In this episode of the Scale Your Small Business podcast, Jillian Flodstrom interviews Scott Belsky, the CEO and founder of Behance, a creative platform that was acquired by Adobe in 2012. Belsky shares insights from his experience starting and growing his company, emphasizing the importance of having a clear mission, focusing on product development and management, and determining the key metric that matters most for your company.
Belsky began Behance as a bootstrapped company, meaning that he and his co-founders used their own money to fund the company’s operations for the first five years. During this time, they were able to build a strong community of creatives and develop a deep understanding of their users’ needs. Belsky emphasizes the importance of having a mission for your company, but also notes that the mission can be medium agnostic, meaning that it can be accomplished in many different ways. He also highlights the importance of being flexible and adaptable in order to respond to changes in the market and the needs of your customers.
One key lesson that Belsky learned through his experience at Behance is the difference between product development and product management. He notes that product development is the process of creating new products or features, while product management is the ongoing process of optimizing and improving existing products. Belsky emphasizes the importance of both aspects of product development, and notes that they require different skills and mindsets.
Belsky also discusses the importance of determining the key metric that matters most for your company. He notes that different metrics can be useful at different stages of a company’s growth, and that it is important to be flexible and adaptable as the company evolves. One key metric that Belsky recommends is repeat monthly active usage, which indicates that customers are getting a lot of value out of the product.
Another key lesson that Belsky shares is the importance of scaling your company effectively. He notes that it is important to be optimistic about the future, but pragmatic about the present. This means focusing on the things that are working well and optimizing for things that people didn’t expect to grow organically. Belsky also emphasizes the importance of having a clear narrative that drives the company’s goals and resource allocation.
Overall, Belsky’s experience at Behance highlights the importance of having a clear mission, focusing on product development and management, and determining the key metric that matters most for your company. He also emphasizes the importance of being flexible and adaptable in response to changes in the market and the needs of your customers. By following these principles, companies can effectively grow and scale their operations over time.
Show Notes
