One. And welcome everybody to another smart money Circle update. I'm Adam sorry--and with me today is a very special guest dr. TJ Jiang who's co-founder and CEO of f point. And we've got a lot to talk about today. I'm very excited that ticker symbol for everybody. That's following is a v PT. Without further Ado, dr. TJ, welcome to the show. Thank you for having me on the show, Adam, I always like to ask you tell us a little about your journey and how you got to where you are today?
Yeah. So I was always a computer science engineer. First job out of school was at loosen Bell Labs. That's where I met. My co-founder Chi goal and then I went to work on Wall, Street was writing trading systems that don't ship bank and then the Lehman Brothers and I 11, was it event that's forever important in my life. My office 40th floor of World Trade Center one. That's yeah. Change of course. Directory for me. So for instead of, you know, staying in Wall Street and work
on very nice paying job. I went back to grad school, I went to NYU business school first, the MBA, but then changed to the Ph.D program for data mining and machine learning and then started this business a point along with my other co-founder Kai. And it's been a great journey ever since now. Twenty one year later, we are a public company and we're still So very much passion about what we do, and very, very excited about our future. Congratulations. That's an awesome story.
So, for people that are not familiar with that point, can you please get those little about the business and what you guys do? Yeah iPod today is the largest third-party SAS data management and governance platform for Microsoft cloud. So, sassy software-as-a-service were truly Global wearing 18 countries, servicing customers around. 100 countries, we operate, mostly in the Regulated
industry. So folks like governments Banks, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, who really care about who has access to what when and where so it's really that data, security and lifecycle management data that we really have this Cloud platform to help companies manage and since we have gone through sass from on-prem world because this company has been around for 21 years and SAS hasn't been around for that
long. We are now available to a lot of SMB businesses as well, so we just seemed very, very new, various new Avenue for growth to help more and more consumers. And now Partners, as well as managed service providers to again secure and Governor data in Cloud. I love it. That's fantastic. So TJ, let's talk about risk since obviously Cloud risk data,
it all intertwined. And that's pretty much the golden thread, if you will of what you see, what problems you guys solve, and how the value, you offer your clients key, talk to me a little about risk management and how you handle risk and what mistakes, you see, people make with respect to risk management. Yeah, I think risk is a necessary part if it's a quintessential part of business
as well as his life, my advice. And what I live by a stoolie into risk in business with say, the only constant in business is change. So instead of I see some folks, typically risk-aware averse are, make the conservative decisions. But you know what? Adam in businesses, the ones that thrive other one that's actually making unconventional moves. And the contrary I move if we're well to essentially differentiate themselves from others. So as an entrepreneur we are
eternal optimist. We go through the ups and downs and we lean in to risk. The key part of those is not just full heartedly lead to risk, its to stay, I don't keep your fingers and toes all on the ground talk to Us know how the market shifting? I spend much of my time travel to different parts of the world, talk to customers, talk to Partners, talk to my management, and employees. And so I have paws on where the market is going.
So that way you can kind of forecast and see how the market shifting as a way to manage your risk. So don't shy away from risk getting into it, manage its to stay agile and be able to Pivot and that's key to yes. I love that. Yeah, leaning into risk is so powerful because most people look at it and pain and they kind of they want to run away from it, but then it hit some anyway in there, just not prepared.
Okay, wonderful. So let's talk about the company, a lot of people interested in the stock as well. So he tells us some of your competitive advantages, please. Yeah, so a point, we started our pedigree on-prem world is what this Microsoft Enterprise content management platform called SharePoint. So our pedigree has always been Enterprise content management. What does that mean?
That means we actually look at business data from the birth the creation to also all the way to the, you know, disposal. So the entire life cycle of business data. So that means collecting and connecting different systems cloud-to-cloud home from to Cloud. Um, and also ready focus on the entire life cycle. So that platform play in. Today's Cloud world is very unique, so we don't have a singular competitor.
We have Point competitors. So for example, we do data migration integration, then we also do business continuity, situation of data, backup data archiving and we also do license management, entitlement management and Cloud usage man. Judgment so that we can save customers money from cloud over you overage that type of scenarios. And of course, from a compliance and data privacy perspective, have record management and compliance solutions to look at
data privacy. So from that perspective, we don't Point competitors in each of these phases at talked about in terms of that data lifecycle management. So we win by being a platform player. Now, it's really interesting. We historically are very strong. The Enterprise space because Enterprise truly care about these things. Think of you know IBM's and Goldman Sachs and American Express, but very interesting.
