In this episode of Net Effects Podcast, ChannelAdvisor CEO David Spitz joins co-hosts Mark Bavisotto and Les Ottolenghi. As public corporations emerge from a catalyzing year of digital and social change, the leaders who were able to safely navigate their enterprise through turbulent waters, offer the most elucidating advice and strategies.
David shares his vision for steering ChannelAdvisor through disruption and how the company remained sound, emerging stronger than ever. This episode covers topics like nurturing value-rich company culture, serving customers, and rising to meet extraordinary challenges.
Episode Highlights
- David says that while “Going public” is the entrepreneurial equivalent of climbing Mt. Everest, it is important to remember that it’s not a finish line of sorts. Going public is actually the start of a new chapter and journey — public companies are held to a higher standard of reporting, accuracy, and communications in the public realm.
- David leads ChannelAdvisor with the strategy of maintaining a strong balance sheet and operating in a strong way with a focus on “serving customers and running a responsible business.” This approach has helped ChannelAdvisor navigate a cyclical and, often, an uncertain market.
- In 2020, ChannelAdvisor emerged as an “island of stability.” The company leveraged an existing “business continuity program” to manage communications and continuity. With this framework, ChannelAdvisor was able to shift to a remote workforce in 24 hours. David also organized daily standup meetings with his leadership teams to discuss maximizing the flow of communications and emailed the company two to three times a week to keep employees informed.
- Culture is the lattice or framework of embodying a business’ values. Culture is also the “framework by which people make decisions every day in your absence,” says David, and he continues that it’s about having core principles, philosophy, and values because “without culture, you may have success but it will be more flash-in-the-pan than durable.” During the summer of 2020, David and his team took additional steps – including creating an action plan with a 50-member task force – to do more around racial equity and justice, organizing listening sessions, and making long-term sustainable changes.
This episode of Net Effects Podcast, featuring David Spitz, shares an insightful look at 21st-Century enterprise strategy and what it takes to become a generational business. Listen to the full episode now.
About David Spitz and ChannelAdvisor: David Spitz is the CEO of ChannelAdvisor (NYSE:ECOM). He has been with the organization since 2006 and has served as CEO for the past six years. ChannelAdvisor has been on the front lines of e-commerce since 2001, helping retailers and brands connect with customers, optimize operations and grow sales channels. The corporation has grown from a small company in a young industry to an industry leader at the forefront of a global revolution — with thousands of clients and billions of dollars in transactional revenue flowing through their platform every year. In 2018, they drove $10 billion in sales for customers. (For more information, go to www.channeladvisor.com).
