Shows
The Breakout Growth PodcastCracking the Viral Loop: Calendly’s Playbook for Freemium GrowthListen now on Apple, Spotify and YouTubeEpisode Overview:In this episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast, Sean Ellis and Ethan Garr sit down with Darren Chait, VP of Marketing at Calendly to explore the strategies that have propelled the company’s success. Calendly’s viral growth model and product-led growth (PLG) strategy have made it a must-have tool for millions of professionals, and Darren shares the lessons, challenges, and wins that have defined the company’s journey.From leveraging a natural viral loop to prioritizing retention and optimizing cross-functional collaboration, this conversation is pac...2025-04-0852 min
The Breakout Growth PodcastBeyond the Buzzword: How AI is Reshaping Product & Growth StrategiesListen now on Apple, Spotify and YouTubeEpisode Overview:In this episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast, Sean Ellis and Ethan Garr sit down with Marily Nika, Gen AI Product Lead at Google, to explore how AI is transforming product growth, product management, and user experiences.Marily has been working in AI for over a decade, long before it became today’s hottest buzzword. Her unique perspective? AI is not the product—the experience is the product. In this conversation, she breaks down why that distinction matters, how startups can move faster with AI...2025-03-2557 min
Workplace Stories by RedThread ResearchAI, Learning & Partnerships: How Bertelsmann is Future-Proofing Its Workforce with Steven MoranAI is transforming work at an unprecedented pace, but many organizations still struggle to move beyond experimentation and into real implementation. In this episode, we sit down with Steven Moran, Chief Learning Officer and Chief Partnerships Officer at Bertelsmann, to explore how one of the world’s largest media, education, and services companies is tackling this challenge head-on. With 400 businesses and 80,000 employees worldwide, Bertelsmann is uniquely positioned at the intersection of AI, workforce learning, and industry partnerships—making its approach to AI adoption especially insightful.Steven shares how Bertelsmann strategically identifies which work AI should take over...2025-03-1944 min
The Breakout Growth PodcastAI as Your Growth Partner: Practical Strategies From Expert Justin KistnerListen now on Apple, Spotify and YouTubeEpisode Overview:In this episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast, Sean Ellis and Ethan Garr explore how growth professionals should be thinking about and using AI to win. Our guest is Justin Kistner, founder of CopyClub.ai and CopySub. Justin is on a mission to help individuals and teams unlock the potential of AI, and his approach will likely change how you think about and use AI to advance your growth playbook every day.From building a "context library" to rethinking how we prompt...2025-01-091h 01
The Breakout Growth PodcastThe Duolingo Playbook: What Startups Can Learn From Gina Gotthilf's Growth StrategiesListen now on Apple, Spotify and YouTubeEpisode Overview:In this episode of the Breakout Growth Podcast, Sean Ellis and co-host Ethan Garr are joined by Gina Gotthilf, co-founder of a stealth-mode education startup backed by a $13M seed round led by Khosla Ventures. Gina shares her journey from launching Tumblr in Brazil to leading growth at Duolingo, and now to building the future of college. This conversation dives deep into the lessons Gina learned from scaling some of the most iconic tech brands and how she’s applying them to her current venture....2024-12-0353 min
Artistic Finance171: Union Strong & Console Agnostic with Erica D Hayes - Bonus EpisodeEllen and Ethan interview Los Angeles based lighting designer, programmer, and video director Erica D Hayes.
