Arvind Jain, CEO and founder @Glean
Founder Insights
Last week Chyngyz Dzhumanazarov and I hosted an insightful dinner at SV Icons with Arvind Jain, CEO and Founder of Glean. Attendees asked many company-building questions, and below are the key takeaways from the conversation:
1. Identify a real problem in your day-to-day work. Starting with your own strong conviction to solve a problem you experience firsthand can lead to success. Arvind experienced the problem of enterprise search at work due to vast amount of knowledge and business apps. This led to the realization that there was a gap in the market for a solution.
2. Think from first principles when evaluating ideas. If the problem truly exists and is unsolved, persist regardless of objections.
3. One of the initial challenges for any entrepreneur is self-doubt. The key takeaway is to believe in the problem you're solving and to persist, especially when you're in the early stages without a product. You'll face many "no's" before getting your first customers. Keep working hard and pushing through the objections.
4. Early stage customer conversations are about learning, not selling. Don't be a salesperson, be a founder seeking feedback.
5. Don't build your roadmap too far out. Build an MVP to get customer feedback first. Stay nimble and adapt based on real user feedback.
6. Be the master recruiter early on as no one knows or cares about your startup yet. Leverage your network and sell the vision.
7. Achieve quick wins with existing behaviors vs. trying to change habits. Meet users where they are. Winning their trust is the first step, after which they might be more open to adopting new ways of doing things.
8. Selling Tips for Founders: Great products can sell themselves, but they need visibility. Awareness and trust-building is essential, especially for startups, as larger clients might initially be hesitant to engage due to size and trust concerns.
9. Promote good usage behavior in product design. Don't penalize engagement to control costs.
10. The future of search interfaces is still unclear, but may involve a blend of traditional results and more conversational/assistant-style interactions.
Thank you Arvind Jain for your time and wisdom! Cheers to continued success of Glean!
