Podcasts about clearco

In this episode, we dive into the impact of tariffs on e-commerce brands.Olivier Grinda, Chief Operating Officer at Clearco, shares insights on how these extra costs can hurt profit margins and offers practical strategies for handling the situation. He explains what tariffs are, how they affect brand profits, and why waiting for market conditions to stabilize might be riskier than taking immediate action. Olivier provides valuable advice on financing options that can help businesses weather these challenging times.Topics discussed in this episode: How tariffs cut into your e-commerce profits. Why grasping protectionism's past is key to judging tariffs. How passing costs to customers can hurt demand and loyalty. How to share tariff costs with manufacturers. Why shifting production to Vietnam or Cambodia is so hard. How new shipyard taxes on Chinese vessels will disrupt shipping. What dangers come from “waiting and seeing” during trade shifts. How Clearco's revenue financing can stabilize your cash flow. Why underwriters use margins, reserves, and trends to set rates. What it means to be “mindfully aggressive” in a tariff crisis. Links & Resources Website: https://clear.co/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/getclearco/X/Twitter: https://x.com/getclearcoFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/getclearcoGet access to more free resources by visiting the show notes athttps://tinyurl.com/usakn83jSUPPORT OUR SPONSORThis episode is sponsored by Ahrefs — the all-in-one marketing intelligence platform trusted by SEO professionals, content creators, and digital marketers around the world. Whether you're doing keyword research, checking backlinks, or analyzing competitors, Ahrefs gives you the tools to make smarter marketing decisions.

On this episode of the Success Leaves Clues podcast, Robin and Al sit down with Amanda Mitchell, a seasoned people and culture leader at Clearco, to explore what it means to build strong teams across borders, create meaningful roles, and lead with intention in high-growth environments.Amanda shares her non-traditional path from theology to HR, her experience in the gig economy, and how those perspectives have shaped her people-first leadership style. From juggling priorities to setting boundaries and planting seeds for the next generation, Amanda brings a fresh, thoughtful take on building inclusive, resilient cultures.

Guest: Michele Romanow, co-founder of ClearCo Original air date: October 4, 2021 Original description: Michele Romanow started her first business after uni, was a 'Dragon' on Dragon's Den at 28yo and founded what is now the world's largest e-commerce investor before turning 30. Clearco has invested more than $2.5b in startups around the globe and is now launching its unique A.I. model in Australia, with an initial $100m up for grabs. Update: A couple of years ago ClearCo withdrew from international operations including Australia after being hit hard by a downturn in the tech startup space. This interview is a reflection of the optimism of 2021, and what an investor looks for in a startup.Find out more: https://fearandgreed.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this enlightening episode of the Startup CEO Show, host Mark MacLeod welcomes Andrew D'Souza, the innovative co-founder and CEO of Boardy, for a deep dive into the world of AI-driven networking and entrepreneurship. D'Souza, known for his previous success with Clearco, shares candid reflections on his journey from building a unicorn company to exploring the frontiers of AI technology. The conversation offers listeners a rare glimpse into the mind of a serial entrepreneur, covering everything from the challenges of hypergrowth to the intricacies of navigating investor relationships in today's competitive landscape.Andrew introduces Boardy, an AI super connector that's redefining how professionals network and collaborate. He explains the groundbreaking technology behind Boardy, including its use of advanced voice models and AI to facilitate meaningful connections. The discussion explores the potential for AI to unlock hidden value in human interactions and reshape our understanding of work and productivity. Andrew's vision for Boardy goes beyond traditional AI assistants, imagining a future where AI entities play a more integral role in society, with their own agency and autonomy.The episode delves into the impact of AI on various industries, with a particular focus on SaaS companies. D'Souza challenges CEOs to rethink their competitive advantages in light of rapidly evolving AI capabilities, offering valuable insights for business leaders navigating this technological revolution. The conversation also touches on the broader implications of AI for the job market and workforce development, with D'Souza presenting an optimistic view of AI's potential to enhance human creativity and self-expression. The episode concludes with a thought-provoking discussion on the Canadian tech landscape and the cultural challenges faced by ambitious entrepreneurs.Tune in now to gain invaluable insights from one of tech's most forward-thinking leaders.

Welcome to today's episode of Clio Con Clips 2024!Clio's very own Curt Sigfstead joins us today. He is the Chief Financial Officer of the company.Curt is in charge of managing Clio's financial affairs, not just including finance, but also accounting, capital, treasury, taxation, and corporate development. During his long line of experiences, he worked in many senior finance leadership roles at companies, such as Clearco and J.P. Morgan.When he's not disrupting the status quo through mission-driven work, he can be found running the trails of Northern California, mapping out a route for his first Clio virtual 10km. Details for this and many more fascinating developments within Clio are talked about today.Stay tuned to make the most of the key points from Clio Con's amazing guest speakers and harness your momentum.Clio would also like to announce a new offer for Clio Con 2025, which will be in Boston, Massachusetts. Find out more with the above link!Support the show

Robin and Al sit down with Andrew Curtis, CEO of Clearco, to explore the company's mission and vision, focused on providing capital to direct-to-consumer e-commerce businesses. Andrew highlights the crucial role of transparency and clear communication in fostering trust with both employees and customers. He delves into the challenges startups face in securing capital and the necessity of sustainable growth. Sharing insights from his personal journey, Andrew reflects on how his upbringing has shaped his leadership style, emphasizing the importance of serving customers and driving economic growth."Transparency with our customers is extraordinarily important." ~ Andrew CurtisKey TakeawaysClearco's mission is to support direct-to-consumer e-commerce businesses by providing them with capital for growth.Transparency and clear communication are key values at Clearco, fostering trust with employees and customers.Access to capital is a major challenge for startups, and Clearco aims to provide non-dilutive financing to fuel their growth.Andrew's personal values, including honesty, hard work, and education, shape his leadership style and guide his decision-making.Brought to you by Aria Benefits and Life & Legacy Advisory Group

In this episode, Dave discusses how to reduce inbound placement fees with Amazon, how placement fees are calculated and who the winners and losers are since these fees were implemented.  Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today!  It's been a few months since Amazon implemented their new Inbound Placement Fees.  The amount of increase varies, depending on the product, warehouse location, and other factors. But the good news is that you don't always have to pay the fees. In this episode, we'll explore the 3 ways you can use to avoid or reduce your Inventory Placement Fee when sending products to Amazon. The Big Takeaways Shipping to four or more locations can help avoid placement fees. Shipping to Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD) can also help avoid placement fees, although it may come with other fees such as receiving and warehousing fees. Choosing a more centralized 3PL can help minimize placement fees and partner carrier fees. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to Placement Fees 02:20 - Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD) as a Solution 10:53 - Ship into AWD to Avoid Placement Fees 13:48 - Consider the Location of Your 3PL 17:09 - Impact of Placement Fees on Profitability As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

Mike interviews Ajoy Krishnamoorthy, the CEO of Cin7, about the importance of software in e-commerce businesses, the challenges of managing inventory across multiple channels, and the benefits of using AI to forecast inventory for your business.   Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today!    Branching out into another marketplace can make things more complicated than you think, inventory and accounting wise.    Having an inventory management software can make things easier, but how?    Ajoy Krishnamoorthy, the CEO of Cin7, an inventory management software, is on the podcast today to explain and talk about how an inventory management system can help simplify selling in multiple ecommerce platforms.   The Big Takeaway Managing inventory across multiple channels can be challenging and requires a centralised system. AI and machine learning can improve forecasting accuracy and help make informed inventory decisions. Data-driven insights are essential for optimizing inventory and improving business performance. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction & Sponsorship 01:29 - Introduction to Ajoy Krishnamurthy and Cin7 04:46 - Challenges of Managing Inventory Across Multiple Channels 10:39 - The Importance of Accurate Forecasting in Inventory Management 20:48 - Streamlining Financial Processes with Accounting Integration 25:24 - AI as an Enabler for Business Growth Resources Brain Dead brand case study Ajoy's LinkedIn Get 50% off Core Plan for Cin7 for 3 months!   As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