Once we make the solutions SAS there, a lot more accessible because we're software as a service, we're running it or operating it, we're securing it. So customer just have to point to their Microsoft cloud, tenant, and then off where to the racist also many, many small businesses are coming to us these small businesses There are five men no architect firms or
ten. Men leading law firms are also coming to us so that we see expansion not from only enterprise process and B, and we're doing this globally and that's also another very unique aspect of us. So most software companies, even look at Salesforce or 75 percent Revenue come from USA for us. We're quite Global. We kind of mirror what? Microsoft's Revenue distribution. Of course, they're massive organization. But for us, 45 percent of our
business is north. And the 55% is evenly split between Western Europe and the tier one software marketing Asia, like Japan Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore. So, yeah, so that also, that Global flavor to this companies, as also quite unique. I love that. That's, that's really fantastic. So TJ, let's talk about some Timeless lessons. You've learned along the way, you've had a remarkable story. Started off shifted, your career went back to grad, school to become built.
The company. Took it public, and here you are now. CEO, and co-founder so talk. If you can talk to us a little bit about some of the Timeless lessons, you've learned along the way that you'd like to share with the audience. Yeah, that's there's so many heartaches along the way. I often give these talks in Business Schools and talk about entrepreneurship. A lot of people just think, you know, entrepreneurship, it's just the, the only way to go for me.
It's You know, it's a lifestyle. It's a completely different Life Choices. Entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart. It's actually most 99.999% time it's really, really hard. It's truly a 24 by 7 job but my advice to people is life is Journey in life is a marathon you know everyone can be successful in their own right and have very fulfilling lives. It's focused on that part of a
focus on the journey. Don't don't you know be too stressed out and don't Um, you know, be too hard on yourself sometimes when you go through of sickos are when the market changes for you. You know, it's about how you re make yourself through that Journey, whether it's creating a company or whether it's developing your career or whether you rascal, you know, just enjoy the journey. That is to sure Adam. Yeah, I love that. It's such a great parallel to my own journey and enjoy the ride
is so, so powerful. Okay. What are some Timeless mistakes you've made? Or you've seen people make and how do you recommend? People avoid them. So I have five really young kids and sometimes I found that. So I often read a story books to them when they go to sleep, I actually glowing a lot more truth from these children's books. So the hair versus turtle story, it's one I read to them a lot. And I recognize that it's actually really good Parable on life. So don't rush it.
I think a lot of folks, It's you know work hard try to go for immediate return immediate results and then once they get to a certain stage, they kind of, you know, kind of hit a plateau or just enjoy life. And or, you know, just take a more conservative risk-averse approach. Whereas I said, hey actually from this principle of life is a journey lifelong, you know, growth mindset hundreds. A hundred times, the turtle will be there, you know, slow and
steady, always win the race. And the race is actually a lifelong one. So that's what I now, teach me the kids and that's the lesson I can also learn from it, so it's like, yeah. So there are things, you know, you want to win this so bad and you want to get to it. But you know what? Actually, oftentimes patience and persistence and perseverance is the best way to go. And then, just keep going on. Yeah, I love that.
I have young kids too, and it's amazing to me how much I've learned about adults by just, Looking at children and their interactions and and how they behave and so on and so forth. It's really really unbelievable. I love that story. Yeah, thank you for sharing that TJ. All right, so What makes a great leader. That's a great question. So for me personally, it's about
servant leadership. That means we have to do the things that we ask people to do. So at a point where very flat organization, I never have executive assistant. I said, hey, there's technology for that if you need to book a time. I'm calendar, Etc. Just let's do that, right? So, so we we are flowered ization. We don't Like to have other people do things that we can do ourselves. We Empower people, so that they can get to the next level.
So, we always looking to develop next-generation leaders. But first and foremost is servant leadership. So don't act like a big boss is, you know, no job is too low for Senior Management, especially for CEO, Jose. CEO is actually the chief on a washer cheap entertainment officer as well as a chief executive officer. You have to all of it right in tough times. You have to be the cheap charity.
Aitor. You know in really tough times, you have to jump in and do the work talk to a client, right? The proposals review, the deals and work the negotiations. So I think that people see it and people follow because that gives you credibility, you're not just a talking head that just says do podcasts all day long, right? But actually out there doing the hard yards with, you know, everybody and that instils. So much, you know, confidence.
