Cracking the Code of Intent-Based Marketing: Lessons from Koala’s CEO (Tido Carriero)

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Tido Carriero, co-founder and CEO of Koala, shares his journey with David, from engineering to product to founder and CEO. He discusses the importance of marketing and solving customer problems, as well as the challenges of transitioning to a CEO role. Tido explains the concept of intent-based marketing and the shift in the market towards personalized and helpful outreach. He also shares insights on the go-to-market strategy for Koala and the advantages of a product-led growth approach. Tido emphasizes the importance of combining identity and product usage data to identify potential sales opportunities. Lastly, he discusses managing work-life balance as a CEO with young children. In this conversation, Tido Carriero shares his journey of finding energy and starting a company. He emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with a kick-ass team and working with world-class people and customers. Tido also discusses building a remote hybrid culture and the benefits of reevaluating strategies as a company scales. He challenges the notion that it’s a challenging time to start a startup and highlights the importance of focusing on revenue that is truly mission-critical. Tido shares the concept of stealing superpowers and the value of learning from talented individuals. Lastly, he recommends the book ‘Why We Sleep’ and emphasizes the importance of sleep for success.

Takeaways

Transitioning from engineering to product to CEO requires adapting to new responsibilities and challenges.

Intent-based marketing focuses on personalized and helpful outreach to potential customers.

Combining identity and product usage data can help identify potential sales opportunities.

Managing work-life balance as a CEO requires energy audits and prioritizing tasks. Surround yourself with a kick-ass team and work with world-class people and customers.

Build a remote hybrid culture that aligns with personal needs and company goals.

Focus on revenue that is truly mission-critical and avoid false confidence.

Learn from talented individuals by identifying their superpowers and finding ways to incorporate them into your own skillset.

Prioritize sleep as a foundation for success and overall well-being.

Show Links

• Visit Koala
• Connect with Tido Carriero on LinkedIn
• Connect with David Khim on LinkedIn and Twitter
• Connect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or Twitter

Time Stamps

• [00:00] Introduction and Background
• [04:02] Transition to CEO Role
• [10:14] Importance of Intent-Based Marketing
• [18:15] Approach to Go-to-Market Strategy
• [29:19] Unintuitive Insights about PLG and Freemium
• [37:32] Combining Identity and Product Usage Data
• [40:14] Managing Work-Life Balance
• [41:54] Finding Energy and Starting a Company
• [43:15] Building a Remote Hybrid Culture
• [45:34] The Best Time to Start a Startup
• [47:48] Stealing Superpowers
• [49:50] The Importance of Sleep