Entrepreneur Troy Malone: A Decade of Building Awesome Software Solutions & Scaling Global Growth

As a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and executive, I've built companies from scratch, navigated hyper-growth stages, and learned valuable lessons along the way.

1. Troy Malone has worked as an executive in several tech companies, focusing on taking them into new international markets.
2. He started his career in business school, where he saw potential in software companies on the Internet and created a business plan to invest in them.
3. Instead of accepting investment offers, Malone chose to start a small venture capital fund with the head of the firm who pitched the idea to him.
4. His first experience in building a company came when he helped with the operations of a software company they acquired through the venture fund.
5. In 2008, Malone started a project management software company with a co-founder to solve logistical issues they faced in video production at conferences.
6. The financial crisis in 2008 made it difficult for them to raise more money, so they focused on making the company profitable and cut back on growth.
7. Malone learned valuable lessons about product management, monetization, and understanding customer needs during his time at the project management software company.
8. He joined Evernote in 2010 when it had around 59 employees and was growing rapidly, adding 120,000 new users every day.
9. Malone's only KPI at Evernote was to "be awesome," which gave him the freedom to be creative and solve problems.
10. He organized a hackathon at Yonsei University, which helped Evernote realize its potential as a platform and led to global hackathons.
11. Malone emphasizes the importance of understanding monetization early on, citing examples like Uber and Airbnb.
12. At Weebly, he focused on international expansion into Europe and Latin America, facing intense competition and learning about marketing strategies in a hyper-competitive environment.
13. Malone believes that building the best product vision is crucial, even if it means ignoring competition, except in highly competitive markets.
14. His experience at Drata, which helps companies become compliant with privacy and risk frameworks, shows the importance of having a must-have product for success.
15. Malone values taking on more responsibility, differentiating oneself from others, and learning quickly through experiences in one's career.
16. He emphasizes the significance of building a great sales team and customer success team when dealing with must-have products.
17. After experiencing a personal setback with a house fire, Malone reevaluated his priorities and moved from Silicon Valley to Utah, where he found a thriving tech scene and better quality of life.
18. Malone finds fulfillment in watching his team grow and develop in their careers.
19. He is currently focused on building Drata's sales team globally and creating a predictable business model.
20. In summary, Troy Malone's career has been marked by his experiences in venture capital, entrepreneurship, international expansion, and building great teams in various tech companies.

Source: EO via YouTube

❓ What do you think? What does it mean to "be awesome" in your professional life, and how can you intentionally cultivate a culture of awesomeness within your organization? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!