If at first you don't succeed, test test again! Brian Balfour, VP of Growth at HubSpot, shares his framework for tracking & analyzing rapid experiments. See the full slide deck here: http://s.500.co/Wk7n302WsFg Want MOAR growth? Attend WMD 2016 conference in San Francisco on Nov. 4, 2016 http://wmd.co Ready to grow even more? Apply for our next accelerator round today: http://s.500.co/vVRv302Wt4H -~-~~-~~~-~~-~- Please watch: "Growing with Pinterest - Pinterest Marketing for Startups" ➨ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spjaZRokMVo -~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
In this session from the 2018 edition of Amplify, Amplitude’s annual product conference, product thought leaders Brian Balfour and Georgina Hill discuss user acquisition strategy. Brian is a founder and CEO at Reforge and the former VP of Growth at HubSpot. Georgina is VP of Growth at Weebly, which was acquired by Square. As you’ll learn, their top three takeaways include: - Acquisition is governed by three laws: law of habit transition, law of product channel fit, law of model channel fit. - Acquisition is getting harder! - Acquisition is getting harder, but there are still several strategies that companies can put in place to improve it. Learn more about how Amplitude can help you build better digital products and experiences: https://amplitude.com #customeracquisition #productledgrowth #amplitude Learn more: https://amplitude.com https://amplitude.com/blog Stay connected: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amplitude-analytics https://twitter.com/Amplitude_HQ https://www.g2.com/products/amplitude-analytics About us: Amplitude is a leading digital analytics platform that helps companies unlock the power of their products. Nearly 2,500 customers, including Atlassian, NBCUniversal, Under Armour, Shopify, and Jersey Mike’s, rely on Amplitude to gain self-service visibility into the entire customer journey. Amplitude guides companies every step of the way as they capture data they can trust, uncover clear insights about customer behavior, and take faster action. When teams understand how people are using their products, they can deliver better product experiences that drive growth. Amplitude is the best-in-class analytics solution for product, data, and marketing teams, ranked #1 in multiple categories by G2. Learn how to optimize your digital products and business at https://amplitude.com.
In this session from the 2018 edition of Amplify, Amplitude’s annual product conference, product thought leaders Brian Balfour and Georgina Hill discuss user acquisition strategy. Brian is a founder and CEO at Reforge and the former VP of Growth at HubSpot. Georgina is VP of Growth at Weebly, which was acquired by Square. As you’ll learn, their top three takeaways include: - Acquisition is governed by three laws: law of habit transition, law of product channel fit, law of model channel fit. - Acquisition is getting harder! - Acquisition is getting harder, but there are still several strategies that companies can put in place to improve it. Learn more about how Amplitude can help you build better digital products and experiences: https://amplitude.com #customeracquisition #productledgrowth #amplitude Learn more: https://amplitude.com https://amplitude.com/blog Stay connected: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amplitude-analytics https://twitter.com/Amplitude_HQ https://www.g2.com/products/amplitude-analytics About us: Amplitude is a leading digital analytics platform that helps companies unlock the power of their products. Nearly 2,500 customers, including Atlassian, NBCUniversal, Under Armour, Shopify, and Jersey Mike’s, rely on Amplitude to gain self-service visibility into the entire customer journey. Amplitude guides companies every step of the way as they capture data they can trust, uncover clear insights about customer behavior, and take faster action. When teams understand how people are using their products, they can deliver better product experiences that drive growth. Amplitude is the best-in-class analytics solution for product, data, and marketing teams, ranked #1 in multiple categories by G2. Learn how to optimize your digital products and business at https://amplitude.com.
Get ready for a crash course for you in the next great distribution shift. In this episode, Brian Balfour and Fareed Mosavat pull back the curtain on why AI’s real battleground isn’t the tech itself—it’s the fight to be the next distribution platform. Fareed and Brian dissect the playbooks and cycles that crowned Facebook, Google, Apple and LinkedIn as the winners of their categories and turned them from open platforms into toll booths. The key part is who is going to be next, and what you need to know to play the game. We cover: - Brian's prediction on which LLM will create the platform first—and exactly how to ride that wave before the gates slam shut. - How startups need to play the game differently vs larger companies - A candid debate on platform moats, memory vs. action, and whether PLG just made a roaring comeback. If you build, invest, or obsess over AI products, this 45-minute sprint will hand you the hard truths and the hidden opportunities shaping the next couple of years. Plug in, level up—and learn how to play the game before the game plays you.
Get ready for a crash course for you in the next great distribution shift. In this episode, Brian Balfour and Fareed Mosavat pull back the curtain on why AI’s real battleground isn’t the tech itself—it’s the fight to be the next distribution platform. Fareed and Brian dissect the playbooks and cycles that crowned Facebook, Google, Apple and LinkedIn as the winners of their categories and turned them from open platforms into toll booths. The key part is who is going to be next, and what you need to know to play the game. We cover: - Brian's prediction on which LLM will create the platform first—and exactly how to ride that wave before the gates slam shut. - How startups need to play the game differently vs larger companies - A candid debate on platform moats, memory vs. action, and whether PLG just made a roaring comeback. If you build, invest, or obsess over AI products, this 45-minute sprint will hand you the hard truths and the hidden opportunities shaping the next couple of years. Plug in, level up—and learn how to play the game before the game plays you.
