating challenging and diverse environments for a wide variety of people. From his philosophy on building global teams, to how he rears his own children,...

Language is without doubt the single most valuable tool we use, and in its use, it ironically builds barriers. Fortunately in recent years with the rise of companies like Duolingo, those barriers are becoming more opaque. In this episode, Bob Meese, Chief Business Officer at Duolingo, joins the show to discuss all the innovative ways that Duolingo is making language learning a more feasible aspect...

To make the leap from HR to sales may seem like a significant obstacle to surmount. For Jennifer Brannigan, CRO at Pendo, it was an easy choice to make. Her decision to pursue her own interests and passion over a high salary set her on a path toward where she is today. And for her, the journey still continues.  As she puts it, her professional roadmap is much like a jungle gym, as it is varied and...

Integrity and humility barely begin to describe Brian McCarthy, CRO at Rubrik. Brian’s story is one of hard-won progress that is bound to inspire anyone who listens. Coming from a blue-collar household, Brian has always viewed work as a gift and now takes advantage of what it has afforded him and turns it back to building strong communities. Brian’s humble beginnings set the stage for his inspirin...

"Crypto" is a term that has recently re-shaped the way the world thinks about money. For Emilie Choi, President and COO at Coinbase, it has been at the forefront of her work and mind for quite some time. Emilie is a true workplace warrior and that is reflected in her leadership at Coinbase as she has cultivated an ethos that endears her entire organization and those she works alongside. In this ep...

Carving her own path is certainly one way to describe how Christina Augustine, COO at Bloomreach, has chosen to do her work. With a distinct set of experiences, beginning with a unique college thesis, to owning her own patent, and eventually leading Bloomreach through successful product launches, Christina has held her own over the course of her career. And her fortitude is now paying off.  Christ...

Mark Anderson, CEO at Alteryx, joins Joubin to talk about how he crafted his leadership ethos, which he often compares to a great game of golf. While Mark is currently at Alteryx, it is his foundation at Palo Alto Networks that serves as the bedrock for how he approaches his work.  In this episode, Mark reflects on his time at Palo Alto and offers insight that anyone would be wise to pay close att...

Mike Gamson, CEO of Relativity, has joined the show this week to provide his take on leadership, sales, and the evolution of his career leading up to Relativity. Mike’s path into becoming a CEO is a varied one and his diverse range of experiences has helped him hone in on essential insights, which he very humbly shares.  With a background in liberal arts, Mike has an interesting story about how he...

Mike Clayville, CRO at Stripe, joins this week’s conversation to discuss what it's like to turn companies into forces of nature, using Mike’s chosen metaphor, the tornado. While Mike might be the first guest to compare company growth to a natural phenomenon, his insight is invaluable.  Mike comes from a small town outside of Declo, Idaho, and grew up working on the family farm and ranch. It was th...

Rob Lehman, Chief Business Officer at Compass, has an entrepreneurial spirit that has already set him forward in a burgeoning and exciting career at a young age. Rob’s path has come by no accident. His determination to be at the innovative edge and his unconventional approach to finding his bearing at Compass speak to Rob’s unique take.  Rob’s business-focused mindset developed early on in his chi...

To say that Brian Frank, Chief Operating Officer of Cameo, comes from a non-traditional background into the career field of sales might be an understatement. Brain’s career began in law and he spent nearly a full career there before transitioning to sales in 2008, where he has been exceedingly active.  Brian’s multifaceted background has given him a wide range of skillsets and a deep wisdom that h...

Marc Maloy’s storied career with IPOs and acquisitions has helped him develop essential insights into career success, leading him to become President of Field Ops at BetterUp. While Marc’s history is steeped with successful transitions, at each step he never failed to stay focused on the people. Marc remains focused on empathy, developing leaders first, and helping everyone in an organization reac...

Since the 1990s, Scott Jones has had a successful career working in sales at technology companies including SAP, Tableau, and Alteryx.  In early 2021, Scott took a job that had never before appeared on his resume — the role of Chief Executive Officer at Incorta, a company creating direct data analytics software. On this episode of Go to Market Grit, Joubin and Scott talk about Scott’s career, the...

Ever wonder how McDonald’s came up with its famous “I’m Lovin’ It” tagline? Brandon Snow knows all about it — in fact, he worked for the German advertising agency Heye & Partner when it pitched the winning slogan years ago.  With an impressive career that took him to live in Poland, Germany and China, Brandon has worked for not only Heye & Partner, but also the NBA as a senior marketing le...

When Oliver Jay worked for venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates in the late 2000s, he found that the most rewarding aspect for him was working with portfolio companies and watching the beginnings of sales operations. “But as an associate, let’s be honest, I was there to crunch numbers, and write memos, and source deals,” Oliver said. “That’s why I decided to leave. Even though I loved th...

Eric Morse is unabashedly a “super nerd.” With a degree in physics from Duke University, Eric taught himself how to program and joined a consulting firm where he worked at implementing PeopleSoft, a human resource management system. Eventually, Eric found his way into sales — working at Google, NetSuite, and Ayden — until he eventually and most recently became SVP of Sales at Affirm, Inc. in 2018....