Topics:
⭐️ Following the money
⭐️ A high school internship leading to a career path
⭐️ Contracts are only as good as the people they’re made with
⭐️ Speed of payments as a contractor with Net 30, Net 45, and Net 60
⭐️ Joining IATSE 728, The Union Dedicated to Motion Picture Set Lighting
Video Version
https://youtu.be/WBo6MsgPxoU
Artistic Finance
https://linktr.ee/artisticfinance
...2024-11-1439 min
The Breakout Growth PodcastHow Continuous Discovery Fuels Growth: Insights from Teresa TorresListen now on Apple, Spotify and YouTubeEpisode Overview:In this episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast, hosts Sean Ellis and Ethan Garr sit down with Teresa Torres, Product Discovery Coach at Product Talk and author of Continuous Discovery Habits. Teresa is a recognized leader in the product discovery space, helping product teams integrate continuous learning into their workflows to drive growth and innovation.Teresa shares her thoughts on how teams can shift from being feature-focused to outcome-focused and why that matters. And she also explains how companies can build products that improve...2024-10-241h 06
The Breakout Growth PodcastSequoia’s Insights to Finding Product/Market Fit with Vickie PengListen now on Apple, Spotify and YouTubeEpisode Overview:In this episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast, hosts Sean Ellis and Ethan Garr sit down with Vickie Peng, a partner at Sequoia Capital and former product leader at Instagram and Polyvore. Vickie shares her journey from leading product growth to the world of venture capital and offers a deeper look into how Sequoia identifies and supports early-stage startups on their path to product/market fit (PMF).Through her experiences, Vickie outlines the critical factors that lead to sustainable growth, including why “co...2024-10-101h 04
The Breakout Growth PodcastHow to Find Product/Market Fit: A VC’s TakeListen now on Apple, Spotify and YouTubeEpisode Overview:In this episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast, Sean Ellis and Ethan Garr engage with Pablo Srugo, a Partner at Mistral VC and Host of The Product Market Fit Show Podcast. Pablo delves into the essentials of finding and leveraging product/market fit from a venture capitalist's perspective, sharing unique insights shaped by his dual role as a VC and podcast host.What You’ll Learn:* Venture Insights: Pablo shares why he started his podcast and how it serves as a strategic to...2024-09-2459 min
The Breakout Growth PodcastFrom Bootstrapping to AI-Powered Research: The GWI Growth JourneyListen now on Apple, Spotify and YouTubeEpisode Overview:In this episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast, Sean Ellis and Ethan Garr sit down with Tom Smith, CEO and Founder of GWI, a London-based consumer research software company. Tom shares the 15-year journey of GWI, from its bootstrapped beginnings to its current position as a global leader in consumer insights. The conversation explores how GWI has scaled by leveraging technology, particularly the recent integration of AI, to make consumer data more accessible and actionable for companies worldwide.What You’ll Learn:* Fr...2024-09-1355 min
The Breakout Growth PodcastLessons from a Global Growth Adventure: Sean Ellis on 100 Days Around the WorldListen now on Apple, Spotify and YouTubeEpisode Overview: The Breakout Growth Podcast took a break while Sean Ellis was on an epic three-month world tour, where he connected with startups and growth teams across the globe. So, to kick things back into gear, Ethan Garr takes the interviewer’s microphone in this episode to find out what Sean discovered, shared, and learned on his journey.From the bustling streets of São Paulo to the tech hubs of Singapore, Sean shares the insights, challenges, and surprises he encountered along the way. Whether you...2024-08-3049 min
The Breakout Growth PodcastApril Dunford Shares How to Position for GrowthIn this week’s episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast, Sean Ellis and Ethan Garr chat with positioning expert, April Dunford, author of the best-selling books, “Obviously Awesome” and “Sales Pitch.” April had a successful career as a marketing and operations executive at companies including IBM and Nortel and it was in these roles that she developed her passion and approach to building effective positioning. Today she shares this passion and her knowledge as a consultant, speaker, and writer with companies around the world. In “Sales Pitch”, April lays out he...2023-12-201h 02
Business BreakthroughsMaximizing Business Growth: Ethan GarrJoin Neal DiPentino on this enlightening episode of Business Breakthroughs as he dives into a captivating conversation with Ethan Garr, a renowned growth trainer and coach. Ethan shares his wealth of knowledge and experience in driving business success, from his groundbreaking work on the Robo Killer app to co-hosting the Breakout Growth podcast.
Discover Ethan's unique approach to utilizing best practices from the world's fastest-growing companies to spur growth in various businesses. Learn about the importance of discipline, creativity, and authenticity in business growth, and how understanding your product market fit is crucial for sustainable success.
