No Shortcuts: How BONANA Earned HubSpot’s Customer-First Award in Under 2 Years

Summary

Owning the Outcome: No Shortcuts - How BONANA Earned HubSpot’s Customer-First Award in Under 2 Years

Host: Sarah McDevitt, Sr. Director of Partner Strategy, HubSpot
Guest: JC Teeling, Co-Founder of BONANA
Release Date: June 18, 2025

Introduction

In this compelling episode of Owning the Outcome, Sarah McDevitt delves into the remarkable journey of BONANA, a burgeoning business tech partner that secured HubSpot’s prestigious Customer-First Award in the EMEA region within just two years. JC Teeling, BONANA's co-founder, shares insights into their strategic approach, unwavering commitment to customer success, and the integration of AI to drive innovation in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

The BONANA Story and Business Focus

Transcript Overview: JC Teeling recounts his eight-plus years within the HubSpot ecosystem, transitioning from a user and agency professional to founding BONANA alongside Rohir. BONANA was conceived to fill a noticeable gap in the market—there was a lack of business tech agencies focusing on digital mature companies within their region.

Key Points:

Foundation and Growth: BONANA was established to cater to mature businesses needing strategic, senior partners capable of aligning people, processes, data, and technology.
Three Pillars of Service:
- Strategy: Focuses on go-to-market strategies rather than just marketing, encompassing sales and service strategies.
- Digital: Involves building websites, customer portals, and integrating platforms like Shopify.
- Revenue DevOps: The largest pillar, dealing with marketing, sales, and service operations.

Notable Quote:

“If you want to build an agency and you love doing it around tech, like build your business around HubSpot and all of the tools that are associated to HubSpot.”
— JC Teeling [00:00]

Achieving the Customer-First Award

Transcript Overview: BONANA's recognition came unexpectedly, with Sarah mentioning that they were informed of the award around August. The award signifies BONANA's excellence in retaining revenue and maximizing customer impact without relying on short-term growth hacks.

Key Points:

Focus on Existing Clients: Emphasis on helping existing HubSpot clients extract more value from the platform, leading to increased upsells and cross-sells.
Experienced Team: A team of seasoned consultants with deep roots in the HubSpot ecosystem ensures high client satisfaction.
Customer Happiness: Achieving a 99.9% client satisfaction rate by enhancing clients’ use of HubSpot.

Notable Quote:

“We had such a fun project, we had a super good dynamic and at some point we kept calling with each other and we were like, hey, I have this idea, you want to start something new?”
— JC Teeling [01:40]

Strategic Use of AI in BONANA’s Operations

Transcript Overview: The conversation shifts to AI adoption, where BONANA identifies services as the most resistant to AI automation, contrasting with the proactive embrace of AI by SaaS and e-commerce sectors.

Key Points:

AI Adoption Strategy: BONANA adopts AI early, integrating out-of-the-box solutions to minimize friction and expedite implementation for clients.
Productizing AI Services: Developing standardized AI services that complement HubSpot without necessitating custom builds.
Team Expertise: Employees are encouraged to experiment with new AI features, fostering a culture of innovation and adaptability.

Notable Quotes:

“Services is the most reluctant. Definitely. I think SaaS is the earlier adopter... but services businesses... they're more conservative, traditional and so less motivated to move with AI in a fast way.”
— JC Teeling [04:41]

“Everything that appears new in the HubSpot, in the beta, we're like, oh, click it, click it. Say yes to everything.”
— JC Teeling [10:18]

Balancing Short-Term Needs with Long-Term Strategy

Transcript Overview: Sarah addresses the challenge partners face in balancing immediate financial needs with long-term strategic planning. JC discusses BONANA’s implementation of the Enterprise Operating System (EOS) model to align short-term actions with their long-term vision.

Key Points:

EOS Model Implementation: Defined BONANA’s vision across one-year, three-year, and seven-year horizons, helping structure management and team focus.
Roadmapping: Establishing a clear roadmap based on current and future AI advancements ensures sustained growth and adaptability.
Iterative Improvement: Continually refining strategies and services based on client feedback and technological developments.

Notable Quote:

“We use the EOS model to really define our one year, three year, seven year vision... it helped us get structure in the management team, but also give structure to the team and what they should focus on.”
— JC Teeling [06:03]

HubSpot as BONANA’s Foundation

Transcript Overview: JC explains why BONANA chose to build around HubSpot despite having experience with other platforms like Salesforce and Dynamics.

Key Points:

Product Excellence: HubSpot’s robust features and continuous innovation make it an ideal foundation for BONANA’s services.
Community and Support: The supportive and collaborative HubSpot community, including sales, customer success, and partner teams, differentiates it from other ecosystems.
Integration Potential: The extensive app marketplace allows BONANA to expand its service offerings and leverage complementary tools seamlessly.

