Co-founder and CEO G2, Godard Abel: Finding Opportunity in Challenging Times

After rescuing his first startup BigMachines from the brink of bankruptcy and building it to positive cash flow, Godard Abel thought the express lane of life was opening up to him. But after the board replaced him as CEO, Godard — now the CEO of B2B tech buying firm G2 — found himself on a rocky road for 10 years. He had all the money he could want, but also overwhelming fear, anxiety, and depression. To break out of this funk, Godard says he had to embrace presence and reckon with why entrepreneurship called him.

In this episode, Godard and Joubin discuss the mental benefits of running, Silicon Valley during the dotcom boom, ex-Apple CEO John Sculley and “scale at all costs,” turning around a failing startup, a young founder’s “FU mentality,” Jim Dethmer and conscious leadership, the importance of “wallowing in the muck,” the best part about entrepreneurship, WFIO moments, and the advantage of getting older.

In this episode, we cover:

• The first company Godard co-founded, BigMachines (09:00)
• The race to IPO as soon as possible, and the “dot bomb” bubble (18:41)
• Rock bottom for BigMachines: “I felt like a massive failure every day” (23:20)
• How Godard lost the CEO job: A “Trojan horse” swap (26:55)
• Financial success and debilitating anxiety (32:30)
• Conscious leadership, being present, and embracing one’s emotions (36:12)
• Godard’s redemption: Joining, building, and selling SteelBrick (42:55)
• How often are you happy? (51:05)
• The humbling moments of starting G2, and staying an entrepreneur (53:35)

Links:

• Connect with Godard
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: godard@g2.com
• Connect with Joubin
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: grit@kleinerperkins.com
• Learn more about Kleiner Perkins
• This episode was edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm