The Software as a service (SaaS) industry is at boom. Today most of the businesses are running on SaaS. Cloud Coach is a leading name in the industry that made its unique place in the market with cutting-edge solutions for business processes. Cloud COACH ideated at the club while playing the game on the pool is now transforming businesses by making their complex operations simpler. Without sticking to a particular methodology Cloud COACH is serving its clients and empowering them for the brighter tomorrow.
In a candid talk with Mr. Peter Lee, CEO of Cloud COACH International, let’s discover more about the company and its quality offerings.
• Tell us about Cloud COACH.
We started as a consulting company implementing Salesforce (hence where our name came from), before about a decade ago, evolving into a product company. Over the years we have evolved from a single solution into a
multi-tiered offering, so we can add value to the smallest start-up, right through to the largest enterprise.
• What were the initial challenges you faced?
Cashflow, the omnipresent threat to every bootstrapped company!
• Which was that point that triggered the growth of Cloud COACH?
Introducing our freemium tier which overnight increased our brand visibility 10x, before that we did large deals but hardly anyone knew who we were.
• How have cloud COACH graphs changed since the foundation? Can you share a few statistics?
Here’s a graph showing the growth of our active deployments in Salesforce org.
What is the reason behind your company’s long-standing success?
We are product-led as a business and continually focus on improving our solutions for our customers and their end-users.
• What are the products/services Cloud COACH focuses on? How are your services different from those in the market?
We focus on everything about the ‘Project’, were methodology agnostic, and we love to tie projects into the bigger picture such as PPM or PSA solutions for our clients.
• How do you decide to take Cloud COACH a step further in terms of your products/services?
Most companies in our space tend to focus on one particular project methodology or another, whereas we openly embrace them all, and make our product configurable so each team at a customer can work in the way they want.
• Is there any new addition to the list of products/services? Anything exciting you would like to share?
We have quite the rollout of new capabilities planned for later in the year, but you have to come to our user conference in September to hear about it first!
• What do you think are the responsibilities of an entrepreneur?
To equally look after your Employees, Customers, and Suppliers, many people forget how important their suppliers are to their success.
• Can you please brief us about your professional experience?
I started with a degree in Agriculture and working in the animal feed industry, from there I moved into the supply chain for McDonald’s and had the responsibility to keep 700+ restaurants supplied, before pivoting into technology, as I could see IT being a key driver of the winning businesses of the future. So, I like to think I bring a great balance of business operations knowledge and IT technical skills that we use as a base to build out solutions.
• What are the key achievements of your entrepreneurial journey?
I’d like to say it was the first time we closed a 7-figure deal with a global company, but I’m most proud of how many employees (via their employment) we’ve helped to buy their first homes.
• How do you look after your employees? What makes your team unique?
We try to plan fun team events, for example, earlier this year I took advantage of a frequent flier sale to use my miles to fly some of the team from across the globe to the UK to see my football team Portsmouth play.
• Is there any special experience with your clients you would like to highlight?
Our annual user conference is my favorite week of the year, getting to interact with so many clients in one place. I’m not sure could handle the stress of the week before it more than once a year though!
• Can you tell us what your favorite book is? And your favorite part of the book (if any)?
The Godfather, it would be so much easier to sell technology if you could use a horse’s head!
• One person who you admire the most?
The Queen, while I’m not a royalist, it’s hard to see a match for the dedication she has shown to her role for so many decades.
• Whose business story do you find the most inspiring?
Mike & Scott’s from Atlassian for doing what they did while bootstrapped.
Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.
Winston S. Churchill
• Constant vigilance- a need or a strategy? Please share your views.
Constant vigilance has to be one of your key strategies, the world is littered with bankrupt companies that failed to adapt to changing business conditions
• It’s a rat race out there. How do you cope with that?
I escape every Saturday into the trials and tribulations of my football team, Portsmouth FC, which clears my mind, to start the new week.