The Reactive Entrepreneur

In this episode, I interview Aleksandras, a product owner at Oxylabs, discussing the evolution of web data gathering, the importance of ethical scraping, and the role of AI in enhancing scraping processes. We explore Oxylabs' growth from a small startup to a significant player in the web scraping industry, emphasizing on customer feedback and innovation. The discussion also covers the challenges of scaling, legal considerations, and the future of data collection with AI-driven solutions like their new OxyCopilot AI Assistant! Thank you for joining us, and we hope you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did!

In this episode, Erim Kaur and I delve into her incredible journey from working at a nightclub to starting her very own 7-figure Luxury Hair & Beardcare brand, ByErim. She won the Middle East Beauty Influencer of the Year for 2023 with over 650k followers across socials. She is also a spokesperson for Pandora, Kiss Nails, Debenhams, Sky TV, and many other reputable major brands. She was also featured in several prominent articles, such as the Sun UK and Cosmopolitan Middle East, making her one of the biggest Sikh influencers in the UK. Additionally, Erim shares some incredible moments from her story, including how she suffered from hair loss with alopecia herself, the loss of her mother and what led to the birth of her world-famous luxury Hair and Beardcare Oil - ByErim! As the episode concludes, Erim and I engage in a super fun rapid-fire round, revealing many insider secrets and pro tips. So, don't miss out—stay with us until the end! We also talk about so much more, including: Her complete journey from working at a nightclub to launching ByErim with a turnover of over £2.1 Million in the 2nd year How the pandemic boosted her business due to the increased online presence Overcoming challenges of selling products internationally & the challenges that follow, from logistics to conquering and catering to all different Hair types A look inside launching her own app, diving into her successful daily "Appfirmations" to retain engagement, how she leverages QR codes to elevate the unboxing experience & how she minimised friction to purchasing via TapCart How to stay true to your values and decline Sponsorship deals despite the financial temptations The journey from perfecting a formula from her Grandma's kitchen to selling and distributing the product globally Explaining the importance of PR & Influencer agencies and why/when to leverage them How fake followers can affect businesses and tips for identifying them Some critical tips to grow a social media presence and following Thank you for joining us, and we hope you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did! Enjoy, and thanks for listening! Sonny

In this episode, Matthieu Schon and I delve into his incredible journey from moving to Dubai from Luxembourg at a young age to starting his very own Online Luxury Market as his side project and building his Video Editing Agency from Scratch while landing major clients such as foodgod, bigmoeinc, albertofranchesci, samstailor, and many more! As the episode wraps up, Matthieu and I engage in a rapid-fire segment, revealing many insider secrets and pro tips. So, don't miss out—stay with us until the end! We also talk about so much more, including: - How social media helped launch his first Company (sellingcommunity.com) - How he landed 70k Users on sellingcommunity.com - How Generating Short Form Content Videos with his Brother led to the birth of the Designer Community - How to create good and consumable short-form video content - The level of impact of Hooks and CTAs in short format videos - Starting and Scaling a business from 0 to 5 full-time employees - Software and tech that Matthieu's team uses for Video Editing - Steps to generate a good video based on client expectations - How to land and keep a client on a retainer basis - Why Work Experience helps in building a business - Why Paid Ads are oversaturated and weaker because of Apple's Privacy Terms - Balancing Client Creativity and Expectations and finding the perfect middle-ground Thank you for joining us, and we hope you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did! Enjoy, and thanks for listening! Sonny

In this episode, Stephanie Farah and I delve into her incredible journey from a growing music career to starting her very own 7-Figure PR business in Dubai from Scratch and landing major clients such as Dnata, Ferrari Middle East, JW Marriott Marquis, and many more! Additionally, Stephanie shares some incredible moments from her story, including how she worked with the Royal Sheikh family in Dubai, flourished in her music career singing with some of the biggest artists & DJs, and her unforgettable story about how she met Kevin Hart for Dinner whilst she closed a huge client deal! We also talk about so much more including: - Scaling a business from 0 to 15+ full-time employees - Exploring the role of a PR company and its impact on businesses - PR vs. Advertising and the powerful benefits of profiling and exposure for businesses - How to harness the power of email marketing to attract PR clients - Transitioning from freelancing to running a successful company with remarkable growth every year - How to avoid imposter syndrome when growing a business - The power of just "doing" and taking baby steps in life Thank you for joining us, and we hope you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did! Enjoy, and thanks for listening! Sonny

In this episode, Big Moe and I delve into his incredible journey of growing his own 7-Figure Luxury Watch Business and building his own team from scratch. Additionally, Big Moe shares his incredible story about how he sourced a Rolex for one of the biggest Watch YouTubers Nico Leonard. Make sure to stick to the very end to hear the complete story of how this happened and how perseverance always wins. Additionally, we also talk about: How is Big Moe different from other Luxury Watch dealers and his process of sourcing a luxury watch A deep dive into the production world of luxury watches such as Rolex, Audemars Piguet and more! How to make a watch valuable for a customer through scarcity and connections How fake luxury watches impose no threat to the thriving 7 Figure luxury watch industry The power of the phrase "One More" and how it elevated Big Moe's Business to 7 Figures Why your "network is your net worth" and why it is super important to approach it with the right intentions Why money shouldn't be the main focus in growing a business but rather building your "core values" Thank you for joining us, and we hope you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did! Enjoy, and thanks for listening! Sonny

