Lisa is the founder of Great Catch Consulting, where she works with a myriad of mostly B2B technology businesses, from pre-seed to mature growth stages, on creation or refinement of key go-to-market strategies and tools. Lisa has built and grown Marketing & Product teams and strategies for early- and growth-stage businesses for 20 years. She has the experience to confidently anticipate and navigate the go-to-market challenges that will come for all growing businesses as they strive to reach their full potential. Lisa is inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit and only knows how to go all-in when partnering with those attempting to build and grow something meaningful.
What do you think are the biggest changes most impacting the tech industry in Austin?
The continued influx and growth of large tech firms in Austin (Apple, Google, etc.) is changing our entire landscape. For tech companies, it’s creating an even tougher fight for talent as recruits have more options. Companies, not just in Austin, have to reorient themselves to the experiences that people are now looking for in their jobs. From how career paths are defined, to environment design to accommodate different working styles, we all have to work harder to find ways to nurture and retain great talent.
Where do you see the tech/startup industry in Austin headed 10 years from now?
These are all realistically more my hopes rather than predictions, so take them with a grain of salt:
- Embracing even more Californians. 46% of Bay Area residents plan to move away soon, and Austin is the 5th most cited city that they are targeting as their new home. Basically, our growth is not going to slow and it’s going to be heavily fueled by smart, driven tech employees and investors from the Bay Area.
- Increased diversity in tech verticals. I hope to continue to see the diversity in the industries that our startups are serving. It’s been great to see the rise of tech startups serving real estate, CPG, fintech, healthcare, security and social good, in addition to verticals like hardware, retail/ecommerce and analytics tech that have been foundational in Austin.
- More diversity in our investors and advisors. We have some incredible people who are paving the way (i.e. Kelsey August at CTAN, Sara Brand and Kerry Rupp at TruWealth Ventures, Female Founders Fund), but I hope to see more. And, I hope that we don’t always have to make it us vs. them. Our local VCs will benefit from more diverse people being involved, as will local company boards.
Who or what are you “rooting” for in the tech industry right now? (Anyone or a company you’d like to single out whose work you are appreciating or look forward to hearing more about, etc.)
I’m rooting for an old co-worker turned friend of mine, Beth White, and her business, MeBeBot, an AI and chatbot technology for Human Resources. One, she’s a woman bootstrapping her way to create a business that she believes in wholeheartedly. Two, as an employee to numerous companies over the years, I see so much value in what she’s creating. The solution streamlines employee engagement with a dizzying array of systems and information, helping everyone simply get or give important HR information much easier. Think getting your questions about company holidays answered, getting info on how to change 401K selections or providing updates on your OKR progress simply using a single chatbot embedded in the tools you already use, like Slack or Teams. HR teams are loving it and I hope she’s going to be wildly successful!
How do you most like to stay up to date on tech trends?
I primarily pay attention to the trends that directly affect my work. Given that I’m a marketer, I’m always interested in ways that people are USING tech to have an impact, not just what new stuff is out there. My best sources for that are generally podcasts. Some of my favorites are Tim Ferriss, Flip My Funnel (w/ Sangram Vajre) and the OpenView Build podcast. Having a strong network of other marketers who enjoy sharing successes and failures with new tech is also invaluable, whether over drinks or more formally through organizations, like the CMO Club. For broader tech industry trends, I still love good ole Fast Company.
When you’re not in the office, what can we find you doing?
I am both a homebody and an extravert, so I keep a healthy balance of both in my life. I love being home with my family playing soccer in the front yard or hanging with our neighbors, but I’m also still a longtime Austin girl and love to get out for a live show. The Mohawk is still my favorite venue to hear great music and have an experience. I also support the Andy Roddick Foundation who does amazing work to provide after school opportunities and an amazing summer program for students at some of our east Austin schools. It’s a great foundation with a great mission.
What’s the best piece of personal and/or professional advice you’ve been given?
If what you’re going after doesn’t scare you a little, you’re probably not growing. When I remind myself of this in a moment of, “Holy crap, this better work,” I can usually shift my nervousness to excitement. I’ve grown to trust that when I choose well in who I work with and how we plan, we have a high chance of succeeding. I’ve also grown to see the learning in my failures, some of my best lessons yet!
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