In the $40 billion global translation industry, speed and cost have long been the focus of innovation. For Bryan Murphy, CEO of Smartling, the real breakthrough came when AI unlocked a long-elusive goal: better quality.
For decades, most translation work, especially at large enterprises, was slow, expensive, and heavily manual. The process often looked the same: extract content, send it to a translator, review and revise over multiple rounds. The “rack rate” hovered around $0.20 a word, making companies ration their translated content despite research showing that 87% of people worldwide will not buy from a site in a language they do not understand.
When Murphy and his team looked at the space, they saw an opportunity for disruption. Smartling already had a decade of experience in machine learning and neural machine translation, but there was a gap. While they could deliver translations faster and cheaper, quality still lagged behind human work.
Evan’s early career was shaped by high-volume outbound. He started as an SDR before becoming a sales leader at TechValidate and SurveyMonkey, managing a global team of 120. But after moving to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, he intentionally stepped back into an AE role—trading team management for powder days.
That reset gave him time and perspective. And eventually, it led to the founding of UserEvidence, a platform designed to help marketers turn customer proof points into scalable assets.
The first few years of UserEvidence were fueled by Evan’s strengths in outbound sales. But like many founders, he ran into the limits of that model as inboxes became noisier and response rates dropped.
With encouragement from VP of Marketing Mark Huber, the team made a long-term bet on brand—doubling down on content, creative, social, and community. But it didn’t yield immediate results.
“Eight quarters in a row, we were stuck at 150 ops per quarter,” Evan said. “It was painful. But then something flipped. Last quarter we hit 300. This quarter we’re on track for 450.”
It’s a case study in patience and in trusting that brand, when done well, builds durable pipeline.
Evan attributes much of UserEvidence’s progress to team culture. Their hiring philosophy? “Chill and humble.”
“We don’t compromise on that. Startups are chaotic by nature, so we try to create calm energy around the work. That’s what helps people take risks and enjoy the process.”
As they scale, Evan’s focus is on adding the right roles in the right order—starting with product marketing to lock in messaging, followed by demand gen and content. Their next big investment: customer marketing.
With over 160 customers (and many bringing the product to new companies), Evan sees this function as a force multiplier.
While their earlier traction came from startups and mid-market companies, UserEvidence is now leaning into enterprise—with creative plays like an invite-only exec summit in Jackson Hole.
One hundred marketing leaders, under the Tetons. Film crews. Real conversations. High-end content.
“It’s part pipeline, part brand, and part content engine,” Evan said. “It’s about reaching the people who aren’t scrolling LinkedIn all day.”
At the end of the episode, Evan reflected on how his approach to leadership has evolved. He doesn’t chase trends or overreact to board meetings. He focuses on consistency, calm, and clarity—so the team has space to build.
For anyone building a GTM motion in today’s market, his advice is simple: play the long game, invest in customer love, and hire people you'd actually want to spend time with.