Sharing Notes with Wade Foster on Growing Companies

When Wade Foster, CEO of Zapier, joined me for a conversation for Talking Too Loud at INBOUND, it felt like comparing notes from a long journey—one filled with unexpected detours and hard-won lessons. Growing a company is messy. Sometimes, the answers feel obvious, and other times, you’re fumbling in the dark. But the moments that stick are the ones that challenge everything you thought you knew.

Here are three lessons Wade and I couldn’t stop talking loudly about—because they’ve shaped how we lead and grow our companies:

Small Teams, Big Impact

Wade was very open about something I’ve experienced firsthand: when Zapier tried to scale by adding more people to teams, things slowed down instead of speeding up. More voices meant more coordination, more complexity, and fewer results. The solution? Smaller, autonomous teams with clear goals.

At Wistia, I’ve lived this. A small, focused team with the right mission can move mountains. It’s like a speedboat cutting through water—small enough to pivot and powerful enough to reach the goal fast.

Data Can’t Do It All

Wade and I talked about the pitfalls of relying too much on data. I’ll make an analogy that feels fitting, taking inspiration from Formula 1: no matter how good the simulators and wind tunnels are, they can’t replicate a driver’s instincts. In business, it’s the same. Data is your guide, but intuition—those gut feelings—leads to significant, creative breakthroughs.

At Wistia, our boldest moves didn’t always come with a perfect spreadsheet. They came from trusting a hunch, following an idea, and being willing to take a risk.

Be True to What Makes You Unique

Wade reflected on a moment at Zapier when they leaned too heavily on “best practices.” The result? It didn’t work. They realized their success came from doing things their way—small teams, unique processes, and an unapologetic focus on what set them apart.

At Wistia, we’ve been there, too. Early on, we turned down a deal with HBO that didn’t align with our vision. Saying no felt risky at the time, but it kept us true to who we were—and that’s made all the difference.

Conversations like the one I had with Wade remind me that growing a company isn’t about finding a universal playbook. It’s about writing your own, learning from others, and sticking to what makes your business unique.

I’ll keep sharing what I’m learning, and I hope you will, too.

-Chris