In this brief "6 questions in 7 minutes" interview on the Winning at Business and Life podcast, host Professor Pete Alexander talks with Tom George, Vice President of Customer Success at Tribal, a SaaS company. Tom shares why he enjoys the fast‑changing SaaS industry—continuous learning and fresh challenges. He discusses the difficulty of work‑life balance in an early‑stage startup, noting how his balance shifts with family stage and personal fulfillment. Tom recommends another leader, Damian Entrecan (founder of Innatos, now part of Planview), as a guest who exemplifies balance through sport, writing, and family. His core advice for leaders is to pursue continuous learning, acquire new skills, and explore new markets, drawing on his experience from early SaaS days (2002) to AI ventures (2019). He recounts his first jobs as a paperboy delivering the Seattle Times and a high‑school nursery worker, illustrating humble beginnings. The episode ends with his LinkedIn handle (TGeorgeNet) and invitation to connect.
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This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast, where business leaders share their insights. It is 6 questions in 7 minutes because successful business leaders are busy and rarely have more time to spare. So let's get to it. Question number 1: In a few sentences, tell me who you are and what you do.
Well, my name is Tom George. Professionally, I am the Vice President of Customer Success for a company called Tribal. That's spelled T-R-I-B-Y-L. I'm also the father of two teenage boys, and for volunteering and a hobby, I am a baseball umpire and a baseball enthusiast.
Ah, love it. Tom, great to have you on the show. Question number 2: What's the best thing about working in your industry?
Yeah, so I work in technology and SaaS specifically, and it's a very dynamic industry. It's constantly new and changing, and so there's always a fresh challenge. Every day is different, and for me it means continuous learning, and that's what I like is to have, you know, a lot of fodder for my brain to chew on. So that's what I like about my industry.
Excellent. Question number 3: I hear from other business leaders that staying in a good work-life balance for them and their team members is a challenge. What are your thoughts?
It is a challenge, and I am working for an early-stage startup, so it's a very busy time with this company, but I also know the value of unplugging both mentally and physically, you know, to refresh. I think at different points in people's lives, and in my case, you know, now my kids are older and so I've got more time, I can spend more time at work, and so my balance is a little more skewed to work. I also get a lot of fulfillment from work. I enjoy it and think about it a lot. But, you know, earlier when my kids were younger, I was able to orient my career where I was an individual contributor. Didn't have the responsibility as much. I was working in the consulting and contracting world, and that worked great at that time. My balance was much more towards life as opposed to work, but now it's a little more work as opposed to life, so it works for me.
Perfect. Question number 4: What other successful business leaders like yourself should be on my podcast?
Yes, well, I've worked for 3 startups, including the one I'm working for now, and, uh, uh, all of them led by really dynamic, intelligent leaders. One of those, Damian Entrecan, was the founder and CEO of a company called Innatos, which was purchased by Planview. And he's, you know, a good guy to talk to, 'cause not only is he a really great leader, but he does find the balance in life also. He's an excellent tennis player, he's a writer, Uh, he's got a family, uh, and so, uh, he, he would speak wisely about, uh, striking that balance in work and life.
Great. I'll reach out to him. Thank you for that referral. Question number 5: What insight or advice would you give to other business leaders?
Well, I mentioned it earlier. I, I, for me, I want to learn continuously. I want to acquire new skills. I want to learn new markets. I want to, uh, find new business challenges. I, you know, in SaaS, I joined my first SaaS company in 2002, very early in the days of SaaS. I joined my first AI company in 2019, and so I'm learning as I go here, and, and that's important to me to be able to find new opportunities for me to pursue.
Excellent. And question number 6: tell me about your first job.
Yeah, my first job was, uh, it actually was— I was a paperboy in Seattle delivering the Seattle Times on my banana seed bicycle with the bag over my head, you know. And then my first real job in high school was I worked in a plant nursery, and so I was moving dirt and helping customers pick plants and that sort of thing. So good experience in high school.
That's great, and I can relate to your first job as a paperboy. I too was one.
Did you have the banana seed bicycle?
I did, absolutely, back in the day. So Tom, thank you for being on the show. How can people find you?
Well, you can find me on LinkedIn. My profile name is TGeorgeNet, but Tom George in the Bay Area. I work for Tribal, T-R-I-B-Y-L. And yeah, I'd love to connect with other professionals.
Wonderful. So this is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast. For more insights and ideas, please go to LinkedIn, YouTube, or Facebook and search for Winning at Business and Life podcast. Thanks for listening.
