Rewriting the Growth Playbook
By Bob Gulla
May 2024
Each founder brings a crazy amount of value, and I truly believe that’s why we’re doing so well,” says Brian York, the CEO and co-founder behind Cubbo, a fast-rising transportation, logistics, supply and storage company based in Latin America.
Brian’s comments follow the news that in November 2023, Cubbo flipped to cash flow positive for the first time. “It means we’re finally in control of our future without running out of money,” he says, “or running the risk of getting desperate for cash and having to raise money from investors on [unfavorable] terms.”
From Day One, Cubbo has prioritized profitability, and now they have been able to accomplish this while maintaining an extremely high growth rate. “It’s additionally nice because our competitors [seem to be] running out of money, and profitability is far out of reach for them,” Brian says.
He attributes much of Cubbo’s success to his fellow founding partners, COO Josu Gurtubay and CTO Ignasi Vegas. “They are amazing to work with,” Brian says. “They’re constantly driving the business forward.”
"You can trust, empower and support your co-founders, but at the same time everyone still needs to be learning all the time."
Brian attributes some of his success to a strong counterintuitive streak. For instance, he doesn’t like to enter a field that he already has experience in. “I think experience is a disadvantage on Day One,” he says. “I’m going into all of my ventures with zero experience.” That allows him to approach every situation with a fresh perspective and no preconceived notions of how things “ought” to be done. “I don’t have any bias,” he notes.
That said, Brian prefers to collaborate with partners who know the business (as Josu does at Cubbo) and shareholders who do, as well. “It’s definitely important to surround myself with experts,” he says.
Each founder brings a complementary set of skills to the enterprise that the other founders absorb over time. “At a startup, it’s important to wear many hats and be good at many things,” Brian says. “You can trust, empower, delegate, and support your co-founders, but at the same time everyone still needs to be learning all the time. If I got hit by a bus, the company would probably run just fine without me, because the other founders are so strong.
“Every day that goes by, Josu and Ignasi feel more comfortable running this entire business, and so do I. That’s why Cubbo is profitable, and that’s why this experience has been so positive for everyone involved.”