Impact and Income: Investing in Your Tribe and Borderless Talent with CEO David Nilssen

SaaS Expert Voices presented by Maxio

This week on the Expert Voices podcast, Randy Wootton, CEO of Maxio, speaks with David Nilssen, CEO of DOXA Talent, and a forerunner of revolutionizing how businesses think about and engage with borderless talent. Randy and David take a look at the intricacies of borderless talent acquisition and the attributes that contribute to the success of a CEO in today's ever-evolving SaaS landscape. They discuss how purpose-driven approaches to outsourcing can bring about positive global change and how talent scarcity, remote work, offshoring, and AI integration are altering the business world permanently. David also talks about the value of peer groups and why you need to invest in your tribe.

Quotes

• “The interesting thing about the Guidant business is that we don't make a tremendous amount of money financing businesses. That's what we're known for. But we actually really try to break even, as you're pointing out, on that particular deal. And then we have tax and accounting, payroll and 401K administration on the back end. And so what's really interesting about that business is that we've figured out a way to acquire a customer, profitably acquire a customer and then provide them with other services that really has no acquisition cost associated with it.” -David Nilssen [30:32]

• “How do we operate at the edge of our own ignorance? How do we keep learning and how do we have enough humility to ask? Because part of the thing I think as a CEO is people look at you for the answer and sometimes you don't know what the answer is. And so you got to admit that you don't know and then go ask questions of everyone you can. Like what you're describing with learning about subscription businesses and how that model works, is going to help you be a better leader and create a better business.” -Randy Wootton [42:22]

Expert Takeaways

• The talent landscape is being reshaped by four key trends: talent scarcity, the rise of remote work, the necessity of offshoring, and AI advancements.
• Creating a meaningful employee experience is crucial for retention and productivity, particularly in remote work settings.
• A focus on 'impact' and 'income' helps secure a sustainable career progression for remote employees, generating value for both the employee and employer.
• Peer groups provide valuable support for personal and professional growth, benefiting not only business leaders but also their interpersonal lives.
• Today’s CEO: curious and open to learning, embraces their role with humility and has a keen sense of responsibility.

Timestamps

(01:46) Trends in talent scarcity and remote work

(04:31) Challenges and advantages of focusing on SMB and mid-market

(10:50) Creating a culture of purpose, leadership, team, client, and career

(17:05) The value of career pathing and continuous learning for employees

(22:19) Tracking the key metrics

(30:38) Investing in your tribe: mentor, coach, peer group, and peer advisory

(34:56) How to be a CEO: learning and humility

(37:26) EO, peer groups, and investing around you

(42:16) Success: curiosity, ownership, and a people-first mentality

Links

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Randy Wootton LinkedIn

David Nilssen LinkedIn