And and and, you know, essentially we're in this together, so I think that works really well for me. Yeah, love that. That's really, really good. I have a very similar approach in my leadership style as well. Let's talk about some obstacles because like you said, everybody, this Journeys is bumps along the way. Let's talk about some obstacles. One that you feel. You want to share a story that you faced and then how do you
overcome that? In other words, turn lemons into lemonade or look at the bright side of it. Oh boy, there is many many obstacles. I think some of the advice I hear is, you know, problems, never as bad as you think. So, you know, is there's just so many stories to tell there. So I wash everyone's here with
you. Adam, when we first started we were just too when, you know, two guys in Jersey, my co-founder, For three years, he quoted summer said like Public Library, his wife kicked him out of the house because he, you know, he would just so stubborn. He wants to do this business and his wife is like, go get a real job, right?
And and I was in grad school. So we went to Morgan Stanley to because at the time we were the only one offering data backup solution in this thing called Microsoft SharePoint. And they said, hey, we'd like your product. We tested, it works everything. But you know what? Because we're not. Bank, where Wall Street, what if you're not run next year? And I had to say, well, if you buy our software, we will be remains here. That's awesome. That's awesome.
It's, it's those Catch-22 situations in the early days of starting a business that's really, really handy and you just have to slog through and be very, very optimistic and you know, just punch through it. And I often tell a lot of entrepreneurs, you have to have the mindset of hey, not bad. Being able to make any money for three years and can you still do it? You know, can you still convinced yourself and be passionate enough to pursue this route? Because most people think about,
you know, Texas success. They think about Snapchat, they think about, you know, they think about Facebook, Etc. Almost instant overnight success. You know, what 99.999% of the companies are not overnight successes, right? I love that. So, okay, if you thought come to mind their one, did you get the account? You're assuming you did but we actually did not get that account. Oh, so that's why. Yeah, but you know what, we did get at the same time it was funny.
So kind of my my co-founder he he didn't have enough. Do I need to go to these trade show so there's our suspect ratio in New Jersey. So what he did is he went to the parking lot and print out flyers and every car put on every and then one guy called him. I still remember to this day, our very first customer Edward will be the A SharePoint admin at the utility company PSE&G and, you know, and give us a chance just from a flyer on his car in a parking lot at a tration. I love that.
That is so awesome. Admittedly I've done Flyers. Also on cars. It's very effective but let's talk about some of the growth standpoint. First off Have you always been an optimist or did that come after success? I have always be off this. I don't love it. I'm just curious. Yeah, I think it takes a special mindset to be entrepreneur because not, it's not something that's, you know, that works for everyone, obviously. Right? Otherwise, everyone would be entrepreneurs, right?
I think I'm always been off the missed that just my personality. I love it. So I've noticed I interview lots of CEOs and big money managers and one of the themes from the very start Successful this more money if you will, the whole point of the show is for money, circle is to learn. And one of the similarities is that optimism, the unbridled optimism being able to look at problems. Instead of as something negative that can, you know, hurt you.
A kind of thing is opportunities that can help you and I love that the optimism inside of you is magnetic. I feel it. So let's talk about somewhere where along the way, how did you come up with the idea that the backup? SharePoint. I'm very familiar the problem. How do you see that as an opportunity and then decide to make the company? That's a great question, Adam. So we started now, you share point. We started in exchange and back.
Then, this is 2001 2002, when you're in B2B software, we decide to pick P2P software, you're literally shipping. See these two people. So nobody would buy CD from like a guy and a half in New Jersey that they never heard of nobody likes. And also seeing space is pretty crowded, and then Microsoft came out. With this thing called Lake Tahoe project. So we say, hey actually use the same backup data for my said the data structure, same schema same.
Let's just support it. Even though we know nothing about it and there's still nobody bought some / and then a year later Microsoft came out with the second version. This was back in the day, along from software. We're always the first version of Microsoft product is not gray. Second version is getting better, right? So they can have a second version. We went to a trade show, which is a table cloth on the table. And then Microsoft, I attended
this migration session. So Microsoft said, hey we have the new version, the data schema is to SQL database, everything is completely different so there's no migration path from first version the second version so of course you know their biggest customers and partners like HP and Dell said hey we're believing you. Now you're leaving us high and dry and there I saw an opportunity because we were studying the back and formats. We knew the data structure.
We knew we can pack up, thereby, we can actually migrate and do them. Being even though at that moment with a product. So I raise my hand and say, hey we can migrate you come over to our table, of course. Everyone started coming over. We're just printing Flyers everywhere again around the conferences and then that included the person that came over was Microsoft head of SharePoint development. Team gentlemen, been named ft /.