In this episode, Barber Mo and I delve into his incredible journey of launching his own Men's Grooming Business - Skills by Mo in Dubai. The journey wasn't easy as this is a true rags-to-riches story amidst all the challenges and criticism that he had to face in growing a successful men's grooming business. As we wrap up the episode, Barber Mo shares his incredible story about how he styled hair for Will Smith and Diego Maradona so make sure to stick till the very end to hear how it came to fruition! We also talk about: What circumstances made Mo become "Barber Mo" at just 9 years old From Grind to Glory: Working 14 hours a day, every day, to starting his own business - Skills by Mo How he defied all odds and migrated from Syria to Dubai to start Skills by Mo How to unleash your true potential by overcoming all the criticisms, downfalls and negativity in life How to identify your core problems and work on changing your mindset from " I can't" to "I can" How to exploit and leverage a market weakness and take advantage of it to grow a successful business How to take a Men's Grooming Business and elevate it to the next level with sheer passion and dedication Thank you for joining us, and we hope you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did! Enjoy, and thanks for listening! Sonny

In this episode, Jay Rathod and I take a trip down memory lane with us as we reminisce about the initial launch of the PAPAFAM, and how we planned it ALL in a Google Doc. We peel back the layers to reveal the compelling story of the PAPAFAM, delving into all the highs and lows that have shaped the PAPAFAM into a 6 Figure thriving business! We also delve deep into: How we turned an Idea into a 6 Figure Thriving Business with all its ups and downs How we met at the University of Kent and our "secret ritual" Why we took the leap of faith into launching PAPAFAM (Spoiler Alert: We hated our day jobs!) How the names PAPAFAM & Zero to Full Stack Hero were Born Key factors that are involved in effectively pricing Zero to Full Stack Hero All the Challenges we faced when we launched on 30th December 2020 The work that goes into planning, launching & maintaining a digital product such as the PAPA GitHub Repo How our first Netflix Challenge lead to the birth of the PAPAFAM Software House How we implemented streamlined Systems to enhance the efficiency of all our tasks How we utilise Kajabi, Notion & Zapier to run and hold the business in place The importance of staying grounded while running a business So, don't miss out—stay with us until the end. Thank you for joining us, and we hope you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did! This is a podcast episode you don't want to miss! Enjoy, and thanks for listening! Sonny

In this episode, Ania Kubow and I delve into her inspiring journey of launching her own coding course amidst challenges and criticism in the predominantly male world of programming. We explore: Her unique experiences working with Free Code Camp The inception and growth of her YouTube Channel The debut and development of her signature Course - Code with Ania The dichotomy of Social Media: its benefits and pitfalls for YouTubers As we wrap up the episode, Ania and I engage in a lively Q&A segment, revealing a treasure trove of insider secrets and pro tips. So, don't miss out—stay with us until the end! Thank you for joining us, and we hope you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did! Enjoy, and thanks for listening! Sonny

In this episode, Myself, Leon and Jay talk about Leon's journey from an Expelled student to becoming a Doctor of Machine Learning & AI in Cancer Immunology studying at Cambridge, Harvard & MIT along with: How thinking "out of the box" can help you get into well-renowned universities What's it like studying at Cambridge, Harvard & MIT The Effectiveness of AI on Machine Learning How AI tools like ChatGPT can affect our jobs and help us solve complex problems What a day in the work of a Data Scientist consists of Understanding how Neural Networks work + So much more! The episode concludes with an engaging Q&A session, during which Leon shares his recommendations for job seekers and/or university applicants. Then, drawing from his experiences and successes in landing positions at prestigious universities such as Cambridge, Harvard, and MIT and working in Data Science and Machine Learning, Leon talks about many practical methods that will benefit anyone pursuing similar achievements. So if you want to take your career or educational aspirations to new heights, stick around until the end! Enjoy, and thanks for listening! Sonny

In this episode, Myself and Jay talk about the biggest wins we have had in the year 2023 as a company, Including: Hitting 200,000 Subscribers on YouTube Partnering with Tech Giants like Microsoft and IBM Buying my First property Buying my First Rolex Launching a new SaaS product Purchasing my First Gold ingots! + So much more! We also discuss the challenges along the way and how I'd best recommend climbing over them if I was exposed to the same situation in the present day. The Episode wraps up with a rapid-fire found where Sonny reveals some important secrets that you might want to know! Enjoy and Thanks for listening! Sonny

