Entertaining and Entrepreneurship - Howard Lerman, CEO and Co-Founder Yext [S4.E3]

Howard Lerman is the CEO and co-founder of Yext (NYSE:YEXT) a
US$360m revenue business that is listed on the New York Stock
Exchange. 


Maybe listeners have had interactions with Yext and never known
it. Every time you google a business, or ask Siri a question, the
up to date information is being powered by the Yext platform. We
all know of that terrible customer experience of getting
misinformation – like googling opening times for example, only to
turn up and the shop or your favourite restaurant is closed.
Digital knowledge management across platforms is what has built
Yext into the business it is today. But this is only the first
act - letting brands take control of their information via search
and ensuring they are the ultimate source of truth is where
Yext’s next act lies. 


Howard  is peerless in his entrepreneurial spirit, an
entertainer with an infectious optimism. But this does not hide
his deep strategy ability to see an opportunity and run at it
with all of his energy. Above all else, this episode will shed
some light on all the scaling challenges that get thrown along
the journey from start up hustle to the life of a NYSE listed
company. 


This podcast sets out to share  the secret sauce of great
business leaders – if you enjoy this episode, why not share it
with someone who you think might gain benefit – whether as a
source of inspiration or to pass through a nugget of advice. TDM
Growth Partners also share a great deal of content on their own
website and blog pages, and they too can be a wonderful resource
for executives and leaders of all businesses sizes. 


You can follow TDM (linktr.ee/tdmgrowth)
and host Ed Cowan (linktr.ee/eddiecowan) across
social channels.  


Link to Steve Cakebread's book - "The
IPO Playbook"





Show notes:


Howard’s upbringing and entrepreneurial background
(00:03:23) 


Pivoting from SME to enterprise (00:11:49)


How Answers was developed (00:15:01) 


How to drive change in consumer behaviour for search (21:34)


The operating changes required to cater for greater technology
needs in search (24:00)


Howard’s transition as a CEO from founder to running a listed
business (00:26:36)


When is the right time to bring in the “pros” to build the
systems at scale (00:29:03)


Howard’s relationship with Yext CFO, Steve Cakebread (00:32:23) -
link to Steve's book above


Response to Covid (00:37:20)


How to balance being a visionary founder with quarterly reporting
(00:39:01)


Raising money at fair valuations (00:39:33)


Interacting with investors (00:41:17)


Brand impact of being a public company (00:42:44)





This podcast is created and published for informational and
entertainment only. It is not financial advice. Transcripts may
contain occasional errors in fact.