Seeking valuable insights on startup success and leadership strategies for CEOs? 🚀 SUBSCRIBE TO MARK MACLEOD'S NEWSLETTER: https://markmacleod.me/newsletter/ ----------------------------------------------- How many times a day do you think "This meeting could have been an e-mail"? Fellow is the only AI Meeting Assistant that transcribes, summarizes, and centralizes your meeting workflow by connecting to your calendar and existing productivity tools. Go to https://fellow.app/ and discover the best way to enhance productivity today! ---------------------------------------------- In this episode of The Startup CEO Show, host Mark MacLeod engages in a thought-provoking dialogue with Nick Francis, co-founder and CEO of Help Scout. Dive into Nick's pioneering journey of building a 100% remote company, leveraging intentional decision-making, and setting new standards for customer support excellence. Nick shares his vision on the transformational impact of AI in customer service, the importance of company culture and values, and his personal commitments to both team and customer experiences. Learn how Help Scout navigated the challenging tech landscape while staying profitable and integrating first principles in their growth strategy. ------------------------- Key highlights: 04:15 Founding Help Scout 08:30 Embracing and Excelling in a 100% Remote Work Environment 12:45 The Transformational Potential of AI in Customer Support 18:20 Aligning Fundraising Strategies with Core Values and Integrity 24:10 Whole Company Support and Onboarding Processes 30:50 The Importance of Self-Service Documentation in Customer Support 37:30 Achieving B Corp Status and Its Impact on Business 42:15 Stewardship of Capital and Long-term Thinking in Fundraising 48:40 Balancing Work-Life Harmony and Sustainable Leadership ----------------------- Since 1999, I have sat at the right-hand side of the leaders of high growth technology companies as either a CFO, VC or deal maker. I served as CFO for software companies including Shopify (NYSE: SHOP) and Freshbooks. As a CFO I experienced outright failures, wildly profitable exits, and everything in between. I was a General Partner in Real Ventures, Canada's largest and most active seed stage fund. My investments there include the fund's largest cash on cash and highest IRR returns to date. Most recently, I founded SurePath Capital Partners the leading investment bank for SMB SaaS companies where we did hundreds of millions in financing and exit transactions. Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themarkmacleod/ Connect on X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/markmacleod_ Contact Mark: https://markmacleod.me/