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We’ve all heard of the amazing tech startups that appear seemingly out of nowhere in Silicon Valley and make millions.
But how often are they run by three guys from Denmark?
And how often are they in the customer service industry?
Not often.
That’s why I wanted to bring on Mikkel Svane to The School of Greatness.
He is a brilliant entrepreneur (the founder of the hugely successful software company Zendesk) but he also has a great perspective on how to scale a company quickly while keeping the quality high.
In brief, Mikkel and his two business partners started their customer service software company at their kitchen table in Denmark less than seven years ago. Within two years they had moved to San Francisco, and last year they went public.
If you are wondering how this kind of success happens, you’ll want to listen to this episode.
Mikkel discusses how he and his partners kept a unified vision, how they built a solid team of quality people, and how they got key investors to fund their quick growth.
No matter if you’re running a small business or just looking for insight into how the super successful think about their ventures, you’ll get huge value out of Episode 134 with CEO Mikkel Svane.
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The School of Greatness Podcast
Some questions I ask:
- What was different about you and your business partners versus your peers in Denmark?
- Do you think Zendesk would be as big or successful if you hadn’t moved it to San Francisco?
- Why are you not okay with the “fail fast” mindset of Silicon Valley?
- Why is it beautiful to be boring in tech startups?
- How did you work with 2 other business partners to have one vision?
- What are some of the best ways you’ve learned to keep customers happy?
- How do you find the right kind of people to join your team?
- What is the ideal personality type to hire for customer service?
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
- You don’t need a business plan to get started with an idea
- How they bootstrapped for the first two years of the business
- The difference between opportunities in the U.S. and Europe for startups
- How they reinvented the customer service industry and made it appealing
- How he and his business partners’ focus on doing what was best for the business kept them together
- How exercise and customer service are similar
- Why you should hire for attitude over skills in customer service
- How getting money from investors allows you to grow really quickly
- Plus much more…
Continue Seeking Greatness:
- Startupland: How Three Guys Risked Everything to Turn an Idea into a Global Business
- Zendesk
- FOLLOW MIKKEL
- Check out Onnit and their optimal performance products. Use the code “greatness” to get 10% off your next order:
Have you signed up for The School of Greatness Academy yet? This is my six-month online course and mastermind that will change your life and business. If you have what it takes, apply today! I want to see you make something great. 🙂
- Music Credit: Blurry Nights by Sean&Bobo
You may also like these episodes:
- Noah Kagan: Genius Marketer on Why He Got Fired by Facebook and Made Millions Anyway
- How to Work from Anywhere and Create Freedom in Your Business with Chris Ducker
- How a Gang Kid Becomes a Multimillionaire Entrepreneur
Did you enjoy the podcast?
It’s cool to hear the perspective of international entrepreneurs and how they have made it big. What did you learn about customer service or startups that you are going to implement in your own business?
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