With Prime Day over and Amazon's Q2 earnings report revealed, Dave recaps how his Prime Day went and what does means for the future of third party sellers on Amazon.    Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today!    Prime Day 2024 was touted as the biggest shopping event ever, with record sales and more items sold than any previous Prime Day.   But who were the real winners of Prime Day?    Today, Dave talks about his personal Prime Day experience, how Amazon missed their estimates for Q2, and what that means for third party sellers.    The Big Takeaway Amazon's Q2 earnings showed sluggish growth in online store revenue and missed estimates for the "third-party seller services and advertising revenue" section. This might mean more fees in Q3.  Prime Day 2024 was the biggest shopping event ever, but its impact on overall sales is questionable as consumers may be delaying their purchases. Buy Now, Pay Later options are gaining popularity, accounting for 7.6% of all orders during Prime Day. Amazon Basics was the most searched for brand during Prime Day, indicating consumers' demand for low priced products.  Apparel is emerging as a strong category on Amazon, potentially due to Amazon's response to Temu and Shein.  Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction: Amazon's Q2 Earnings and Prime Day 2024 03:06 - Sluggish Growth and Missed Estimates 09:47 - Prime Day 2024: The Biggest Shopping Event Ever? 13:02 - The Rise of Buy Now, Pay Later 17:42 - Amazon Basics: The Most Searched for Brand on Prime Day 21:24 - Apparel: A Strong Category on Amazon   As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.    Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.    Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

To find out what exactly happens to these returns and where they go, Dave stuck an Apple Airtag in it and tracked it over the next 3 months. Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today!  Have you ever wondered what happens to your Amazon returns? Earlier in the year, Dave bought an Amazon Basics gym bag that he needed to return. To find out what exactly happens to these returns and where they go, he stuck an Apple Airtag in it and tracked it over the next 3 months. Here's exactly where it went and how I found it. The Big Takeaway Amazon inspects returns for their condition and might resell them to liquidators if they're not "like new".  80% of customers mark items as "wrong item sent" to avoid return shipping charges. There is a huge reseller market for Amazon returns. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction: Tracking an Amazon Return 08:05 - The Reseller Market for Amazon Returns 13:17 - Buying Back the Returned Item 17:05 - The Environmental Consequences of Returns As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

Dave joins the podcast today to talk about Prime Day 2024; what their early sales look like, whether Chinese Marketplaces are going to start more shopping holidays, and why this might be the worst Prime Day so far.   Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today!    Prime Day 2024 has been nowhere close to what we've seen in sales the year before.    Now these might be niche and brand specific, but it's worth pointing out that maybe this year hasn't been as great as last year, where we saw 2.5x to 3x the number of sales.    From a mixture of the early results and an overall negative perception of the shopping holiday, here's why Dave and I think this might be one of the worst Prime Days since its inception.    Big Takeaways Prime Day sales boosts might not be felt by everyone - it could vary depending on brand and niche. If you aren't trying to spread brand awareness, it might not be worth it to sell your products at a loss. Chinese competitors like Temu and Shein might start to challenge Amazon's dominance on Prime Day and create their own shopping holidays in the US.   Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and Sponsor 02:17 - Early Results of Prime Day 02:39 - Feelings about Prime Day 04:17 - Why this might be the worst Prime Day 06:32 - Pent-up demand and scouting orders the day before 09:57 - The Negative Perception Around Prime Day 12:41 - Will chinese competitors hop on the same trend? 14:17 - Predictions: More shopping holidays are coming 18:10 - Casual stories with Mike and Dave   As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.    Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.    Thanks for listening!   Until next time, happy selling!

Dave and I discuss the reasons why e-commerce valuations have significantly decreased this year, Mike's run at the World Series of Poker event, and the potential valuation of content websites.  Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today!  It's been almost a year since I last sold off one of my e-commerce businesses.  Since then, a lot has changed. Amazon's new fees were implemented, interest rates have skyrocketed, and FBA Aggregators are few and far between.  I invited Dave over today to discuss how Amazon may or may not have had a hand in directly affecting the valuations of e-commerce businesses, and why the market hasn't recovered from 2 years ago. Here are some of the big takeaways from this episode:  The Big Takeaways E-commerce valuations have decreased mainly due to the uncertainty caused by Amazon's fees and policies. Who knows when Amazon will come out with more fees that'll impact profitability?  Google's latest algorithm update has hit a LOT of content websites, leading to decreased traffic for everyone involved which directly impact its valuations.  If your e-commerce business is sold at a 2x multiple, it might not be enough for you to retire. Wouldn't it be better to hold onto your business instead?  Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and Sponsor 02:56 - Mike's Run at the World Series of Poker 08:13 - E-commerce Valuations 20:07 - Valuations for FBA Businesses 21:06 - Valuations for Off-Amazon Brands 22:01 - Uncertainty in Content Site Valuations 28:14 - Decision to Hold onto a Profitable Business 31:08 - Dave's Funny Story  34:21 - eBay's Attempt to Change As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

Brandon Eley joins the podcast to talk about his entrepreneurial journey, the challenges and opportunities of picking a complex product for private labelling, and why the road less travelled can be the better option when picking a product.  Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today!  Complexity can be an opportunity.  You've probably heard me say it multiple times if you're a loyal podcast listener.  But today's episode is a prime example of this phrase.  Brandon Eley sells shoes at his company, 2 Big Feet. What sets his business apart from other shoe stores is that he only sells shoes for US sizes ranging from 15-25.  Now you must be thinking: "How big is his target market?"  Don't worry, I asked him the same question. Here's some timestamps below if you want to skip directly to it:  Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and Sponsor 01:28 - Starting Too Big Feet and Meeting the Demand 07:12 - Challenges in the Shoe Industry and the Evolution of Too Big Feet 14:15 - The Journey of Manufacturing Shoes 19:06 - Creating Affordable Options for Customers 27:40 - Quality Control and Addressing Manufacturing Defects 36:13 - Success and Growth of Michael Ellis Footwear Takeaways Starting an ultra-niche ecommerce business can be successful, especially if there is a demand for a specific product or service. Manufacturing shoes is a lot more complex than you think. It involves designing patterns, selecting materials, and working with factories to create the final product. Offering affordable options for customers with specific needs can help differentiate a brand and attract a very loyal customer base. Investing in quality control and addressing manufacturing defects early is key to maintaining customer satisfaction. As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode, Dave shows 10 ways you can reduce stupid PPC Spend and maximise efficiency just in time for Prime Day.  Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today!  Prime Day 2023 saw people spend up to $12.9bn alone.  Obviously, everyone wants a piece of the pie. You can expect competitors to increase their ad spend 2x or even 3x more just for the possibility of more sales. To prepare for this year's Prime Day, there are some ways you can maximise the efficiency of your ad spend. However what these sellers fail to notice is that it's all about maximising efficiency of your running ads.  That's why my partner-in-crime, Dave Bryant, is on the podcast today to talk about the 10 ways you can maximise your efficiency and reduce ad spend. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and Sponsor 01:28 - Topic: Reducing PPC Spend on Amazon 03:51 - Optimizing Targeting Options in Auto Campaigns 05:16 - Optimizing Targeting Options in Manual Campaigns 07:37 - Using Dynamic Bids Down Only and Avoiding Broad Match 10:30 - Avoiding Ads in Other Countries and Turning Off Sponsored Display 13:52 - Unclicking Expanded Product Targeting and Using Exact Match 17:44 - Conclusion and Call to Action The Big Takeaways Increasing conversion rates can lower ad costs and improve ROAS. Turn off loose match targeting in auto campaigns and optimize targeting options in manual campaigns. Use dynamic bids down only and be cautious with broad match keywords. Don't let Amazon set up ads in other countries and consider turning off sponsored display campaigns. Lowering prices may be a better option than increasing PPC to improve profitability. As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode of the 2X eCommerce Podcast, host Kunle Campbell is joined by Andrew Curtis, CEO of Clearco, along with Robert Hamm and Tyler Smith from HatLaunch. They discuss leveraging non-dilutive funding to scale HatLaunch to a $10 million business.Learn how effective ad spend, strategic capital management, and automation have driven their growth. Discover the challenges and successes they've experienced, and get actionable insights into financing your own eCommerce venture. Don't miss this inspiring conversation filled with valuable tips for growing your business!

