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➡️ About The Guest
Chris Savage, the CEO and co-founder of Wistia, a leading video platform, embarked on the entrepreneurial journey with Brendan Schwartz in 2006, establishing the company in Schwartz's living room after graduating from Brown University with a degree in Art-Semiotics. Wistia has evolved into a multimillion-dollar business with over 80 employees and 350,000 customers. In a pivotal decision in 2018, Savage and Schwartz turned down a substantial acquisition offer, choosing instead to take on $17.3M in debt, demonstrating their commitment to independently building and growing Wistia. Chris is a vocal advocate for the Boston startup scene and is particularly enthusiastic about unconventional paths in the tech industry, entrepreneurship, marketing, video, and company building.
Before founding Wistia, Chris Savage gained recognition for co-producing an Emmy Award-winning feature-length documentary and was honored as a Top Young Entrepreneur by BusinessWeek in 2009. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris and his wife have embarked on another significant venture – starting a family. Their daughter, Zoë, assumes a managerial role, and their latest addition, Olympia, seemingly grasps the importance of company values, having been born just hours after an all-hands meeting, showcasing a remarkable alignment of personal and professional milestones.
➡️ Show Links
https://www.instagram.com/csavage/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjsavage/
➡️ Podcast Sponsors
Collective - https://collective.com/success
Hubspot - https://hubspot.com/
Kajabi - https://kajabi.com/success (Code: success)
ButcherBox - https://butcherbox.com/success (Code: success)
Justin Wine - https://justinwine.com/ (Code: success)
Green Light - https://greenlight.com/success
Indeed - https://indeed.com/clary
The Sales Evangelist Podcast - https://thesalesevangelist.com/
NetSuite — https://netsuite.com/scottclary/
Factor — https://factormeals.com/successpod50 (Code: successpod50)
HelloFresh — https://hellofresh.com/50successpod (Code: 50succespod)
ZBiotics — https://zbiotics.com/success (Code: success)
➡️ Talking Points
00:00 - Introduction
01:19 - Chris Savage’s Origin Story
09:04 - Trailblazing in Video Hosting
09:58 - Entrepreneurial Lessons Learned
16:25 - Breaking Out of Your Shell
21:24 - What Makes a Good Podcast?
24:15 - Wistia's Future: To Sell or Not to Sell
28:45 - Video's Business Model Evolution
36:42 - Surviving Beyond Investment
39:07 - Strategic Prioritization Insights
43:02 - Sponsor: The Sales Evangelist Podcast
43:46 - Delegating Ownership Wisely
47:20 - Entrepreneurial Time Commitments
53:03 - The Mental Side of Entrepreneurship
55:08 - Embracing Fear for Growth
57:20 - Demystifying Company Culture
1:04:00 - Passionate Perspectives on Marketing
1:10:12 - Connect with Chris Online
1:11:55 - Advice to the 20-Year-Old Self
1:15:11 - Defining Success
