Chris Savage - CEO and Co-Founder of Wistia | Taking on YouTube

➡️ Like The Podcast? Leave A Rating: https://ratethispodcast.com/successstory ➡️ Join 321,000 people who read my free weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.scottdclary.com ➡️ About The GuestChris Savage, the CEO and co-founder of Wistia, a leading video platform, embarked on the entrepreneurial journey with Brendan Schwartz in 2006, establishing the company in Schwartz's living room after graduating from Brown University with a degree in Art-Semiotics. Wistia has evolved into a multimillion-dollar business with over 80 employees and 350,000 customers. In a pivotal decision in 2018, Savage and Schwartz turned down a substantial acquisition offer, choosing instead to take on $17.3M in debt, demonstrating their commitment to independently building and growing Wistia. Chris is a vocal advocate for the Boston startup scene and is particularly enthusiastic about unconventional paths in the tech industry, entrepreneurship, marketing, video, and company building.Before founding Wistia, Chris Savage gained recognition for co-producing an Emmy Award-winning feature-length documentary and was honored as a Top Young Entrepreneur by BusinessWeek in 2009. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris and his wife have embarked on another significant venture – starting a family. Their daughter, Zoë, assumes a managerial role, and their latest addition, Olympia, seemingly grasps the importance of company values, having been born just hours after an all-hands meeting, showcasing a remarkable alignment of personal and professional milestones. ➡️ Show Linkshttps://www.instagram.com/csavage/https://twitter.com/csavage/https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjsavage/ ➡️ Podcast SponsorsCollective - https://collective.com/successHubspot - https://hubspot.com/  Kajabi - https://kajabi.com/success (Code: success)ButcherBox - https://butcherbox.com/success (Code: success)Justin Wine - https://justinwine.com/ (Code: success)Green Light - https://greenlight.com/successIndeed - https://indeed.com/claryThe Sales Evangelist Podcast - https://thesalesevangelist.com/NetSuite — https://netsuite.com/scottclary/Factor — https://factormeals.com/successpod50 (Code: successpod50)HelloFresh — https://hellofresh.com/50successpod (Code: 50succespod)ZBiotics — https://zbiotics.com/success (Code: success) ➡️ Talking Points00:00 - Introduction01:19 - Chris Savage’s Origin Story09:04 - Trailblazing in Video Hosting09:58 - Entrepreneurial Lessons Learned16:25 - Breaking Out of Your Shell21:24 - What Makes a Good Podcast?24:15 - Wistia's Future: To Sell or Not to Sell28:45 - Video's Business Model Evolution36:42 - Surviving Beyond Investment39:07 - Strategic Prioritization Insights43:02 - Sponsor: The Sales Evangelist Podcast43:46 - Delegating Ownership Wisely47:20 - Entrepreneurial Time Commitments53:03 - The Mental Side of Entrepreneurship55:08 - Embracing Fear for Growth57:20 - Demystifying Company Culture1:04:00 - Passionate Perspectives on Marketing1:10:12 - Connect with Chris Online1:11:55 - Advice to the 20-Year-Old Self1:15:11 - Defining Success