Aaron Hughes makes his second appearance on the Ecomcrew Podcast to talk about all things Tiktok Shop, and why people should start leveraging the platform for their ecommerce businesses.  Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today!  During my last eCommerceFuel Live Trip, the one common topic that frequently came up was  about was how good Tiktok Shop was for their businesses.  Unfortunately, ice packs don't really have a passionate audience, so I brought in someone who's products have had a significant uplift from TikTok Shop alone. That's why I've invited Aaron Hughes on the podcast today!  Aaron Hughes is no stranger on the podcast but he's back to talk about how Tiktok Shop has performed for his business, the impacts the platform has had on his business, and a few tips for people who haven't bit the bullet yet.  Timestamps 0:00 - Intro  0:33 - Sponsor Segment  1:43 - Recording Issues  3:03 - TikTok Shop for E-commerce Marketing 7:59 - Getting Set Up on TikTok Shop    9:17 - The TikTok Ban 12:00 - Aaron's Strategies for Tiktok Shop 15:33 - How long did it take to start being successful?  17:32 - Top 3 Tips for TikTok Shop 20:25 - Leveraging Controversial Topics 21:53 - Building a Foundation on TikTok  23:00 - Aaron's New AI Listing Tool 27:32 - Mike's Last Question  The Big Takeaways Don't discount your products' potential performance on TikTok Shop, whether they're a commodity or not.  TikTok has become what everyone thought Walmart was going to be.  Aaron, thank you again for coming on the podcast. If you guys want to learn more about Listbutler or hiring from India, you can contact him directly at aaron@listbutler.ai.   As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling! 

Michele Romanow's Journey, Overcoming Imposter Syndrome, and Navigating Success in Canada This episode of Trailblaze features Michele Romanow, a Canadian tech entrepreneur, television personality, board director and venture capitalist. She co-founded Clearco, which has provided over 10,000 e-commerce businesses with $2.5B of working capital. She was been named as one of the Forbes Top 20 Most Disruptive "Millennials on a Mission" in 2013, one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada in 2015, and Canadian Innovation Awards' Angel Investor of the Year in 2018. Romanow joined the cast of CBC's Dragons' Den in Season 10. In this episode recorded in September 2022, we discuss the dynamic journey of Michele Romanow, a serial entrepreneur and one of Canada's most influential business leaders. From her early interest in business to founding Clearco (formerly Clearbanc), Michele shares the inspiring story of her entrepreneurial evolution. As the youngest Dragon on Dragon's Den, Michele discusses imposter syndrome and offers valuable insights for those battling self-doubt. She shares her thoughts on being a role model for young Canadians and female founders and explores the changing landscape of entrepreneurship in Canada. Michele dives into the resilience inherent in every entrepreneur's DNA, offering tips on handling adversity and managing stress during challenging times. She candidly reflects on moments of contemplating calling it quits and shares her experience navigating employee layoffs at Clearco. The episode also explores the crucial role of mentors in an entrepreneur's journey and shares the impactful mentors in Michele's life. Balancing her roles as CEO, board director, Dragon and personal life, Michele talks about her daily routine and shares valuable tips for achieving work-life balance. Michele also shares advice she would give her 18-year-old self, drawing from the wealth of experience she has gained throughout her remarkable career. Join us for an insightful and motivating conversation with a true trailblazer in Canadian entrepreneurship. Connect with Michele Romanow Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn Thank you for listening to Trailblaze! Share your thoughts about this episode of Trailblaze on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnthonyLacavera Instagram: https://instagram.com/anthony.lacavera  LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/anthonylacavera  For more about Anthony Lacavera and to subscribe to the mailing list visit https://anthonylacavera.com. Trailblaze is produced by CreatorClub. Create your podcast at https://creatorclubstudios.com.  This episode was recorded on September 6, 2022.

Tech titan and serial entrepreneur Michele Romanow had an idea to start a company that would become the world's largest e-commerce investor. Who wouldn't believe that Michele, who started six companies before her 35th birthday and was a “Dragon” on CBC's hit show Dragons' Den, couldn't achieve what she was setting out to do? Michele co-founded Clearco, and through it, invested over $5B to over 10,000 entrepreneurs in 13 countries becoming one of Canada's top fintech startups. We hear all about her journey including the other companies that she has started and scaled as well as of her incredible lessons. So much inspiration, wisdom and out of the box thinking in this episode. I know that you will be glad you listened. Now on #TheKaraGoldinShow. Enjoying this episode of #TheKaraGoldinShow? Let me know by clicking on the links below and sending me a quick shout-out on social. Or reach out to me at karagoldin@gmail.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/karagoldin/ https://www.instagram.com/karagoldin/ https://twitter.com/karagoldin https://www.facebook.com/KaraGoldin/ https://www.tiktok.com/@KaraGoldin https://www.youtube.com/c/KaraGoldin https://www.threads.net/@karagoldin Check out our website to view this episode's show notes: https://karagoldin.com/podcast/437 To learn more about Michele Romanow and Clearco: https://www.twitter.com/getclearco/ https://www.instagram.com/getclearco/ https://www.facebook.com/getclearco/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/getclearco https://www.instagram.com/micheleromanow/ https://www.twitter.com/micheleromanow https://www.linkedin.com/in/micheleromanow https://www.facebook.com/dragonmichele https://www.clear.co/

Michele Romanow is Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Clearco, as well as a Dragon on Canada's Dragons' Den. Wade + Ulf recently caught up with Michele at the Blockchain Futurist Conference in Toronto, Canada. -- Our first Podcast NFT Collection, "The First 100," has launched! Official Secondary Link: ⁠⁠https://opensea.io/collection/show-me-the-crypto-the-first-100⁠ -- Follow Michele on Twitter: @MicheleRomanow Follow Clearco on Twitter: @getclearco --   Follow us on the socials:   Twitter: @showcrypto TikTok: @showmethecrypto Instagram: @showmethecryptopodcast   --   *Any financial compensation we receive will always be clearly identified as an advertisement or sponsored content. We don't accept payment to feature guests, and we don't accept payment to influence the coins/projects we discuss on Show Me The Crypto. Any ads will be clearly identified during the show, and information on our partners will be featured in the show notes.

Dive into this insightful episode as Mimi sits down with Dragons' Den star and tech entrepreneur, Michele Romanow. This episode encapsulates the essence of entrepreneurship and the journey of building a multimillion-dollar business. At just 37 years old and having founded six companies before turning 35, including her billion-dollar venture Clearbanc (now ClearCo), Michele's story is one of tenacity and innovation. Join Mimi as she delves into various aspects of Michele's journey, starting with her unique position as the youngest Dragon on Dragons' Den and her perspective on being a "born entrepreneur." Learn about the inspirations behind Michele's ventures, including her father's influence, and how her upbringing set her on a path to success. The conversation navigates through the conception and growth of Clearbanc, exploring the inception of revolutionary ideas and how Michele recognized the need for her groundbreaking company. Gain insights into the intricacies of entrepreneurship, success, and personal growth, all while exploring the dynamics of work and love, discovering the lessons learned and the insights that drive Michele forward.Topics:- Exploring Michele's entrepreneurial background and introduction.- Reflecting on the experience of being the youngest dragon on Dragons' Den.- Understanding the challenges and experiences of being a young woman in the business world.- Why Michele's entrepreneurial inspirations and early business influences such as family impact and upbringing shaping Michele's path to entrepreneurship.- Navigating the strategies of entrepreneurship, diversification, and growth including decision-making in selecting the right entrepreneurial direction. - Defining success and its predictors, its evolution, and its multifaceted nature over time.- Navigating relationships in business and planning for potential challenges.- Stepping down from CEO position, decision-making process, and outcomes.- Tackling the issue of perfectionism, its impacts, and overcoming it.- Incorporating AI technology in ClearCo's operations and its evolution, and envisioning the future of AI and its implications on various industries.- Managing ventures that face challenges and don't achieve desired outcomes.- Rapid-fire questions covering various entrepreneurial aspects.- Michele's thoughts on economic predictions, recession, and financial challenges. Addressing economic concerns, debt crisis, and investment strategies.Michele Romanow's Links:InstagramWebsiteTry the Superhuman Meditations app risk free → CLICK FOR 14 DAY FREE TRIAL• Hundreds of guided meditations powered by neuroscience for every mood + activity• 85% of users feel a shift after just 5 minutes of listening per dayCheck out Mimi's favorite Organifi products and get 20% off at www.organifi.com/MIMI.Follow Mimi on Instagram hereFollow Mimi on TikTok hereFollow MIMI Podcast on Instagram hereJoin us on YouTube hereWebsite → mimibouchard.comCan a conversation change your life? It can if you listen to it at the right time. Every week on this podcast, Superhuman founder Mimi Bouchard holds deep, inspiring conversations with some of the most motivating people in the world who share the secrets of their incredible success. Whether they've built lucrative businesses, created amazing relationships, improved their health, grown their wealth, or turned their lives around in really big (and even small) ways, you'll hear fresh takeaways that you can put in place to create the life of your dreams and become the very best version of yourself.New episodes every Monday + Wednesday. Don't forget to share your thoughts by rating and reviewing the show - your feedback helps us create more of the content you love!

