Getting fired is one of the most humbling experiences in business, and one of the most instructive. In this episode, Kory and Jon get candid about the times they've been let go, what went wrong, and the hard-won lessons that followed. Jon in particular has a story or two to share (including getting fired twice in 18 months), and between them they unpack what it really takes to survive and thrive in high-stakes leadership roles.

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

Timestamps

00:00 - Start
01:22 - What Jon learned from being fired twice
03:35 - How not to get fired
08:20 - How to understand your boss (so you don’t get fired)
10:50 - Align yourself with the company, not just personal goals
13:11 - How Jon got fired for the second time in 18 months
16:12 - Are you the right person to work for a high growth company?
17:50 - Be careful where you get hired

It’s not often you meet a CMO who helped build a unicorn from the ground up while creating an entirely new category. Steve Beckett, CMO of Zwift, joined as employee number five and played a key role in turning Zwift into the global sporting powerhouse it now is.

In this episode, Steve shares how Zwift balanced performance marketing with brand building, deeply understanding the acquisition metrics while making bold brand bets, including becoming the founding sponsor of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. We also explore how the business scaled through COVID, the bold move to launch their own hardware, and the role brand played in raising capital.

This is a conversation about what it really takes to build a category-defining company and why the best CMOs understand both the metrics and the magic.

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
02:51 - Steve’s work with team Sky
05:05 - Learning about success inside Team Sky
07:09 - From Sky to employee number 5 at Zwift
08:36 - How Zwift invented the indoor training category
13:37 - The behavioural science behind Zwift
14:51 - Has anyone turned pro from riding on Zwift?
17:18 - How Covid impacted Zwift
23:11 - Growing at all costs vs profitability
27:28 - Whats it like working for a founder led startup
29:50 - How brand helped Zwift raise money
32:06 - From selling software to selling hardware
34:14 - Why Zwift sponsor the women’s Tour De France
38:09 - Advice on how to create a unicorn business

Companies have boards of directors to make big decisions, so why don't individuals? Kory does exactly this in her life, so she breaks down why she does it, how she chose the people to be a part of her board, and the kind of decisions they helps her make.

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

Timestamps

00:00 - Start
01:17 - What is a personal board of directors?
04:07 - When to use your board of directors
04:51 - What makes a good personal board of directors?
06:21 - How to choose your board
08:58 - The power of networking
11:41 - What not to do with your personal board of directors
12:37 - Finding people outside your industry
19:09 - Why you learn more deeper into your career