Warm Intro #02: Jason Lin and the Power of Being A People-First Person
A series interviewing leaders we admire about what it means to build a great team and how you know you’ve found a fit
Our Warm Intro series interviews leaders who are incredible “connectors” – people magnets who have a knack for seeing the potential in others and connecting them to opportunities. They’re leaders who have built phenomenal teams and know the life-changing impact of an incredible fit. Get inspiration from them about how to find work and teams you love. To receive more interviews like this one, subscribe:
For the second installment of our interview series, we spoke with Jason Lin, an executive marketing and growth leader who was formerly Chief Digital Officer at Vital Proteins (America’s #1 collagen brand), where he achieved 5x e-commerce growth in two years. Jason has over 15 years of experience across both hyper-growth startups (e.g. Upwork, Anker) and Fortune 100s (e.g. Walmart, eBay) and is known from those who have worked with him as a “growth marketing god.” But equally, Jason understands the softer side of marketing and brand: a favorite fun fact about Jason is that he helped name Upwork, when he was a marketing lead there. Prior to that the company was called Elance-Odesk 😉. He now serves as Chief Growth Officer at Nutrabolt, a fast-growing global active health and wellness company.
Jason is informally known as “Connector 0” in the Liftoff connector community, one of the earliest supporters of the company. We talked with him about what it means to him to be a connector, and how he thinks about finding an incredible fit.
— Eleanor
Q: Liftoff is building a community of connectors. What is a connector?
To me, connectors are leaders who have a “people-first, relationship-based” view of the world. More loosely, we’re simply “people people.” We like people. We’re energized when we’re around them. We look for, and try to extend, affirmation to those around us. Because we believe that life is a multi-player game, and we can certainly use the help.
Q: As a connector on Liftoff, you are often opening doors for others and connecting them to incredible opportunities. Who is one person who has opened a door for you and changed your life?
I met Tony Tsai, who launched Febreze at Procter & Gamble in the ‘90s, as a newly minted business school kid at BHG (the Walmart of China) in Beijing. Tony was CMO, and he looked like what I wanted to be in 25 years. While at BHG, he taught me the power of being a people-first person and that how you build relationships brings a deeper level of meaning to work. He cared about me as a person and taught me that mentorship is a two-way street: he pushed me to understand how I added value to our relationship. He inspired me to believe that one day I could be a CMO, and that the way to the top is not by being the best marketer, but by loving and caring for others around you.
Q: Help us fix hiring. What’s a hiring experience or process that you’ve taken inspiration from?
I remember a hiring process once that lasted about four months. Over the course of the process, I really got to know the person doing the hiring. We shared books, our values about life, and lessons from being part of multiple companies with exits. We really connected. Even though I didn’t quite fit into their budget, we wanted to work together, and I was open to reshaping the role to make it work. I ended up joining the company in a fractional capacity. In a way, we co-created the role together, and that led to an outcome that benefitted both sides.
Q: Help people find their fit. How do you think about building teams and creating the conditions for an incredible fit?
I think about two dimensions when I'm hiring someone:
Are you qualified?
Do you want it?
Because if you're qualified, but you don't want it, then I'm going to have to push you.
And if you want it, but you're not qualified, then I'm going to have to coach you.
I can do either one of those, but I prefer not to if I don't have to. What I'd like to coach you on is more on how to be successful in this particular context. I want to teach you how to succeed in this organization. How do you understand the dynamics? That is an art, and I can help you with that. But if I have to spend time helping you understand how Google works and that keywords are important and how you do A/B testing, that's going to take up most of our time.
And if you have both of those qualities, then it comes down to a few other factors:
Teachability, or a willingness to learn
Team (“us” or “we”) mentality, or a willingness to share/teach to help others succeed
Competitive, but with an ambition for the team or organization (not just yourself)
Chemistry with me and fit within the organization
Q: How do you know when you’ve found a fit at work?
I know I’ve found the right fit when I don’t want to sleep in on Monday morning.
Q: Let’s talk about how to create the conditions for teams that people love. You’ve said that one of the highest performing teams you’ve ever been a part of was your team at Vital Proteins. What made that team work so well together? What did it feel like?
The team was assembled during COVID, and we knew that the company’s success was dependent on our success. So the stakes were high. We were a team of high-caliber people who worked together transparently, with a focus on team results, not individual performance. All of us were willing to speak the truth to solve challenges and learn from anyone who had relevant knowledge.
Q: You are an incredible connector. What motivates you to connect people?
It’s my way of doing what I can to help. On a surface level, it feels good because I like helping people. When connecting someone actually bears fruit, I like knowing that I had something to do with that. When you help people, people help you. The world is a lot smaller than we think it is.
Q: What kinds of people and companies can you help to connect?
Growth-based companies gunning for an exit in the near term (3-5 years). I know a lot of great people in Growth and Marketing roles with a focus on Digital, especially for CPG companies.
Q: Is there anyone out there right now who is considering their next gig that you think is a great catch, someone people should be dying to hire?
I know a CMO brand marketer who would be a snag for any company. I also know the absolute best person to optimize your website or perform conversion rate optimization for e-commerce CPG companies.
Looking for a brand or growth marketer? Create a search on Liftoff and send it to Jason.
Thank you, Jason, for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us!
Exclusively for the Liftoff community:
HIGHLIGHTED SEARCHES
The team at Medbill AI has just started hiring for a Founding Senior Product Manager. Medbill just raised a large Seed round, has amazing traction and is now bringing on a pivotal founding PM role—ideally someone with 5-10 yrs of experience. Founded by Oscar Health veterans, they're a consumer AI company solving one of the worst pain points in the healthcare system—navigating medical bills and healthcare plans. The role must be US based on EST. They’re happy to offer $10,000 for helping them to find a fit. If you know people, feel free to suggest them or reshare with other great connectors here.
The team at Tovala has just started hiring for a VP of Marketing. Tovala is a Series C food-tech company with an innovative system of smart hardware and food that enables people to enjoy restaurant-quality meals at home, without the work. They have already achieved profitability and best-in-class retention. They're looking for a well-rounded marketing leader with D2C experience to join them and drive the next level of mass adoption. They’re happy to offer $20,000 for helping them to find a fit. If you know people, feel free to suggest them or reshare with other great connectors here.
The team at Inato has just started hiring for a Sr. Marketing Specialist, Events & Comms. They were recently awarded FastCo’s Most Innovative Companies, and are continuing their mission to make clinical trials accessible to everyone. Their marketing team is a powerhouse and they’re looking for a strong team member who can drive events and communications, broadening to generalist marketing over time. They’re happy to offer $3,000 for helping them to find a fit. If you know people, feel free to suggest them or reshare with other great connectors here.
Liftoff connects you to incredible opportunities and talent, through people you trust. Learn more here.