Notable Quote:

“The people that you get to work with every day... everybody's so heavily involved, everybody's so nice. It's a completely different dynamic than the other ecosystems.”
— JC Teeling [07:18]

Future Outlook and AI Integration

Transcript Overview: JC outlines BONANA’s future plans to enhance collaboration between humans and AI agents, particularly in transactional businesses with low deal values.

Key Points:

Human-AI Collaboration: Focus on leveraging AI to assist human teams, ensuring quality assurance remains a human responsibility while AI handles repetitive tasks.
Practical Use Cases: Developing real-world applications of AI to demonstrate value and create case studies for both BONANA and HubSpot.
Continuous Learning: BONANA remains committed to testing and optimizing AI solutions to stay ahead of the technological curve.

Notable Quotes:

“The collaboration between human and agent... that will be our big focus in the next six months.”
— JC Teeling [18:33]

“If you have the knowledge, if you have the expertise of being in the field, that's a super, super strong point.”
— JC Teeling [24:50]

Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Transcript Overview: JC offers candid advice to entrepreneurs, emphasizing passion, adaptability, and leveraging ecosystem expertise to build a successful business.

Key Points:

Pursue Passion: Engaging in work you love increases resilience and drives long-term success.
Leverage Ecosystem: Deep involvement in platforms like HubSpot provides a competitive edge and access to a supportive community.
Adaptability: Embracing AI and other technological advancements can create significant growth opportunities and differentiate your business.

Notable Quote:

“You need to do what you like... because in the end it will always be worth it.”
— JC Teeling [24:50]

Conclusion

JC Teeling’s journey with BONANA illustrates the power of strategic alignment, customer-centricity, and early adoption of emerging technologies like AI. By building a business around HubSpot and its expansive ecosystem, BONANA not only achieved significant milestones swiftly but also set a benchmark for excellence in customer retention and satisfaction. Their forward-thinking approach serves as an inspiring blueprint for other partners aiming to thrive in a competitive, AI-driven marketplace.

Final Thoughts: The episode underscores the importance of aligning business strategies with technological advancements and maintaining a steadfast focus on customer success. BONANA’s story is a testament to the impact of building a strong foundation, leveraging the right tools, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.

Transcript Timestamps Referenced:

[00:00] – Introduction by Speaker A
[00:25] – Sarah introduces the episode and JC Teeling
[01:32] – JC begins sharing BONANA’s story
[04:23] – Discussion on AI resistance across different business pillars
[06:03] – Balancing short-term needs with long-term strategy using EOS
[07:18] – Why HubSpot is BONANA’s chosen platform
[08:49] – Achieving the Customer-First Award
[10:18] – Early AI adoption strategy
[18:33] – Future AI integration plans
[24:50] – Advice for entrepreneurs

Summary

Owning the Outcome: No Shortcuts - How BONANA Earned HubSpot’s Customer-First Award in Under 2 Years

Host: Sarah McDevitt, Sr. Director of Partner Strategy, HubSpot
Guest: JC Teeling, Co-Founder of BONANA
Release Date: June 18, 2025

Introduction

The BONANA Story and Business Focus

Key Points:

Foundation and Growth: BONANA was established to cater to mature businesses needing strategic, senior partners capable of aligning people, processes, data, and technology.
Three Pillars of Service:
- Strategy: Focuses on go-to-market strategies rather than just marketing, encompassing sales and service strategies.
- Digital: Involves building websites, customer portals, and integrating platforms like Shopify.
- Revenue DevOps: The largest pillar, dealing with marketing, sales, and service operations.

Notable Quote:

“If you want to build an agency and you love doing it around tech, like build your business around HubSpot and all of the tools that are associated to HubSpot.”
— JC Teeling [00:00]

Achieving the Customer-First Award

Key Points:

Focus on Existing Clients: Emphasis on helping existing HubSpot clients extract more value from the platform, leading to increased upsells and cross-sells.
Experienced Team: A team of seasoned consultants with deep roots in the HubSpot ecosystem ensures high client satisfaction.
Customer Happiness: Achieving a 99.9% client satisfaction rate by enhancing clients’ use of HubSpot.

Notable Quote:

“We had such a fun project, we had a super good dynamic and at some point we kept calling with each other and we were like, hey, I have this idea, you want to start something new?”
— JC Teeling [01:40]

Strategic Use of AI in BONANA’s Operations

Key Points:

AI Adoption Strategy: BONANA adopts AI early, integrating out-of-the-box solutions to minimize friction and expedite implementation for clients.
Productizing AI Services: Developing standardized AI services that complement HubSpot without necessitating custom builds.
Team Expertise: Employees are encouraged to experiment with new AI features, fostering a culture of innovation and adaptability.

