This episode of Pour Over spotlights Joseph Elias Phillips and William Corbera, the Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of Payabli, a payments infrastructure and monetization platform changing the world of software. Jo and Will describe their coming together as serendipitous, having met through friends on the dancefloor of a Miami club. During our conversation, they delve into the genesis story of Payabli, as well as their unique stories that drive their founder-market resonance. Describing their complementary leadership styles, Jo and Will share a vision to hire all-stars and foster an environment of continuous learning and development within the team. Jo cites his ability to connect meaningfully with people from all walks of life as a secret ingredient to his team-building and client-relationship success. Will, having successfully exited his first entrepreneurial endeavor at RevoPay, shares his take on high-performance leadership, emphasizing a culture of execution as a key contributor to success. We discuss the co-founders’ upbringing with respect to business exposure, highlighting inspiring family members whose virtues and early influence still shine through in the Co-CEOs' work today. The conversation also covers the future vision for Payabli, infused with a deep sense of gratitude for their success. We wrap up with Will and Jo offering invaluable advice for aspiring young entrepreneurs.
First Impressions: Jo and Will met through friends at a club in Miami and instantly connected before finding a parallel path and co-founding Payabli together.
Jo’s Entrepreneurial Experiences: Growing up around entrepreneurs before working alongside influential leaders at Seamless, GrubHub, and ServiceTitan taught Jo what he needs to know about leadership.
Will’s Core Team Value: A bootstrapper at heart, Will’s biggest learning at Payabli has been hiring people he describes as being a lot better than himself.
Jo’s Complementary Style: Focuses on hiring the best talent and creating opportunities to make them successful. Exposed to many different people and cultures from a young age, he can empathize and relate to anyone.
High-Performance Leadership: With a successful exit under his belt, Will defines a successful team as one with a culture of execution. Will reflects on the idea that when you truly love what you do, you will have the ammunition to keep going and put in the extra hours.
Business and Identity: The company is entwined in every aspect of the co-founders’ lives. Entrepreneurship is in their DNA, and their identities are painted all over Payabli.
Role Models: Jo’s grandfather imparted many important lessons in his life, including the philosophy of taking action. Will attributes his entrepreneurial spirit to his father, his hardworking nature to his mom, and his leadership ethic to his brother.
Defining Success: Both are grateful to be able to work day in and day out with such an incredible, hardworking team and are constantly asking themselves – “Are we doing well with our [customer] love letters?” – as an indicator of the company’s health and success.
Advice For Entrepreneurs: Jump in as soon as possible, and don’t be deterred by a lack of funding in the beginning as many incredible businesses start and remain bootstrapped. The founder journey will test you so always remember your strong ethical foundation, exhibit the values that you want represented across your company, and build a strong team to help get you there.
QUOTES
“I’ve learned to hire people that are a lot better than myself.” — Will
“Whether it’s [with] our team members or our partners, being a chameleon has helped me a lot.” — Jo
“If you're an entrepreneur, your building something [and] your artistry is all over the canvas of whatever you're building.” — Will
“There are a lot of reasons to not start a business. But I knew if I didn't do this, at 90, I would have been really disappointed in myself. And it's not for everybody, but for me personally, I really would have had a lot of regret.” — Jo
“Great leaders do what they say they are going to do.” — Will
“You can’t do it alone. You need a team to help get you there.” — Jo
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Joseph Elias Phillips on LinkedIn
Gabriella Brignardello on LinkedIn
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