James Evans - How CommandBar is using AI to help brands master user assistance! episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 3, 2024 · 1H 11M

James Evans - How CommandBar is using AI to help brands master user assistance!

from The Undefeated Underdogs · host Sharath Kuruganty

👉🏼 About the Guest:James Evans (Princeton alumni, ex-Bain) is the co-founder and CEO of CommandBar, a user assistance platform that makes your software product easier to use. In 3.5yrs, CommandBar is a 7-figure ARR SaaS business, with over 20 million end-users across hundreds of customers like Hashicorp, Freshworks, and Hubspot and has grown to a team of 40 people and raised $24 million.👉🏼 About the Host:Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 22,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. Currently, he is building a SaaS product called GuestLab, and runs another podcast series called YC Founder Stories alongside hosting this one.👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:Shoutout to Acquire.com for being the first sponsor of The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/👉🏼 Description:Listen in as Sharath and James discuss the No-PM Policy, why popups suck, the secrets of a first-time founder, and more! 👉🏼 Timestamps:00:00: Episode Highlight01:05: Shoutout to Acquire.com03:34: Introduction to James Evans – Founder of CommandBar and hater of popups!04:58: Why are popups so irritating?08:32: What are ways of grabbing a customer's attention?14:14: How most startups should be capturing customers19:30: CommandBar's newest product...or not26:45: Finding inspiration for your brand29:58: James' No-PM Policy34:04: Making UX better38:49:The hardest parts of building42:48: Applying to Y Combinator46:00: How the best founders design products49:57: Under shared secrets from a first-time founder52:41: What is the secret of sales?55:35: The dangers you'll see in sales57:39: The best type of content strategy for startups1:02:11: Where CommandBar is going next and how AI is revolutionizing the way we work1:07:08: What drives James as a founder?1:10:25: Outro and closing thoughts👉🏼 Resources:Big Desk Energy: https://www.bigdeskenergy.com/Have your product acquired: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/👉🏼 Where to find James:Twitter: https://twitter.com/dazzeloid?Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-evans-7086b3126/CommandBar Website: https://www.commandbar.com/👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harathYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harathWebsite: https://5harath.com/Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/

👉🏼 About the Guest:James Evans (Princeton alumni, ex-Bain) is the co-founder and CEO of CommandBar, a user assistance platform that makes your software product easier to use. In 3.5yrs, CommandBar is a 7-figure ARR SaaS business, with over 20 million end-users across hundreds of customers like Hashicorp, Freshworks, and Hubspot and has grown to a team of 40 people and raised $24 million.👉🏼 About the Host:Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 22,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. Currently, he is building a SaaS product called GuestLab, and runs another podcast series called YC Founder Stories alongside hosting this one.👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:Shoutout to Acquire.com for being the first sponsor of The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/👉🏼 Description:Listen in as Sharath and James discuss the No-PM Policy, why popups suck, the secrets of a first-time founder, and more! 👉🏼 Timestamps:00:00: Episode Highlight01:05: Shoutout to Acquire.com03:34: Introduction to James Evans – Founder of CommandBar and hater of popups!04:58: Why are popups so irritating?08:32: What are ways of grabbing a customer's attention?14:14: How most startups should be capturing customers19:30: CommandBar's newest product...or not26:45: Finding inspiration for your brand29:58: James' No-PM Policy34:04: Making UX better38:49:The hardest parts of building42:48: Applying to Y Combinator46:00: How the best founders design products49:57: Under shared secrets from a first-time founder52:41: What is the secret of sales?55:35: The dangers you'll see in sales57:39: The best type of content strategy for startups1:02:11: Where CommandBar is going next and how AI is revolutionizing the way we work1:07:08: What drives James as a founder?1:10:25: Outro and closing thoughts👉🏼 Resources:Big Desk Energy: https://www.bigdeskenergy.com/Have your product acquired: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/👉🏼 Where to find James:Twitter: https://twitter.com/dazzeloid?Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-evans-7086b3126/CommandBar Website: https://www.commandbar.com/👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harathYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harathWebsite: https://5harath.com/Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/

NOW PLAYING

James Evans - How CommandBar is using AI to help brands master user assistance!

0:00 1:11:40

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Undefeated Underdogs?

This episode is 1 hour and 11 minutes long.

When was this The Undefeated Underdogs episode published?

This episode was published on April 3, 2024.

What is this episode about?

👉🏼 About the Guest:James Evans (Princeton alumni, ex-Bain) is the co-founder and CEO of CommandBar, a user assistance platform that makes your software product easier to use. In 3.5yrs, CommandBar is a 7-figure ARR SaaS business, with over 20...

Can I download this The Undefeated Underdogs episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!