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#269October 14, 20211:05:20

Near Death Accidents, Hitting $1B ARR, and Selling Like the Grat…

HubSpot's early history and pivotsManaging product vs sales teamsClimate Tech and ocean conservationMarketing strategies of the Grateful Dead

About This Episode

HubSpot co-founder Brian Halligan discusses his near-death snowmobile accident and how it shifted his focus from CEO to Executive Chairman. The episode covers HubSpot's early pivots, the massive potential of Climate Tech, and marketing lessons learned from the Grateful Dead.

Episode Description

Brian Halligan (@BHalligan), founder & executive chairman (and former CEO) of HubSpot, joins Sam (@TheSamParr) and Shaan (@ShaanVP) to discuss what he learned from nearly dying in a snowmobile accident, how he took HubSpot from nothing to $1 billion in ARR, and what he learned about marketing from the Grateful Dead. He also discusses what he does day-to-day, why he has always preferred inbound marketing, how to manage creatives, and much more. --------- * Do you love MFM and want to see Sam and Shaan's smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel. * Want more insights like MFM? Check out Shaan's newsletter. ---------

Show Notes

  • * (1:37) Brian’s snowmobiling accident that nearly killed him
  • * (7:18) How Brian’s life has changed since
  • * (13:07) What Brian actually does day-to-day
  • * (28:39) Why has always Brian preferred inbound marketing
  • * (32:00) Businesses that can be built on top of HubSpot
  • * (33:34) Org chart business opportunities
  • * (36:14) Climate Tech Opportunities
  • * (50:50) How to Manage Creatives
  • * (55:35) What the Grateful Dead can teach us about marketing

Key Takeaways

1

Pivot your product based on specific customer enthusiasm rather than original intent, as HubSpot did by moving from 'LegalSpot' to a horizontal marketing platform.

2

Manage creative teams with loose reins by defining the 'box' (broad goals and boundaries) and allowing them the freedom to fill it with their own ideas.

3

Capitalize on the trillion-dollar Climate Tech trend by building quantitative measurement systems for corporate carbon footprints rather than survey-based certifications.

Business Ideas Mentioned

Vertical SaaS on HubSpot APIs

SaaS

Carbon Sequestration Measurement and Verification

SaaS

Corporate Climate Impact Dashboard

SaaS

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Featuring

BH

Brian Halligan

2 episodes

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Quick Stats

Duration1:05:20
Guests1
Ideas Discussed3
Topics4