Elements that make up a strong startup ecosystem are founders and talent to execute the vision, investors with capital, and finally journalists that are documenting what the founders and investors are doing. Without that coverage, it's difficult to attract more founders and more investors which are needed to create a vibrant ecosystem that will hopefully have a larger impact on society.Our guest today is Sean Silcoff a business reporter at the Globe and Mail covering the Canadian startup scene. Sean's book, Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry, which he wrote with his co-author Jackie McNish in 2013 was turned into a feature film starring Glenn Howerton and Jay Baruchel. I've seen it, and it's such a great take on the rise and fall of RIM.We also have a news breakdown with John Ruffolo.About Sean Silcoff:Sean Silcoff writes about technology and innovation for the Globe and Mail. He is the winner of three National Newspaper Awards and is the co-author of Losing the Signal: the Spectacular Rise and Fall of BlackBerry, which was released in May 2015. Losing the Signal won Canada's National Business Book Award and was shortlisted for the International Financial Times & McKinsey Business Book of the Year. Sean joined the Globe and Mail in January 2012; he previously worked as a columnist and Montreal correspondent for the National Post and as a staff writer at Canadian Business Magazine.In this episode we discuss:(00:01:11) News recap with John Ruffolo(00:19:25) Sean's journey to becoming a tech journalist(00:28:02) How Sean ended up conecting and covering with CEOs(00:33:57) Dealing with high-profile people off the record(00:35:45) How Sean's audience has evolved over the years(00:37:12) The changes Sean has seen in the Canadian ecosystem in the last 20 years(00:39:52) Sean's duty to his readers to report news when it comes to him(00:40:36) Striving for timelyness and accuracy in a challenging environment(00:44:08) Why the media missed stories like RenoRun and ClearCo(00:47:47) Fighting the urge to put opinions in his writing(00:50:45) Thoughts on the wave of IPOs in 2020 and 2021(00:54:07) Benefits of being a public small cap Canadian tech company vs. the benefits of staying private for longer(00:57:58) Will ChatGPT replace journalists(01:02:55) Writing the story of John Ruffolo's cycling accident(01:06:30) Watching his book Losing the Signal become a film(01:12:09) When Sean gets jaded by the industryFast Favorites:*

This week Mary Ann, Natasha and Alex got right into it with:An update on a startup banking partner collapse that wasn't the First, and probably won't be the LastA section dedicated to sunsetting Poparazzi and a Databricks acquisition (points to whoever can guess how we transitioned from one deal to the next)Next up, we spoke about Finix's latest announcement to go head to head with Stripe, before talking more about the rise of down roundsWe ended with BlueSky. Although some of us feel grey about it. And regardless, this piece by Morgan Sung will have you thinking smartly about the new Twitter competitor started by the ol' Twitter boss.We'll be back before you know it, but in the meantime, you can catch us on Twitter @EquityPod. And for the early stage founders out there, don't forget to apply for the Startup Battlefield 200 cohort at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023! For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity's Simplecast website. Equity drops at 7:00 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together and more!

The tables have turned on our host Matt Cohen who was recently a guest on the BetaKit podcast and had a spirited discussion about the recent meltdown of RenoRun. BetaKit features weekly podcasts discussing Canadian technology news and global startup news from a Canadian perspective and it was an honour to be a guest on the show. You can listen to the whole episode where Matt shares the history of Ripple Ventures and a lot more here.From BetaKit's post:BetaKit has reported this year on LPs unable to honour capital calls, leaving Canadian VCs to pull out or renegotiate deals with Canadian startups—one of those startups being Montréal-based RenoRun, which recently filed for creditor protection after failing to raise four different rounds to keep the company alive (along with a few other Hail Mary attempts). Most recently, the Globe and Mail reported that Toronto-based Clearco is looking to raise $20 million USD at a $200 million USD valuation—one-tenth of what it was at its height (BetaKit can confirm we've heard the same numbers).You know things are bad when pension-backed VCs like OMERS Ventures' Laura Lenz are trying to encourage downtrodden founders by tweeting that her firm is still investing.This week we also welcome back John Ruffolo to break down the big tech news.Follow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here!Podcast production support provided by Agentbee.ai This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

Today's episode features Avery's friend and notable Canadian entrepreneur, Michele Romanow. Michele is a founder many, many times over and a Dragon on CBC's Dragons' Den (that's Canada's answer to Shark Tank, by the way). It was while she was on Dragons' Den that Michele got her idea for her best-known business to date: Clearco, a lending firm for businesses that takes a share of revenue instead of equity to give founders easier access to capital. Clearco has given billions to business owners to date, and has raised the bar for representing traditionally marginalized business owners. Michele talks about her first-ever founder experience (she started a caviar farm on the East coast of Canada with a couple of friends straight out of school), why she truly never takes anything for granted and she gets candid about how being an entrepreneur—no matter how much capital or name recognition you have—never gets easier. Still, she wouldn't have it any other way. Follow Michele on Instagram at @micheleromanow. Get your very own Workplace Affirmation Deck from Girlboss at girlboss.com/affirmations! Sign up for Girlboss Daily, our must-read morning newsletter, at girlboss.com/newsletter. You'll get A+ career advice, dream job postings, free coffee every Friday and a few emojis (because we're fun like that), delivered right to your inbox. Looking for your next dream employee? Post your open role on our Girlboss Job Board at jobs.girlboss.com. Girlboss Goods, our women-owned and operated marketplace, makes it easier for you to vote with your dollar while also championing small businesses. Head to girlboss.com/goods. Happy shopping!