In this episode, Myself and Jay discuss the challenges of moving an entire company abroad, from the technical challenges to the emotional ones; From setting up a new company to finding a place to call home again. We break down each encounter, weighing in on the pro's & con's between UK and Dubai and my current perspective on which i'd recommend after living here for a considerable time. We try to uncover and explain the pain points a new business owner may experience when moving abroad; such as handling agents, bank applications, all the way to getting your hands on your Emirates ID! We also shed light on why this has been the biggest & best decision of my life, how it has impacted me mentally & how i've been able to level up my productivity to new heights with techniques such as habit stacking & much more! Enjoy and Thanks for listening! Sonny

In this episode, I speak to one of our Diamond Zero to Full Stack Hero members Luke Menton on his amazing journey as a Software Developer based in Ireland. We talked about Luke's interview process where he turned a failed junior interview into a successful internship interview; he then used his soft skills acquired since joining the PAPAFAM and went on to land the job earning £20,000 more than the initial junior base rate. Luke and I discuss the different paths to becoming a developer and which might be best suited for a newcomer whether it's a coding bootcamp, community course or degree, you'll get first hand experiences of each in today's podcast! We also touch on how Zero to Full Stack Hero helped him elevate his developer skills and push his soft skills to new heights which helped him land a job and all the troubles he overcame as an upcoming developer. Luke also gives his best tips for any newcomer in the developer space. We end it in a fun Quick fire round to hear Luke's true thoughts and feelings towards his life as a software developer! Enjoy and Thanks for listening, Sonny

In this Episode of The Reactive Entrepreneur I sit down and celebrate a huge WIN for the PAPAFAM with Jay Rathod, we hit 100,000+ subscribers on YouTube! We discuss the journey and how we went from less than 1000 subscribers and 0 members in our community to growing a channel past 100,000 and a course with over 500 members inside pushing a revenue of £250,000+ Together we break down the things we learnt along the way, the battles we faced both in the business and personally including the dark moments and challenging mental health battles along the way. We take a moment to celebrate some personal achievements and highlights including my first ever Tesla Model 3 and a maxed out M1 Macbook Pro; we dive deep into how there was once a time where I could never dream of owning such things and I breakdown my past struggles and the journey to today. We discuss the new PAPA Success Coach initiative where our top students were offered paid freelance gigs which then turned to life changing jobs and opportunities for them and how we did it! We take a look back at my trip to Dubai and elaborate on the future plans for the PAPAFAM for 2022, the growth cycle and the continuous strive for excellence, blowing the PAPAFAM to new heights in 2022. Let's start the new year off with a bang! Enjoy the show #PAPAFAM! - Sonny

In this Episode of The Reactive Entrepreneur I sit down with a good friend of mine Dr Leon Chlon , we share how we first met through our shared love of vlogging in Heathrow Airport, our key moments and adventures in Dubai, and dive all the way into Leon's life to find out how he was able to go from being a struggling student to finding his inner passion for mathematics and computational physics which lead to him studying at the top institutions & universities around the globe including Cambridge, Harvard & MIT. We get a deeper look into the world of machine learning & AI as I interview Leon on his journey to landing a position at Facebook as a senior Data Scientist. We break down the problems he faced along the way, uncovering all the best secrets to fast tracking success for anyone wishing to enter the space! A fun & light hearted conversation between two senior developers with plenty of lessons to share, this personally was my favourite session yet! Enjoy the show #PAPAFAM! - Sonny

In this episode, I speak to one of our Diamond Zero to Full Stack Hero members Alex Eklund on his amazing journey as a Software Developer/Freelancer based in Thailand. You'll get a breakdown of the pro's & con's of remote working and the unique struggles that are associated with taking the leap to becoming a fully remote developer abroad! Alex and I discuss the different paths to becoming a developer and which might be best suited for a newcomer whether it's a coding bootcamp, community course or degree, you'll get first hand experiences of each in today's podcast! Ending in a fun Quick fire round to hear Alex's true thoughts and feelings towards his life in Thailand as a remote developer! Enjoy and Thanks for listening, Sonny

In the second episode, I open up about my entire journey and my background, all the obstacles I faced whilst pursuing the life I live now and the struggles along the way! I talk about my experiences from the moment I wrote my first line of code all the way to when I started my first ever company (which failed!). I explain how I moved from job to job, how the corporate world wasn't for me and how my transition to YouTube lead to a huge realisation for me and changed what I actually saw as 'success' in my life. You'll get to know me, Sonny (The CEO and founder of the PAPAFAM & Zero to Full Stack Hero) a level deeper in today's episode! Enjoy and Thanks for listening, Sonny

In the first official episode, we discuss the challenges faced with starting a 6-figure business and how two friends were able to remain friends & overcame the obstacles that were thrown their way in the short span of 6 months as they grew the PAPAFAM to 350+ members with over 60,000 YouTube Subscribers! You'll get to meet me, Sonny (The CEO and founder of the PAPAFAM & Zero to Full Stack Hero) and Jay, one of my best friends from back in uni who went on to become a partner / assistant in the PAPAFAM! Ending in a Quick fire round to get to know me on a more personal level! Enjoy and Thanks for listening, Sonny