He said you have a product with. Yeah, so come and show me Redmond, we coded the product over the weekend, nice. I flew over. Over to Seattle took the cheapest possible. Connecting flight. Yeah, brought his PC power because he's too poor to have a laptop plug into CRT monitor show that a worked, a deathlike rate. We're going to start referring customer to you. Nice. So HP Dell Infamous, and that's what, you know, change, our trajectory got it. I love that.
So it's like that. When lightning strikes, it's you want to be there to capture that. That's fantastic. So TJ. Yeah, to be lucky and you have to see the opportunity and you have to continue to roll with it. Yeah. And be Innovative because you literally didn't have anything but you coated over the weekend and it worked so be there and be ready because yeah, that's really powerful. Let's wrap up here TJ with what's the best advice you can share with your 30 year old
self. Wow. That's uh, that's always a very tough question for best piece of advice. Let me give you more than one. How about that? I would say. Again, for our earlier conversation, you know, life is a marathon. You just have to enjoy the journey and pace yourself because I actually start running marathon after. I turned 40 nice, my check on my bucket list, item was to run the Habit. Six the six major Marathon around the world. I finally did that last year finished.
Well, done with Boston. So, so, you know, bringing the new meaning, to me, running marathons. So, when I was eating the earlier days in my 30s, I always worry too much about what's ahead. I would tell myself, you know, just part of the pleasure and joy is the journey. I still thinking about early days of a point when we had literally nothing and we were traveling to different cities and just pitching and pitching. All the time and hustling. And now, thinking back to it.
It's all nothing but fun memories. And that time, I'm pretty sure I was pretty stressed out. I always think him, are we going to be making next year or not? Right? So I think is, you know, hey, just trust yourself, be, you know, confident, State agile, lean to the risk and enjoy the journey and I just not easy, but, of course, you know, now, you know, looking back and saying that is easy for me to say that.
But, of course, in that time, I was, I think a lot of times more, you know, stressed out than enjoying the journey got, you know, I love that. So TJ, you're still young and you've got a long path in front of you talk about enjoying the journey, but now that you've made it so to speak where you don't have to worry about the next meal and or the flight, it's like Maslow's hierarchy of needs, right? So, okay, you now further up the the self-actualization type
thing. What other items Items gives you Joy or gives you passion besides the running the business creating things. Can you speak to that a little bit? Because I know a lot of people they want to make it. They try so hard, they're on that Journey, they struggle, they've got that stress but then they get to a certain point where it's like, Now what? And then they want to climb the next Mountain. Can you speak to that a little bit? Because that would be very helpful if you don't mind.
Yeah, so I joined this organization called YPO. So Young Presidents organization. It's all about lifelong. Learning a growth mindset. So it's organization of full other entrepreneurs. Professional managers family office, folks, who have certain
sized businesses. It's life-changing for me and I've learned so much from that to uncover my own blind spots and also to To learn from others about how to overcome different challenges and also matter, to to the community that, that you live in, make a difference to the people, the community that you work in. So that that has been life-changing for me. And also, what I want to do growing up as a platform is to elevate the next level leaders and have them to go through that.
Experience. And for example, we one of our very unique aspect of my point is we have offices in 18, countries and predominantly. Oh, the heads of business in each country, are the folks from those countries. Nice. So we don't send, you know, like all Americans to run the show. We actually, you know, in Japan Japanese, all the senior manager, all Japanese in Australia, Australia in German all German. So Ginger me all German said that that kind of thing.
So we actually Trying to truly localize their approach to be successful in the platform. We built in the process. We're elevating these new generation of entrepreneurs if you will to be successful. And to we, we try to Foster this startup mentality and Entrepreneurship across our platforms. For also, for example, recently, we did a edtech vertical Focus spin out, it has its own CEOs
and its own funding. And so growing fantastically, well take advantage of this This remote education, technology, boom! That happened, party trigger by covid. So, all those things allow us to essentially creme or unicorns in the process, so that that's been quite a joy and project for me. I love that. That's awesome. Well, TJ, thank you so much, for your help for coming on today and sharing your thoughts are very helpful. Ticker symbols.
A VP T have point eight and hopefully teacher will speak to you again soon. This is really really enjoyable. Thank you, Adam. Thank you for having me on your show. Happy Holidays. Happy Holidays to you. Thank you, Adam. Thank you for having me on your show. Happy Holidays. Happy Holidays to you.