Notable Quotes:

“Services is the most reluctant. Definitely. I think SaaS is the earlier adopter... but services businesses... they're more conservative, traditional and so less motivated to move with AI in a fast way.”
— JC Teeling [04:41]

“Everything that appears new in the HubSpot, in the beta, we're like, oh, click it, click it. Say yes to everything.”
— JC Teeling [10:18]

Balancing Short-Term Needs with Long-Term Strategy

Key Points:

EOS Model Implementation: Defined BONANA’s vision across one-year, three-year, and seven-year horizons, helping structure management and team focus.
Roadmapping: Establishing a clear roadmap based on current and future AI advancements ensures sustained growth and adaptability.
Iterative Improvement: Continually refining strategies and services based on client feedback and technological developments.

Notable Quote:

“We use the EOS model to really define our one year, three year, seven year vision... it helped us get structure in the management team, but also give structure to the team and what they should focus on.”
— JC Teeling [06:03]

HubSpot as BONANA’s Foundation

Transcript Overview: JC explains why BONANA chose to build around HubSpot despite having experience with other platforms like Salesforce and Dynamics.

Key Points:

Product Excellence: HubSpot’s robust features and continuous innovation make it an ideal foundation for BONANA’s services.
Community and Support: The supportive and collaborative HubSpot community, including sales, customer success, and partner teams, differentiates it from other ecosystems.
Integration Potential: The extensive app marketplace allows BONANA to expand its service offerings and leverage complementary tools seamlessly.

Notable Quote:

“The people that you get to work with every day... everybody's so heavily involved, everybody's so nice. It's a completely different dynamic than the other ecosystems.”
— JC Teeling [07:18]

Future Outlook and AI Integration

Transcript Overview: JC outlines BONANA’s future plans to enhance collaboration between humans and AI agents, particularly in transactional businesses with low deal values.

Key Points:

Human-AI Collaboration: Focus on leveraging AI to assist human teams, ensuring quality assurance remains a human responsibility while AI handles repetitive tasks.
Practical Use Cases: Developing real-world applications of AI to demonstrate value and create case studies for both BONANA and HubSpot.
Continuous Learning: BONANA remains committed to testing and optimizing AI solutions to stay ahead of the technological curve.

Notable Quotes:

“The collaboration between human and agent... that will be our big focus in the next six months.”
— JC Teeling [18:33]

“If you have the knowledge, if you have the expertise of being in the field, that's a super, super strong point.”
— JC Teeling [24:50]

Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Transcript Overview: JC offers candid advice to entrepreneurs, emphasizing passion, adaptability, and leveraging ecosystem expertise to build a successful business.

Key Points:

Pursue Passion: Engaging in work you love increases resilience and drives long-term success.
Leverage Ecosystem: Deep involvement in platforms like HubSpot provides a competitive edge and access to a supportive community.
Adaptability: Embracing AI and other technological advancements can create significant growth opportunities and differentiate your business.

Notable Quote:

“You need to do what you like... because in the end it will always be worth it.”
— JC Teeling [24:50]

Conclusion

Transcript Timestamps Referenced:

[00:00] – Introduction by Speaker A
[00:25] – Sarah introduces the episode and JC Teeling
[01:32] – JC begins sharing BONANA’s story
[04:23] – Discussion on AI resistance across different business pillars
[06:03] – Balancing short-term needs with long-term strategy using EOS
[07:18] – Why HubSpot is BONANA’s chosen platform
[08:49] – Achieving the Customer-First Award
[10:18] – Early AI adoption strategy
[18:33] – Future AI integration plans
[24:50] – Advice for entrepreneurs

wavePod

Powered by Wave AI

Summary

Owning the Outcome: No Shortcuts - How BONANA Earned HubSpot’s Customer-First Award in Under 2 Years

Introduction

The BONANA Story and Business Focus

Achieving the Customer-First Award

Strategic Use of AI in BONANA’s Operations

Balancing Short-Term Needs with Long-Term Strategy

HubSpot as BONANA’s Foundation

Future Outlook and AI Integration

Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Conclusion

Summary

Owning the Outcome: No Shortcuts - How BONANA Earned HubSpot’s Customer-First Award in Under 2 Years

Introduction

The BONANA Story and Business Focus

Achieving the Customer-First Award

Strategic Use of AI in BONANA’s Operations

Balancing Short-Term Needs with Long-Term Strategy

HubSpot as BONANA’s Foundation

Future Outlook and AI Integration

Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Conclusion