2023-12-0832 min
What It's Like To...What It's Like to Approach Climate Change with HumorSend us a textFor most of us, climate change is a heavy topic. Ethan Brown has made it his mission to make environmental issues more approachable and understandable--by using humor. His website and podcast, aptly titled "The Sweaty Penguin," is able to cut through the noise and the doom-and-gloom of the climate conversation with late-night-comedy-style monologues and in-depth conversations with leading global experts on a variety of environmental issues. In this episode, Ethan shares how he went from being a college student with an interest in satire (but not necessarily climate change) to using his voice--literally--for th...2023-11-2933 min
The Breakout Growth PodcastInternational Expansion as a Growth Lever, Another Chat With AllTrails CEOIf you want to know just how awesome AllTrails is, just ask Apple! Out of over 2 million apps in the App Store, AllTrails is one of just three finalists waiting to hear if they have been selected as Apple’s 2023 App of the Year. So, of course, we are delighted to welcome back to the podcast, Ron Schneidermann, AllTrails’s CEO. Ron first joined Sean Ellis and Ethan Garr for a chat back in early 2022. At the time, the company was riding Covid-driven enthusiasm for socially distanced activities and had recently raised $150 million in pri...2023-11-281h 03
The Breakout Growth PodcastBefore you Invest in Tools, Heed this Advice From Pendo’s CEOAccording to Todd Olson, Pendo’s founder and CEO, ‘the market isn’t just receptive to AI, it’s demanding it!’ So in this week’s episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast Sean Ellis and Ethan Garr dive deep with Todd, to better understand what this and other changes in the world of product, marketing, and growth will mean for businesses. Pendo helps companies accelerate how they build and launch products that customers actually want by combining the power of analytics tools with messaging and customer experience features. For Product-Led Growth companies, this can be quite p...2023-09-2553 min
The Breakout Growth PodcastBeyond the AI Hype Cycle: Moloco VP Explains How to Drive Real ResultsIn this week’s episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast Sean Ellis and Ethan Garr chat AI and growth with Ben Jeger, Moloco’s Vice President of EMEA. Moloco’s machine learning-based advertising solutions help marketers take advantage of advertising opportunities outside of the “walled gardens” of Google, Meta, and Amazon. In the past year, AI has taken on a life of its own for good reason, but we wanted to dig beneath the hype cycle to understand how this technology will really impact the world of growth. With Ben, we got just that.2023-09-131h 01
The Breakout Growth PodcastThrive Market’s Winning Growth Formula: Velocity x Win Rate x Impact = GrowthIn this week’s episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast, Sean Ellis and Ethan Garr chat with Jonas Klink, Thrive Market’s Vice President of Product Management & Design. Thrive Market is a subscription-based online grocery delivery service that aims to make healthy living easy and affordable for everyone. And that is a perfect fit for Jonas, who has over 15 years of experience in eCommerce working at companies like eBay, Walmart, and WeightWatchers. As he thought about the next chapter in his career, Jonas wanted to find a mission-driven company where he could make a diffe...2023-05-3058 min
The Breakout Growth PodcastBusiness-in-a-Box: CEO Describes doola’s Mission to “Initialize” New CompaniesIn this week’s episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast Sean Ellis and Ethan Garr chat with Arjun Mahadevan, Co-Founder and CEO of doola, a launchpad for your first or next business. Most founders want to spend their time finding Product/Market Fit, but unfortunately, the work of just running a business itself can often get in the way. Doola looks to help founders remove these distractions by offering a “business-in-a-box” solution. The company helps you form your LLC, then manage everything from bookkeeping and banking, to taxes and compliance. O...2023-04-2557 min
The Breakout Growth PodcastBusting Marketplace Growth Myths: SidelineSwap CEO Shares Why the Grind Never StopsIn this week’s episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast Sean Ellis and Ethan Garr chat with Brendan Candon, Co-Founder and CEO of SidelineSwap, an online marketplace for sporting goods. “Recommerce” is becoming increasingly popular. Reusing, reselling, and recycling used items creates value for buyers and sellers, and the process of trading in and trading up can actually be kind of fun. Brendan and his team have leaned into this by making it easy for athletes, parents, and coaches to find new homes for gear that might otherwise languish in their closets or end up...2023-03-0953 min
The Breakout Growth PodcastWill a Chief Growth Officer’s Hyper-Growth Journey Propel him to Success as a Founder?In this week’s episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast, Sean Ellis and Ethan Garr are joined by Hugo Pereira as he describes the experience of bringing the lessons of leading a hyper-growth rocketship into his new role as a startup founder. When Hugo first appeared on the podcast in 2020 he was Chief Growth Officer of EVBox, a manufacturer of electric vehicle charging stations. The market was exploding, and Hugo had discovered that the more he and his team leaned into customer advocacy as a mechanism for leading their industry, the more success they...2023-02-071h 00
