Just the Bulb

The 10-day challenge all culminates to this - getting traction! Traction refers to the progress a startup company makes often through revenue, pre-orders, or customer response. In today's episode, we talk about how to start gaining traction and what things you can tweak if you aren't getting any. Connect with Caleb Dykema here!

During the 40+ interviewees I've had on this show, there have been a lot of realizations I've drawn. Here are two big ones. One, set massive goals. Goals that make you uncomfortable because you don't know how you will complete them. We talked about this on Day 5, in Episode 63. Number two is to start small with the simplest, most basic prototype so that you can gain feedback from customers without needing to use excessive resources like time and money. Starting small with your first prototype is what we are diving into today on Day 9 of the 10-Day Bulb Into Business Challenge! Connect with the host, Caleb Dykema, here on LinkedIn!

Without a community of potential customers interested in having their problem solved with your product or service, your business isn't going to get very far. I reflect back on my past experiences and the things I've learned from other founders on how to build a community of loyal fans by delivering value. Welcome to Day 8 of the Bulb Into Business Challenge! 10 episodes with actionable steps meant to take you from wherever you are in your startup journey (even if you haven't started yet) to getting your first customer. Caleb Dykema's LinkedIn

It's been a few weeks since I've done any recording and I'm excited to jump back in to finish the last 4 days of the 10-Day Challenge! The oxygen of a business is revenue. Cash flowing in. Without it, you can't pay employees' salaries, market your product further, or improve upon the product itself. These all directly hurt your customer. In today's episode, we talk about a few of the most common types of revenue streams and the pros and cons of each so that you can establish what's best for your business. Connect with the host, Caleb Dykema here!

Welcome to Day 5 of the Bulb Into Business Challenge! 10 episodes with actionable steps meant to take you from wherever you are in your startup journey (even if you haven't started yet) to getting your first customer. Maybe you don't have the time to start a business on your own or you need certain expertise such as a technical founder to help you create your vision. Whatever the case may be, you've determined you need to gather a team. Caleb uses his own experiences and discusses some of Sean Castrina's tips from Episode 41 to show you how to bring your first team together. The host, Caleb Dykema's LinkedIn

Welcome to Day 5 of the Bulb Into Business Challenge! 10 episodes with actionable steps meant to take you from wherever you are in your startup journey (even if you haven't started yet) to getting your first customer.A ship in the middle of the ocean with no guidance system floats around aimlessly, getting pushed by the waves in every direction. But a ship with a guidance system plows through the waves in a set direction and will eventually reach its destination. When starting a business, we need to have a guidance system - a set of goals that will help us reach our destination (i.e. $1M in revenue, having our company acquired). In this episode, I discuss setting massive goals and how reverse engineering them can help us determine how to reach them. Connect with the host, Caleb Dykema here.

Welcome to Day 4 of the Bulb Into Business Challenge! 10 episodes with actionable steps meant to take you from wherever you are in your startup journey (even if you haven't started yet) to getting your first customer.When I was working on one of my very first products, 1Swipe, I didn't seek out help, mentors, potential customers, or investors until much later in the process. I realized later on that this was a mistake and I could have gotten to market much faster had I done so. The challenge for today is to begin your networking journey with 10 people in your space. This can be people with a similar entrepreneurial mindset as you, that may be able to offer you guidance, or even people that are doing a similar business. That's right, you should connect with your competitors! Join me in this episode where I show you how.Connect with the host, Caleb Dykema here!

Welcome to Day 3 of the Bulb Into Business Challenge! 10 episodes with actionable steps meant to take you from wherever you are in your startup journey (even if you haven't started yet) to getting your first customer.So you've made it through the first two days of the challenge. Maybe you've made some iterations after noticing that the problem or customer is a little different than you thought, which is very common. Now it's time we hone in on the problem we want to solve and filter out unworthy ideas by bringing them through the 'Idea Filter'. We will also learn about setting our 'why' in this episode - your biggest motivational force.Connect with the host, Caleb Dykema here!

