Ideal Customer Profile Truth Bombs & Numberz Acquistion by Chargebee

Welcome to another episode of Deep Dive! Suresh, our host, and Aditya Tulsian, our guest, delve into the critical role of ICPs and how organizations deal with acquisition journeys. Aditya is a seasoned entrepreneur who founded Numberz, which was acquired by Chargebee, prior to which he held a very important role at Intuit. After an MBA at ISB Hyderabad, launching QuickBooks in India was the experience that revealed a universal truth to him: businesses worry about cash flow, not accounting. In 2016, inspired by these insights, Aditya co-founded Numberz, initially for Indian small businesses, later expanding globally. The company recently got acquired by Chargebee, uniting visionary forces. In the world of startups, understanding the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is like holding the compass that guides the business. The success, failure, or struggles of any company can be traced back to the clarity or confusion they have about the ICP. Aditya and Suresh nail down what it takes to find your perfect ICP, and the struggles and pressures of navigating an acquisition conversation with both the buyer and the team. Key Takeaways:  00:00 - Meet Aditya Tulsian! 07:00 - Finding the perfect ICP - Problem first or person first?  08:13 - Mr. Cook’s billionaire’s business blueprint  09:15 - When Suresh narrowly missed meeting Mr. Cook  11:13 - Nuances of B2B and B2C with ICP  15:15 - Narrowing down customer segments to ICP  17:54 - Your ICP is actually a combination of 3 people  19:09 - How BYJU’S missed the ICP  21:50 - Tally vs Intuit  22:37 - Numberz’s journey with ICP  27:42 - The buyer, user and influencer of Numberz  30:20 - Repercussions of a vague ICP  32:00 - The fundamental difference between Box and Dropbox  33:46 - Product team’s role in finding the ICP  35:00 - The impact of the right ICP on marketing  38:53 - A leader’s job in the organization  39:45 - Critical points to keep in mind during an acquisition  44:16 - Handling uncertainties like a pro during acquisitions  48:44 - Managing your team’s concerns around an acquisition  52:45 - Closing thoughts Key Mentions 01:37 -  Numberz 01:40 - ChargeBee 03:18 - Intuit 03:47 - QuickBooks 10:36 - KissFlow 12:52 - Facebook 19:10 - BYJU’S 21:50 - Tally 32:01 - Box 32:03 - Dropbox 41:43 - Freshworks