Hockey Stick Growth Charts
Salesforce.com Growth Chart
Tinkering/Pre-Start (Pre-1999)
- Marc Benioff grows up making computer games, working for Apple in college, then working for Oracle after graduation
- 1993: Benioff invests $50,000 in Siebel Systems, a CRM software developer created by friend Tom Siebel, who left Oracle for this start up
- 1999: Marc Benioff, now vice president at Oracle, begins Salesforce.com project as a software CRM
The Blade Years (1999-2002)
- Benioff’s investment into Siebel Systems grows to $20 million; Benioff able to fund Salesfoce.com development
- September 1999: Salesforce.com names John Dillon CEO
- February 7, 2000: Salesforce.com officially launches service
- June 2000: 5,000 users
- March 2001: New tools introduced for marketing and customer service
- Incurs losses in 2001 and 2002 ($31.8 million and $29 million, respectively)
- November 2001: Benioff steps in as CEO and chairman
Growth Inflection Point (2002)
- 2002 revenue grows to $24,236,677 (306 percent from 2001)
- First full year with Benioff as hands-on CEO
Surging Growth (2003-2005)
- 2003: Company posts first profitable quarter
- June 2004 IPO: Sells 11.5 million shares at $11/share
- Late 2005: Salesforce.com releases AppExchange, which allows Salesforce users to create their own apps with Salesforce architecture and sell the apps to others
The Hockey Stick Principles: The 4 Key Stages to Entrepreneurial Success
For anyone toying with the idea of founding their own company or launching a new product, this accessible guide will teach you what to expect when you first start out—from the tinkering phase, to the blade years, the crucial growth inflection point, and onward to surging growth.
