How These Two Entrepreneurs are Building a $1B Enterprise Software Company Entirely on Salesforce
Kraig Swensrud and Sean Whiteley, Co-Founders of the conversational marketing platform Qualified, are a dynamic duo. They are the epitome of what every co-founder looks for in their partner in crime. They met in the early days of their careers and became great friends. Fast forward two decades later and three companies sold, they’re now aiming to check off “build a billion-dollar business” on their bucket list. Learn how these two trailblazing entrepreneurs are taking the tech industry by storm with their latest venture.
We caught up with Kraig and Sean to learn more about their journey, how they solve for distribution, and their outlook on uncertainty.
How did the stars align for you two to become business partners?
Kraig Swensrud: We met in 1999 at a web services company and just connected. We worked in roles that were super complementary and became friends. Then in 2004, we were both at a crossroads in our careers and we noticed a major trend happening. We saw the rise of what everybody now calls the “Cloud,” which at that time was just trying to run business apps on the web.
Sean Whiteley: When we saw Salesforce start to pioneer this new software delivery model, making it clear that businesses could outsource their most mission-critical information to the cloud, we knew it was going to be the next big wave.
Where did the idea for Qualified come from?
Sean: The idea is really simple. If your marketing team is sending qualified buyers to your corporate website, your sales team should be there to have conversations with them in real-time. Historically, there’s been a huge gap between when a customer lands on a website and when they’re engaged in a sales process. Companies spend a significant amount of time and resources to drive prospects to their website. Not only do you have to engage with them quickly but you also have to understand, “Who are they? Where are they coming from? What are they interested in? Are they showing a propensity to buy?” And if they are, you need to connect them to the right people in your organization in real-time. This blind spot is what we are addressing with Qualified.
Why did you choose to build on the Salesforce Platform?
Kraig: The number one reason is because of the brand that Salesforce has developed around trust. That means that as entrepreneurs and technologists, we can trust the Salesforce Platform. We are able to inherit the scalability, availability, and reliability of the platform and pass it along to our customers.
What was the main reason for joining the AppExchange partner program?
Sean: Distribution. One of the biggest challenges for a startup or any company is distribution — and AppExchange is a ready-made marketplace of buyers. These are admins. They’re often decision-makers who have the ability to install applications inside of their CRM system.
In addition to the AppExchange listing, how else have you been able to drive customer growth with Salesforce?
Kraig: The AppExchange program is a customer acquisition vehicle for us because we’re able to not only participate in the marketplace listing but we’re able to advertise. We’re able to co-market with Salesforce, engage in sponsorships, and participate in demand-gen opportunities. All of those are customer acquisition vehicles for us.
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How has the Salesforce ecosystem helped you succeed?
Kraig: Because we’re part of the ecosystem, we have formed relationships with other community members that Salesforce calls the “Ohana.” We form relationships with other companies and system integrators, as well as develop joint go-to-market plans that help our company succeed.
How do you increase your chances for success as an entrepreneur, especially in these uncertain times?
Kraig: When you’re a brand-new company and you’re two guys in a room just starting out, you want to do everything in your power to increase your chances of success. We wake up every day and think, “Wow, I don’t know what today is going to bring. I don’t know what this month is going to bring. But how can we win?”
If we can reduce that risk by having a partner in Salesforce that we can get financing from, build integrations to, work with on distribution, and leverage the ecosystem to make our customers more successful, those are all things that increase our chances of success.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs?
Kraig: Being an entrepreneur and starting a business is really hard and every day is met with uncertainty. All we know is there’s going to be high highs and low lows and there’s not going to be enough resources. And we need to map out a path to success that maximizes our chances of our business growing and succeeding. That’s why we chose to build our entire company on Salesforce.
Sean: It’s very fulfilling to build something with your own bare hands and introduce it into the market. But at the same time, it’s also really challenging. No matter which avenue you take when you’re building your company, you’re solving a problem that hasn’t been solved before by somebody effectively — and that introduces new challenges, new problems, and unknowns. And to do that, there’s a lot of trial and error.
To learn more about Kraig and Sean’s entrepreneurial journey, watch their full story here. If you are an entrepreneur with a new business idea, learn more about the AppExchange Partner Program and how you can sell into a market of 150,000+ Salesforce customers.
