Brian Balfour: 10 lessons on career, growth, and life

Brian Balfour is the founder and CEO of Reforge. Prior to Reforge, he was the VP of Growth at HubSpot and co-founded three other startups. In today’s episode, Brian shares 10 lessons from his career, growth, and life:
• Lesson 1: Inspect the work, not the person.
• Lesson 2: Tell me what it takes to win; then tell me the cost.
• Lesson 3: Problems never end (and that’s okay).
• Lesson 4: The year is made in the first six months.
• Lesson 5: Growth is a system between acquisition, retention, and monetization. Change one and you affect them all.
• Lesson 6: Do the opposite.
• Lesson 7: Use cases, not personas.
• Lesson 8: Solving for everyone is solving for no one.
• Lesson 9: Find sparring partners, not mentors or coaches.
• Lesson 10: 2x+ the activation energy for things that need to change.
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Where to find Brian Balfour:
• X: / bbalfour
• LinkedIn: / bbalfour
• Website: brianbalfour.com/
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• Newsletter: www.lennysnewsletter.com
• X: / lennysan
• LinkedIn: / lennyrachitsky
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Brian’s background
(04:29) His Notion doc of lessons
(07:35) Lesson 1: Inspect the work, not the person
(12:39) Implementing lesson 1 and a recap of Reforge Artifacts
(16:01) Lesson 2: Tell me what it takes to win; then tell me the cost
(18:17) Why you should revisit your ideal end state often
(20:25) How planning works at Reforge
(23:50) Lesson 3: Problems never end (and that’s okay)
(26:31) The “players, coaches, captains” framework
(30:24) How AI will allow for smaller teams
(34:13) Small teams do bigger things
(34:37) Lesson 4: The year is made in the first six months
(38:20) Lesson 5: Growth is a system between acquisition, retention, and monetization
(40:44) Examples of engagement and retention problems from HubSpot and Reforge
(46:21) Lesson 6: Do the opposite
(55:25) Brian’s thoughts on category creation
(57:39) Lesson 7: Use cases, not personas
(1:01:18) The use case map
(1:03:38) Lesson 8: Solving for everyone is solving for no one
(1:11:14) There are many ways to do product
(1:16:52) Lesson 9: Find sparring partners, not mentors or coaches
(1:23:49) Advice on setting the tone for group sharing
(1:25:07) Lesson 10: You need to give 2x the activation energy for things that need to change
(1:32:02) Lightning round
Production and marketing by penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [e-mail].
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.

[@subzerosumgame]

Brian, finally ❤

[@kedarkulkarni5886]

Great episode!

[@diwakarsrinath.a]

Interesting to see how Brian's wishes on doing entrepreneurship converges with his parents' profession on teaching... through Reforge. May this lineage continue with good success. ❤✨

[@sactiest]

I love Brian's idea for ICs!

[@shejiho56]

Great lessons!

[@ry3bee]

Maybe the best episode

[@anvikaanvika9834]

I love artifacts. I learn so much from it.

[@growthrhino]

great episode

[@krzysztofomilian7295]

In the business world, challenges are constant, whether they involve market dynamics, competition, or internal operations. Recognizing that problems are perpetual fosters a culture of continuous improvement. Businesses can approach obstacles as opportunities to refine processes, innovate, and enhance their products or services.

[@maxelbrig1315]

Loved it, Brian is a growth genius. Can we have more how to market/grow marketplaces please?

[@LennysPodcast]

Yes! Who would be a dream guest along these lines? Also, have you seen this episode: www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/developing-a-growth-model-marketplace

[@maxelbrig1315]

I've heard that already ;) maybe someone who leads staffing/people/recruitment marketplace, given how important find people has become and businesses are laying off FTs and hiring more contracts, so top trend @@LennysPodcast

[@TomBath]

​@@LennysPodcast Andrew Chen?

[@LennysPodcast]

Normally I'd be all over it, but I generally try to avoid VCs on the podcast 😬@@TomBath

[@TomBath]

​@@LennysPodcast Ah, that's fair.

[@les-poderviansky-quotes]

Invite Jason Cohen, the author of a smart bear blog, and a founder of wp engine.

[@marcothesis]

Lesson 7: Use cases, not personas. Isn't that just similar in concept to Jobs To Be Done?

[@LennysPodcast]

Yep!

[@CoreyONeal]

Books to check out on "Do the opposite", when they zig, you zag: 1. Zag: The Number One Strategy of High-Performance Brands by Marty Neumeier 2. Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim, Renee Mauborgne