Are benchmarks bogus? Is measurement meaningless? In this edition of Retention Masterclass, Peggy Anne Salz and John Koetsier chat with Brian Balfour about the perils of benchmarks and measurement. Brian was the VP of Growth at Hubspot, which now has almost 80,000 customers. He’s been a founder and an entrepreneur in residence. He’s also the founder and CEO of Reforge, maybe the best place on the planet for the best marketers to learn how to be even better. We chat about: - retention - benchmarks - measurement - why retention is an output - whether you can engineer in retention or not - some of the best examples of retention he's seen - keeping marginal audiences you acquired because of COVID-19
Are benchmarks bogus? Is measurement meaningless? In this edition of Retention Masterclass, Peggy Anne Salz and John Koetsier chat with Brian Balfour about the perils of benchmarks and measurement. Brian was the VP of Growth at Hubspot, which now has almost 80,000 customers. He’s been a founder and an entrepreneur in residence. He’s also the founder and CEO of Reforge, maybe the best place on the planet for the best marketers to learn how to be even better. We chat about: - retention - benchmarks - measurement - why retention is an output - whether you can engineer in retention or not - some of the best examples of retention he's seen - keeping marginal audiences you acquired because of COVID-19
Brian Balfour is the founder and CEO of Reforge. Prior to Reforge, he was the VP of Growth at HubSpot and co-founded three other startups. In today’s episode, Brian shares 10 lessons from his career, growth, and life: • Lesson 1: Inspect the work, not the person. • Lesson 2: Tell me what it takes to win; then tell me the cost. • Lesson 3: Problems never end (and that’s okay). • Lesson 4: The year is made in the first six months. • Lesson 5: Growth is a system between acquisition, retention, and monetization. Change one and you affect them all. • Lesson 6: Do the opposite. • Lesson 7: Use cases, not personas. • Lesson 8: Solving for everyone is solving for no one. • Lesson 9: Find sparring partners, not mentors or coaches. • Lesson 10: 2x+ the activation energy for things that need to change. — Brought to you by Jira Product Discovery—Atlassian’s new prioritization and roadmapping tool built for product teams: https://atlassian.com/lenny/?utm_source=lennypodcast&utm_medium=paid-audio&utm_campaign=fy24q1-jpd-imc | Coda—Meet the evolution of docs: https://coda.io/lenny | Wix Studio—The web creation platform built for agencies: https://www.wix.com/studio?utm_source=Lennyspodcast&utm_medium=Podcastad&utm_campaign=SL Find the transcript and references at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/brian-balfour-10-lessons-on-career-growth-and-life/ Where to find Brian Balfour: • X: https://twitter.com/bbalfour • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbalfour/ • Website: https://brianbalfour.com/ Where to find Lenny: • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Brian’s background (04:29) His Notion doc of lessons (07:35) Lesson 1: Inspect the work, not the person (12:39) Implementing lesson 1 and a recap of Reforge Artifacts (16:01) Lesson 2: Tell me what it takes to win; then tell me the cost (18:17) Why you should revisit your ideal end state often (20:25) How planning works at Reforge (23:50) Lesson 3: Problems never end (and that’s okay) (26:31) The “players, coaches, captains” framework (30:24) How AI will allow for smaller teams (34:13) Small teams do bigger things (34:37) Lesson 4: The year is made in the first six months (38:20) Lesson 5: Growth is a system between acquisition, retention, and monetization (40:44) Examples of engagement and retention problems from HubSpot and Reforge (46:21) Lesson 6: Do the opposite (55:25) Brian’s thoughts on category creation (57:39) Lesson 7: Use cases, not personas (1:01:18) The use case map (1:03:38) Lesson 8: Solving for everyone is solving for no one (1:11:14) There are many ways to do product (1:16:52) Lesson 9: Find sparring partners, not mentors or coaches (1:23:49) Advice on setting the tone for group sharing (1:25:07) Lesson 10: You need to give 2x the activation energy for things that need to change (1:32:02) Lightning round Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Brian Balfour is the Founder and CEO of Reforge, an 8-week professional development program for experienced growth and marketing practitioners to accelerate their careers. With ten years of marketing, product, and growth experience Brian has the skills, insight, and network, to be delivering best-in-class growth practitioners throughout Silicon Valley and beyond Prior to starting Reforge, Brian was the VP of Growth at Hubspot where he worked to establish new lines of business from 2014 to 2016. He has also worked as an EIR at Trinity Ventures and cofounded multiple VC-backed companies, one which was bootstrapped, and two of which led to successful acquisitions. In addition to his current work at Reforge, Brian also writes in great detail about growth on Coelevate, his personal site, and has been featured in Forbes, Hacker Monthly, as well as other industry and mainstream media publications. In this episode, Brian shares thoughts on: - the importance of mastering the foundational elements of marketing - why becoming a better marketer is not about tips, tricks, and hacks Visit https://instapage.com/podcast/brian-balfour-on-professional-development for the full article and transcript. Sign Up for a 14-day Free Trial: https://instapage.com/landing-pages Subscribe NOW to the Instapage YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/Instapage Follow Instapage on Twitter: https://Twitter.com/Instapage Like Instapage on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/Instapageapp
