May 2, 2024

Balancing Power and Purpose for Profit

On this episode of the Gross Profit Podcast, James Kennedy sits down with Bridget Harris, former Parliamentarian turned CEO and co-founder of YouCanBook.Me. Bridget unveils the intricate balance of power and purpose required to carve out not just profit, but a legacy of success that empowers an entire team.
The Gross Profit Podcast
The Gross Profit Podcast
Balancing Power and Purpose for Profit
Loading
/

Show Notes

James Kennedy engages with Bridget Harris, former Parliamentarian turned CEO and co-founder of YouCanBook.Me. Bridget unveils the intricate balance of power and purpose required to carve out not just profit, but a legacy of success that empowers an entire team.

With a rich background in politics and a remarkable journey in the tech startup scene, Bridget shares her profound experiences and the pivotal lessons that have shaped her approach to business and leadership.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Leadership Lessons from Politics to Business: Insights into transitioning from a high-profile government role to spearheading a tech startup.
  • The Art of Balancing Power and Purpose: How to leverage leadership roles for broader team success and personal fulfillment.
  • Sustainable Business Practices: Bridget’s strategies on maintaining a bootstrapped business model while achieving significant annual recurring revenue (ARR).
  • Cultivating a Strong Company Culture: Tips on nurturing a productive, engaged, and remotely connected team.
  • Customer Engagement: The importance of direct communication with customers and its impact on business growth and innovation.

Episode Highlights:

  • “Bridget, transitioning from a political career to the tech industry must have been challenging. Can you share how those experiences informed your leadership style at YouCanBook.Me?”
  • “You’ve emphasized the balance between power and purpose. How has this philosophy impacted your business decisions and team dynamics?”
  • “Your company has reached over 1 million accounts with a bootstrapped budget. What are your key strategies for sustainable growth without external funding?”
  • “Discussing company culture, how do you ensure your remote team remains aligned with your company’s goals and ethos?”
  • “You’ve been a champion for customer engagement. Could you expand on how this focus has driven your company’s success?”

Beyond her role at YouCanBook.Me, Bridget has left her mark on the SaaS community as a frequent speaker at major conferences and a recognized figure in business strategy discussions. With accolades like the top online scheduling tool and a customer success award, her contributions to the industry are both influential and inspiring.

This podcast is tagged under:

The Gross Profit Podcast

More Episodes

Merushka Chetty

Joey Albertson – CFO Found $2.5M Unbilled Revenue

In this episode, James sits down with fractional CFO Joey Albertson – founder of The Profitability Project – to unpack the “$2.5M mistake” she uncovered within 30 days at a B2B SaaS company. They get tactical about balance-sheet reconciliations, fixing SaaS billing leaks, and how Joey’s Clarity → Structure → Profitability framework delivers fast, measurable results (without a six-month wait).

Listen Now »
Merushka Chetty

Jaime Medina – The Singing CFO

In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Jaime Medina, founder of The Startup CFO (tscfo.com), to unpack non-dilutive ways B2B SaaS founders can extend runway before their next equity round. Drawing on Jaime’s path from physics PhD to McKinsey to fractional CFO (now leading a 38-person team across Spain and Germany), they dive into European public funding, soft loans, grants, tax incentives, and – most surprisingly – bank financing for SaaS. You’ll hear how to present unit economics to credit risk teams, run multiple debt processes in parallel, and realistically save 10–20% dilution on the next raise. Bonus: why the best CFOs play offense (growth) and defense (controls)… and why Ring of Fire is a crowd-pleaser at karaoke.

Listen Now »
Merushka Chetty

Milán Golovics – Hungarian VC: Government Funding Ruined Startups

In this episode, James sits down with Milán Golovics, founder of BAO Contracting and a former VC associate turned startup operator/CFO, to unpack the realities of building and funding hardware in Central & Eastern Europe. From Hungary’s unique venture landscape to rethinking a “hardware-only” sale into a subscription model, Milán shares crisp, tactical lessons for seed-stage founders – and the CFOs who support them.

Listen Now »