Sendbird's Secret to Success: 5 Lessons from Founder John Kim

Video Summary

In this video, John Kim, the founder and CEO of Sendbird, shares 5 key principles that have underpinned his company's remarkable journey to becoming a $1 billion+ unicorn startup:

1. Commit to the Long Haul: Kim emphasizes the importance of founders truly committing to their idea for the long-term, rather than just chasing the latest trends. He advises imagining yourself doing the work for the next 10 years.

2. Obsess Over Customer Feedback: Kim is perplexed by founders who only talk to a handful of customers per month. He stresses the need to be speaking with 3-5 customers per day to deeply understand their needs and rapidly iterate on the product.

3. Cultivate a Strong Company Culture: Kim believes culture is a "muscle memory" that shapes every aspect of a company's operations. He and his co-founders put a strong emphasis on defining Sendbird's core values and mission from the very beginning.

4. Learn From Those Who Have Walked the Path Before: As Sendbird has grown, Kim has made it a priority to seek guidance from more experienced entrepreneurs who can share the lessons they've learned. His advice is to "continue to seek out companies or people that are maybe one stage or two stage ahead of you."

5. Have the Courage to Take Big Risks: When Sendbird was starting out, Kim faced widespread skepticism about the idea of a Korean startup expanding into the US market. But he had the courage to take the leap anyway, driven by his belief in the opportunity.

By embracing these 5 principles, John Kim and his team have built Sendbird into a global communications powerhouse. Their story offers a powerful roadmap for any founder aspiring to build a world-class, enduring company.

The 5 Critical Principles Powering Sendbird's Success: Insights from Founder John Kim

As the founder and CEO of Sendbird, a leading communications platform that powers messaging for over 300 million users, John Kim has seen firsthand what it takes to build a successful startup. In a recent video, he shared five invaluable principles that have underpinned Sendbird's remarkable journey to becoming a $1 billion-plus unicorn.

1. Commit to the Long Haul

Many first-time founders, says Kim, make the mistake of chasing after the latest market trends or exciting ideas, without really considering whether they are truly passionate about the work required to turn those ideas into reality. "Whatever the next thing you pick, try to see if you can really commit to the idea," he advises. "Imagine yourself doing that for the next ten years, which is very, very hard. But if you can really see yourself in the next ten years doing things hopefully greater at scale, that would be more important."

2. Obsess Over Customer Feedback

Kim is perplexed by founders who only talk to a handful of customers each month. "You need to be talking to 3 to 5 customers a day," he stresses. "You'll be attending so many networking parties, going to every single conferences, going to every single speaking events. But you don't go back to the fundamentals of building a strong product." For Sendbird in the early days, the emphasis was on rapid iteration - gathering customer feedback one day, and then quickly building and deploying new features the next.

3. Cultivate a Strong Company Culture

Culture, says Kim, is like a "muscle memory" that is very difficult to change. That's why he and his co-founders put so much emphasis on defining Sendbird's core values and mission from the very beginning. "The way I think about culture is they call it organizations, superorganisms. It's a collection of people, but the collection is greater than the individuals combined." Getting the culture right is critical, as it shapes every aspect of a company's day-to-day operations and decision-making.

4. Learn From Those Who Have Walked the Path Before You

As Sendbird has grown, Kim has made it a priority to seek out guidance from more experienced entrepreneurs who have "been there, done that." His advice to other founders is to "continue to seek out companies or people that are maybe one stage or two stage ahead of you." By tapping into their knowledge and insights, you can more quickly identify the key skills, resources, and strategies you'll need to take your own company to the next level.

5. Have the Courage to Take Big Risks

When Sendbird was just getting started, Kim faced skepticism from everyone he talked to about the idea of a Korean startup expanding into the US market. "Literally everyone I spoke to, whether it be here in US or in Korea, said, No, it cannot be done. That's stupid. That's too risky." But Kim had the courage to take the leap anyway, driven by his belief in the opportunity and his own past experiences overcoming naysayers. This willingness to dare greatly, even in the face of doubt, has been a hallmark of Sendbird's success.

By embracing these five core principles - long-term commitment, customer obsession, intentional culture-building, leveraging experienced mentors, and bold risk-taking - John Kim and his team have transformed Sendbird into a global communications powerhouse. Their story offers a powerful roadmap for any founder aspiring to build a world-class, enduring company.