Advice Line with Tope Awotona of Calendly
Guy Raz is joined by Calendly founder Tope Awotona on the final installment of The Advice Line to help four entrepreneurs solve critical growth hurdles. They advise founders on navigating hardware manufacturing margins, structuring operational handoffs before parental leave, scaling boutique service salons without sacrificing family life, and breaking through multi-channel growth plateaus.
- Justin Kittredge grew ISlide for 12 out of 13 years to $5.5 million, but hit a growth plateau by running four separate sales channels with only 10 employees. Read →
- Danni Sarcella reached $100,000 in gross sales in her first four months operating The Nail Room in Greer, South Carolina. Read →
- Dominic took London-based Newlane from zero to $650,000 in year one and is approaching $1 million, but domestic manufacturing in the UK leaves little room for profit. Read →
- Ivana Tay hit an operational wall at Playfield, her dog-walking gear company, while preparing for parental leave. Read →
- Calendly founder Tope Awotona added the Chief Product Officer title to his CEO duties in 2026, 13 years after founding the company, to eliminate bureaucracy and accelerate product development. Read →