Podium SuccessStory

Although bigger companies and large corporations don’t see the need of using review management tools, startups and companies venturing into different industries will need simple yet effective tools that make their presence known in the market; Podium is one of them. 

Although Podium is not the first company to create a platform that centers around customer reviews, it’s the first company that makes it simple for businesses, specifically the easy-to-use and customizable functionality and the integration to other channels such as Google, Facebook, TripAdvisor, and Nextdoor, among others.    

There is reason why Podium has racked numerous awards over the years, including being named in the Top SMB Products, Highest Satisfaction Products, Top Marketing Products, Fastest Growing Solutions and Best Solutions for Small Business lists in G2’s annual Best Software Awards. The company is a definition of ingenuity in a time of constant digital evolution and ever-changing customer needs.

Despite still being considered a startup, Podium is already serving to more than 45,000 local businesses and have powered to over 17 million transactions since its inception. The company also employs no less than 1,000 workers across three offices in the US, Australia, and Brazil.

History

In the early 2010s, co-founder Eric Rea decided to build a company that makes it easy for business owners to interact with customers based on customer reviews. His decision to start Podium stemmed from receiving a phone call from his father whose tire shop only received feedback from angry customers.

By 2014, Rea, together with co-founder Dennis Steele, started developing the software at their respective homes. In less than three years, Podium had obtained Series A and Series B funding, while also opening an office in Perth, Australia.

The company opened its Utah headquarters in 2018 and was listed in the Forbes: The Cloud 100 as well as in the Forbes Next Billion-Dollar Setup. In 2019, the company opened its second office outside the US, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.                

After receiving numerous accolodes including five in the 2020 G2 Best Software Awards, the company was also named as one of the world’s most innovative companies by American business magazine Fast Company.    

Founder

Podium is founded by Eric Rea and Dan Steele. Both graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Both are still with the company up to this day, with Rea serving as Podium’s Chief Executive Officer.

Understanding that startups can die faster than they actually grow, Rea implemented several strategies when it comes to recruitment and employee productivity. Taking note to one of Snapchat’s core values “murder drama”, Rea intends Podium to be a drama-free office by undertaking applicants to numerous psychological tests.  Rea also encourages employees to play video games at work, even setting up daily tournaments where employees are segregated by teams.  

Revenue

Podium earned $42.5 million in 2018. The company is currently valued at more than $1 billion.  

Competition

Being involved in the review or reputation management platform industry and generally in the tech industry, Podium faces competition from a number of companies. Among these companies are BirdEye, Reputation.com, Broadly, and Vivocha.

BirdEye and Broadly are two of Podium’s biggest competitors. According to their website, BirdEye is catering to over 60,000 businesses. Broadly is also a popular choice among customers, gaining mostly positive reviews since being established in 2013.  

As more companies are looking for ways to increase revenue through customer engagement, there should simple yet reliable tools that are readily available. Podium has become one of these tools, already aiding more than 45,000 businesses since its inception and is looking to assist thousands more in the years to come.