E12: Customer Obsession Meets Unit Economics: Product-Finance Harmony w/ Gusto's CPO Tomer London

In this episode, Tomer London, co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Gusto, shares insights into aligning product and finance teams for responsible growth. He dives deep into the frameworks and practices Gusto employed to make trade-offs between core products, expansion opportunities, and moonshot ideas - all while maintaining a relentless focus on customer needs and healthy unit economics. Tomer discusses Gusto's thoughtful, iterative approach to product development, avoiding the pitfalls of pursuing growth at all costs. He provides a candid look into Gusto's fundraising philosophy and managing the product-finance relationship through the company's evolution from startup to industry leader. 🔥 Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj This show is a part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: https://www.turpentine.co Get Turpentine Finance directly in your inbox. Subscribe to our newsletter at https://turpentine-finance.beehiiv.com/ and receive key takeaways from each episode -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ Second Opinion - A new podcast for health-tech insiders from Christina Farr of the Second Opinion newsletter. Join Christina Farr, Luba Greenwood, and Ash Zenooz every week as they challenge industry experts with tough questions about the best bets in health-tech. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1759267211 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A8NwQE976s32zdBbZw6bv 📈 ECON 102 W/ NOAH SMITH - Keeping econ entertaining - Noahpinion author Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg break down business news and politics every week. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Mos4VE3figVXleHDqfXOH Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/id1753399812https://podcasts.apple.com/id1753399812 --- SPONSORS: ATTIO 📊 Attio is the next generation of CRM. It’s powerful, flexible and easily configures to the unique way your startup runs, whatever your go-to-market motion. The next era deserves a better CRM. Join ElevenLabs, Replicate, Modal and more at https://bit.ly/attioturpentine NETSUITE 📈 NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen - NetSuite has extended a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program for a few more weeks. COMMANDBAR 🦾 Level up your ineffective website chatbot with CommandBar. CommandBar builds a new type of web assistant which delivers highly personalized responses, real time co-browsing, and can perform actions on behalf of the users. Learn how Hashicorp, Gusto, Freshworks and more use CommandBar at https://commandbar.com/moz BABBEL 🌐 Ready to achieve your 2024 goals? Start learning a new language with Babbel in just three weeks. Enjoy app lessons, live classes, and podcasts designed for real-world conversations. Get up to 60% off at https://babbel.com/torenberg LINKS: gusto.com X/SOCIAL @sashaorloff @tomerlondon TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (01:25) Landing on Payroll (03:46) Payroll as a Wedge (05:20:)The Importance of Emotional Pain Points (07:23) Dream Big, Make it Real (13:06) The Three Horizons Framework (15:07) The Importance of Product & Finance Alignment (17:08) Sponsor: NetSuite | Attio (21:00) Milestones and Accountability (24:00) Killing Products (28:30) Staying Focused Amidst Competition (30:39) Sponsor: beehiiv | Babbel (34:00) Fundraising Strategy (36:46) Evolving Thinking on Profitability (40:25) The Power of Customer Connection (42:00) The Future of Gusto (43:12) Wrap