Welcome to Day 2 of the Bulb Into Business Challenge! 10 episodes with actionable steps meant to take you from wherever you are in your startup journey (even if you haven't started yet) to getting your first customer.You are finding and learning from at least 10 of your future customers in today's challenge! Sounds scary, right? It is for every entrepreneur, but it needs to be done early on to save you time and money in the long run. Don't worry, I'll be discussing how you can find them and what kind of questions to ask.Follow Caleb Dykema On LinkedIn

Welcome to Day 1 of the Bulb Into Business Challenge! 10 episodes with actionable steps meant to take you from wherever you are in your startup journey (even if you haven't started yet) to getting your first customer. In today's challenge, we discuss how to actively recognize problems that can be solved, filtering out bad ideas and keeping good ones, and determining what your purpose is.Follow Caleb Dykema On LinkedIn

You need an expensive patent, lawyers, and a complex prototype to build an idea. At least that's what we've all been told on Shark Tank and from our parents and friends. My guest today, Stephen Key, is the co-founder of inventRight, contributor to Forbes and Inc., author of One Simple Idea, and Become a Professional Inventor. Stephen coaches inventors on how to license their ideas rather than the old, obsolete way of bringing ideas to market through patents, lawyers, and prototypes. Find Stephen Key here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenmkey/ Find the host, Caleb Dykema here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caleb-dykema/ 

In Part 2 of this two-part series with Dieumerci Christel, we dive into the Curiosity Onion mindset, how he uses it to solve problems, and how he started his business, Enlightapp. Dieumerci's service helps teachers connect with their students better and we discuss how he essentially had those teachers develop the idea for him. Connect with Dieumerci Christel here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dieumerci-christel-114434122/ Connect with the host, Caleb Dykema here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caleb-dykema/ Learn more about Enlightapp here: https://www.enlightapp.co/ 

This may be the most inspiring story ever told on Just the Bulb! Dieumerci Christel joins the show today to discuss how he grew up in an African refugee camp, moved to North Dakota, and is now the founder of Elightapp. In the first part of this two-part series, we discuss how starting at the lowest point actually helped him, how it's vital we embrace our daily and business struggles, and what type of people we should be surrounding ourselves with. Connect with Dieumerci Christel here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dieumerci-christel-114434122/ Connect with the host, Caleb Dykema here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caleb-dykema/ Learn more about Enlightapp here: https://www.enlightapp.co/ 

"I'm too young to start a business. I'm not experienced enough!" Have you said either of these phrases before? At 14 years old, Buster Scher started HoopsNation which went on to reach over 1 million followers a few years later. Now he's a show host for the NBA at 19 years old and the host of his own podcast, 'The Buster Show'. Buster and I break these phrases down and prove there is really no right or wrong age for entrepreneurship! Find Buster Scher here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/busterscher/ Find the host, Caleb Dykema here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caleb-dykema/ 

Have you used the excuse "I don't have the money to start a company."? In this episode, I interview Anthony Valiulis, the founder of both DaVinci Industries and OLACORAL. He has raised over $60,000 in free capital for his companies through pitch competitions. That money doesn't need to be paid back and investors aren't taking a share! Learn from Anthony how to pitch your idea at competitions, even if you don't have a working product yet, and gain capital for your startup.Find Anthony Valiulis here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-valiulis-a1010a113/ Find Caleb Dykema, the host here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caleb-dykema/ 

Learn what NOT to do when launching your app so you have a higher chance of success. Mitesh Ajmera, the founder of feecounter.com, Torus Tech, and the most recently launched, Punch App, joins the show to explain how he would have launched his first businesses differently if he could go back in time. Find Mitesh Ajmera here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miteshajmera/ Find Punch App here: https://punchapp.com/ Find the host, Caleb Dykema here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caleb-dykema/ 