Bill D'Alessandro is back! A couple months ago, Bill wrote a post that blew up in the Ecommerce Fuel forums titled "This Is An Intervention: Stop Taking Fixed Fee Loans" where he explained why the quick & easy revenue-based loans from folks like Wayflyer, ClearCo, and Shopify Capital are so much worse than they look. I'll be honest: I myself realized how poorly I had been thinking about this kind of debt, and I knew I needed to have Bill back on the show to explain more to the rest of us, especially after his episode on contribution margin had been one of my most popular ever. Bill is the CEO of Elements Brands, has a finance degree, and has personally borrowed millions of dollars of debt and equity to finance his businesses. He knows what he's talking about and is an incredible guide to revenue-based ("fixed fee") loans, credit cards, asset-based loans, SBA loans, and more. It's a great chance for you to think through the financial stack at the center of your business. Want to take Bill up on his offer to audit your financial stack? Reach out to him by heading to https://billda.com/debt. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [2:44] Bill's e-commerce debt background [3:33] Stop taking predatory, fixed fee loans [8:05] Interest rate calculation [13:35] Bill's opinion on when to take fixed fee loans [15:19] Good finance tech start for businesses [19:46] The importance of the "personal guarantee" [22:52] The pluses & minuses of Parker cards [28:38] Key advice about loans [39:18] Bill's e-commerce plans & vision Read Bill's full article (and work with him on your financial stack!) by clicking here. Follow Bill on Twitter at @BillDA. Listen to Bill's podcast, Acquisitions Anonymous on Apple or Spotify. Follow Andrew on Twitter: @andrewjfaris Email Andrew: podcast@ajfgrowth.com Work with Andrew: www.ajfgrowth.com Music Intro: "Tell Me Mama" by The Devious Means Music Outro: "Rusty Little Scissors" by The Devious Means

Charles Hudson is the Managing Partner and Founder of Precursor Ventures, an early­ stage venture capital firm focused on investing in the first institutional round of investment for the most promising software and hardware companies. Under his leadership, Precursor Ventures has raised four funds and has over $175 million under management. He has invested in 250 companies and supported more than 400 founders, including the teams behind Clearco, Juniper Square, The Athletic, Incredible Health, Carrot, and Pair Eyewear.  Prior to founding Precursor Ventures, Charles was a Partner at Uncork Capital and Co­Founder and CEO of Bionic Panda Games. He holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.A. in Economics and Spanish from Stanford University. Charles maintains close connections with his alma mater through volunteer service and teaching at GSB. He is an active member of the VC community, serving on several advisory boards and as a mentor to a number of emerging managers. Charles also serves on the Advisory Board for the San Francisco Opera Association. --------- Take the Next Reality Hero Quiz at http://www.heroesofreality.com

Building your tech stack as a startup can either help you soar to new highs, or become your biggest nightmare and slow you down. Our guest today is helping founders navigate that path, Taylor Lint is Co-Founder and CEO of Swantide, a platform that automates the configuration and management of your GTM tech stack.Before this week's episode, we welcome back John Ruffolo to chat about the news making headlines in the Canadian and global tech markets.About Taylor Lint:Taylor Lint is the Founder & CEO of Swantide. Prior, Taylor led engineering and product at Replica, an analytics company that spun out of Alphabet's Sidewalk Labs. Previously she led engineering for the launch of LinkedIn's Talent Insights product. Taylor studied Information Science and German at Cornell.In this episode we discuss:(0:00:26)  News Roundup with John Ruffolo talking about ClearCo, BMO x Georgian Partners, Quantum Computing, Sequoia's make good, IP Law, and Microsoft as king of M and A(0:20:10)  Taylor's journey into the tech world(0:21:58)  Lessons launching LinkedIn Talent(0:23:28)  What Taylor learned at Sidewalk Labs(0:26:32)  The process of spinning out Sidewalk Labs into a separate entity from Alphabet(0:27:39)  Why Taylor decided to tackle the GTM Tech stack problem(0:29:34)  Data you need to infor your GTM strategy(0:31:13)  When is the right time to invest in GTM(0:32:36)  Typical startup GTM strategies and mistakes(0:35:18)  Goal setting for GTM(0:36:06)  How Swantide makes the GTM better(0:39:23)  Eliminating isolated documents and data with Swantide(0:41:18)  Best practices to set up and maintain your CRM(0:44:30)  Advice for early-stage startups around data collection(0:46:25)  Other considerations around preparing to scale later(0:48:49)  How Swantide's $7M Seeed round came together with Menlo Ventures alongside Village Global, NEO, and a handful of strategic angelsFast Favorites:*

Here's what Natasha chatted about today:Big tech: Good news for Bitcoin and Ethereum, even as late-stage companies in the space cut to stay afloat.Big idea: I had two ones to get through. First, Africa had no new unicorns last year, despite record fundraising raising. What's that all about? Second, I want to talk about Stripe's internal valuation cut, yet again, and what that news means on the outside.Big innovation: I talk about yet another Clearco executive shake up and yet another Clearco round of layoffs, as well as the energy for the fintech moving forward. We end with a look at freshly-backed T2, which is opening up its game plan in a spreadsheet format. We love to see a Twitter rival, love even more to see one utilize the beauty of read-only spreadsheet featuresAs always, you can support me by following me on Twitter and Instagram. The show also tweets from @equitypod, so follow us there and turn on notifications to never miss a new update from your favorite podcast team in tech (ugh, you shouldn't have).Equity drops at 10:00 a.m. PT every Monday and at 7:00 a.m. PT on Wednesdays and Fridays, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotifyand all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together, and more!

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Ray Cao, Advisor to Founders at Clearco, the world's largest eCommerce investor built by Founders for Founders. Equity-free. Bias-free. Hassle-free.Follow Ray on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raycao/ Follow Clearco on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/getclearco/Follow Clearco online at: https://clear.co/Ray answers these questions:1) You have such a plethora of experiences beginning as an engineer by training, trading at Barclays Capital to then becoming a founder, starting and successfully selling a number of businesses. Tell us about this interesting journey of yours.2) What are you seeing these days? Rapid omnichannel growth? Or has it really slowed down since covid ended and is it a permanent tilt to digital/ecommerce? 3) Should all brands be leaning into digital and competing now with digital native brands?4) What are your thoughts on the basics of success in a digital world? How do you advise brand founders today?5) In addition to startups, you are also an advisory board member for Groceryshop/Shoptalk. Tell us about that role and also other things that you are personally doing to drive success for our industry.6) In your role at Clearco, you worked with a lot of ecommerce aggregators. I think many of us (and our audience) have received calls from these heavily funded startups in the last couple of years to join these startups. Can you tell us what you're seeing in the space and how it has evolved? Where do you think things will end up?7) Many of us recently saw the acquisition of Hero Cosmetics to Church and Dwight. It looked like a great transaction for all those involved, do you expect to see more in the near future?8) A few years ago, there was a lot of discussion around how DTC brands are going to tear apart the P&Gs, Nestles and Unilevers of the world. You know and spend time with a lot of CPG executives as well. What do you feel is the overall sentiment right now amongst the CPG executive community as it relates to DTC and how real of a threat is DTC today?9) As it relates to investing, what do you personally look for in startups and what maturity do you get involved in?10) What's next in retail and ecommerce? Are there any companies or innovations that you're really excited by?What is your personal advice for startup founders or potential founders who are eager to run the race of competing with a scaled CPG product? What would differentiate them?CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comCPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.comRetailWit Website: http://retailwit.comDISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual's use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.

Miguel Armaza sits down with Patricia Kemp, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Oak HC/FT, a VC firm investing in companies driving transformation in healthcare and fintech around the world. Founded in 2014, the firm has over $5 billion in AUM and has back fintech companies like Blend, Ocrolus, ClearCo, Rapyd, Pagaya, Aplazo and many more.In this episode, we discuss:Spotting and identifying fintech trendsHow to think about the future of the industryState of crypto and why Tricia believes stronger regulatory frameworks would be beneficial and help foster innovation in the crypto industryBuy vs Build. 2023 might bring a big wave of Fintech M&A activity for three important reasons.Building a team of investors – when bringing on new talent, Oak looks at three core requirements.Importance of over-communicating… and a lot more!Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today's global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.Do you prefer a written summary, instead? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join 47,000+ readers and listeners around the world!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder & Managing General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4ZMiguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBcFintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIpqp

At the 2022 Clio Cloud Conference held recently in Nashville, LawNext host Bob Ambrogi sat down for a series of in-person interviews with Clio executives. In this episode, he speaks with Curt Sigfstead, chief financial officer. He is responsible for managing Clio's financial affairs, including finance, accounting, capital, treasury, taxation, and corporate development. With over two decades of technology finance experience, Sigfstead has held numerous senior finance leadership roles at companies including Clearco and J.P. Morgan. He sits on multiple nonprofit boards including C100, which supports Canadian technology entrepreneurs through investment and mentorship. When he's not disrupting the status quo through mission-driven work he can be found running the trails of Northern California, mapping out a route for his first Clio virtual 10km.

