SaaStr 097: Zendesk's Douglas Hanna on How To Build A Platform? How To Scale A Platform? How To Measure The Success Of A Platform?

Douglas Hanna is the GM of the Developer Platform @ Zendesk, one of the world’s fastest growing SaaS startups. Before joining Zendesk, Douglas was the Founder & CEO @ Help.com where he grew the business from 1 to 16. Prior to Help, Douglas was the CEO of A Small Orange, the web hosting firm that was acquired by Endurance International Group where Douglas was on the Executive team when they went public on the NASDAQ.

In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:

• How did Douglas make his entry into the world of SaaS and Zendesk?
• What were the big adjustments that Douglas had to make from founding and working in smaller companies to working at Zendesk? What is the core to making the successful move?
• How can companies go about building a platform? What are the fundamentals to consider once you have decided on the platform approach? What are the challenges?
• How can a startup measure the success of their platform? What are the benchmarks and metrics that must be observed? How does testing and iteration play a role in platform success?
• How does Douglas approach the go to market element with regards to platforms? How has the world of platform go to market changed in the world of omni-channel?

60 Second SaaStr

1. Biggest mistake companies make with their platform approach?
2. Fave SaaS reading material?
3. What does Douglas know now that he wishes he had known at the beginning?

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Jason Lemkin

Harry Stebbings

SaaStr

Douglas Hanna