Podcast Summary
From a few hundred thousand to over 10 million users and a billion-dollar valuation - the power of good hustle: Good hustle involves focused and persistent effort, leading to business growth and success. Avoid bad hustle, which can lead to burnout and poor decisions.
The importance of good hustle in building a successful business. Ryan Holmes, the founder and CEO of Hootsuite, shared his experiences of growing his company from a few hundred thousand subscribers to over 10 million users and from a few hundred thousand dollars in revenue to a billion-dollar valuation. He emphasized the difference between good hustle, which is focused and persistent effort, and bad hustle, which can lead to burnout and poor decision-making. Additionally, Ryan provided expert tips on interviewing and hiring people, building a strong team, and learning valuable lessons from his near-death paragliding accident. Overall, this conversation offers valuable insights for anyone looking to build a successful business or career.
Childhood experiences shaping future paths: Early experiences and influences can lead us to our future careers. Valuable skills gained from hobbies, education, and unique upbringing can be applied throughout life.
Our experiences, especially during our formative years, can greatly influence our future paths. The speaker shared how they were introduced to Richard in grade five and dreamed of creating video games. They went on to explore various businesses before eventually landing in the software industry, which was a close fit to their childhood dream. The Ultima series of video games, particularly Ultima 2, 3, 4, and 5, had a significant impact on the speaker. They also credited their parents, teachers, and a high school outdoor education program for shaping their character and leadership skills. The speaker grew up on a hobby farm off the grid until high school, which provided a unique upbringing. The lessons learned from these experiences, including outdoor leadership and problem-solving, proved valuable throughout their life.
Childhood isolation led to unique skills and self-identification: Unconventional childhood experiences can lead to valuable skills and self-identification. Embrace your differences and use them to fuel your passions and business ventures.
Unconventional experiences in childhood, which may seem unpleasant at the time, can ultimately lead to valuable skills and self-identification. The speaker shares how growing up in an isolated area and feeling different made them comfortable with being unique, which has carried over into their business ventures. They've used their passion for building and creating things, likely fueled by the solitude of their childhood, to build successful businesses and a large social platform. However, they acknowledge that they may have missed out on socialization opportunities during that time and have made a conscious effort to address that in their adult life. Despite starting out as the most isolated kid in Canada, they've now created one of the largest social companies in the world. The speaker's goal now is to create a lasting legacy through their business, providing opportunities for others and contributing to the ecosystem in Vancouver.
From small business solution to viral success: CEO learned essential skills as a small business owner, delegated tasks, and stayed attuned to market needs to build a passionate team and successful company
Tom Keiser, the CEO of Hootsuite, started his company as a solution to meet the needs of his own agency, which then grew virally. Hootsuite's success came from being at the right place at the right time during the digital transformation era. Keiser learned essential skills as a small business owner, including marketing, sales, product development, and operations. As the company scaled, he delegated tasks he didn't enjoy to people who were passionate about them. The key to Hootsuite's success was being attuned to the market's needs and building a team that shared the same passion.
Surround yourself with strengths, evolve with new leadership: Ask about hardships and resilience during interviews to find adaptable leaders, value diverse skill sets and evolve your business by bringing in new leadership
It's essential to surround yourself with people who excel in areas you don't, allowing you to focus on your strengths while scaling your business. The speaker shares his experience of managing teams and hitting management ceilings, leading to a company evolution and the need to bring in new leadership. If he could ask one question during interviews, he would inquire about the hardest thing a candidate has faced and how they learned from it, as he values resilience and adaptability. The speaker's own answer involves a near-death experience while paragliding, which taught him to appreciate life and overcome fear.
Living in the Moment and Overcoming Challenges: Life's unpredictability underscores the importance of cherishing moments and following motivations, even in the face of adversity.
Life is unpredictable and fragile, and every moment counts. The speaker shared an experience of losing control during a paragliding incident, which resulted in a near-death experience. Despite the danger, they emerged unscathed, realizing the importance of cherishing each moment and making the most of the limited time we have. Another formative moment for the speaker was dropping out of university, a decision that went against societal expectations and caused personal turmoil. However, it ultimately allowed them to pursue their entrepreneurial aspirations and learn valuable lessons about following their motivations and resilience.
Communicating Effectively in the Digital Age: Millennials and digital natives prefer social media, texting, and tweeting. Companies must respond quickly to remain competitive and maintain a balanced life for personal health and successful business leadership.
