Unlocking the Future of the Creator Economy with Greg Smith

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In this episode of The Startup CEO Show, host Mark MacLeod engages in a deep discussion with Greg Smith, co-founder and CEO of Thinkific. Learn from Greg's experience as he navigated the transition from a securities lawyer to becoming the leader of a cutting-edge SaaS platform.

Greg provides key takeaways on establishing a single source of truth, building a content engine, and the strategic value of acquiring profitable customer annuities. He also shares insights on the evolution of Thinkific, its roadmap, and future visions involving augmented reality and AI.

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Key highlights:

03:45 Establishing a Single Source of Truth

08:10 Building a Strong Content Engine from the Start

12:50 Strategic Value of Profitable Customer Annuities

18:30 Importance of Capital Efficiency in SaaS Businesses

24:20 Transitioning from Roadmap Control to Outcome Achievement

30:40 Impact of AI and Augmented Reality on Content Sharing

36:15 Combining Career Content with Community Platforms

42:00 Benefits of a Seamless Payments Platform on Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)

49:30 Balancing High-Level Management with Deep Dive Projects

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Since 1999, I have sat at the right-hand side of the leaders of high growth technology companies as either a CFO, VC or deal maker. I served as CFO for software companies including Shopify (NYSE: SHOP) and Freshbooks. As a CFO I experienced outright failures, wildly profitable exits, and everything in between.

I was a General Partner in Real Ventures, Canada's largest and most active seed stage fund. My investments there include the fund's largest cash on cash and highest IRR returns to date. Most recently, I founded SurePath Capital Partners the leading investment bank for SMB SaaS companies where we did hundreds of millions in financing and exit transactions.

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themarkmacleod/

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Contact Mark: https://markmacleod.me/