Eggs 388: From Corporate to Startup with Jeroen Corthout

Summary

In this episode, Jeroen Corthout, co-founder of SalesFlare, shares his entrepreneurial journey from a corporate background to founding a CRM tailored for small businesses. He discusses the challenges of building a software product in a saturated market, the importance of usability and automation, and the strategies for funding and hiring in a bootstrap environment. Jeroen emphasizes the significance of understanding customer needs and creating a product that genuinely helps sales teams succeed.

Takeaways

• Jeroen's journey began with a passion for building websites.
• He transitioned from engineering to marketing to gain business insights.
• SalesFlare was born out of frustration with existing CRMs.
• The development process involved significant customer feedback.
• Funding strategies included accelerators and government subsidies.
• Hiring should be approached with caution to maintain company culture.
• Usability and automation are key differentiators for SalesFlare.
• Building a network in incubators can accelerate growth.
• Choosing the right tech stack is crucial for development efficiency.
• SalesFlare focuses on small and medium-sized businesses for growth.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Jeroen Corthout and SalesFlare

10:48 The Journey from Engineering to Entrepreneurship

22:09 Building SalesFlare: The Development Process

24:57 Bootstrapping a Software Business

26:24 Navigating Startup Funding and Financial Strategies

30:17 The Value of Accelerators and Incubators

34:12 Hiring Strategies for Startups

40:41 Choosing the Right Tech Stack

45:25 Selling the Product: Standing Out in a Crowded Market

Credits:

Hosted by Michael Smith and Ryan Roghaar

Produced by Ryan Roghaar

Theme music: "Perfect Day" by OPM 

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