Brian Balfour is the Founder and CEO of Reforge, an 8-week professional development program for experienced growth and marketing practitioners to accelerate their careers. With ten years of marketing, product, and growth experience Brian has the skills, insight, and network, to be delivering best-in-class growth practitioners throughout Silicon Valley and beyond Prior to starting Reforge, Brian was the VP of Growth at Hubspot where he worked to establish new lines of business from 2014 to 2016. He has also worked as an EIR at Trinity Ventures and cofounded multiple VC-backed companies, one which was bootstrapped, and two of which led to successful acquisitions. In addition to his current work at Reforge, Brian also writes in great detail about growth on Coelevate, his personal site, and has been featured in Forbes, Hacker Monthly, as well as other industry and mainstream media publications. In this episode, Brian shares thoughts on: - the importance of mastering the foundational elements of marketing - why becoming a better marketer is not about tips, tricks, and hacks Visit https://instapage.com/podcast/brian-balfour-on-professional-development for the full article and transcript. Sign Up for a 14-day Free Trial: https://instapage.com/landing-pages Subscribe NOW to the Instapage YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/Instapage Follow Instapage on Twitter: https://Twitter.com/Instapage Like Instapage on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/Instapageapp
Are funnels dead? David McClure's famous AARRR funnel framework has been the guide book for growth strategies for years — the problem is McClure's funnel framework is nearly 11 years old! Are loops and flywheels the new thing? Making the transition from thinking about growth strategies from funnels to loops and flywheels could be the key to drive growth for your business in 2019 and the years to come. Listen to Brian Balfour, Founder/CEO of Reforge, talk about his experience with growth VP of Growth @ Hubspot. Then we'll cover his journey along the way to scale his new growth masterclass business. Learn from Brian's extensive knowledge gained from countless hours studying 100s of SaaS companies. Scale or Die, Season 1 #ScaleOrDie Episode 12 — Brian Balfour of Reforge Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1LraYgZ8_5VO3Pu4fhOr7g/featured?sub_confirmation=1 ___ Follow our journey: https://useproof.com/scaleordie Twitter: https://twitter.com/useproof Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/useproof/ LinkedIn: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?redir_token=_cxPRRU9biiUnj9-NpNWbg3Vioh8MTU1OTQwMDk4MkAxNTU5MzE0NTgy&v=c3vJZ-34FQU&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fcompany%2F11238254%2F&event=video_description
Are funnels dead? David McClure's famous AARRR funnel framework has been the guide book for growth strategies for years — the problem is McClure's funnel framework is nearly 11 years old! Are loops and flywheels the new thing? Making the transition from thinking about growth strategies from funnels to loops and flywheels could be the key to drive growth for your business in 2019 and the years to come. Listen to Brian Balfour, Founder/CEO of Reforge, talk about his experience with growth VP of Growth @ Hubspot. Then we'll cover his journey along the way to scale his new growth masterclass business. Learn from Brian's extensive knowledge gained from countless hours studying 100s of SaaS companies. Scale or Die, Season 1 #ScaleOrDie Episode 12 — Brian Balfour of Reforge Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1LraYgZ8_5VO3Pu4fhOr7g/featured?sub_confirmation=1 ___ Follow our journey: https://useproof.com/scaleordie Twitter: https://twitter.com/useproof Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/useproof/ LinkedIn: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?redir_token=_cxPRRU9biiUnj9-NpNWbg3Vioh8MTU1OTQwMDk4MkAxNTU5MzE0NTgy&v=c3vJZ-34FQU&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fcompany%2F11238254%2F&event=video_description
Brian Balfour talks retention - the silent killer and king of growth at CXL Live in 2016. He leads the growth team on new products within Hubspot, specifically Sidekick. His focus is on blending consumer marketing tactics, engineering, product, and data to drive rapid growth of engaged users. Learn more about CXL Live here: https://cxl.com/live/
Brian Balfour is the Founder and CEO of Reforge. Previously, he was the VP of Growth @ HubSpot. Prior to HubSpot, he was an EIR @ Trinity Ventures and founder of Boundless Learning and Viximo. He advises companies including Blue Bottle Coffee, Gametime, Lumoid, GrabCAD, and Help Scout on growth and customer acquisition. ----------------------------------------------------------- Timestamps: (0:00) Intro (00:27) Brian's Early Career and Growth Philosophy (06:30) Understanding and Building Growth Strategies (16:52) Navigating Product Market Fit and Channel Strategy (28:08) Predictions, Saturation, and Evolving Strategies (34:43) Inside Stories: Lessons from HubSpot and Reforge (46:47) The Impact of AI on Growth (51:17) Reflections and Mistakes (57:13) Quick-Fire Round ----------------------------------------------------------- In Today’s Episode with Brian Balfour We Discuss: 1. Entry into Growth and Lessons from Hubspot: How did Brian make his entry into the world of growth? What does Brian know now about growth that he wishes he had known when he started in growth? What are 1-2 of his single biggest takeaways from his time at Hubspot that impacted his mindset? 2. The Foundations: What is growth? What is it not? What does Brian mean when he says “all growth can be boiled down to 4 things”? When is the right time to bring in your first growth person? Should the first growth person be senior or junior? Should the growth team be standalone or sit within an existing function? 