Kill Your Darlings: The Art of Reinvention with Co-Founder & CEO of Salesmsg, Chris Brisson #138

Chris Brisson made a public decision to kill the company he’d built, live in front of 34,000 customers. 

Why did Call Loop have to fall for Salesmsg to rise in its wake? That’s the million dollar question for a Co-Founder who builds in silence what others try to shout into existence.

This episode of Extrology is a record of the success that’s found by overcoming your old ways, and building systems that scale under pressure.

Lee and Chris discuss:

  • Chris' bold, deliberate choice to "kill" his previous business to rebuild anew with Salesmsg

  • How bringing in the right co-founders and team members can unlock potential 

  • Embracing a mindset of constant refinement, treating every business department as a "product" that can be optimised

  • Texting as a sacred channel to reach your customers

  • The continuous unlearning of old management styles that drives Chris’ growth as a leader

Links & references

Chris Brisson:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisbrisson/

Salesmsg:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/salesmsg/

https://www.salesmessage.com/

Extrology:

https://www.extrology.com/

https://www.instagram.com/extrologypodcast/

https://www.tiktok.com/@extrology

https://substack.com/@extrology

https://www.youtube.com/@extrology

Lee Cooper:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leecooperrecruiter/

Get in touch: lee@extrology.com

Episode highlights:

“I built a business I secretly despised. On the outside, it looked all great, but really on the inside, I was dead inside, because I could not truly innovate.” - 2:00 - Chris Brisson

"I wanted to prove that I could do it again... Could I restart this business and invest in tech, in product, in people, in building a great product?” - 16:50 - Chris Brisson

“Messaging is a sacred space, and it’s highly regulated, so legitimate businesses can get a fast lane to the customer.” - 25:00 - Chris Brisson

“Every department in a business is a product, and every product has bugs, features and improvements. Through that lens, you spot inefficiencies that you can improve.” - 33:00 - Chris Brisson

“My style of management is not conducive to high performance. I've been a bottleneck in parts of the business.” - 43:40 - Chris Brisson

“If this is where we’re going, who do I need to become?” - 55:15 - Chris Brisson

Extrology is sponsored by Progresso Talent Partners who for more than 25 years have successfully delivered interim and permanent leadership talent to transform businesses and to hire the talent you need to enable your business to thrive: https://www.progressotalent.com/

Previous
Previous

The Cultural Catalyst Behind iplicit’s Stellar Growth with CEO, Lyndon Stickley #139

Next
Next

5 Hard Lessons From The Mic: Reflecting on 5 Years of Extrology with Lee Cooper #137