cover of episode Bruce Felt, CFO of Domo, on Bridging the Gap Between Strategy and Execution

Bruce Felt, CFO of Domo, on Bridging the Gap Between Strategy and Execution

2022/6/21
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Bruce Felt: 本期访谈中，Bruce Felt 分享了其在金融危机期间作为 SuccessFactors 的 CFO 的经验，以及如何在最近的 COVID-19 疫情期间将这些经验应用于 Domo。他强调了在面对市场颠覆性事件时，关注外部环境而非自身运营的重要性，并建议将挑战视为机遇。他详细描述了 SuccessFactors 如何在金融危机期间通过裁员（约 25% 的员工）和调整策略来应对危机，最终实现了从低谷到高速增长的转变。他还解释了如何向投资者解释 SaaS 模式下的盈利能力，以及如何利用现金流为正来赢得投资者的信任。在 COVID-19 疫情期间，他再次使用了类似的策略，为 Domo 实现了现金流平衡。他强调了提前规划和风险管理的重要性，并建议将颠覆性事件视为提升市场地位和推动业务发展的机会。 Bruce Felt: 他回顾了自己从斯坦福大学毕业后，偶然的机会进入科技行业，并最终成为一名专注于软件公司的 CFO 的职业历程。他分享了在 SuccessFactors 的 IPO 以及随后的金融危机期间的经历，包括公司的高速增长、IPO 的成功以及随后由于金融危机导致的股价暴跌和裁员。他详细阐述了公司如何通过关注外部环境、果断裁员、强调现金流为正以及清晰地向投资者解释 SaaS 模式，最终成功渡过难关并实现高速增长。他还分享了在 COVID-19 疫情期间，如何运用相同的策略来应对挑战，并强调了提前规划和风险管理的重要性。

Deep Dive

Chapters
Bruce Felt discusses his journey from attending Stanford University to founding Renaissance Software and eventually becoming a CFO in the software industry.
  • Bruce's introduction to technology and Silicon Valley came from attending Stanford University.
  • He founded Renaissance Software, which developed derivative trading software, and later transitioned to becoming a CFO.
  • Bruce's experience in sales and finance led him to focus on the finance side, becoming a more operational CFO.

Shownotes Transcript

Bruce Felt is the CFO of Domo and a long-time friend of GGV Capital with a history that predates SaaS since he founded Renaissance Software in the late 1980s. With a well-rounded experience in finance, Bruce became the CFO for six companies, taking them through IPOs or M&As before bringing his expertise to the Domo team in 2014. Bruce faced his biggest challenge during his time as the CFO of SuccessFactors in 2007 during the financial crisis, and the company’s non-stop growth came to a grinding halt, share prices dropped, and cuts were made at the highest levels. Although SaaS was still new, Bruce convinced investors and analysts that SuccessFactors was poised to grow exponentially whenever the market was ready. He was right, and the company saw 10X growth over the next few quarters. Since joining Domo, Bruce has been able to pull from his playbook to successfully navigate the recent financial crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and is well-prepared for whatever may come next.

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