Suggestions
Brad Coffey
Board member, x-Chief Strategy Officer at HubSpot, x-Pipe. Investor & Advisor.
Brad Coffey is a board member at Appcues and has an extensive background in the tech industry, particularly in strategy and growth roles.1 Here are some key details about Brad Coffey:
Professional Experience
Current Roles::
- Board Member at Appcues (since January 2022)
- Senior Advisor at Silversmith Capital Partners (since October 2021)
- Angel Investor & Advisor to various startups (since January 2021)
Previous Notable Position::
- Chief Strategy Officer at HubSpot
Career Highlights
Brad Coffey has held significant leadership positions in the SaaS industry. At HubSpot, he played a crucial role in the company's growth, joining as one of its first employees and working in product and operations.2 During his tenure, HubSpot grew from a startup with less than $1 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) to a publicly-traded company with $1 billion in ARR.2
Expertise
Coffey's areas of expertise include:
- Go-to-market strategies
- Operations
- Pricing and packaging
- Product strategy
- Partnerships and corporate development
Education
- MBA from MIT Sloan
- BA in Computer Science from Amherst College2
Current Focus
As an angel investor and advisor, Brad Coffey works with various startups, particularly those in the HubSpot ecosystem.2 He helps companies scale their operations, improve their go-to-market strategies, and optimize their pricing and packaging.1
Brad Coffey's experience in scaling SaaS businesses, particularly his role in HubSpot's growth, makes him a valuable board member for Appcues, which is a platform focused on user onboarding and product adoption.12
Highlights
HubSpot laid off 7% of its workforce today and some amazing people were let go.
I know it's not easy, but if you've been impacted by those layoffs, here is what I would do.
#1. Take a deep breath. You're talented, smart, and hard-working. Keep leaning into those skills and you'll be just fine. It sounds like HubSpot has been generous with their severance package, use that to give yourself some time to reset.
#2. Find an old boss, a former colleague, or a trusted friend and go get coffee. I think you'll find it's not so scary on the other side and it's a good way to start networking and imagining what could come next.
#3. Post on LinkedIn that you were let go and that you're looking for something new. I know it's hard to put yourself out there, but otherwise, your broader network may never know.
#4. Reach out to Ernie Park and get added to the HubSpot alumni Slack channel. It's a great group of former HubSpotters who have opted-in to a community specifically aimed at helping each other.
#5. Figure out what you want next: What stage of a company, what role, and what type of lifestyle (e.g. in-person vs remote). It's good to have that answer. Once you know: do your best to figure out where those people hang out. There are tons of online and in-person communities and events. They can be powerful networking opportunities for folks who put in the effort. I personally find local VC events to be amazing places to meet inspiring new people.
#6. Finally, lean into something you love. It's never too late to think big and go after what you want. Even if it's not career-related, use this time and get after it. I've personally spent a ton of time coaching and with youth sports, and I've never felt so lucky for the opportunity.
Good luck to everyone in finding their next mission.
I'm excited to share that earlier this year I joined the board at Teamwork.
Teamwork is an operating system for client work, serving 20,000 customers today. Recently Teamwork raised $70m to further expand that impact.
This week I was lucky enough to spend time with the entire team, hearing about their vision for the future and ideas to further help companies grow their service businesses profitably. It was inspiring and energizing to see all that lays ahead.
Thank you Peter Coppinger, Daniel Mackey and the team for allowing me to join the mission.
