Sep 27 2019 43 mins 1
On today's episode of Gritty Founder, Kreig Kent talks with Laura Behrens Wu about building and scaling Shippo. Laura shares advice on product development, raising money, company culture, hiring, and finding your own leadership style. Laura Behrens Wu is a co-founder and the CEO of Shippo, the multi-carrier shipping platform. Laura founded Shippo after personally experiencing the obstacles businesses face when setting up shipping operations for her own ecommerce store. Today, Shippo powers shipping for platforms, marketplaces, warehouses, and ecommerce businesses. From one place, companies are able to instantly access multiple shipping carriers for real-time rates, shipping labels, international paperwork, package tracking, and return logistics. Some Questions Kreig Asks Laura: - How did you take the first step when building Shippo? (10:18 ) - How did you know what to build? (12:58 ) - What is the most important ingredient a founder needs in order to build something successful? (14:29 ) - After speaking to over 120 investors, when did you actually hear a ‘yes’? Did you ever want to give up? (16:22 ) - Other than making the decision to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision that you made? (23:02 ) - What advice would you give founders who have multiple ideas and are not sure which idea to pursue? (24:25 ) - What are some of the biggest lessons in your journey as a founder that have impacted the way you work? (31:52 ) - What advice would you give yourself if you could go back in time? (35:02 ) In This Episode, You Will Learn: - How Laura became an entrepreneur and why she started Shippo (4:43 ) - How Shippo works (9:21 ) - Advice on getting customer feedback (11:24 ) - Be persistent and determined (14:42 ) - When fundraising, be able to show metrics (16:46 ) - You will never know what will work and what won’t work unless you try (24:56 ) - Your product doesn’t need to be perfect in the beginning (25:11 ) - Laura’s thoughts on hiring and company culture (26:32 ) - Reference checks for investors are just as important as for employees (30:31 ) - Hire slow and fire fast (31:40 ) - Benefits of working with a CEO coach (32:09 ) - Find your own leadership style, don’t try to be like someone else (33:36 ) Connect with Laura Behrens Wu: Twitter Shippo Also Mentioned on This Show... Laura’s favorite quote: “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” ―Paulo Coelho Laura’s book recommendations: Waking Up by Sam Harris Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