3. The Importance of Product Channel Fit: What is product channel fit? How should founders approach it? How do you know when you have it? What are the single biggest mistakes founders make with regards to PCF? 4. Next Comes Channel Model Fit: What is channel model fit? How should founders approach it? What are clear indicators that you have or do not have channel model fit? What are the biggest mistakes founders make with CMF? 5. Finally, Model Market Fit: What is model market fit? How should founders approach it? What are clear indicators that you have or do not have model market fit? What are the biggest mistakes founders make with MMF? 6. Brian Balfour: AMA: Why is product market fit not enough? What does Brian mean when he says “revenue does not create usage”? What are the biggest dangers of mixing customers and users? What do Hubspot do better than anyone else to know when an existing product/strategy is dying? Is it always better to diversify marketing channels? ----------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3j2KMcZTtgTNBKwtZBMHvl?si=85bc9196860e4466 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twenty-minute-vc-20vc-venture-capital-startup/id958230465 Follow Harry Stebbings on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HarryStebbings Follow Brian Balfour on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bbalfour Follow 20VC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/20vc_reels Follow 20VC on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@20vc_tok Visit our Website: https://www.20vc.com Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/contact ----------------------------------------------------------- #BrianBalfour #Reforge #HarryStebbings
Brian Balfour is the founder and CEO of Reforge, former VP of Growth at Hubspot, and a venture partner at Long Journey Ventures. He is one of the foremost experts on Growth and also a husband and the father of two young kids. In this episode we discuss: - His parents opinion of his profession - Other family members' influence on his entrepreneurial spirit - His decision to start a family and whether he took to fatherhood right away - The tragedy of losing his first child at birth and challenges of conceiving - How to protect your time as a CEO and a father - Brian's frameworks for parenting - How to align with your partner - Life during the pandemic with a partner who is a nurse, young kids and a fast-growing startup — Where to find Brian Balfour - Twitter: https://twitter.com/bbalfour - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbalfour/ - Personal Website: https://www.brianbalfour.com Where to find Adam Fishman: - Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/fishmanaf - Threads: https://www.threads.net/@fishmanaf — In this episode, we cover: [1:40] Intros [2:06] Professional background [3:28] Personal background [6:38] Parents' opinion of his career [9:33] Uncle’s influence on his entrepreneurial spirit [11:59] About his family [14:39] Decision to start a family [18:07] Whether or not he took to Fatherhood right away [18:30] Losing a child at birth [21:29] The “Instagramification” of parenting [22:52] Parenting reality check [25:26] Most surprising thing about Fatherhood? [28:08] How to protect your time as a parent and a CEO [30:21] More discussion of losing a child and Brian's coping strategies [37:09] Parenting frameworks [41:34] Aligning as a couple [45:11] Life during pandemic [48:58] Rapid fire round — Show references - www.reforge.com - H.A.N.D. - Helping After Neonatal Death — Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/ Episode art designed by Matt Sutherland at https://www.mspnw.com/
Brian Balfour is the founder and CEO of Reforge, former VP of Growth at Hubspot, and a venture partner at Long Journey Ventures. He is one of the foremost experts on Growth and also a husband and the father of two young kids. In this episode we discuss: - His parents opinion of his profession - Other family members' influence on his entrepreneurial spirit - His decision to start a family and whether he took to fatherhood right away - The tragedy of losing his first child at birth and challenges of conceiving - How to protect your time as a CEO and a father - Brian's frameworks for parenting - How to align with your partner - Life during the pandemic with a partner who is a nurse, young kids and a fast-growing startup — Where to find Brian Balfour - Twitter: https://twitter.com/bbalfour - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbalfour/ - Personal Website: https://www.brianbalfour.com Where to find Adam Fishman: - Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/fishmanaf - Threads: https://www.threads.net/@fishmanaf — In this episode, we cover: [1:40] Intros [2:06] Professional background [3:28] Personal background [6:38] Parents' opinion of his career [9:33] Uncle’s influence on his entrepreneurial spirit [11:59] About his family [14:39] Decision to start a family [18:07] Whether or not he took to Fatherhood right away [18:30] Losing a child at birth [21:29] The “Instagramification” of parenting [22:52] Parenting reality check [25:26] Most surprising thing about Fatherhood? [28:08] How to protect your time as a parent and a CEO [30:21] More discussion of losing a child and Brian's coping strategies [37:09] Parenting frameworks [41:34] Aligning as a couple [45:11] Life during pandemic [48:58] Rapid fire round — Show references - www.reforge.com - H.A.N.D. - Helping After Neonatal Death — Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/ Episode art designed by Matt Sutherland at https://www.mspnw.com/
Founder burnout is real — even for the most successful tech leaders. In this candid conversation, Brian Balfour, Founder & CEO of Reforge, opens up about the personal cost of leading high-growth companies. After pushing himself for years, he hit a wall: burnout, sleep disorders, and a deep sense of being “broken.” What followed was a total reset. In this episode, Brian shares: - What burnout looked and felt like at the founder level - How he rebuilt trust after hard feedback from his team - The hidden emotional weight of comparing yourself to peers - How he learned to reconnect with purpose, health, and leadership Whether you're a startup founder, growth leader, or burned-out operator, Brian’s story will resonate deeply. --- ### 🕒 Timestamps: (00:00) Brian’s burnout moment and feeling broken (02:33) Building deeper connections through vulnerability (07:27) Launching Reforge Insight Analytics (12:28) Lessons from Brian’s first startup vs. Facebook (19:12) Overcoming feeling stuck by taking action (29:31) Thanks to our sponsors: Navattic & Appcues (27:09) Career lows and resilience (33:34) Managing burnout and physical health (41:10) Handling direct feedback and rebuilding trust (50:43) Creating boundaries between work and family --- ### 🎙️ Presented by: - [Navattic – Interactive Product Demo Software](https://navattic.com/value) - [Appcues – User Engagement for SaaS](https://appcues.com/value) --- ### 🔗 Connect with Brian: - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbalfour/) - [BrianBalfour.com](https://brianbalfour.com) - [Reforge](https://www.reforge.com/) --- ### 🔗 Connect with Andrew: - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/) - [Substack](https://media.deliveringvalue.co) - [Coaching](https://deliveringvalue.co/coaching)