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.This was a Live Week, meaning that Alex, Natasha and Mary Ann recorded the show on Twitter Spaces, hanging out with a bunch of the Equity family. Good times were had! We also disclosed that we are recording live at Disrupt this year! Yes, so come hang out as we tape the show on opening day, full of coffee and enthusiasm.Now, to the show notes. Here's what we have in store for you:Deals of the Week: Stacked, which is taking on Twitch with a web3 twist; Astro, which wants to help connect Latin American developers to American companies; Anchor, which is building a BaaS platform in Africa.From there we riffed on the big changes at Y Combinator, and what it means for an early-stage venture firm managing over $3.2 billion in assets. The executive shift touched down just in advance of next week's demo day. Next week is going to be busy.Then Mary Ann walked us through issues at real-estate focused fintech startups, namely that they are burning too much money. Naturally this meant that we had to mention Better.com, again.And we closed with layoff news from Snap, and Clearco. Both stories are vastly different but compare in the layoffs, retraction in international presence, and promise for more focus in the future.If you are coming to Disrupt, use the code 'EQUITY' to save 15%. It makes us look good internally, and gets you a cheaper discount to our first Disrupt live show in the history of the podcast. And, speaking of the pod, Equity is back next Tuesday, not Monday, due to the American holiday. Ok! Bye!Equity drops every Monday at 7 a.m. PDT and Wednesday and Friday at 6 a.m. PDT, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts.

Michele Romanow joined the cast of CBC's Dragons' Den in 2014 after successfully selling her digital coupon business SnapSaves to Groupon. At 28 years old, she was the youngest "dragon" on the show, but that didn't stop her from innovating. During her second episode, Michele decided to flip the traditional Dragons' Den pitch from equity to revenue.    The decision led to the creation of the investment company Clearco and the invention of the revenue-based financing category. The model helps fund ecommerce companies fast and affordable, where founders pay a set percentage only when they make revenue. To date, Clearco has invested $4B in 10,000 founders in 11 countries across the world.    Listen to Nathan and Michele discuss:  Why her first business was a caviar fishery  Acquiring customers through sidewalk chalk  Creating the Clearco model by shifting the Dragons' Den model Accepting rejection as part of the job Taking advice from people that you want to be How to build the relentless muscle  How data removes bias from funding decisions  Stories and lessons from Dragons' Den  And much more ecommerce funding advice…       Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode.   Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.    Speak with our friendly course experts to get clarity on the next steps for your idea, business or career. You will get tailored insights from results achieved by our proven practitioners as well as thousands of students. Book a call now...    For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

Mike Luebbers is the Chief Credit Officer at Novel Capital. After discussing more traditional, highly underwritten loan types in the first episode, Ben and Mike explore Fintech loans and various debt products. These debt structures are a good fit for many early-stage businesses, often making them appealing to eCommerce founders. Understand all of your options (and how to actually secure them) by watching this episode!

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Last week we said that you needed to pay attention to the public markets, and we weren't kidding. It was a huge week for earnings -- with notes from all over including the ad market and cloud spend. But this week's Monday show was more than just another entry in the series, it was an experimental live show! Natasha joined Alex for the fun, and this is what they got into:Stocks up, crypto mostly flat after a solid week of gains.Will Alibaba delist, or not? That question matters more than just what happens to the singular Chinese tech giant. The question really belies a larger query regarding the ability of Chinese tech companies to access foreign markets more generally, places where the capital can flow at a high clip. Given China's economic woes, cutting off that particular liquidity pipe might be risky.From there we went to Clearco layoffs, UiPath buying Refiner, and Oui's first close of its new fund.And then we wrapped with a dive into Big Tech earnings. The key gist? These companies are too big to summarize, and without the cloud they would be struggling.Amazon's shares rise on earnings beat, despite $2B lossApple's services revenue growth slows to $19.6B in Q3, reaches 860M paid subscriptionsMicrosoft misses expectations, points to foreign exchange rates and weakened PC market Meta posts its first ever quarterly revenue declineAnd via CNBC, Alphabet misses on earnings and revenue for second quarterSo, what'd you think? Should we go live again? Next time with Equity-themed espresso cups that no one can enjoy other than us? Let us know, and don't worry, the Equity team is back on Wednesday with a smashing bootstrapping show.Equity drops every Monday at 7 a.m. PDT and Wednesday and Friday at 6 a.m. PDT, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. 

Sean McGinnis is the president and integrator at Kuru footwear. Sean is a titan of Ecommerce addicted to his craft and incredibly active in the Ecommerce space. In this episode, we delve into his knowledge and proven track record as an Ecommerce operator. Sean is pivoting Kuru away from Magento and onto Shopify so we discuss platforms, processes, and strategies. Did you know Sean went to acting school? A big thank you to our sponsors: Rewind. Back up your Shopify store because not doing so is absolute lunacy. As a listener of the show, you can claim a no strings attached free month with this link: https://rewind.com/ecommercegold/Clearco. Get funded: https://clear.co/partner/vixxr/VIXXR Shopify Agency. https://www.vixxr.com/

This episode is insane! Mike Beckham has founded and operated several Ecommerce businesses that have generated more than $ 1 billion in revenue.Mike is the CEO and co-founder of Simple Modern. Simple Modern is one of the leading omnichannel suppliers of stainless-steel insulated drinkware in the world.In this episode we discuss building a brand, working with retailers, and many other insights that enabled Mike to be so successful. Don't miss this episode it's full of GOLD! A big thank you to our sponsors: Rewind. Back up your Shopify store because not doing so is absolute lunacy. As a listener of the show, you can claim a no strings attached free month with this link: https://rewind.com/ecommercegold/Clearco. Get funded: https://clear.co/partner/vixxr/VIXXR Shopify Agency. https://www.vixxr.com/

Jon Shanahan is a YouTuber with over 150K subscribers.  Jon Shanahan is aTikTok creator with videos that regularly exceed 1 million views. Jon Shanahan is 'Jobs era' ex Apple employee. Jon Shanahan is a CoFounder of Stryx a SharkTank success story. Jon Shanahan is on the show to tell you about his experiences and to teach you what works on TikTok. This is a fantastic episode, don't miss it! (58mins).A big thank you to our sponsors: Rewind. Back up your Shopify store because not doing so is absolute lunacy. As a listener of the show, you can claim a no strings attached free month with this link: https://rewind.com/ecommercegold/Clearco. Get funded: https://clear.co/partner/vixxr/VIXXR Shopify Agency. https://www.vixxr.com/

Sean Frank is the CEO of Ridge.com, a $100-million brand, which you might know for its popular Wallet. Sean has plans to keep the company firing on all cylinders. In this episode of EcomGold, Sean and I talked about why if you're a vegan dog food company you're F*****. Why Shopify may struggle to get its stock price back to previous highs. The difficulties and quirks of international expansion and why YETI is a boring brand that should buy Ridge for $1B in four years, and more. Enjoy the conversation!A big thank you to our sponsors: Rewind. Back up your Shopify store because not doing so is absolute lunacy. As a listener of the show, you can claim a no strings attached free month with this link: https://rewind.com/ecommercegold/Clearco. Get funded: https://clear.co/partner/vixxr/VIXXR Shopify Agency. https://www.vixxr.com/

Chase Dimond is a top Ecommerce email marketer with a huge following on social media. Why? Because over a billion emails have been sent with his approval resulting in 9 figure attribution revenue. In this episode, Chase answers questions from DTC companies on Twitter and teaches you how to scale email marketing from 0 - 1M 1 - 10M, and 10 - 100M+. If you are into email marketing this episode is for you. Don't miss it! A big thank you to our sponsors: Rewind. Back up your Shopify store because not doing so is absolute lunacy. As a listener of the show, you can claim a no strings attached free month with this link: https://rewind.com/ecommercegold/Clearco. Get funded: https://clear.co/partner/vixxr/VIXXR Shopify Agency. https://www.vixxr.com/

