The all-in-one CRM that scales as your startup grows
About HubSpot
Eoin: HubSpot is the number one CRM for scaling businesses globally. We specialize in really anything around go-to-market strategy, sales automation, customer success, CMS, and operation. Anything that really customer touches is what HubSpot’s backend system helps companies do. Our products include HubSpot Marketing Hub, HubSpot Sales Hub, HubSpot Service Hub, HubSpot CMS Hub, HubSpot Operations Hub, and more.
What is HubSpot for Startups?
Eoin: HubSpot for Startups is sort of an arm of HubSpot, which specializes in helping scaling companies, companies that are pre-seed, seed, or series A style, the ones that are looking to grow, but might not necessarily have the money to excel or to buy an enterprise solution like HubSpot. We try to make that a little bit easier by giving them discounts, extra perks, education sessions, and pretty much everything we can.
The main features of HubSpot for startups
Eoin: The main thing is really around education. Understanding and knowing what you don’t know is sometimes one of the hardest things in business. I’m a founder as well, and I think one of the things that we really pride ourselves on is being able to educate startups on what it is that they need, what is really important to grow and help them facilitate that by giving them pricing that makes sense for them as well at the same time. So there are two main pillars of what we do – education and the right tools at the right time.
What do founders need to know before joining HubSpot for Startups?
Eoin: I think it’s really a case of understanding where you are on your go-to-market strategy is really important. For anyone that’s watching or listening to this, one of the core things I always recommend to people is to start using a CRM. Don’t just use Excel to manage your database because you are shooting yourself in the foot in the business’s long-term growth by not investing in even some free system that’ll help you get there faster. And it’s still kind of the biggest problem I see today from many startups.
How do people qualify for it?
Eoin: You qualify through accelerators. If you’re part of an accelerator or incubator, that’s the way most companies will go. If not, you would still be able to use our free systems but to get the additional perks related to a startup, you would need to be part of some accelerator, incubator, or VC. A lot of the time, you don’t always have to have the shiniest object. Sometimes it’s the most simple things that are really related to how to grow and scale a business that is most important. Fundamentally understanding your customers, being able to track email, open rates, and click rates, and really being able to build a better database of your perspective. Customers like that sort of stuff are all free to do. I would always recommend to people there are lots of systems out there. HubSpot is one of them. Use something to get you to understand your customers better. It’s the foolproof way of accelerating growth in a business.
Start using HubSpot for free
Eoin: We are free for everyone. The basic CRM functionality is free, with database management, emails, open rates, click rates, and all that sort of stuff. As well as being able to manage your sales pipeline. That sort of stuff is completely free. And then, when you want to take it to the next step, whether you qualify through the HubSpot for Startups program or go through HubSpot with the regular route, there’s something that’s there for everyone. We try to make the price sense for any small to medium-sized business as you scale into becoming an enterprise customer, and then we grow with you.
It’s free, and it’s free forever. If anyone is interested to learn more about our background, our two founders, Dharmesh and Brian, are like their mission is to help millions of companies grow. And I think that’s such an excellent mentality to have. I’ve been in HubSpot for five or six years now, and one of the first ever all hands I was at with Brian Halligan at the time, who was the CEO and one of the founders. He basically said, I want to build a company that my grandkids are proud of. And I thought that was a really interesting mentality because if you can help people, even as they’re scaling and growing a business with something that’s completely free or you’re helping the biggest company in the world, the satisfaction you get from that is enormous. And I think that’s the most important thing. That’s one of the things I actually love about the free model because it makes sense for everyone, not just the big people or big corporations.
What are your future plans for HubSpot for Startups?
Eoin: What we’re really trying to do is to help anyone that kind of comes through or has gone through a fun level and help them get to their bigger North Star goals as quickly as possible. Sometimes you have to think a little bit more about the customer. Assisting companies to realize that the customer is the most important thing for me and my team. That’s the most important thing, which comes in many different facets. It’s getting access to those companies earlier and helping them with more education and training. That way, we hope we will benefit everyone in the long run, not just HubSpot but also those individual startups.
When did you join HubSpot?