Founder burnout is real — even for the most successful tech leaders. In this candid conversation, Brian Balfour, Founder & CEO of Reforge, opens up about the personal cost of leading high-growth companies. After pushing himself for years, he hit a wall: burnout, sleep disorders, and a deep sense of being “broken.” What followed was a total reset. In this episode, Brian shares: - What burnout looked and felt like at the founder level - How he rebuilt trust after hard feedback from his team - The hidden emotional weight of comparing yourself to peers - How he learned to reconnect with purpose, health, and leadership Whether you're a startup founder, growth leader, or burned-out operator, Brian’s story will resonate deeply. --- ### 🕒 Timestamps: (00:00) Brian’s burnout moment and feeling broken (02:33) Building deeper connections through vulnerability (07:27) Launching Reforge Insight Analytics (12:28) Lessons from Brian’s first startup vs. Facebook (19:12) Overcoming feeling stuck by taking action (29:31) Thanks to our sponsors: Navattic & Appcues (27:09) Career lows and resilience (33:34) Managing burnout and physical health (41:10) Handling direct feedback and rebuilding trust (50:43) Creating boundaries between work and family --- ### 🎙️ Presented by: - [Navattic – Interactive Product Demo Software](https://navattic.com/value) - [Appcues – User Engagement for SaaS](https://appcues.com/value) --- ### 🔗 Connect with Brian: - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbalfour/) - [BrianBalfour.com](https://brianbalfour.com) - [Reforge](https://www.reforge.com/) --- ### 🔗 Connect with Andrew: - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/) - [Substack](https://media.deliveringvalue.co) - [Coaching](https://deliveringvalue.co/coaching)
Greylock Investor Mike Duboe, Reforge CEO Brian Balfour, and Mulesoft SVP of Product Shaun Clowes on developing a healthy and successful growth strategy. Growth is fundamental to a company's survival. To compete in today's crowded business environment, it is vital for founders to implement powerful strategies that drive healthy and sustainable growth. Successful growth strategies start with a methodical framework tailored to your product and target audience that will increase your user base and activation rate. This episode of Greymatter is the first in a mini-series of growth discussions featuring Greylock Investor Mike Duboe. In this discussion Reforge Founder and CEO Brian Balfour, and Metromile Chief Product Officer Shaun Clowes chat with Mike about frameworks and foundational concepts needed to develop a successful growth strategy. The three growth/product leaders discuss the skills and traits to look for in a startup's first growth hire, why growth should be a cross-functional discipline vs a set of channels or tactics, how to assess healthy vs unhealthy growth, conceptualizing loops vs funnels, and the applicability of B2C growth concepts in B2B organizations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices)
Greylock Investor Mike Duboe, Reforge CEO Brian Balfour, and Mulesoft SVP of Product Shaun Clowes on developing a healthy and successful growth strategy. Growth is fundamental to a company's survival. To compete in today's crowded business environment, it is vital for founders to implement powerful strategies that drive healthy and sustainable growth. Successful growth strategies start with a methodical framework tailored to your product and target audience that will increase your user base and activation rate. This episode of Greymatter is the first in a mini-series of growth discussions featuring Greylock Investor Mike Duboe. In this discussion Reforge Founder and CEO Brian Balfour, and Metromile Chief Product Officer Shaun Clowes chat with Mike about frameworks and foundational concepts needed to develop a successful growth strategy. The three growth/product leaders discuss the skills and traits to look for in a startup's first growth hire, why growth should be a cross-functional discipline vs a set of channels or tactics, how to assess healthy vs unhealthy growth, conceptualizing loops vs funnels, and the applicability of B2C growth concepts in B2B organizations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices)
In today’s competitive environment, the only way to cut through the noise is to offer an experience that engages your users, shows them the value of your product, and leads them to long-term retention. In this video, learn how to engage audiences and retain them with insights and tips from Brian Balfour of Hubspot, Julia Lipton of Rise, and Fareed Mosavat of Instacart. Learn more about how Amplitude can help you build better digital products and experiences: https://amplitude.com #retention #engagement #userbehavior #customerloyalty #amplitude Learn more: https://amplitude.com https://amplitude.com/blog Stay connected: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amplitude-analytics https://twitter.com/Amplitude_HQ https://www.g2.com/products/amplitude-analytics About us: Amplitude is a leading digital analytics platform that helps companies unlock the power of their products. Nearly 2,500 customers, including Atlassian, NBCUniversal, Under Armour, Shopify, and Jersey Mike’s, rely on Amplitude to gain self-service visibility into the entire customer journey. Amplitude guides companies every step of the way as they capture data they can trust, uncover clear insights about customer behavior, and take faster action. When teams understand how people are using their products, they can deliver better product experiences that drive growth. Amplitude is the best-in-class analytics solution for product, data, and marketing teams, ranked #1 in multiple categories by G2. Learn how to optimize your digital products and business at https://amplitude.com.
