Company Stats

• Founded: 1999
• Employees: 160+
• Customer Base: 6 million+ students across the United States

Episode Highlights

✅ Bootstrapping a business fosters creativity and innovation in the face of constraints.

✅ Growing an evergreen business prioritizes purpose and long-term impact over short-term profit.

✅ Compounding growth over time can often provide more wealth and fulfillment than selling for an early exit.

Episode Summary

In this episode, Jeff Patterson, founder and CEO of Gaggle, shares his philosophy on building a purpose-driven, evergreen business. Gaggle provides digital safety tools for students by monitoring online activities and preventing bullying, self-harm, and other dangers. Jeff discusses how bootstrapping, despite the challenges, pushed him to be creative and resilient in the early stages of his business. He explains the decision to avoid selling the company, even with high offers, because he believes in long-term value and making a difference.

Jeff is a member of the Tugboat Institute, a group of evergreen CEOs who focus on building companies that prioritize purpose and growth over time, with no immediate exit plan. He speaks about the importance of maintaining freedom, the lessons learned from pivoting in tough times, and his vision for growing Gaggle over the next 20 years. His evergreen philosophy and dedication to protecting students create a strong foundation for the company’s mission.

Notable Questions We Asked

Q: What motivated you to turn down offers to sell Gaggle?

A: I believe that purpose is more important than money, and I want to grow the business over time, making a bigger impact and ensuring long-term success.

Q: How does Gaggle protect students?

A: We monitor students' online accounts for signs of bullying, self-harm, and other dangers, alerting schools when a threat is detected. Last year, we made over 20,000 emergency calls.

Q: What is your experience with bootstrapping Gaggle?

A: Bootstrapping forces creativity. Without external funding, we had to work within constraints, which pushed us to innovate and build a sustainable business.

Q: What is the Tugboat Institute, and why are you a member?

A: It’s a group of evergreen CEOs focused on building businesses that aren’t for sale. We think long-term, making decisions that prioritize growth and sustainability over immediate exit strategies.

Q: What’s your long-term vision for Gaggle?

A: I have a 20-year plan. My goal is to continue growing the company, investing profits back into the business, and making a positive difference in the world.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

00:17 Company Stats

01:16 Gaggle's Mission and Impact

03:45 The Evergreen Philosophy

05:38 Bootstrapping Success

07:17 Future Plans and Final Thoughts

08:44 Connect with Gaggle

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#Bootstrapping #EvergreenBusiness #Entrepreneurship #StudentSafety #DigitalSafety #StartupGrowth #BusinessPhilosophy #BusinessSuccess #BuildingForImpact #Leadership