How To Defend Your Dream Against All Odds: Alex Bouzari, CEO of DataDirect Networks (Part 7)

Sramana: What is your vision going forward? What comes next?

Alex Bouzari: At this point, the opportunity and challenge are that we are in a market that is broader and moving faster than any other market in storage. We have the right technology, and it is differentiated. We have the right partners and we have great customer references. We are at the point where we need to scale the business. It is blocking and tackling. We need to put salespeople in place, and we need a solid lead generation program to feed them and our channel partners.

We need to make sure we have the right customer satisfaction pieces in place to ensure we get repeat business. We must have the right management team in place in order to fuel that growth. It is all about process and execution at this point. We know that in order to take this company to the billion-dollar mark that we need the management team that has done it before.

I had a meeting with our management team in September of last year and I told them that I had good news and bad news. The good news is was that we are in a phenomenal market with everything we need to succeed in building a billion-dollar company. The bad news is that had to tell them that none of them were going to be the top people in that organization. I explained that we were going to add a layer on top of them because now it is all about execution and we need to minimize risk. We need people who have done it before, who have successfully operated within the various functional areas of the company at that level.

Initially, people had a problem with it and wanted to know why I would not give them the chance. That is when I reminded them that they are all shareholders and that what is important is to have fun. What is important are the financial rewards that come with it. If you think of this decision from a shareholder perspective, then you will agree that a management team that has done it before reduces risks tremendously. Within a couple of months most of the members of our management team came back and said that my decision makes sense. That does not mean they love it, but they understand that it is in the best interest of the company.

We hired Jean-Luc Chatelain as our executive vice president of strategy and technology. Since his arrival, we have significantly beefed up our software engineering organization. We have started putting together a team to look at strategic acquisitions to help fill some gaps in our product line going forward. We hired Erwan Menard as our chief operating officer who was running Communications and Media Solutions at HP. He had full P&L of that $750 million business unit. We hired Chris O’Meara as our CFO; he has done a successful IPO and a bunch of successful acquisitions. We hired Nicole Green as the vice president of human resources. She has seen a company grow from $500 million to $5 billion.

We needed to put in a leadership team and some layers of management, but we needed to do this in a way that maintains who we are and what has made us successful. We have been successful because of our high velocity, customer-centric approach, and our passion. We needed to add process, predictability, and repeatability to our success formula. That is where we are today. It is an exciting time for the company. We are transitioning from a smaller company to a larger company.

Sramana: Have you maintained control over the company, or do you have outside investors?

Alex Bouzari: We have one angel investor who came in at the very beginning. My partner and I control the company. That has really given us the ability to do the things that are right for the company. We are bringing in seasoned professionals to our board. We are focusing on build-up and execution. We think what lies ahead is easier than figuring out how to invent technology or landing our first 800-pound partner.

Sramana: This is a brilliant story. You have navigated this masterfully. I look forward watching your companies success.

This segment is part 7 in the series : How To Defend Your Dream Against All Odds: Alex Bouzari, CEO of DataDirect Networks
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