In today’s competitive environment, the only way to cut through the noise is to offer an experience that engages your users, shows them the value of your product, and leads them to long-term retention. In this video, learn how to engage audiences and retain them with insights and tips from Brian Balfour of Hubspot, Julia Lipton of Rise, and Fareed Mosavat of Instacart. Learn more about how Amplitude can help you build better digital products and experiences: https://amplitude.com #retention #engagement #userbehavior #customerloyalty #amplitude Learn more: https://amplitude.com https://amplitude.com/blog Stay connected: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amplitude-analytics https://twitter.com/Amplitude_HQ https://www.g2.com/products/amplitude-analytics About us: Amplitude is a leading digital analytics platform that helps companies unlock the power of their products. Nearly 2,500 customers, including Atlassian, NBCUniversal, Under Armour, Shopify, and Jersey Mike’s, rely on Amplitude to gain self-service visibility into the entire customer journey. Amplitude guides companies every step of the way as they capture data they can trust, uncover clear insights about customer behavior, and take faster action. When teams understand how people are using their products, they can deliver better product experiences that drive growth. Amplitude is the best-in-class analytics solution for product, data, and marketing teams, ranked #1 in multiple categories by G2. Learn how to optimize your digital products and business at https://amplitude.com.
Today we are live with Brian Balfour, the founder and CEO of Reforge. Brian has started multiple VC backed companies, and grown user bases to millions of daily active users. He writes detailed essays on growth and user acquisition that have been featured in Forbes, Hacker Monthly, and OnStartups to help you build a growth machine.
Today we are live with Brian Balfour, the founder and CEO of Reforge. Brian has started multiple VC backed companies, and grown user bases to millions of daily active users. He writes detailed essays on growth and user acquisition that have been featured in Forbes, Hacker Monthly, and OnStartups to help you build a growth machine.
Balancing Ambition and Family: Brian Balfour on AI, Startups, and Personal Growth In this insightful episode of 'The Next Next', Jason Jacobs engages in a comprehensive conversation with Brian Balfour, founder and CEO of Reforge. They discuss Brian’s entrepreneurial journey from launching Viximo and Boundless Learning to leading growth at HubSpot and now scaling Reforge. The discussion delves into the integration of AI in product management, the challenges of venture-backed startups, and the balance between professional ambition and family life. Brian shares his thoughts on the future of startups, venture capital, and how AI is transforming the way we build and fund ventures. Listen in to discover how Brian navigates the complexities of being a successful entrepreneur while staying present for his family. 00:00 Introduction to Brian Balfour 00:31 Brian's Journey and Achievements 00:46 Balancing Ambition and Family 00:56 The Role of AI in Reforge 02:08 Jason's Learning Journey 02:49 Brian's Early Career and Viximo 03:49 The Reforge Story 08:17 Personal Challenges and Growth 10:32 Navigating Market Challenges 22:59 AI's Impact on Product Teams 32:08 Transitioning to AI Native Product Teams 32:42 Building vs. Acquiring AI Products 33:24 Utilizing AI in Product Development 35:12 Efficiency Gains with AI 35:48 Reforge's Approach to AI and Learning 38:31 Impact of AI on Hiring and Team Structure 39:41 Balancing Profitability and Growth 41:24 AI's Influence on Startups and Venture Capital 47:25 Future of Work and Distribution Challenges 52:03 Navigating the AI Landscape 01:02:27 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Balancing Ambition and Family: Brian Balfour on AI, Startups, and Personal Growth In this insightful episode of 'The Next Next', Jason Jacobs engages in a comprehensive conversation with Brian Balfour, founder and CEO of Reforge. They discuss Brian’s entrepreneurial journey from launching Viximo and Boundless Learning to leading growth at HubSpot and now scaling Reforge. The discussion delves into the integration of AI in product management, the challenges of venture-backed startups, and the balance between professional ambition and family life. Brian shares his thoughts on the future of startups, venture capital, and how AI is transforming the way we build and fund ventures. Listen in to discover how Brian navigates the complexities of being a successful entrepreneur while staying present for his family. 00:00 Introduction to Brian Balfour 00:31 Brian's Journey and Achievements 00:46 Balancing Ambition and Family 00:56 The Role of AI in Reforge 02:08 Jason's Learning Journey 02:49 Brian's Early Career and Viximo 03:49 The Reforge Story 08:17 Personal Challenges and Growth 10:32 Navigating Market Challenges 22:59 AI's Impact on Product Teams 32:08 Transitioning to AI Native Product Teams 32:42 Building vs. Acquiring AI Products 33:24 Utilizing AI in Product Development 35:12 Efficiency Gains with AI 35:48 Reforge's Approach to AI and Learning 38:31 Impact of AI on Hiring and Team Structure 39:41 Balancing Profitability and Growth 41:24 AI's Influence on Startups and Venture Capital 47:25 Future of Work and Distribution Challenges 52:03 Navigating the AI Landscape 01:02:27 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Downturns fundamentally rewrite the industry’s strategy (and expectations) for user growth. In a bull market, the focus is on top-line growth. But in a bear market, your approach must change. Curious about ways you should be rethinking your growth strategy? In this recording from a recent live event, Reforge Founder and CEO, Brian Balfour and General Partner at A16z and Former Growth Lead at Uber, Andrew Chen discuss how you can reinvent your strategy in a downturn. If you're interested in Growth Strategy and want to invest in the best learning on that topic, check out the Reforge Growth Series, which was created by Brian and Andrew from this video: https://www.reforge.com/growth-series?