Leverage is a term you hear a lot in business and entrepreneurship. It's the idea of being able to get the best advantage possible from a resource. One point of leverage is your network, and specifically people in it that have built a similar business to yours. Carrie Bohlig, the Co-owner of Tandem Consulting and Co-founder of Tandem Giving joins the show today to discuss how valuable it is to make these connections, along with other points of leverage that can be used.  Find Carrie Bohlig here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carriebohlig/ Learn more about Tandem Consulting here: https://www.tandemconsulting.co/ 

A few years ago, Timmy Bishop sat down at a Colectivo Coffee Shop in Madison, WI to figure out where to go with his life. His commitment to himself there began his journey of happiness and success starting the Dreamology podcast, the Dreamers Initiative, and now touring around the country with Charlie "Rocket" Jabaley. Today we dive into Part 1 of a collaboration with the Dreamology podcast interviewing Timmy. And later this week, you can find Part 2 on his podcast interviewing me!  Find Timmy's podcast here: https://fanlink.to/dreamologypodcast Find Timmy here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timmy-the-dreamer-%F0%9F%92%AB-bishop-58508b108/

On this 50th Episode of Just the Bulb, Zach Benson makes a guest appearance! You may have seen him on So You Think You Can Dance or on TEDx. Zach is also the founder of Assistagram, a company dedicated to helping clients grow their brand on Instagram. We discuss how he's built multi-million dollar companies starting by establishing relationships and he breaks down his secrets for going from 0 followers to 80k!  Find Zach Benson here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-benson-368483119/  Find the host, Caleb Dykema here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caleb-dykema/ 

Entre is a new social platform for entrepreneurs, investors, and startups. It's a great place to go to network, find resources, and share stories. Michael Marra, the CEO, and Founder, joins the show today to discuss how he's built Entre to where it is today. We also touch on topics including the "paycheck mindset", the importance of unlearning, and validating your business model.  Find Michael Marra here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmarra1/  Find Caleb Dykema here: https://entre.link/Caleb and here: www.linkedin.com/in/caleb-dykema

Kirsty Verity radically changed her lifestyle when she went from many years in the corporate world to entrepreneurship. She has been an Amazon seller since 2013 and have sold over $17 Million in physical products. Now she is the CEO and Co-founder of REAL Coaching, a service that coaches Amazon sellers to create profitable businesses. Kirsty joins the show to discuss the mindset shifts that need to be made going from corporate to entrepreneurship! Kirsty Verity LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-verity-3789b713/ REAL Coaching: https://goteamreal.com/ Podcast Host, Caleb Dykema: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caleb-dykema/  

Sara Frasca is an expert in driving a culture of innovation, a keynote speaker, and was the 2017 Female Entrepreneur Of The Year in Jacksonville, Florida! She joins the show today to discuss three different tools aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage startup founders can use to help them come up with innovative ways to solve problems. Learn more about Sara here (https://www.sarafrasca.com/) Podcast hosted by Caleb Dykema (https://www.linkedin.com/in/caleb-dykema/)

You are going to be working with and leading people when you create a business. Big surprise! As the founder of 14&3 A Leadership Development Nonprofit, Adam BellCorelli is a pro at leading and working with others to accomplish a big goal. In our episode today, Adam discusses how trust can be strengthened or weakened in times of hardship. We also talk about how leaders set expectations for others incorrectly which leads to negative consequences, and how we can do it the right way! Find Adam BellCorelli on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bellcorelli/ Adam's TEDx talk can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paemv2oTetY 

How do you or your business bring value to a customer or audience? We use our skills whether it's leadership, development, marketing, sales, or any other skill that is required. In this episode with James Ricks, the founder of The Consulting Launchpad, we discuss how you can define your skills that are needed to create a successful business. Although we talk about a coaching business, the same principles can be applied to any type of business you are starting! Find James here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricksjrr/ Find The Consulting Launchpad here: https://www.consultinglaunchpad.com/ 

