Chris Federspiel, the Founder and CEO of blackthorn.io, has grown his company from a small team of developers to 105 employees and millions in monthly revenue.The Blackthorn Engagement Suite features Salesforce-native applications for events, payments, compliance, messaging, and more. The success of blackthorn.io continues to grow, but like many founders, Chris’ journey hasn’t always been an easy one. 

Join Chris and Jim as they discuss the founding and growth of blackthorn.io, supporting employees and keeping them happy (with a 4-day work week!), overcoming struggles with funding and a “near-death experience” for the business, and the mental battles along the founder journey and the weight of building a company. 

3 Key Takeaways

• The Brilliance to Kill: As Jim puts it, “The brilliance to kill often outweighs the brilliance to create.” Don’t be afraid to stop something that you know isn’t working, no matter how much time you’ve already put into it. Know when to cut your losses and move on to the next big thing for your business. 
• Work Where Your Patience Is: We tend to perform best with tasks we have the most patience for. Make sure you’re bringing on people who have patience where you don’t so you can focus on what you’re best at as a CEO. 
• Tinker until the Price is Right: Chris received some counterintuitive (but valuable) advice on pricing that many business owners miss: “Double your price until people say you’re crazy, then double it again.” 

Resources
Chris’ LinkedIn

blackthorn.io Website

About 
Blackthorn.io makes Salesforce apps for higher education and nonprofits for event management, and home services for mobile payments. 

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