Run With It

For the next few weeks, you won't see new episodes because we're taking a short break. We'll be back October 1st. In the meantime, listen back to our catalog of 100 past episodes.

In this episode Chris and Eathan get personal about what's going on in their family lives, their business lives, and their podcast lives. 

If you like the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts!Nuggets: Currently there is more aluminum stored in landfills than in the mineral where aluminum is sourced in nature.  Not all landfills are created equal. Landfills near industrial areas contain more metals like steel, aluminum, and iron.  Jevons Paradox could be leveraged: The paradox occurs when technological progress or government policy increases the efficiency with which a resource is used, but the rate of consumption of that resource rises due to increasing demand. Action Steps: Find ways to intercept potentially valuable materials before they end up in the landfill.  "Bank" salvaged material for future use Reach out to explore partnerships with existing companies like Terracycle Links: https://www.algiknit.com/ https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/ Aaron Nesser is the founder of AlgiKnit, which creates eco-conscious, renewable yarns for the circular economy. Love a part of the show? Did we get something completely wrong? Let us know at update@runwithit.fm.

If you like the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts!Action Steps: Investigate current revenue split for concert venues   Search for the managers/decision-makers of concerts at large venues   Contact them via a cold call, email, or LinkedIn message   Offer to run a trial event which you can help them presell a live stream of their upcoming concert   If enough fans buy in, then produce the first event (keep a production budget of under $10K)   Ask the venue to keep your equipment installed and sign them on as a partner   Find more partners and offer a subscription service to fans   You could offer a number of credits per month that could be used for various concerts   Janne Tamminen is the co-founder of Howl Live, a cutting edge live concert streaming platform built for the music industry.

If you like the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts!Nuggets:Many investors who buy a business trip up over simple operational details (e.g. forgetting to renew a domain name). Michael has seen this happen time and again.Action Steps: Generate your opportunity to break into the space: Start a podcast Host an event Connect with recruiters who can source talented business managers Buy an existing business with the audience you want to serve If you've connected with a recruiter you can understand their fee structure, add a profit margin and use this information to sell this service to your first Investor clients You can begin charging a commission as soon as your make your first connection, probably 5-10%, or you can just get a testimonial and case study from the deal Once your more established in the space your can start to build out your platform for connecting Business Investors and Talented Operators You might reduce your commission slightly once the business requires less manpower and runs more on automation One way to build your client base is to buy an existing business that has a similar audience. Links: https://www.domainmagnate.com/ https://domainmagnatecapital.com/ The Domain Magnate Show The White Coat Investor Michael Bereslavsky is the Founder and CEO of Domain Magnate, a micro private equity firm that acquires and operates online businesses.Love a part of the show? Did we get something completely wrong? Let us know at update@runwithit.fm.

If you like the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts!Nuggets:The next wave in creative domains is often defined by those who master the tech that disrupt what's already being doneAction Steps: Start by offering AI services that assist writers in tweaking their content (e.g. “overcome writer's block!”) Then offer a contract to some of the best writers for a publishing contract Optimize not only the writing but also the marketing using AI resources Eventually transition to offering some content that is entirely AI generated. Links: www.kennygould.com https://www.instagram.com/hopcultureken The Brewing Cloud: A Book of Short Stories https://www.hopculture.com/ https://openai.com/ Opinion | Did a Human or a Computer Write This? https://booksby.ai/ https://nextglass.co/ Kenny Gould is currently the Creative Director at Next Glass the company that bought his beer-loving culture brand, Hop Culture. He's currently working on the Untappd Beer Festival at the Padres stadium in San Diego, which will be happening in October 2021.Love a part of the show? Did we get something completely wrong? Let us know at update@runwithit.fm.

