In this episode we discuss: How do you build an organisation to compete with Google? We are joined by Omid Ashtari, ex-COO of Streebees and President of Citymapper.
We chat about the following with Omid:
• How do you think about organisational structure?
• How proactive should you be in anticipating organisational challenges?
• What is the highest impact communication challenge you helped resolve?
• How do you prevent drift from the customer as the company scales?
References:
/ ashtari
www.startuppragmatism.com
Biography:
I have two decades of experience in tech and worked in sales, business development and strategy roles for Google across the Dublin, London and San Francisco office during his 7 years there. As the first international employee, I set up Foursquare in Europe as Managing Director. I subsequently joined Citymapper for 6 years as President running the non-engineering side of the business. I then joined Streetbees as COO running operations, international expansion, finance and legal. Throughout my career I have raised north of 100 million dollars of funding for businesses I have worked for.
I am an angel investor in more than 45 businesses and advise many of them in all manner of things including strategy, operations, business development, fundraises etc. I am also part of the Mayor of London's Business Advisory Board, and a Mentor at Seedcamp and Entrepreneur First.
I am also an aspiring writer for my blogs startuppragmatism.blog and thefullspectrum.blog.
Summary:
• Personal growth and evolution over 13 years. 0:05 (otter.ai/u/D58rqBXSK8v6P1Ri_4...)
• Brandon reflects on his past solo travels and how they relate to his current life.
• Brandon M reflects on his past self-absorption and lack of empathy, now prioritizing supporting others' success and empathy in personal and professional life.
• Brandon M recounts a 2011 incident where he carried a biscuit tin full of Canadian coins and sat next to a homeless person, now recognizing the importance of empathy and caring for others.
• Organizational structure and skills for a business. 4:09 (otter.ai/u/D58rqBXSK8v6P1Ri_4...)
• Bethany: People often create an org structure that prioritizes making their existing team happy, rather than starting fresh and building a structure that works for the business.
• Brandon M: Bethany suggests starting with a blank slate and building an org structure that works for the business, rather than trying to fit existing team members into a pre-existing structure.
• Bethany and Brandon M discuss the importance of defining the skills needed for a business to succeed, rather than simply morphing structures around people.
• They agree that it's better to have a flexible approach to organizational structure, recognizing that roles may evolve as the business grows and changes.
• Organizational design and hiring for a scaling startup. 9:57 (otter.ai/u/D58rqBXSK8v6P1Ri_4...)
• Brandon M. faced pushback on hiring 2 product marketing managers, but believes it was necessary for success in both self-serve subscribers and enterprise sales.
• Brandon M. emphasizes the importance of clear go-to-market strategy and collaboration between product marketing manager and go-to-market manager.
• Bethany identifies the need for a "thinker" in early-stage businesses to analyze and gather information, which is perceived as a luxury role but essential for product market fit and growth.
• Bethany highlights the importance of having a thinker and a strategic salesperson in a scaling organization, as they provide valuable insights and help navigate challenges.
• Bethany identifies signs of organizational design issues, including unhappiness, confusion, and a lack of managers or promotional opportunities, which can lead to restructuring.
• Organizational structure and scaling. 16:27 (otter.ai/u/D58rqBXSK8v6P1Ri_4...)
• Omid Ashtari discusses the importance of adapting organizational structure to the scale of the problem being solved, as the number of employees grows.
• Ashtari highlights the challenges that arise when an organization expands, such as natural breaking points and lines of communication, and the need to adjust operational systems accordingly.
• Communication and decision-making challenges in scaling startups. 18:37 (otter.ai/u/D58rqBXSK8v6P1Ri_4...)
• Omid Ashtari explains how companies can proactively address problems by embracing chaos and redesigning systems after hiring new employees.
• Omid Ashtari highlights the importance of clear communication and decision-making processes in startups, particularly in scaling businesses.
• He shares an example of a company experiencing success bias, where they lose humility and become less ...