The old way of building a business: have an idea, build it, market it, customers come rushing in. In this new age, we are in, this just doesn't work anymore. The new-age business roadmap is: have an idea, solve for your three assumed variables, build the idea based on these variables, customers actually come rushing in! Diana Kander's book All In Startup: https://amzn.to/2GHjUyX Learn about 1Swipe: https://cwadmail.wixsite.com/1swipe 

"But my business isn't ready to be launched, I don't want to be on social media until it's ready!" Forbes 30 under 30 and co-founder of SweatPack joins the show today to discuss why it's vital to build a social community alongside a business you are starting. We discuss the CCE Method for growing an audience and how to use social media as a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Find Umama here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/umamakibria/ Learn more about SweatPack here: https://sweatpack.co/ 

Nick Myers, the founder of RedFox AI joins the show today to discuss how he used new technology to find wide open 'green space' in the market. We discuss how he went about capitalizing on an infant market and how other startup founders can do the same. RedFox AI: https://redfox-ai.com/  Nick's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-myers-0794/

You may be worried about losing equity or giving out your idea if you bring on business partners. Or maybe you play a technical role but you don't know the business side or vice versa. Either way, at some point, you will need to assemble a team to build your dream! Sean Castrina, a bestselling author, speaker, and podcaster has started more than 15 successful businesses in his lifetime - his first at age 23! Sean joins the show today to discuss the importance of a team for your startup, step-by-step on how to build one, and why we need to delegate. Get Sean's ebook for free here: https://seancastrina.com/

Gen Z - a generation of highly informed social ambassadors. Navigating the Gen Z space whether you are a part of it or marketing towards it can be a challenge! Jimmy Slagle, the co-founder of Advest Marketing is focused on solving this with his company. In this episode, Jimmy explains how we can improve our message and our products to fit this generation by understanding the people that are apart of it better! We also discuss strategies on how to use Instagram as a way to grow awareness for our startups including content creation, hashtags, and engagement. Advest Marketing: https://www.advestmarketing.com/ 

Patrick Reveira is a real estate investor who buys homes, flips them, and sells them for a profit all around the U.S. He does this all while living in his home state, Hawaii, by outsourcing many of the tasks. In this episode, I talk with him about his strategies for real estate investing at a young age, delegating out tasks so he can focus on the things he's best at, and the importance of educating yourself going into a complex market. Learn more about Patrick Reveira here: https://www.patrickreveira.com/ The recommended book for this episode is The 4-hour Workweek by Tim Ferris: https://amzn.to/2YLhO7t 

When we start out on a business adventure, we are in LOVE with our idea! We want to talk about it, spend time working on it, and we can't stop thinking about it in the shower. Bill Flynn joins the show today with over 30 years of experience working with startups to explain to us what we should be falling in love with instead when we start a business. Check out Bill's #1 Amazon Best Seller, Further, Faster, here: https://amzn.to/3hcznV0 

Our brain is the most powerful influencer for us when it comes to taking action on our idea or not. It's vital for us to unlock our brains and gain confidence in our abilities otherwise we may never take this action. Business and wellness coach, public speaker, and author, David Rahman joins the show today to discuss why we are lacking confidence and how we can reprogram our brains to unlock our inner abilities! Learn more about David here: https://www.mind.coach/

Shannon Bowling is the co-owner of Impact Business coaching and an advocate for starting a business as a side hustle. In this episode, we hit on several key takeaways for those looking to start small and grow from there. These include how to reduce the amount of time and energy needed to build a business in your free time, why your first business maybe shouldn't be a passion project, and more! Shannon recommends the books Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy (https://amzn.to/31LnG0P) and Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins (https://amzn.to/3kAUjam). Shannon Bowling's LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-bowling-1771b499/).