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=event-recording&utm_campaign=balfour-chen-downturn Timestamps 0:00 - 2:08 - Intros 2:09 - 5:47 - Andrew's Blog Post about Reinventing Growth Strategy 5:48 - 10:14 - Balancing efficient and fast growth 10:15 - 12:37 - What stage of this downturn are we in and does it matter? 12:38 - 18:44 - Examining marketing spend in a downturn 18:45 - 24:22 - Guaranteed costs versus unpredictable returns 25:06 - 28:49 - Living to fight another day 28:50 - 35:00 - Comparing the shift to mobile to the current market shift 35:01 - 59:52 - Q&A
Brian Balfour is the CEO of Reforge and the former VP of Growth at Hubspot. He knows growth marketing and retention marketing. So when he says retention is at the center of the growth engine, people sit up and listen. In this episode of CleverTap Engage, Brian talks about retention, benchmarks, measurement, some of the best examples of retention he’s ever seen, and whether you can engineer in retention or not. One thing he’s found? Category leaders always have the highest retention. And, when you drill down, retention is at the center of the growth engine. It improves both acquisition and monetization, drives LTV, increases what you can afford to spend on CAC, and demonstrates long-term health and strength in an app business. “CleverTap Engage” is a video interview series featuring the globe’s most respected CMOs and executives, shining a light on how to achieve meaningful and memorable customer engagement. The series is co-hosted by Peggy Anne Salz and John Koetsier. About CleverTap: We are a mobile user engagement and analytics platform enabling startups, marketers and developers to use the power of data and messaging to personalize customer experiences on mobile apps. Today, thousands of marketers and developers worldwide use CleverTap to gain deep customer insights to improve user loyalty. Visit our website: https://clevertap.com/ Our Socials LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clevertap Twitter: https://twitter.com/CleverTap Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clevertapofficial Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/clevertap CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Are benchmarks bogus? 2:25 Category leaders have the highest retention 5:30 Know who you’re targeting AND who you’re not 7:20 Frustrations with benchmarks 16:10 Measuring LTV 19:05 Retention is an output 25:10 Can you engineer in retention? 29:50 Strategies for mobile growth 34:00 What do marketers understand least about retention 37:55 ‘I WAS STUPID’ 42:52 Defining and keeping your ‘marginal audience’ 47:51 Where does retention fit in the org chart?
Brian Balfour is the CEO of Reforge and the former VP of Growth at Hubspot. He knows growth marketing and retention marketing. So when he says retention is at the center of the growth engine, people sit up and listen. In this episode of CleverTap Engage, Brian talks about retention, benchmarks, measurement, some of the best examples of retention he’s ever seen, and whether you can engineer in retention or not. One thing he’s found? Category leaders always have the highest retention. And, when you drill down, retention is at the center of the growth engine. It improves both acquisition and monetization, drives LTV, increases what you can afford to spend on CAC, and demonstrates long-term health and strength in an app business. “CleverTap Engage” is a video interview series featuring the globe’s most respected CMOs and executives, shining a light on how to achieve meaningful and memorable customer engagement. The series is co-hosted by Peggy Anne Salz and John Koetsier. About CleverTap: We are a mobile user engagement and analytics platform enabling startups, marketers and developers to use the power of data and messaging to personalize customer experiences on mobile apps. Today, thousands of marketers and developers worldwide use CleverTap to gain deep customer insights to improve user loyalty. Visit our website: https://clevertap.com/ Our Socials LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clevertap Twitter: https://twitter.com/CleverTap Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clevertapofficial Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/clevertap CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Are benchmarks bogus? 2:25 Category leaders have the highest retention 5:30 Know who you’re targeting AND who you’re not 7:20 Frustrations with benchmarks 16:10 Measuring LTV 19:05 Retention is an output 25:10 Can you engineer in retention? 29:50 Strategies for mobile growth 34:00 What do marketers understand least about retention 37:55 ‘I WAS STUPID’ 42:52 Defining and keeping your ‘marginal audience’ 47:51 Where does retention fit in the org chart?
Brian Balfour, VP Growth, HubSpot shares why customer and user retention is the most important factor in traction and growth, the anatomy of retention, and strategies and tactics to improve and optimize the various pieces of retention. Traction Conf Vancouver 2015 - http://tractionconf.io.