A lot of brands are struggling right now but using strategic marketing methods will help you get through it and see a lot of wins for your brand.In this episode, Jordan West discusses his guidelines to help you disseminate information and run a promotion effectively with a small marketing team.Listen and enjoy this episode!KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODEThe one who's coming up with promotional material must come up with 3 different headlines and 2 different versions of ad copy.Make sure that all your messaging is the same across all platforms.Take your ad copy, headlines, emojis you plan on using, and discount codes and put them all in one place. The more communication that you can have, the better.Connect with Jordan here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-west-marketer/Book quick wins appointment here: https://www.mindfulmarketing.co/quickwinsThis episode we want to share about one of our partners, Clearco. Just because you're profitable doesn't mean you have money for growth - Clearco solves this.Learn more about your options and get an offer within 24 hours. By clicking the link you also get up to $1,000 off your next investment thanks to our partnership: https://clear.co/partner/upGrowth-CommerceStart here first with a simple Cash Flow Calculator to see how growth capital can impact your business: https://clear.co/partner/cashflow/upgrowth-commerce/We love our podcast community and listeners so much that we have decided to offer a free eCommerce Growth Plan for your brand! To learn more and how we can help, click here:upgrowthcommerce.com/growIf you've been paying attention and your brand is ready to GROW, apply now to be the one new brand we take on this month!https://upgrowthcommerce.com/apply

When your business is scaling rapidly, you have to think of new ways to continuously scale because the same things won't work as effectively. At the same time, you have to find the right people and resources to build a bridge to your visions.In this episode, Buster Arnwine of Hair on Fire Tech talks all about what it takes to scale up your business from 1 to 10 million then to a hundred million and beyond. He discusses the shifts and changes you need to make as you take your business to a different level.Listen and learn in this episode!KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODEThere are a lot of pivots you need to make if you want to take your business to the next level. You need to look at people, mindset, and execution.Your practices have to evolve because the same things won't work when your business is scaling rapidly.The best strategy, brands, and plans go nowhere without the right people.Most agencies are good, but you always have to ask the right questions to hold them accountable.Everything should be about reaching your vision and resourcing for that.Invest in things that you have to and spend on what you think is important.Today's Guest:Buster Arnwine is a co-founder, the owner, and the chief advisor of Hair on Fire Tech.Buster has a diverse background spanning multiple functions, various billion dollar brands and an array of customers across his 20 year career in the fast moving consumer goods industry. Hair on Fire Tech provides services for different business technology needs.  Connect and learn more about Buster and Hair on Fire Tech here:Website: https://www.haironfiretech.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/haironfire/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/buster-arnwine-1402558 This episode we want to share about one of our partners, Clearco. Just because you're profitable doesn't mean you have money for growth - Clearco solves this.Learn more about your options and get an offer within 24 hours. By clicking the link you also get up to $1,000 off your next investment thanks to our partnership: https://clear.co/partner/upGrowth-CommerceStart here first with a simple Cash Flow Calculator to see how growth capital can impact your business: https://clear.co/partner/cashflow/upgrowth-commerce/We love our podcast community and listeners so much that we have decided to offer a free eCommerce Growth Plan for your brand! To learn more and how we can help, click here:upgrowthcommerce.com/growIf you've been paying attention and your brand is ready to GROW, apply now to be the one new brand we take on this month!https://upgrowthcommerce.com/apply

Agencies all offer the same basic services. When you decide to partner with an agency to help you with your business, the choice will come down to a combination of your preference and their proven results.In this episode, Jordan discusses which business processes should be kept in-house and which ones should be outsourced. He also covers all the things to look out for in an Amazon agency and agencies in general.  Listen and enjoy this episode!KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODEDo the calculations in your head on what it will cost you to have one or two full-time employees who are good at doing some of the processes needed to succeed in eCom, and compare that to what you could potentially get at an agency.  Any agency with setup fees anywhere from $7500 to $15000 is a hard no.  Those with a flat fee (usually $2500 to $3500) with a percentage of sales are being incentivized to grow your business.Look for proven results.Anybody who would not tell you their pricing fairly soon in the conversation is also a no because it should be standardized. Look at the tech they are using.The relationship is super important.Every agency offers these same basic services:Listing optimization (including A+ contents)Amazon PPCHelping your products get into FBA and all of those logisticsCustomer serviceProduct developmentConnect with Jordan here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-west-marketer/Book quick wins appointment here: https://www.mindfulmarketing.co/quickwinsThis episode we want to share about one of our partners, Clearco. Just because you're profitable doesn't mean you have money for growth - Clearco solves this.Learn more about your options and get an offer within 24 hours. By clicking the link you also get up to $1,000 off your next investment thanks to our partnership: https://clear.co/partner/upGrowth-CommerceStart here first with a simple Cash Flow Calculator to see how growth capital can impact your business: https://clear.co/partner/cashflow/upgrowth-commerce/We love our podcast community and listeners so much that we have decided to offer a free eCommerce Growth Plan for your brand! To learn more and how we can help, click here:upgrowthcommerce.com/growIf you've been paying attention and your brand is ready to GROW, apply now to be the one new brand we take on this month!https://upgrowthcommerce.com/apply

Chasing a thing that will never give you satisfaction is an endless cycle. If you are finding it hard to get to what you want,  it is probably not what you truly want. It helps to take a pause and identify what will keep you moving and what you want your end goal to be. In this episode, Adi Gullia talks about goal setting, mindset, and the mental loops we get stuck in. He shares why some people are not as effective as they think they are.Listen and learn in this episode!KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODEIt's all about what's going on in the mind. It's never about technique, what to do, or the best hacks and methods to follow.Rather than chasing money, it's better to orient your mind towards something that will bring a lot of satisfaction.The only reason that somebody doesn't have what they want is that they don't truly want it.The idea of being an entrepreneur comes down to identifying what it is that moves a person rather than chasing successAt the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that you get the result that you are seeking.Having a goal of keeping a certain image paralyzes a person in making the most effective decision.Change comes in when the person is honest with themselves about wanting that change to happen.It can't be stressed enough that entrepreneurs are the creators.Today's Guest:Adi Gullia is the founder and CEO of Grace & Stella.Grace & Stella is a brand of vegan, cruelty-free, self-care products.Connect and learn more about Adi here: LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/adityagullia Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/adityagullia E-mail Address: adityagullia@gmail.com To listen to Adi Guilla's first episode guesting with us, here's the link:Ep 229: From 10 Million to 100 Million in E-Commerce With Adi Guilla, Grace and Stellahttps://bit.ly/3y5glaBThis episode we want to share about one of our partners, Clearco. Just because you're profitable doesn't mean you have money for growth - Clearco solves this.Learn more about your options and get an offer within 24 hours. By clicking the link you also get up to $1,000 off your next investment thanks to our partnership: https://clear.co/partner/upGrowth-CommerceStart here first with a simple Cash Flow Calculator to see how growth capital can impact your business: https://clear.co/partner/cashflow/upgrowth-commerce/We love our podcast community and listeners so much that we have decided to offer a free eCommerce Growth Plan for your brand! To learn more and how we can help, click here:upgrowthcommerce.com/growIf you've been paying attention and your brand is ready to GROW, apply now to be the one new brand we take on this month!https://upgrowthcommerce.com/apply

In episode #2064, Neil and Eric talk about how to grow your marketing with Capchase. When you start to build your business, you'll need loans to optimize for the long term. Getting a loan from the bank can come with restrictions that can stop you from growing your marketing the way that you need to. When you finance with a company like Capchase or Clearco you have a lot more flexibility and long-term options. Tune in to learn how best to finance your business and grow your marketing! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:20] Today's topic: How to Grow Your Marketing With Capchase. [00:25] Why optimizing for lifetime value over short-term income is one of the biggest challenges facing marketers today. [01:00] Why you'll need loans to grow your business. [01:06] Some of the restrictions that come with bank loans and the benefits of using financing from Capchase or Clearco. [01:44] Some of the ways you can use Capchase to manage your cash flow. [02:36] How to know when you can potentially make the switch to bank loans. [04:14] That's it for today! Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe! [04:19] Go to levelingup.com/epic to learn more about our live event happening in Austin, Texas from the 25th to the 27th of April! [04:27] Go to https://marketingschool.io/live to learn more!   Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:   Capchase Clearco Subscribe to our premium podcast (with tons of goodies!): https://www.marketingschool.io/pro   Leave Some Feedback:     What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review.     Connect with Us:      Neilpatel.com Quick Sprout  Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel  Twitter @ericosiu    

