20VC: From a $5,000 College Fund to a $10BN+ Public Company, How to Beat People Who Are Smarter Than

Episode details

Henry Schuck is the Founder and CEO @ ZoomInfo. From ZoomInfo's founding moment, putting $25,000 on a credit card, Henry has led the company to today, with over $1BN in ARR, a market cap of over $10BN, and a team of over 3,600. This is one of the untold but truly great stories in software.

In Today's Episode with Henry Schuck We Discuss:

1. From a $5,000 College Fund to Founding a $10BN Company:

• Why did Henry always believe early in life that he would be successful?
• Along the way doubt sets in, what did Henry do to combat that doubt when he questioned his own ability and potential?
• What does Henry believe he is running from? What is he running towards?
• How did seeing the work ethic of his single mother impact his work ethic with ZoomInfo?

2. Henry Schuck: The Leader:

• What does Henry believe is the difference between trust vs safety in team culture?
• Why does Henry believe safety is built through performance? How does Henry manage and communicate underperformance? How long do you give an under-performer?
• Why does Henry believe that happier teams outperform? What does Henry do deliberately and specifically to drive happiness in the business?
• ZoomInfo is magnitudes larger than some competitors who receive a lot more attention, how does Henry think about this? How does he manage his own ego as a leader today?

3. Henry Schuck: A Leader in a Changing Market:

• How does Henry maintain internal morale when employees see their stock options get smashed every day?
• Does it suck to be a public company CEO in the current market? What element is the worst?
• How are the buying patterns and behaviors of customers changing in 2023 vs 2021?
• How does this impact the sales cycle, retention rates, upsell plans, and the structure of the customer success teams?
• Dec 2023, will we be in a better or worse macroeconomic position?

4. Henry Schuck: Relationship to Money and Fatherhood:

• How does henry evaluate his relationship with money today? How has it changed over time?
• Why does Henry very rarely fly private planes? What does he believe this says about his values?
• How does Henry instill the same desire and worth ethic within his children despite being a billionaire?
• What does Henry know now that he wishes he could give to his 23-year-old self founding the company?

Items Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Henry's Favourite Book: The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology that Fuel Success and Performance at Work