Eoin: I joined back in 2017, and the journey was enjoyable. I started in a sales role and worked on the ground in several different regions. I predominantly managed emerging markets because I’m passionate about it. I’ve had an interest in route the whole way up to doing a level of consultancy with HubSpot and then kind of moving into the current role that I’m in now, which is really helping to grow regions and helping them to increase penetration in those regions, which for me is a very rewarding job overall. Now I help Central & Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. I essentially manage all emerging markets within HomeSpot, which is very fun. There are some fantastic companies coming out there. I came up the hard way, working in sales is probably the best way that you understand and learn a product, and understand and learn an industry, and how to deal with multitudes of different people.
What do you actually do in your day-to-day job?
Eoin: On one of my typical days, there are a lot of speaking events, to be honest. A lot of education sessions and a lot of speaking events. Then kind of internally in HubSpot, obviously dealing with multitudes of different teams. That’s what you have to do, but you know, the core of my job is dealing with and working really closely with VCs, accelerators, and incubators and trying to help them with whatever education sessions that we can give, or different resources that will make the most significant impact in the region, but also within their kind of portfolio.
What is your story, Eoin?
Eoin: I have had an exciting career. I set up my first company when I was 17. I sold it when I was 22. I am a para-qualified accountant. And I hated being an accountant, so I sold my business. I finished my accountancy degree, and I traveled for a while. Selling a company very early was, was an exciting thing, it was a lot of money for a very young man. Thankfully, I invested it wisely, and then I returned and started working in tech sales. I worked for a company called Qualtrics for a couple of years. I also worked in Australia for a while and then moved to HubSpot.
I’ve been around tech since I was probably around 25. Still, I always have had businesses, so it’s probably part of why I love my job so much, in terms of working in startups or with startups, as I’m currently managing director and founder of two businesses. I love business, which is why I get up in the morning. And I think having that experience of working for a large corporation as well as running my own business is the best way for me personally. There were a lot of sleepless nights and probably gray hair than I expected, but it was fun. It’s a hobby, essentially.
What’s your best piece of advice for the founders?
Eoin: I say this all the time, and anyone that’s ever been to any of my workshops and they’re listening to this will probably laugh at me. But I say it in every session I do – remember that nobody cares about your product and service. They care whether it saves them time or makes them money. Business is straightforward when you remember that nobody cares about you or your product, and they care about what it does for them. And a lot of people forget about that. I get pushback from people, especially in B2B companies, they’re like – oh, that’s not true. And I’m like – think about the final product or service you bought for your business. You act in your own best interest. Sometimes, yes, it was in the company’s interest, but it was always around. What did that do to make the company more money or save the company money? If we focus on the customer mentality first, the likelihood of success is growing.
This is very basic, but people tend to forget about it. Everyone forgets about it, and they get too, too excited. They think about features and shiny new things and forget about the fundamental of what they’re trying to achieve. And I think once everyone in a business has the same ethos as you and sees and understands – this is what we’re trying to do. I use a lot of sports analogies, but when everyone’s rowing in the same direction, life becomes a laugh. A lot easier. I think in business, people sometimes forget that.
What’s your best productivity tip?
Eoin: My best tip is to be proactive with your calendar. I always joke with my fiancé that if it’s not on my calendar, it doesn’t exist. And unfortunately, that’s the sad truth. I’m very avid. Triathlete, I factor my running, cycling, or swimming time into my overall workday. I have my calendar rigidly set up, but I also don’t waste time during the day. For instance, I work from home, so my commute is then taken up by my business, so I’m not actually adding anything to my day.
I’m just being really good with my calendar. I would say to anyone that it takes a lot of dedication at the start, but once you get into the routine of running your life like you’d run a business is the way I think about it. And I use my calendar to do that.
What’s your favorite software?
Eoin: My favorite software is Vidyard, it’s a video making software. I actually couldn’t live without it at this point in my life. I use it for everything, it for explanations, I use it for prospecting, there are just a million different ways that I use it. Instead of doing calls, it’s an effortless way for you to be personal with someone but without taking too much of their time.
