Episode Summary
Who’s the best person to give operators advice on startup growth? Other successful startup operators, of course!
York IE CEO Kyle York joined the Growth Marketing Chat podcast, hosted by Nick Ilev, founder and CEO of ProperExpression.
They discussed content strategies for emerging companies, an advisory services approach to investing, and York IE’s path in developing its own strategic growth SaaS platform, Fuel.
About Growth Marketing Chat
Growth Marketing Chat interviews guests about all aspects of growth marketing, from demand generation to sales alignment.
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Key Takeaways
What startups need from VCs
“What startups really want is just someone who has aligned incentives, who’s in the game with them, who’s an extension of their operating team, who they feel like gets their pace, gets their urgency, gets the ups and downs. It isn’t just chasing: How do I get more money out of you this minute? It’s: How are we playing the long game together? I think that’s really what’s making us pretty unique and differentiated in the market.”
How York IE helps startups
“We lived a day in your shoes. We’re also not from the cheap seats. We’re still building our company and our SaaS business. I think people really relate to that, when I can say, ‘Hey, the recruiting challenges you’re having are the same recruiting challenges I’m having.’ Or, ‘We’re thinking about office expansion, too.’
“We’re able to say, ‘Real time, right now, here are our challenges, and oh, by the way, I’ve talked to a dozen other startups this week; a couple of them have very similar challenges.’ … I think this is incredibly reassuring.”
Entrepreneurial inspiration
“My dad, Don, married Gail, my mom, and he actually worked for the shoe company and he helped run their outlet store and did shoe sales. He turned that into, for 45 years, a sporting goods retailer.
“From the very earliest days of my life, I remember being at the store: unpacking boxes, stacking shoes on shelves in the back, and then eventually working retail there. I screen-printed shirts and silk-screened hats and did a lot of deliveries.
“That’s a big part of the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey. What I really took away from it was: Control your own destiny. Don’t work for the man. Be in charge and be accountable. I think that’s been a big part of my career.”
Celebrating small business
“The places startups go for help are failing them. I think there needs to be a lot more pragmatism. Most of the world is smaller businesses with very successful people, like my parents, doing incredibly well for themselves and future generations. I want to celebrate that.”