If you like the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts!Nuggets: If you are entering an industry with long sales cycles, hiring a salesperson with experience and relationships in the industry can move you forward a lot quicker. You can leverage already approved cloud service agreements to short circuit the enterprise sales process Action Steps: You have a few avenues to pursue and each has its own first steps; Start creating your own pre-recorded training content and posting to YouTube Become a consultant (similar to what Zoom already offers) Start engaging with larger companies and be willing to endure a longer sales cycle (5-12 months) Regardless of your starting point, you'll probably want to ultimately sell services to larger companies and work towards understanding and integrating more deeply with their needs. Once you are integrating with large companies, focus on beating their existing content. It will need to be less boring than competitors but also make sure that it's boring enough to fit within company standards. Links: TrackStar.ai – Predictive Credit Technology A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload The State of Video Conferencing in 2020 [50 Statistics] Zoom Online Event Consulting Services Requests for Startups Clint Lotz is the founder of TrackStar.ai which Provides Machine Learning Technology to Lenders that Uncovers Future Borrowing Patterns Within Their Existing Data leading them to untapped revenue opportunities.Love a part of the show? Did we get something completely wrong? Let us know at update@runwithit.fm.

If you like the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts!Nuggets:The total addressable market for this idea is over 16 million individuals in the U.S. alone. Action Steps: Partner with member of the community  Research applicable grants  Links: https://www.packupgo.com/ https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/infographic-disability-impacts-all.html https://skift.com/2017/11/16/airbnb-buys-accessible-travel-business-accomable-in-its-latest-acquihire/ https://www.freedomshowers.com/blog/small-business-funding-for-ada-accessibility-compliance/ Lillian Rafson is the founder of Pack Up + Go, a surprise travel agency. Love a part of the show? Did we get something completely wrong? Let us know at update@runwithit.fm.

If you like the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts!Nuggets:Parenting is a secure market! Over 3.5 million births in the US and 140 million worldwide will continue each year.Action Steps: This is a great business idea for an aspiring entrepreneur without an idea but that's nervous about supporting a growing family. Start with a cohort of expectant parents and partner with a handful of high-profile child development, mindfulness and parenting specialists. Aim for a subscription service that provides one-step-ahead advice on mindfulness and activities to make parenting easier, less stressful and more fun. Consider a custom consulting add-on that matches parents with 1-on-1 professional consults on-demand. Links: https://www.nami.ml The Wonder Weeks - app that tells you the "stormy" periods Baby Care Products Market to Touch US$ 109.13Bn by 2026 Dan Burcaw is currently Co-Founder & CEO of Nami ML, a service that helps you launch, scale, and optimize your mobile app subscription business. He's been an entrepreneur at the forefront o tech since high school. But today he's bringing us an idea about.Love a part of the show? Did we get something completely wrong? Let us know at update@runwithit.fm.

If you like the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts!Nuggets:Dave's Cardinal Rule: Always Be Adapting (ABA)Action Steps:1. Look at user feedback from poorly reviewed competitors in the app store2. Spend only a few hundred to a few thousand dollars developing a Chrome extension 3. Collect user feedback4. Expand to other channels like LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, and TwitterLinks: Kindlepreneur: Book Marketing for Self-Publishing Authors LinkedIn Loses Appeal Against Data Scraping Startup Colin Powell's 13 Rules of Leadership Publisher Rocket: Sell More Books and eBooks on Amazon Dave Chesson is the founder of Kindlepreneur, which helps authors reach new levels with their book marketing. He created Kindlepreneur as a free resource with the sole goal of giving writers everything they need to take action, and see results.Love a part of the show? Did we get something completely wrong? Let us know at update@runwithit.fm.

If you like the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts!Nuggets: When you build a business realize that your community of clients may be more valuable than the money they give you. You can always build additional products and services that they need. But without an audience, you have no business. It's okay to provide different amounts of compensation to co-founders based on their needs at a given time, but it's also useful to start with an even share of the company. Communications add-ons for linked in is still and underserved niche. Action Steps: Choose to focus on a very simple product first: LinkedIn Inbox integration with Gmail. Create a landing page and collect emails of interested folks. Connect with technical co-founder(s) (or sales and marketing co-founders if you are technical) Start building with a small equal share investment from your co-founders Realize you are building an audience as you gain users. Focus more on the relationships and building it than monetization and your initial idea. Add features and build relationships with team members at LinkedIn to make sure you  are not stepping on their strategy and to seed the prospect of acquisition by LinkedIn at some point. Grow your users and grow your features through feedback and rapid iteration. Links: lemlist: Your Go-To Cold Email Software & Outreach Automation Tool Contact Center Software Market Size Report, 2021-2028 Front - Customer Communication Platform | Team Email TechCrunch Twilio confirms it is buying Segment for $3.2B in an all-stock deal Paul Graham on Earnestness Territory Foods CookUnity: A Chef Collective Guillaume is the Co-Founder and CEO of lemlist, a personalized cold email sequencing software. In 3 years, lemlist went from 0 to $8 million ARR and 10k+ customers worldwide, without any funding. His mission is to help 1,000,000 entrepreneurs to build a profitable business by 2025.Love a part of the show? Did we get something completely wrong? Let us know at update@runwithit.fm.

