ESOPs, Earn-outs, and International Growth with Rajiv Lamba
Rajiv Lamba isn’t in a hurry. He lives and breathes by the cycle of building up, scaling and selling to strategic acquirers, and he wants other business owners to slow down and adopt this mindset as well.
With one business, Kadence, grown successfully from $1.5M to $14M across multiple counties, he’s restarted that cycle with his newest startup venture: an AI-driven consumer research business that’s on the cutting edge of innovation in the sector.
Tune into this episode and learn how by repeating the same patterns Rajiv is able to grow consistently profitable, sustainable businesses, ripe for acquisition.
What you will learn in this episode
In this episode we’ll cover everything from:
- The challenges (and rewards) of scaling a multi-national business
- How earn-outs and ESOPs aren’t necessarily bad – given they’re approached the right way
- Tips for successfully scaling a business for strategic acquisition
- Oh, and also how to read the minds of your customers – that too
About Our Guest
Rajiv Lamba
Born in New Delhi, career in Indonesia, and now based in Singapore servicing Asia, Rajiv Lamba is an entrepreneur with proven track record of scaling a startup from $0 to $14M in sales.
Rajiv has one successful exit, and he is now scaling his second Enterprise SaaS startup from $0 to $4.4M ARR in 3 years.
He is also a customer experience expert with career in Nielsen, WPP, now advising global brands like Danone, Nestle.
Connect with Rajiv Lamba
Website: https://www.surveysensum.com/
Website: https://neurosensum.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajiv-lamba/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SurveySensum
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/surveysensum/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/surveysensum
Show Notes
(6:50) When Rajiv left Nielsen for a much smaller firm, Kadence, it was turning over $1.5M in revenue. Only 4-5 years later, this grew to $12-$14M.
(9:05) Scaling internationally is no joke, learn Rajiv’s greatest challenges in building a business abroad.
(18:48) Not many exiting entrepreneurs want or like their earn-outs, but listen in as Rajiv speaks about how he received 100% of his, including the recipe for success for future acquirers.
(24:27) ESOPs: The good, the bad, the differences from 10 years ago to present according to Rajiv. Does your business use ESOPs? Rajiv gives you guidelines for using them as an effective retention tool.
(40:40) One top tip to take away: Don’t be in a hurry. Whether that’s building your product, figuring out your exit, or even raising money, Rajiv imparts how important mindset is in the journey.
