Today, I’m talking with Tyler King, the CEO and Co-Founder of Less Annoying CRM, a simple CRM built just for small businesses. Tyler also co-hosts Startup to Last, where two founders talk about what it takes to build sustainable software companies.
One of the things I’ve struggled with as I’ve grown SaberSim was this guilt about not having more balance in my life and running the business like it’s a sprint instead of a marathon.
I ultimately want a business that gives me that balance in the long run but right now, it really feels like I need to sprint to get there. Some of that urgency is self-imposed, but I don’t think all of it is.
This conversation with Tyler helped me come to terms with the fact that a startup needs different things at different points in the business, and that’s ok.
If you don’t want to sprint forever, make sure you’re working towards your ultimate goal, but don’t feel bad about sprinting if that’s what you have to do to get to the next stage.
Tyler has built Less Annoying CRM into a multi-million dollar a year business and has learned a ton along the way. He has strong opinions but knows that they don’t apply across the board and doesn’t preach as though they do.
This was incredibly refreshing because everybody else, from DHH on one side to Tech Crunch on the other, makes it seem like it’s all or nothing.
We cover everything from how Tyler is building his dream job at Less Annoying CRM, to how he intentionally works around his weaknesses, to what the future of the company looks like.
Topics covered:
- Company background
- What exactly is Less Annoying CRM and what does the business look like today?
- Founder’s lessons
- How would you describe your current role?
- How have you developed the ability to lead a team?
- What has been the most difficult part of that process?
- Are there any particularly painful mistakes you made along the way?
- What did you learn from that experience?
- What’s your vision for the company?
- How will you and the team have to evolve to get there?
- Behind-the-scenes
- What has changed about you since launching your business?
- “Rapid Fire” questions
- Where can listeners go to learn more?
Resources mentioned:
- Basecamp
- The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick
Where to learn more:
To hear more from Tyler, you can follow him on Twitter, listen to his podcast, or see what he and the team are up to at LessAnnoyingCRM.com