If you like the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts!Nuggets: You can often dominate a local business niche by implementing current marketing and technology (e.g. residential cleaning) People often get excited about new tech (drones, 3D printing, etc…) but their enthusiasm wavers before the breakthrough tech makes a sizable impact on the real world. There’s plenty of opportunity implementing tech from five years ago. Action Steps: Contact Lucid Drones and get pricing for leasing one of their cleaning drones Investigate permitting in your local city Pre-sell window cleanings to several property managers (they often sign yearly contracts) Your selling point is that your clients will never have to talk to you again after signing up. You take window cleaning off their plate so they can focus on other things. Links: MaidThis MaidThis Franchise Aurum property management is implementing drone window cleaning Tim Byrne Almost Live Podcast Don't Forget, Window Washing Is a Lot Safer Than Driving a Taxi Cleandrone How will drone window cleaning change your business? | INTERCLEAN Lucid Drone Tech – We build drones Window washing drone takes flight Neel Parekh founded MaidThis, which helps short-term rental owners and homeowners meet their cleaning needs quickly, easily and affordably. He also founded MaidThis Franchise, which helps remote owners achieve financial independence via MaidThis.Love a part of the show? Did we get something completely wrong? Let us know at update@runwithit.fm.

If you like the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts!Nuggets:Plant a lot of seeds in the early stages of your business and see what grows. You may be surprised by the results.Action Steps: Sell the vision to large companies (think IBM, Google, Amazon) in order to get a sponsorship Ask school teachers in your area to send you students that that are selling things to their classmates Recruit entrepreneurs to mentor students, both for pay and as volunteers to test which works best. Setup opportunities for students to start businesses and learn key lessons, like the nuances of how to fail toward success and how to build a support network of other entrepreneurs. Links: Versus Game VCs Are Pouring Money Into the Wrong Education Startups The Thiel Fellowship Smart Face Masks - Way Beyond Air Quality Best Countries for Education | US News Best Countries John Viti is the CEO of VersusGame, a pop-culture gaming app that lets users bet on trending topics. They've granted over 16 million in cash prizes to over 7 million players. VersusGame is a global entertainment pop culture gaming app where users can put money on trending topics about celebrities, pop culture, sports, entertainment, food, and more. This app is the first of its kind to bring power to the masses and allow consumers to capitalize on their knowledge of mainstream culture. Since its launch in 2019, VersusGame has grown significantly, with over $16 Million in cash prizes ($4 Million of that during the “COVID-19 Era”) to more than 7 million players.Love a part of the show? Did we get something completely wrong? Let us know at update@runwithit.fm.

If you like the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts!Nuggets:Startups like Uber and GreenPal succeeded by giving the common person a top-tier experienceAction Steps: Get a job as a concierge in a luxury hotel and note the ingredients essential to a smooth, positive and remarkable check in experience Discover ways to automate the most remarkable check in experiences. You could implement an app that senses location, includes pre recorded audio and video content, and tightly coordinates concierge behaviors. Partner with some mid range hotels, get paid as a consultant while testing your idea within their ecosystem. Sell them on the fact that customer satisfaction can dramatically be increased with lower wait times: a 5 minute wait to check-in lowers guest satisfaction by 50% Create a metric like lowering check-in times just 30 seconds and raising customer satisfaction to five stars Links: GreenPal How Check-In Wait Times Impact Hotel Guest Satisfaction Bryan Clayton is CEO and cofounder of GreenPal an online marketplace that connects homeowners with local lawn care professionals. Love a part of the show? Did we get something completely wrong? Let us know at update@runwithit.fm.