At 15 years old, Ariana Feygin proves that one is never too young to make an impact! From starting to become a chef at 4, getting on MasterChef Junior, and starting her own philanthropic company, she has shown the power of perseverance. Ariana and host, Caleb Dykema further discuss aiming higher than what everyone thinks you can reach, and continuously pushing yourself to bigger goals.Bulb Into Business: Part 1, a module focused on helping you get your mindset ready for starting a business is now up on https://justthebulb.com/. Check it out!

The difference between having an "idea focus" and having a "customer focus" is a great chasm that many new entrepreneurs face. If it's not crossed, the business will fail. In this solo episode, Caleb Dykema discusses the time he discovered this great chasm when he was developing his prototype and describes how he built a bridge to cross to the other side. Set up your mind for success by going to https://justthebulb.com/ and checking out the Bulb Into Business Part 1 module!

Matthew Kee is the Startup Development Manager at Startup Hub as well as the co-founder of Kadence Financial. In this episode, Matthew explains why most startups don't need, nor do they want funding in the beginning because of how high-risk your business is. We also discuss how to remove this risk to position yourself for funding down the road.  Matthew recommends the book, The Lean Startup by Eric Ries (https://amzn.to/2XiHXtg)  We talked about one of the many options for an app builder that doesn't require code. Glideapps is one of them (https://www.glideapps.com/) 

You have an idea for a business...but don't know where to start. So often we have great ideas for products, apps, services, or side hustles, yet so few people take action to create their idea. They think they lack the resources, experience, and motivation to start but it's just a matter of changing the mindset. This module is meant to help you take the first critical steps in laying out the mindset and vision necessary for your success.  After this episode, you will be more ready than ever to take action and turn your light bulb idea into a business! Maybe you still have questions? Schedule a free 45-minute video chat with me, Caleb Dykema, where we can fit this model to your specific idea! Schedule here: https://calendly.com/justthebulb/bulb-into-business

Jordan Paris, the host of the Growth Mindset University Podcast, joins the show today to discuss how one should design their own life and not let a job design it for them. We put this in terms of going after your idea and how you can design your ideal life as an entrepreneur by providing people value and getting monetary value in return.  A book that supplements this episode is Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans (https://amzn.to/2Bp90eO). Check out Jordan's podcast here: https://jordanparis.com/category/growth-mindset-university-podcast/.

You want to get your product onto Amazon but you're not sure where to even begin or you're looking for a new side hustle. Eric Wulterkens has been selling on Amazon for 13+ years and joins to the show today to discuss the mindset and physical tools needed to be successful when doing it for the first time. Although Eric mainly sells books and media, many of his strategies can be applied to selling anything on Amazon.  Two books that have brought him success are The Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim (https://amzn.to/2CU8Yw4), and The Long Tail by Chris Anderson (https://amzn.to/3jlA0x0).  Check out one of Caleb's favorite design tools, Canva (https://canva.7eqqol.net/justthebulb). 

Brian Johnson struggled with finding a job after college and didn't want others to suffer the same way. After having coffee with someone with a similar business model, he began developing his own staffing agency to fix this problem. Now he's an advocate for recent grads and college students looking to find their purpose once the cap and gown have been removed. We discuss his solution for recent grads looking for their purpose, how a lifechanging experience can be a coffee cup away, and having different plans in place starting out in college. The recommended book for this episode is Awaken The Giant Within by Tony Robbins (https://amzn.to/32sVNNb)

April Mitchell joins the show today to talk about she has turned over five different physical product ideas into commercialized products without the need for an expensive lawyer or patent. We discuss her entire process from product ideation to signing the licensing deal with a company making this longer episode one of the most value-packed ones yet! April recommends two books that have helped her exclusively get to where she is now which are One Simple Idea (https://amzn.to/2ZXVeYJ), and Sell Your Ideas with Or Without a Patent (https://amzn.to/325Ahhe) both by Stephen Key.