Thank you Radha Kapoor for the introduction to Michele Romanow, co-founder and CEO of Clearco. Clearco offers fast affordable funding for ecommerce companies to fund your inventory or marketing needs. Michele is a serial entrepreneur and also one of the dragon's on Canada's Dragon's Den. We discuss what's misunderstood about scaling ecommerce companies, when venture capital makes sense vs. revenue based financing, her aha moment on Dragon's Den that led to founding ClearCo and much more. Without further ado, here's Michele. You've been an entrepreneur your whole career. What was the origin story behind Clearco? How did you and Andrew start Clearco? What was your first test if this new finance model could work? How did you think about scale for and what was the early diligence process like when trying to work out if you're going to finance these companies?What are the requirements? How have those requirements evolved? What were some of your learnings as you were growing Clearco that was most surprising? How did you approach raising capital from VCs? What was their initial response?Did you have any VCs that thought what you were doing was a conflict to venture capital? How do you work together with venture capital? There are no more Facebook arbitrage opportunities, some consumer VCs have shifted to investing in eCommerce infrastructure where the customer are brands, What's your assessment of the current landscape within DNVBs when it comes to growth and financing options?We say on the podcast a lot - it's easy than ever to build a company, harder than ever to build a brand. What's key for brands to be able to get past the noise and become large sustainable companies? What makes a brand compelling to you to invest in (either with Clearco or as an angel/investor on Dragon's Den)? ClearCo probably sees a lot of DTC metrics from 1000s of companies.Which are the best measures of success? Which metrics are most misunderstood? If she could only pick 3 metrics to understand health/growth of a brand — which 3 would she pick? How do you also think about the competitive landscape now for the alternative capital financing that you pioneered? What are some of the other products you offer founders? I know the focus is eCommerce businesses, but do you also think about helping DNVBs as they head into retail?How do you think about launching new products at Clearco? Tell you where you can improve in your business? If you build a killer product people will come Recently, Andrew stepped back and became Executive Chairman, you became the CEO from President. What was the reason for the change? How do you think about launching new products at Clearco? What's one thing you would change about venture capital? What's one book that inspired you personally and one book that inspired you professionally? What's the best piece of advice that you've received? What's one piece of advice that you have for founders?

We had an illness on the team, so instead of recording our usual Wednesday deep-dive, we reached into our recent archives and pulled the audio from a Twitter space we did the other week. In short, it's a Friday-style episode covering a host of topics, but just a little bit late, and on a different day.The Equity team -- Natasha, Mary Ann, Maggie, Grace, and Alex -- were not about to cut back on feeding you the latest and greatest from the startup world. (Oh, and we have a live show on Thursday, see you there!)What did we talk about? The following:Venture capital rounds for WorkWhile ($13 million) and Alloy Automation ($20 million).Mary Ann's reporting on Forage, focused around where its founders worked before building the fintech startup. Hint: Grocery delivery.Then we dug into the changes at Clearco, and what happens when founder dynamics shift. And we used the story to chat a bit about how the growth focus amongst young tech companies is changing.It was a very good time. Back soon, so chat then!

➡️ Like The Podcast? Leave A Rating: https://ratethispodcast.com/successstory ➡️ About The Guest⁣ Charlie Feng is the co-founder of Clearco. The work he does behind the scenes has helped his fintech company scale from three founders to almost 1,000 employees, and raise over $300M at a $2B+ valuation.  Clearco is one of the top startups in Canada, a fintech company that uses AI to democratize access to capital. Charlie's job is to build up teams and products, make them shine, and then move on to the next. He did this with nearly every team in the company, and he has had 7 titles in 5 years: he was Clearco's first Head of Product, Head of Marketing, Head of Growth, of Finance, of Strategy, of Business Operations, and of New Ventures.  His strategy has been earning dividends: the company's headcount has more than doubled since the start of the year and is still growing. Clearco was just named #2 on LinkedIn's Top Startups Canada, which looks at the ability to attract top talent--it's the company's third year in a row in the top three. Earlier this year, Clearco raised $215 million from SoftBank Vision Fund II, just weeks after a $100 million Series C round that quintupled its valuation to $2 billion. ➡️ Show Links https://twitter.com/charliecfeng/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliecf/ ➡️ Podcast Sponsors HUBSPOT - https://hubspot.com/ INDEED - https://indeed.com/successstory LADDER - https://ladderlife.com/successstory ➡️ Talking Points⁣ 00:00 - Intro 03:41 - Charlie Feng's origin story. 05:30 - The mindset required to grow your own business. 08:08 - What is the traditional process to raise money for a startup?  12:28 - Risks you have to take on when fund-raising. 15:46 - What was the vision or mission of Clearco? 18:06 - How Clearco redefines term sheets. 20:30 - Going from 0 to 1. 21:13 - Startup growth strategies. 23:08 - Finding product-market fit. 27:36 - How do you know when you've found a proper product-market fit? 31:32 - What is the difference between product-market fit and founder-market fit? 33:57 - How to find the right team? 36:32 - When is the right time to hire a team? 38:26 - Lessons learned early in Charlie Feng's career.  44:45 - What are some things Charlie Feng encountered in his business? 48:17 - Lessons for people who want to start their own business. 50:00 - Where do people connect with Charlie Feng? 50:25 - What was the biggest challenge of Charlie Feng's career? 51:57 - Who is the mentor of Charlie Feng? 52:57 - A podcast or a book recommended by Charlie Feng. 53:42 - What would Charlie Feng tell his 20-year-old self? 54:40 - What does success mean to Charlie Feng? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When and why does getting a fractional CFO make sense in the life of a business? What is the ideal financing structure for a business? Does it differ from what banks suggest?In this episode, Jordan chats with his business partner and CFO, Matt Putra and they talk about how to structure debt, what kind of debt to take on, and the different types of debt levers that are out there. He shares how the bank wants you to structure things and the way he thinks your debt should be structured.Listen and learn in this episode!KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODEEvery business should start out doing proper bookkeeping.A fractional CFO makes sense when it is doing above $500,000 and wants to grow fully for the long term.If you are venture-funded and want to grow really fast, you can have a CFO right away when you are starting.The more complex your company is, the more a fractional CFO can help.It is not bad to get debt from more expensive financing such as Shopify, Clearco, PayPal, & Wayflyer because these have very clear values and are very flexible.You can pull money out of your business and put it in investments. Your net worth will be in a different exposure to risks.A five-year-term loan provides certainty and gives you one big cash injection which is paid in small monthly payments.Banks will have a lot of restrictions to protect themselves, it is important to read through the covenant or ask your CFO or lawyer if you don't understand it.Some of the things that a CFO looks at in a company hiring are revenue, sustainability, growth margins, marketing spend, and the salary-to-revenue ratio. Looking forward constantly at your expense structure and managing it is important for sustainable growth.Recommended Book: Will by Will Smithhttps://www.willthebook.comToday's Guest:Matt Putra is a fractional CFO at EightX.EightX helps businesses in need of CFO services to optimize their business cash flows.Connect and learn more about Matt and EightX here:Website: https://www.eightx.coLinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/mattputraFinancing structure that banks suggest: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mattputra_longpost-bank-money-activity-6898057989517840384-FjvjWe love our podcast community and listeners so much that we have decided to offer a free eCommerce Growth Plan for your brand! To learn more and how we can help, click here:https://mindfulmarketing.co/growthplan-applyIf you've been paying attention and your brand is ready to GROW, apply now to be the one new brand we take on this month!https://mindfulmarketing.co/apply