As the workforce becomes more dominated by millennials and digital natives, businesses must adapt to new communication methods and expectations. These generations prefer social media, texting, and tweeting over traditional phone calls and 1-800 numbers. Companies need to respond quickly, within 60 minutes or less, to remain competitive. Tomas also emphasizes the importance of maintaining a balanced life for personal health and successful business leadership. This includes good hustle, which involves working smartly and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, rather than pushing oneself to the point of exhaustion. Tomas shares his own experience of overcoming adversity through a back injury, which taught him the importance of balance and self-care. Overall, Hootsuite aims to be at the center of this trillion-dollar opportunity by helping businesses effectively communicate with their customers and employees in the digital age.
Learning from Various Mentors and Supporting Young Entrepreneurs: Tom Keiser's success is rooted in maintaining a balanced lifestyle, investing in personal growth, and supporting young entrepreneurs. By creating a stand-up desk company and founding TMBT, he's promoting balance and fostering the next generation of business leaders.
Maintaining a balanced lifestyle, including regular exercise and learning from various mentors, has played a significant role in Tom Keiser's personal and professional success. He created a stand-up desk company to promote balance and founded TMBT, a foundation aimed at accelerating young entrepreneurs. Tom believes that investing in the development of young entrepreneurs can lead to increased GDP and job creation. He continues to learn from a variety of sources, including investors and candidates, making each interaction a mutually beneficial learning experience. Tom's commitment to balance, learning, and supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs has been instrumental in his journey from a high school paintball business to the CEO of Hootsuite.
Embracing Accountability, Endurance, and Persuasion in Entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship needs mental fortitude and persistence. Own accountability, endure challenges, and persuade to overcome obstacles and bureaucracy. Aim to create tech ecosystems to help others succeed and tackle environmental issues through technology.
Entrepreneurship requires a strong mental game and relentless hustle. The speaker emphasized the importance of owning accountability, having endurance, and being persuasive to overcome obstacles and bureaucracy. He is most proud of his accomplishments at Hootsuite and aims to create a technology ecosystem to help others achieve their dreams. If given unlimited resources, he would focus on solving environmental challenges through technology, such as lab-grown meat to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. His favorite business leader is not explicitly stated in the discussion.
Reflections from Ryan Holmes: Embracing Self-Service, Different Perspectives, and Personal Connections: Embrace self-service for personal growth, value diverse perspectives, and cherish meaningful connections
Richard Branson, with his endearing brand and personality, inspires joy and relaxation through various hobbies, including country skiing, running, and yoga. A meaningful reminder for oneself, visible only in a mirror, could be "life is self-serve," encouraging personal growth and initiative. If given the opportunity, Ryan Holmes would choose to be a woman for a day, specifically Hillary Clinton, to experience a different perspective. Connect with Ryan online through his Snapchat (@invoker), Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram (@ryanholmes), and be grateful for the people and experiences that bring joy and growth to our lives. In the far future, when all physical reminders of his legacy have been erased, Ryan would want the world to remember three truths derived from his experiences: the importance of self-service, the value of different perspectives, and the significance of personal connections.
Embrace life's possibilities and focus on relationships: As technology advances, focus on love, relationships, and experiences to create value and leave a positive impact.
Life is about making the most of it, overcoming limitations, and focusing on relationships and experiences. According to Ryan Holmes, the CEO of Hootsuite, life is self-serve, and it's up to each of us to make the most of it. He believes that as technology advances and jobs become automated, we may enter an era of abundance, allowing us to focus on what truly matters: love, relationships, and experiences. Holmes emphasizes the importance of genuine human connections and encourages us to focus on these aspects of life. His definition of greatness is leaving a positive impact and creating value and opportunities for others. Overall, Holmes' message is one of optimism, resilience, and the importance of prioritizing what truly matters in life.
Celebrating the Success of Inspiring Podcast: With over 1.3 million downloads a month, this podcast features inspiring guests and consistently ranks in the top 50 of all podcasts on iTunes. The hosts' dedication to sharing valuable content and building a community is a testament to the power of podcasting.
The success of this podcast lies in the support of its audience and the inspiring guests it features. With over 1.3 million downloads a month and consistently ranking in the top 50 of all podcasts on iTunes, the podcast's reach and impact can be attributed to the quality of its content and the engagement of its listeners. The hosts' dedication to bringing on inspiring individuals who are changing the game is a testament to the power of community and the importance of sharing valuable content. So, if you're new to the podcast, make sure to subscribe and share it with others to help continue this positive momentum. Together, we can make a difference and be inspired to go out and do something great.
