This is a fireside chat between Aleks Shamis, Managing Partner @ s16vc, and David Vismans, ex-CPO @ Booking & a product development & strategy advisor. David led the product function during Booking’s stage of hypergrowth, and later on transitioned into advisory practice. Notably, David first introduced executive-level coaching at Booking.com. As an advisor, he works with scale-ups to define their flywheel, identify primary growth drivers, establish related KPIs, and optimize organizational structure. Among his clients is Fiverr, as well as TravelTech startup Omio, car park operator ParkBee, car rental startup Virtuo, and others. In this interview, we explore David’s thoughts on advising.

What’s covered:

• What help did David get as he grew into a CPO of Booking?
• How did Booking leverage advising?
• How did David start his advisory practice?
• What types of companies are best suited for advising?
• What does the process of advising look like: general vs. specific questions, format, cadence?
• David’s legendary Flywheel framework explained in one minute
• Does the law of diminishing returns apply to advising engagements? If so, what is the optimal duration for an engagement?
• What does success look like in advising?
• Does an advisor feel more accountable for the success of the person, or for the success of the company?
• Is it important for an advisor to believe in the success of the company?
• What is the optimal fee structure for an advisor’s accountability / skin in the game and a company’s motivation?
• One final piece of advice for founders from David

What help did David get growing into a CPO of Booking?