SaaSy Talk Unfiltered | SaaSy Talk S01.06: Building a Unicorn startup requires aligning culture, hiring the right people, and focusing on key metrics

SaaSy Talk S01.06: Building a Unicorn startup requires aligning culture, hiring the right people, and focusing on key metrics

September 19, 2023 / 40:22/S1:E6

About The Guest(s):

Ashik Ahmed is the co-founder, ex-CEO of Deputy, now a board member of Deputy, a global workforce management platform for employee scheduling, timesheets and communication.

Summary:

Ashik Ahmed, co-founder of Deputy, shares his journey of starting the workforce management software company and the lessons he has learned along the way. He emphasises the importance of finding the right fit for executives and the need to align their values with the company's mission. Ashik also discusses the challenges of scaling a business and the importance of maintaining a strong company culture. He highlights the need for founders to prioritise their mental well-being and family life, as they are the most important assets for the business.

Key Takeaways:

Executives should be aligned with the company's values and mission to ensure success.
Hiring the right people is crucial, as the wrong fit can lead to negative outcomes.
Founders should prioritise their mental well-being and family life to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Operational excellence is key to success, and companies should strive for continuous improvement.
Building a strong company culture is essential for long-term success.

Quotes:

"Just because they have done very well, it's not that they will do very well over here." - Ashik Ahmed
"Failure is not an option." - Ashik Ahmed
"Culture is the collective behaviour of everybody that works in the company." - Ashik Ahmed
"Don't victimise yourself. You are one of the most fortunate people in the world." - Ashik Ahmed

Chapters:

(00:41) Ashik's journey and how he co-founded Deputy

(02:41) Challenges and doubts faced in the early years

(05:00) Failure in outbound sales and the win with the Xero partnership

(09:27) Learning from mistakes and not giving up

(12:00) Challenges of maintaining culture as a company scales

(15:00) Importance of hiring the right executives

(21:46) Differentiating between valuable advice and "bullshit"

(25:10) The importance of different focuses at different stages of a company

(27:06) Balancing time with team and board as CEO.

(33:39) Quick fire-round

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