The Breakout Growth PodcastAfter Record-Setting IPO in 2020, ZoomInfo CEO Gives us an UpdateIn this week’s episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast, brought to you by SAP, Sean Ellis and Ethan Garr catch up with Henry Schuck, CEO & Founder of ZoomInfo. We first spoke with Henry after his company’s 2020 IPO. So in this conversation, we wanted to see what has changed for him and his team over the last few years. What we found is a much larger company, expanding into new areas, and taking on increasingly greater challenges. And for Henry, that has meant changes in how he leads his now 4000+ person team (it wa...2022-12-141h 04
The Breakout Growth PodcastThe Role of IT in Growth: Accuray’s CIO Explains ConnectionIn this week’s episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast, brought to you by SAP, Sean Ellis and Ethan Garr speak with GS Jha, who serves as both Global Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at Accuray, a manufacturer of radiotherapy technologies. When you hear GS’s story it’s evident where his passion for life sciences comes from. As a child growing up in India, GS saw firsthand the impacts of poor access to medicine on his community. And while he thought that his contribut...2022-11-2953 min
The Breakout Growth PodcastLessons From Chameleon’s Big Pivot from Product-Led to Sales-Led GrowthProduct-Led Growth is all the rage, but it wasn’t working Today, things are looking good for Chameleon and its CEO, Pulkit Agrawal. Since we recorded this week’s episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast with him, Chameleon announced a successful Series A. But in 2015 the company was heading towards the startup scrap heap. That’s where co-hosts Sean Ellis and Ethan Garr pick up this conversation. Pulkit and his co-founders had built a product that offered simple tools to personalize customer experiences with product tours and tooltips...2022-11-1552 min
The Breakout Growth PodcastHarry’s CTO Explains How Their “Go-To-Market” Disrupts Traditional BrandsIn this week’s episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast, brought to you by SAP, Sean Ellis, and Ethan Garr talk with Sandeep Chouksey, Chief Technical Officer of Harry's, the company that manufactures and sells men's personal care products via online and retail channels. It turns out Harry’s has a superpower! They can spin up a direct-to-consumer brand in just a matter of weeks, and then–if the brand’s potential is validated–roll into an omnichannel marketing strategy almost as quickly. Unilever, Proctor & Gamble, and other giants o...2022-11-0150 min
The Breakout Growth PodcastTech Meets Sports & Entertainment: San Jose Sharks Growth StoryIn this week’s episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast, brought to you by SAP, Sean Ellis, and Ethan Garr talk with Jonathan Becher, President of Sharks Sports & Entertainment. If you are a hockey fan you probably know the San Jose Sharks, the flagship brand of Jonathan’s organization, but in this discussion, we quickly learned that when it comes to growth, the sports team itself is just one component of an exciting and complex ecosystem. With its huge media presence, four buildings (arenas and skating facilities), and fans with varying interest levels and u...2022-10-181h 03
The Breakout Growth PodcastHow Startups Should Think About SEO from Shopify's Former DirectorIn this week’s episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast Sean Ellis and Ethan Garr chat with Kevin Indig, who at the time of the interview was the Director of SEO at Shopify. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be an important growth driver for startups, but it is an easy channel to misunderstand and get wrong. We wanted to talk to someone who is best-in-class in this field to separate truth from fiction and find out how growth leaders can support, leverage, and embrace SEO in their businesses. Fortunately, Kevin brought his “A” game to t...2022-10-1155 min
The Breakout Growth PodcastSetting Expectations Around Chaos: Paddle’s CMO on Leading for GrowthIn this week’s episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast Sean Ellis and Ethan Garr chat with Andrew Davies, Chief Marketing Officer at Paddle. Offering a complete payment infrastructure for businesses in a single stack, Paddle is particularly valuable for PLG businesses, and helps more than 3000 customers in 200 markets set up and sell their SaaS offerings. This year Paddle has acquired Profitwell, the recurring revenue growth platform, and raised $200 million in funding (bringing the company’s total valuation above $1.4 billion). As CMO, Andrew intends to continue driving aggressive growth by adapting a playbook he has...2022-09-2055 min
The Breakout Growth PodcastEnable Injections: Optimizing the CFO’s Role in Driving GrowthIn this week’s episode of The Breakout Growth Podcast, brought to you by SAP, the world’s leading ERP provider, Sean Ellis, and Ethan Garr chat with Tim Flaherty, Chief Financial Officer at Enable Injections. MedTech is an area we hadn’t explored before, but we often find that going outside of what you know can offer new inspiration and insights for all of us working to drive breakout growth success. Enable Injections is developing enFuse®, an innovative device designed to improve the lives of patients who depend on medical infusions. This less disruptive system for delive...2022-09-0652 min