Brian is the Founder and CEO of Reforge. Reforge helps top performers do the best work of their careers through advanced professional education programs on Growth and Product strategy. Previously he was also the former VP of Growth at Hubspot. He is one of the most prolific minds in the product-led growth era, he has built, scaled, and taught Product and Growth since the early 2000s. In this episode we’ll explore different topics around Product-Led and Community-Led Growth: 1. What exactly is “product-led growth,” and how can you apply it at every stage of Growth? 1. Why is PLG the most successful way to acquire customers? 2. How to build a product-led motion process at early-stage companies? 2. What’s unique about the new generation of fast-growing software companies? 3. What are the shortcomings of Product-Led Growth motion in these (typically horizontal product) companies? 4. What GTM strategies can be applied to horizontal, built-yourself-type of products? 5. How do Community and Education fit within Growth and should you even be investing in Community? 6. How can you leverage the community to evangelize and grow your product? 7. How are work and tools changing in modern organizations? 1. What’s the next phase of tools and products that’ll empower the individual knowledge workers to adapt the tools to their workflow, and build their own solutions to the problems they are trying to solve? 2. How will the new generation of children learn software? 8. What does the world look like in 10 years Product and Growth direction-wise? Keep track of the Generation Builders Podcast by subscribing to Softr's Youtube Channel or to your podcast platform of choice: Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/generation-builders/id1653086585) Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/47tgQdZKOp2ozc4gA7ReZY) Google Podcasts - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8yMDc3NTA1LnJzcw==
Brian Balfour is the founder of Reforge, the former VP of Growth at HubSpot, and a student (and teacher) of product growth. Brian has studied every major platform shift—from Facebook to Apple to Google—and he’s spotted a pattern that’s about to repeat with ChatGPT. *In this conversation, you’ll learn:* 1. The 4-step cycle every platform follows (and why ChatGPT just entered step 2) 2. Why ChatGPT’s platform launch could be bigger than Facebook’s early platform 3. The exact signals that ChatGPT will launch a third-party platform within six months 4. Why you have six months (not years) to make your platform bet 5. Why companies that don’t integrate with ChatGPT will lose to competitors that do 6. How Zynga grew to $1B by betting on Facebook’s platform early (before it was obvious) 7. Why so few companies are actually doing what they need to be doing right now *Brought to you by:* DX—The developer intelligence platform designed by leading researchers: http://getdx.com/lenny Basecamp—The famously straightforward project management system from 37signals: https://www.basecamp.com/lenny Miro—A collaborative visual platform where your best work comes to life: https://miro.com/lenny *Transcript:* https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/why-chatgpt-will-be-the-next-big-growth-channel-brian-balfour *My biggest takeaways (for paid newsletter subscribers):* https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/i/170294620/my-biggest-takeaways-from-this-conversation *Where to find Brian Balfour:* • X: https://twitter.com/bbalfour • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbalfour/ • Website: https://brianbalfour.com/ • Substack: https://blog.brianbalfour.com/ • Podcast: https://www.reforge.com/podcast/unsolicited-feedback *Where to find Lenny:* • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ *In this episode, we cover:* (00:00) Welcome back, Brian! (04:13) The changing landscape of product growth (05:09) The importance of distribution (08:14) The role of new distribution platforms (09:45) The four-step cycle of distribution platforms (17:38) Examples of platform cycles (30:01) The rise of ChatGPT (44:47) The future of AI agents (46:01) Preferred partners and platform credibility (47:18) Monetization mechanisms and free tiers (48:14) Betting strategies for startups (01:04:34) Adopting AI tools: challenges and strategies (01:08:41) The importance of hard constraints (01:14:23) Effective AI adoption in companies (01:19:05) Lightning round and final thoughts *Referenced:* • The Next Great Distribution Shift: https://blog.brianbalfour.com/p/the-next-great-distribution-shift • Brian Balfour: 10 lessons on career, growth, and life: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-balfour-10-lessons-on-career • This Week #9: Breaking into growth, leading with influence, and (not) stepping on toes: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/this-week-9-breaking-into-growth • Distribution vs. Innovation: https://a16z.com/distribution-vs-innovation/ • On Platform Shifts and AI: https://caseyaccidental.com/on-platform-shifts-and-ai/ • How to sell your ideas and rise within your company | Casey Winters, Eventbrite: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-sell-your-ideas-and-rise-within • Thinking beyond frameworks | Casey Winters (Pinterest, Eventbrite, Airbnb, Tinder, Canva, Reddit, Grubhub): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/thinking-beyond-frameworks-casey • ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/ • Claude: https://claude.ai/ • Gemini: https://gemini.google.com/ • Vine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vine_(service) • Periscope: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periscope_(service) • Myspace: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myspace • Friendster: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendster • AltaVista: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AltaVista • Lycos: https://www.lycos.com/ • HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com/ • Zynga: https://www.zynga.com/ • TBPN: https://www.tbpn.com/ • Deedy Das on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debarghyadas/ • ChatGPT’s product retention curves are a product manager's wet dream: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/debarghyadas_chatgpts-product-retention-curves-are-a-activity-7338384752393035776-ice1/ • Windsurf: https://windsurf.com/ • Building a magical AI code editor used by over 1 million developers in four months: The untold story of Windsurf | Varun Mohan (co-founder and CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-untold-story-of-windsurf-varun-mohan ...References continued at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/why-chatgpt-will-be-the-next-big-growth-channel-brian-balfour _Production and marketing by https://penname.co/._ _For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com._ Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Brian Balfour (Founder & CEO, Reforge) Learn more about 500 Startups here -- http://bit.ly/1hk8saq