Brandon Bruce with Cirrus Insight has faced down situations that would test any entrepreneur.
Going from getting his JD to starting a highly successful Sales tech company has taught him that determination, grit and keeping up a good attitude will get you through even the toughest times.
As we in the Sales Development community face down difficult situations every day, it’s great to know it can lead to success eventually if you set a clear goal and stick to it.
Join us this week on The Sales Development Podcast to learn from a master!
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Summary:
In this episode, David interviews Brandon Bruce, COO and co-founder of Cirrus Insight, a plugin for Gmail and Outlook for salespeople. The road to entrepreneurship is never easy, and today, Brandon talks about how his partnership with his co-founder, Ryan Huff, made the journey better. Tune in as he shares how to stay motivated in the face of adversity.
3 Key Points:
- The decision to become an entrepreneur is a risk itself.
- Creating your personal brand and building your reputation is paramount.
- Don’t wait for the perfect time, just take action and do it now.
Time Stamped Show Notes:
- 00:01 – Accelerate your growth at The Sales Development Conference on August 31, 2018
- 00:52 – Subscribe to our show on YouTube and review us on iTunes
- 01:29 – David introduces Brandon to the show
- 03:18 – Brandon and his partner, Ryan Huff started Cirrus Insight 7 years ago
- SAVE TIME is the main purpose of this software
- 04:51 – He shares his background growing up in a small town in California
- Brandon talks about the education system in his town
- He grew up to be a free-thinker
- 06:30 – Ryan called Brandon to work on a startup that became Cirrus Insights
- 07:29 – David shares about his connection in Brandon’s place
- 10:28 – Brandon’s thoughts in the education system today
- Extra curricular activities and art play a role in each person’s learning
- 12:06 – The entrepreneurial path allows Brandon to be a generalist
- People become entrepreneurs because the signals they convey to the market are not strong enough compared with the value that they think they otherwise bring
- Entrepreneurship is an economic decision
- 15:06 – Creating a personal brand
- 17:27 – Building your reputation is valuable
- 20:25 – “An entrepreneur is someone who will work 80 hours so they don’t have to work 40”
- Differentiators of entrepreneurs are hard to convey in a resume
- 21:56 – Accelerate your growth at The Sales Development Conference on August 31, 2018
- 23:24 – How Brandon processed the idea of working on a startup with Ryan
- The promise of the internet attracted Brandon to join the venture
- 25:03 – Ryan coded while Brandon seeked people for trial and feedback for Cirrus Insight
- Brandon finished their first website right before his second child was born
- Google indexed the website and a pilot user bought the service
- 27:23 – Launching Cirrus Insight was the best thing that happened to them
- 28:32 – The perfect time to start launching is NOW!
- 29:23 – Brandon shares how he and Ryan bootstrapped the company
- They started with their own resources and a loan from family
- They paid the loan in 3-4 months and then left their jobs
- 33:32 – Brandon talks about his insights in working with friends
- The grounding of an 18-year friendship is what helped Brandon and Ryan do well together
- Being able to hold each other up even in an emotional level
- The key is emotional stability
- 38:55 – Connect with Brandon on LinkedIn and on Cirrus Insight
- 40:31 – Subscribe to our show on YouTube and review us on iTunes
- 40:38 – Contact us to discuss your sales development needs
Resources Mentioned:
- Cirrus Insight – Brandon’s company
- Ryan Huff – Brandon’s business partner and co-founder of Cirrus Insight
