When KPMG asked Charlie Wood to take a look into another business, he never imagined or planned on becoming its CEO. Over the past two years, Wiise has tripled its revenue and is thriving under Wood’s leadership.
Wood will be speaking at the upcoming Forbes Australia Growth Forum on how to use the right go-to-market strategy to achieve sustainable and durable development in 2023. Secure your seat here.
During the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic, Wood was working as a strategic advisor to KPMG High Growth Ventures, which connects Australian startups with professional services. Wood was asked to take a look into another business owned by KPMG called Wiise, as its CEO was about to relocate overseas.
Wiise is an ERP enterprise resource planner for mid-market companies in Australia and New Zealand. It is built on Microsoft and can be used by businesses of any size.
Over the next few weeks, Wood undertook a benchmarking evaluation and produced an 80-page strategy document that set out where the business currently stood, and its potential growth trajectory over the medium term. He applied principles by WinningByDesign, where he had been managing director since August 2020. WinningByDesign is a global B2B revenue consulting and training company that enables recurring revenue teams to architect sustainable growth.
To say that Wood’s report was well received would be an understatement: he was asked to become the CEO of Wiise.
“It started out as a consulting engagement and it certainly wasn’t my plan to become the CEO of Wiise. But it has been terrific,” he says.
Wood stepped back from operational duties at WinningByDesign to take up the role of CEO.
Over the past two years, Wiise has tripled its revenue and average revenue per user (ARPU) has grown by 85%. Progress is on track to add 60% year-on-year revenue to the top line.
Wood attributes the success to applying WinningByDesign’s go-to-market principles to different facets of the business, from account-based marketing to customer success. WinningByDesign takes a scientific and models-based approach to building a go-to market strategy.
“It’s more than sales training or boutique consulting. It’s actually an operating system or a model for your SAAS business,” says Wood.
It has 600 customers in 13 countries, some of which include Dropbox, Asana, UberEats, KPMG and Mural. Part of its strength is in the degree to which it is tailored to a specific business.
“Don’t let the days or the weeks slip by… seizing the moment is so important.”
Charlie Wood
“We plot the ideal journey for a customer at the individual level, and then work out how much revenue is needed,” he says.
“From that figure, we determine how many customers are needed, how many leads need to be generated to get them, and how much to spend on marketing. We build the picture of a science-based model to describe the entire go-to market strategy.”
As well as leveraging the IP of WinningByDesign, Wood draws on his twenty-five years in the technology industry across business leadership, venture capital investing, strategic consulting, marketing and product management. He has founded two start-ups and mentored numerous others.
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Originally from the United Kingdom, he worked for Microsoft in New Zealand before moving to its headquarters in Seattle. In 2008 he and his family moved to Sydney, where he founded a company that was subsequently acquired by Salesforce.
Wood has a passion for building teams and operating fast-growth businesses.
“I love my work at Wiise because it’s a good intellectual challenge – ERP is complex stuff,” he says. “It’s been fun to rebuild the business around some new principles.”
“And having the backing of a great investor like KPMG means that during a time like now when it’s particularly difficult to raise money, I’ve got an evergreen balance sheet investor. We have a mutual plan for the next few years. For me, it is important to be a trustworthy custodian of that investment.”
Two habits contribute to Wood’s success: a sense of urgency and acknowledging the need to unplug and take breaks. Every year he trains for a physical challenge, whether it be an expedition in the Himalayas, a trip to Antarctica or an ultra-marathon.
“Don’t let the days or the weeks slip by,” he says. “That’s the thing that always surprises people when they come to work with me. If you tell someone on Tuesday that you will meet up with them on Thursday, call them today instead. Seizing the moment is so important.”
Forbes Australia Growth Forum
Today, business leaders are under mounting pressure to deliver growth, while market conditions – from the economy to talent and technology costs, are making it harder than ever before.
So how do the market leaders navigate all of these challenges and deliver unbelievable growth results? The Forbes Australia Growth Forum was set up to answer this.
You can book your ticket to the Forum here.
