Zach Kitschke joined Canva as employee number five. Today, the company serves hundreds of millions of users worldwide.

In this episode, Zach shares the inside story of Canva’s growth, from the scrappy early marketing that put the company on the map to scaling a brand and product used across the world. We discuss the power of Canva’s freemium model, their bold “Make the Logo Bigger” campaign, and how the company approaches both brand and B2B marketing.

Zach also explains how Canva scaled from a team of five to thousands of employees, the leadership lessons he learned from the founders, and how AI is shaping the next chapter for the business.

Sign up to our live event, The Calling, on April 21st here:
https://event.uncensoredcmo.com/events/uncensoredcmo/2044861

Subscribe to our newsletter, The One Thing:
https://newsletter.uncensoredcmo.com/

Listen to our new podcast, Uncensored Renegades:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480c

Timestamps

00:00 - Start
00:53 - Being employee #5 at Canva
01:46 - The marketing that got Canva noticed at the start
03:50 - How big is Canva?
04:45 - The challenges growing Canva into a unicorn
07:26 - What makes good design according to Canva
09:24 - The freemium business model
11:46 - Why the Canva founders are giving away 30% of their wealth
13:21 - Do Canva invest more in product or brand?
14:41 - Canva’s make the logo bigger campaign
16:33 - How Canva approaches B2B marketing
18:59 - The AI tools that are driving Canva forward
22:19 - The most innovative things Zach has done as Canva CMO
24:58 - Zach’s tips for delivering a keynote
26:59 - Being a CMO scaling from 5 to 5000 employees
29:52 - How to run multiple business functions; HR, marketing, customer service
31:49 - What Zach has learned from the Canva founders
33:32 - How to define the cuture at Canva
35:39 - What’s next for Canva?
36:35 - What has made Canva so successul?

Every week, Jon and Kory pull back the curtain on the messy, unfiltered reality of building a career on your own terms. Throughout their long and successful careers, they've had their fair share of sh*tty moments and even sh*ttier bosses. From Kory being literally barked orders at in her first job, to Jon being fired after just 3 months at his dream job. These are the moments that make you question everything. But they're also the moments that shape you. Tune in for the lessons, the laughs, and zero sugarcoating.

Get Uncensored Renegades every week:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480c

Watch the Uncensored CMO episode with James Watt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOp1CPZ0CNM

Timestamps

00:00 - Start
00:37 - Why sh*tty moments?
01:24 - Kory moment #1 - the fire that fuels you
04:20 - How to be a good boss
05:43 - Jon moment #1 - when to have the hard conversations
11:13 - Kory moment #2 - a lesson in de-escalation
16:28 - Jon moment #2 - impossible and unreasonable expectations
20:59 - Kory moment #3 - be careful of the bridges you burn
25:51 - Jon moment #3 - the power of being vulnerable

Jessica Jensen, CMO of LinkedIn, joins us for a high-energy conversation on careers, personal branding, and the future of B2B marketing.

We dive into the latest job market data (it might surprise you), the skills employers are actively looking for, and how to grow your personal profile on LinkedIn (which could include posting with flamingo glasses). We also unpack the LinkedIn algorithm, handling negative comments, new features creators and brands should be using, and why B2B marketing absolutely doesn’t have to be boring.

Sign up to our live event, The Calling, on April 21st here:
https://event.uncensoredcmo.com/events/uncensoredcmo/2044861

Subscribe to our newsletter, The One Thing:
https://newsletter.uncensoredcmo.com/

Listen to our new podcast, Uncensored Renegades:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480c

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
01:04 - Jessica Jensen’s backstory
02:02 - The benefits of being a marketer from a non-marketing background
02:42 - The difference between B2B and B2C according to LinkedIn
03:38 - How to build high-performing teams
06:32 - The data on the job market according to LinkedIn
10:02 - What skills are employers looking for?
12:04 - How do you build a personal brand on LinkedIn (when working for another company)
18:25 - 3 tips for building your personal brand on LinkedIn
20:04 - What is going on with the LinkedIn algorithm?
21:35 - How to make the most of an ever changing algorithm
23:16 - Does LinkedIn suppress posts based on gender?
26:14 - How to deal with negative comments on LinkedIn
28:00 - What new LinkedIn features should people be using?
30:48 - What features can brands use to make the most of LinkedIn
32:19 - B2B does not have to be boring
35:02 - LinkedIn’s billboards poking fun at AI
36:21 - How are LinkedIn marketing LinkedIn?
41:12 - How are LinkedIn helping younger people get into work
43:28 - Addressing the Open to Work badge stigma
44:17 - Advice to creators on LinkedIn