If you like the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts!Nuggets: Aside from the hype, there are many smart people excited about the practical potential of blockchain and NFTs Steveblank.com offers an incredible resource for entrepreneurs There are multi-billion dollar opportunities for companies that help crypto “cross the chasm,” making it more accessible to mainstream audiences Action Steps: Get your own crypto security and succession plan in order Stay up to date on the latest developments in estate planning and password management as it applies to crypto assets Use a site like aytm.com to “Ask Your Target Market” about what type of product will serve them best. Consider a relatively lightweight solution to digital estate planning (e.g. set up smart contracts that automatically distribute assets to your family if you don’t log in every six months) There could be various niches within this broader category to build businesses in. Links: http://edgeofnft.com/ https://wearecanopy.com/ https://steveblank.com/ Lost Passwords Lock Millionaires Out of Their Bitcoin Fortunes Wallet Recovery Services https://safehaven.io/ AYTM Market Research: Online Market Research Territory Foods | Healthy Meal Delivery Jeff Kelley is a serial entrepreneur, investor, creator, and graduate of West point with a Yale MBA. Josh Kriger is a serial entrepreneur from Boston now staying warm in SoCal who has launched and consulted with businesses across a variety of industries.Jeff and Josh co-founded Territory Foods, a national ready-to-eat prepared meal delivery company utilizing a unique network of distributed chefs. They also founded Canopy, a sustainability-focused apparel company that connects fans with what they love through collectible interchangeable patches.Love a part of the show? Did we get something completely wrong? Let us know at update@runwithit.fm.

E-commerce sales are skyrocketing, led by Shopify. The core app leaves much to be desired, however. Chase Clymer of Electric Eye joins us to discuss the massive opportunity available in the Shopify app ecosystem.

If you’ve ever been part of planning a group trip, you know it can quickly suck the joy out of your upcoming vacation. Nikhil Aitharaju of Topic shares a business idea to make vacation planning more collaborative.

New social platforms are popping up like flies, but the professional networking niche has become dated. Jeremy Chatelaine of Quickmail.io chats with us about disrupting industry behemoths, when to pivot, and the future of crypto.

Airlines are bleeding cash right now. While we don’t exactly feel sorry for them, there’s a huge opportunity to get ahead of the post-Covid travel boom. Jeremy Parker of Swag.com shares a fun business idea that gets people thinking about flying.

Podcasting is growing like wildfire yet there are plenty of influential people intimidated by the process of starting a podcast. Sani Abdul-Jabbar shares a business idea to create a podcast in a box service.

In this era of endless screentime, people are craving a return to nature. Dominic Monkhouse shares a business idea that offers meaningful country living experiences to city folk.

Consumer products are reviewed everywhere, but by an unorganized mass of content creators. But no independent site soliciting product reviews has taken hold on a large scale. Listen to Chris Dickey describe how and why we can change that.

Social networks are great for getting exposure to your brand, but followers are reliant on their algorithms to see your content. That’s one reason email marketing is so valuable. Josh Howarth of Exploding Topics shares a business idea that transforms social media content into newsletters, helping content creators own their distribution channels.

We’re nearly at the point of no return with climate change. Tristan Pollock of CTO.ai shares a business idea to reduce CO2 emissions by leveraging blockchain tech.

We’ve been prototyping flying cars for decades but is it finally their time? Could be, given tech advances in batteries and autonomous flight. Daniel Gallancy of Atakama shares serious ideas for making a crazy idea real.

There are hundreds of goal setting apps available, but 92% of people still fail to achieve their goals. Barnaby Lashbrooke (founder of Time Etc.) shares why there is still room in this market and how we would approach it.

Plenty of high quality wood is ending up in landfills or wood chippers. William Warren and Michael Toret riff with us on a business idea to capitalize on wasted wood, turning trash into treasure.