Automating your business allows you to focus on the most vital things your business does which allows you to grow. Ocean Ronquillo-Morgan and I discuss her businesses and what she does to automate them and her client's. We dive into big-picture automation as well as specific software tools to use. Ocean's recommended books are Your Move: The Underdog's Guide to Building Your Business by Ramit Sethi (https://amzn.to/38A3RwL) and The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris (https://amzn.to/3e5oEJv).

How many brands of ice cream can you name? Blue Bunny, Cold Stone, Haagen-Dazs, the list is endless! We can tell the ice cream marketplace is very crowded, so how does a new startup even have a chance to compete in it? In this episode, Jake Smith joins to discuss this topic among others like finding if your idea is right for you and mimicking a business model from a similar company. The recommended book for this topic is Building A StoryBrand by Donald Miller (https://amzn.to/2BybTKA).

A taboo topic among society and often new founders and entrepreneurs is MONEY. This subject, like politics or sex, can be difficult to talk about, yet, plays a huge role in our lives. So why do we avoid the conversation? Jackson St. Amant is a financial coach whose goal is to provide the tools young entrepreneurs need to master their money. If what we talk about today offends you or doesn't make sense, don't ignore it like society would, but rather try and understand why entrepreneurs manage their money differently.  Jackson's and my recommended books regarding this topic include Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki (https://amzn.to/3eT2qM2) and Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (https://amzn.to/38mrUyQ).

Jordan Harbinger joins the show today to discuss his take on networking versus mentorship. We talk about how important creating a network is even as an entrepreneur starting out with a business idea along with Jordan's 'Layoff Lifelines', being deliberate when finding your network (because most people aren't as good as they think), and more! Recommended books are 'How To Win Friends And Influence People' by Dale Carnegie (https://amzn.to/38alDWU), and 'Never Eat Alone' by Keith Ferrazzi (https://amzn.to/3dGdQBi).

You can plan all you want but you will never be fully ready and confident for what it takes to become a business owner. That's why Addison and Cassidy Reilly, the founders of JACE Boutique say, "Do it scared!". In this episode, we discuss how they grew their business idea which sprouted from watching a Netflix show, dealing with haters, and pivoting during the COVID pandemic. A recommended book is Do It Scared by Scott Allan (https://amzn.to/2CEkrj8)

Dr. Erik Reis joins the show today with some powerful steps that you can take to develop your personal and business health. We jump into various habits that you can establish, different methods of investing in yourself, having mindfulness, and more!Erik's recommended books are The E Myth by Michael Gerber (https://amzn.to/3fIWNQJ) and Range by David Epstein (https://amzn.to/3efcGxU).

This episode comes from a recording of the 2020 Wisconsin Podcastathon held on June 6th. Caleb Dykema motivates listeners to go after their idea, discusses the importance of answering "Why?", and jumps into the first step of creating your idea that everyone has wrong!All the proceeds from the Podcastathon went towards helping Wisconsin families struggling during the pandemic. Listeners can still donate at live-for.org.

It's never too late to turn your life around and start turning your bulb into a business! Dan Spanbauer Co-owner of FS Webcenters Oshkosh has done just that after dealing with an alcohol problem for much of his adult life. Along with discussing these vital changes, Dan and Caleb go into the importance of multiple income streams, incubators for startups, and how to manage your time better.

Hernán Cortés led an army to Mexico in 1519 with the goal of capturing a treasure there. Upon arrival, Cortés made history by having the men burn the ships, thereby dismissing the idea of a possible retreat. Kyle Schmitz, host of the podcast 'What Not To Do', joins Caleb Dykema to discuss the ideas behind burning the ships in an entrepreneurial sense.

The best general isn't the one that has the greatest battle plan but rather it's the one that can handle the chaos when a battle plan goes wrong. AJ Armstrong, the founder of Armstrong Ventures and Armstrong Real Estate Group breaks down some of the vital mindsets that entrepreneurs need to understand in this episode. Furthermore, we discuss the 'Idea Filter' to keep you focused on only the best ideas, and how to start finding mentors.