# Nick Francis

> Nick Francis co-founded Help Scout with Denny Swindle and Jared McDaniel in 2011, led it as CEO for 15 years, and became chairman in late 2025. Based in Boulder, he now advises founders and facilitates CEO peer groups while writing about leadership, product craft, and remote work.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board at Help Scout
- **Organizations:** Help Scout, Brightwurks, nickfranc.is, TinySeed
- **Education:** B.S., Middle Tennessee State University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Help Scout and served as CEO for 15 years., Help Scout reached more than $35 million in annual recurring revenue, as described in the June 2026 Startups for the Rest of Us episode., Led Help Scout through B Corp certification and its public benefit corporation transition.

## Career timeline

- **2005–2011** — Worked with Denny Swindle and Jared McDaniel on client websites and software before Help Scout.
- **2011** — Co-founded and launched Help Scout while participating in Techstars Boston.
- **2019** — Led Help Scout as it became a certified B Corporation.
- **2024–2025** — Led a transition from seat-based to contact-based pricing, later acknowledging it did not land as hoped.
- **2025** — Stepped aside as CEO and became chairman in late 2025.
- **2026** — Advises CEOs, facilitates peer groups, and became a TinySeed mentor.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Help Scout and served as CEO for 15 years.
- Help Scout reached more than $35 million in annual recurring revenue, as described in the June 2026 Startups for the Rest of Us episode.
- Led Help Scout through B Corp certification and its public benefit corporation transition.
- Named among Pavilion’s 50 CEOs to Watch in 2024.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Discussed Help Scout’s 15-year journey and his reconsideration of venture funding on Startups for the Rest of Us, episode 839.
- **2026-03** — Discussed his chairman role, customer-support craft, and AI with Adrian Swinscoe.
- **2025-10** — Announced his move from CEO to chairman, with Shawna Fisher serving as interim CEO.

## Links

- Website: https://nickfranc.is/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickfrancis1/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/nickfrancis

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/nick-francis
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11