It becomes much harder to be a digital nomad when you have a family. Listen to Matt Wilson describe a business idea that makes it easy for remote-working families to hit the ground running in their new work location.

Everyone has attended terrible meetings. The worst part: people don’t remember what was discussed, wasting attendees’ time! Listen to Tyler King describe a business idea that makes it super easy to take meeting notes.

It’s frustrating to have to download multiple apps to rent an electric scooter. Listen as we discuss a business idea that allows users to rent any platform’s scooter from within one app.

What if you could make money from the stuff lying around your house that you're not using? Ryan Frederick brings an idea for an app that would facilitate a community of lenders and borrowers of "stuff."

YC Alum and Founder of Indie Hackers, Courtland Allen maintains one of the best pulses on business trends and opportunities. Listen to Courtland share three business ideas that are ready to launch in 2021.

It’s tough to come up with and follow exercise routines by yourself. YouTube and Instagram videos aren’t good solutions. Listen to Colin McIntosh describe a business idea to create a workout-centered podcast platform. If you like the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) companies spend ~30% of developer time on common problems like user account management. Listen to George Deglin describe an idea to build a Shopify-like platform for SaaS businesses.

150 million people are homeless worldwide. Calvin Correli believes that we can’t rely on the government to address this problem. What would a private sector solution to homelessness look like?

SaaS operators would often rather work on product than mess with pricing. Who wants to risk alienating customers? Ben Orenstein describes how a 3rd-party consultant could solve the pain of price optimization.

Most businesses under-invest in optimizing their hiring funnel, resulting in lost productivity and money. Listen to Aline Lerner describe a business idea that treats the hiring process with the analytical attention it deserves.

Even before the pandemic, face masks were commonplace in some polluted Asian cities. Moe Abbas doesn’t think they’ll be going away anytime soon, and has a business idea that implements wearable tech to dramatically improve the experience for wearers.

For decades Da Beers had us all fooled, but these days consumers are looking for responsibly sourced products and products that have a social mission. Not only are lab-created diamonds a fraction of the price of natural diamonds, they have less baggage and are more sustainable. Hey, we all got on board with vegan leather--synthetic diamonds could be the next luxury item ripe for a rebrand.

75% of employees consider their direct manager to be the “worst part of their job," and the majority of employees who leave cite their manager as the reason why. Listen to Angela Ferrante describe a B2B business idea that helps managers get better.

Many aspiring entrepreneurs are doomed to fail because they don’t really understand what they want. Joe Apfelbaum (CEO of Ajax Union) shares a framework for creating a successful (Amazon) business.

Identity theft and fraud cost the economy $25 billion per year. Listen to Ryan Coon describe a business idea that unanonymizes digital identities.

Restaurants have been hit hard during COVID-19. Listen to us brainstorm ways Lindsay and Alessandro can leverage their wine club and community to support their workforce and recover lost income.

Chris and Eathan reveal a special announcement and then get into Chris's personal finances, Eathan's obnoxiously well-bodied hair, and the future of Run With It and startups in general.

China has stopped taking our “dirty” recycling, and now 15-20% of material collected in recycling ends up in landfills. Listen to Dmitry Dragilev describe a business idea to actually recycle recyclables.

Reviews can make or break small businesses, but most customers don’t care to give them and most employees don’t work hard to get them. Listen to JB Kellogg describe a business idea to create a gamify review generation. P.S. If you like the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

At the end of a long day of business travel, you just want a nice shower. Problem is, most of the time they’re terrible. Listen to Nir Bashan describe a business idea that “makes showering while traveling great again.”

It’s tough to come up with and follow exercise routines by yourself. YouTube and Instagram videos aren’t good solutions. Listen to Colin McIntosh describe a business idea to create a workout-centered podcast platform. If you like the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

People hate their printers. They jam, fail and run out of ink and fail whenever you need them most. Listen to Kent Wilson describe a business idea to take the headache out of home printing.

Homeowners are too busy and ill-qualified to take care of their property’s routine maintenance. Listen to Jason Cherubini describe a business idea that offloads your home maintenance needs to a major domo.