Scaling Stories with Ali Albazaz

Brand isn’t just a logo. Culture isn’t just a mission statement. And customer obsession isn’t something you put in a slide deck. In this episode, Lindsay sits down with Ali Albazaz, CEO of Inkitt, to explore how a company built on AI, storytelling, and relentless customer focus grew from a scrappy startup into a global entertainment platform with more than a million paid subscribers. Ali shares why brand strategy became a turning point for the company, how talking to users every single week shapes product decisions, and why building a business that lasts 100 years requires far more than growth hacks and ad spend. You’ll hear them discuss: How Inkitt is building what Ali calls the “operating system for storytellers” and transforming stories into books, movies, and franchises Why reaching a growth ceiling forced the company to get serious about brand positioning and customer recall The role word-of-mouth played in scaling beyond paid acquisition and accelerating growth How weekly customer calls help every employee develop empathy and stay connected to the people they serve Why Ali spends hours each day deep in product development despite leading a fast-growing company The thinking behind creating distinct brands for different audiences instead of putting everything under one umbrella How customer understanding, not competitor watching, became one of the defining principles of Inkitt’s culture A first look at Ironblood, Inkitt’s newest platform focused on superhero, action, and sci-fi storytelling Resources: Ali Albazaz on Inkitt | Galatea | CandyJar | LinkedIn Bill Conti - ''Gonna Fly Now'' (Theme from Rocky) on YouTube Lindsay Pedersen - Contact me to tell me who you'd like to hear as a guest! | Connect with me on LinkedIn