The SaaS Operator Podcast | Leading a billion dollar company with Tony Jamous, Founder & CEO of Oyster.

Leading a billion dollar company with Tony Jamous, Founder & CEO of Oyster.

February 29, 2024 / 26:13/E58

In this episode of The Venture-Scale SaaS Operator, we had the opportunity to host Tony Jamous, founder and CEO of a billion dollar HR platform Oyster. Oyster provides tools to help with hiring, onboarding, benefits and salary management for both contractors and full-time remote employees all around the world.

Tony talks about his motivation behind starting Oyster and how he led it to unicorn status. He also shares his thoughts on becoming a better leader, creating a supportive work environment, and his life as a CEO of a billion dollar company.

Tune in to learn more about:

~ How to become a better leader.

~ Best way to lead a fast growth billion-dollar startup.

~ How to create a work environment that helps people to be their true selves.

Timestamps:

(00:00) - Intro
(00:32) - What Oyster is and what problem does it solve?
(01:04) - Typical customer profile for Oyster.
(02:05) - How much is OysterHR worth? Its mission and growth details.
(04:00) - Flexibility and leadership during hyper growth.
(05:14) - Advice for first-time founders on maintaining flexibility and leadership.
(07:34) - Tony's motivation for starting another company after Nexmo exit.
(09:55) - Motivation behind building a mission-driven company.
(11:58) - How to be intentional about creating an impactful, high-growth business.
(13:58) - Criteria for selecting early executives for Oyster.
(16:08) - Creating psychological safety within the company.
(19:22) - A typical day for the CEO of a billion-dollar company.
(21:55) - The role of asynchronous communication and video in managing Oyster.
(25:52) - Outro