Manny Medina: Building a billion-dollar company from a unicorn founder 

This week's guest on The Business Leader Podcast is Manny Medina,
the co-founder and CEO of Outreach, a Seattle-based sales tech
company that reached unicorn status in 2018 and is valued at
$5bn. He has previously held positions as CEO at the hiring
platform GroupTalent and Director of Business Development for
Microsoft.


We talk to Manny about the secrets to facing adversity as a CEO,
how he scaled a billion-dollar company, and the importance of
product-market fit to success.


Here's what we discussed:





Can you tell us a bit about your journey to where you are
now? (00:48)

Do you believe your background being different to the normal
story of a tech CEO has made you a better leader? (03:01)

What attracts you to the idea of being a CEO of a company?
(05:37)

What do you think is the most important thing in leading a
company as a CEO? (07:31)

What is the secret to scaling a business to unicorn status?
(10:51)

When thinking about business development, what is the most
important aspect of it? (14:13)

How is the economic climate impacting your company and your
users? How are you preparing the business for external strain?
(17:21)

What is the most challenging thing about being a CEO? (20:27)

What does it take to be a great CEO and do you ever have
moments of self-doubt? (25:49)

How did you find the process of restructuring your business
and transforming company culture? (29:08)

Do you think diversity has been an integral part of
Outreach’s success? (33:36)

The Good News Postcard: What is the best and worst thing
about your job? (35:39)

What makes a great business leader? (37:14)






Thanks to India from the Jill Dando News for bringing us The Good
News Postcard this week. Get your dose of positive news by
visiting The Good News Post, a website collated by hundreds of
young people aged 8 to 18 in the UK. They've written real-life
“news that’s good for you”, covering people, animals, stories to
cheer people up, and tips to make lives better.


Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and the Business Leader
YouTube channel for more interviews with some of the world’s
leading business figures.


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