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It took eWebinar 18 months to go from idea to product launch, then another 36 months to hit $1M ARR; this is the core theme of this season. That's a total of 54 months from incorporation date.You might have read about companies that get to $1M in a year, much less now with AI startups and the world riding that wave. Those are outliers and not the norm. 36 months to $1M is actually the median, even for funded companies.“Normal” is not newsworthy and doesn't get the media spotlight it deserves so you might feel like you're moving too slow even when you're in the right place.On this season finale episode, Melissa and Todd dive into the 12 most shocking surprises on their way to $1M ARR after everything they tried, learned, and failed, which formed the foundation by which they continued to iterate on the business and product.Thank you for tuning into Season 2 of ProfitLed!! Your support is deeply appreciated.If you enjoy this podcast, please consider leaving us a review as that will help us continue to make episodes for you. Takeaways:• Things they thought would have a huge impact, but didn't• Assumptions that made them think they'd get to $1M faster• Things that took a lot more effort and time than anticipated• Why you don't need fancy metrics to prioritize roadmap• Why $1M is not the magic number even though it seems like it isContact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host Follow Melissa Kwan on LinkedIn where she share stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly. Subscribe to 'your founder next door', Melissa's bi-monthly newsletter on how to build a company without an abundance of resources and friends in high places. Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar. Learn more at ewebinar.com and find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into automated webinars that perform better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
When Melissa cofounded eWebinar, she had no idea it was going to be “product-led”. Before becoming an entrepreneur, she had always been in B2B sales and biz dev roles. She was always a sales-led founder as both her previous startups were enterprise SaaS. The word “product-led growth” didn't even exist in her vocabulary!When she ran out of leads to sell to in her network 9 months after launching eWebinar, she asked other founders for help. You can imagine her surprise when she learned that low cost, self-serve SaaS products were sold in a completely different way. Turns out, people don't pick up the phone for $99/month products; they prefer to do their own research and sign up at their own pace.On this episode, Melissa and Todd dive into the 9 most important PLG (product-led growth) lessons learned as they powered through and figured things out by trying everything under the sun from playbooks, experts, and friends.Takeaways:• Marketing strategies that worked, and ones that didn't• Why you should invest in high quality, engaging content• Why customers aren't always your greatest source of info• Hardships and beauty of making a self-serve SaaS startup workContact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host Follow Melissa Kwan on LinkedIn where she share stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly. Subscribe to 'your founder next door', Melissa's bi-monthly newsletter on how to build a company without an abundance of resources and friends in high places. Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Learn more at ewebinar.com and find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into automated webinars that perform better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
“This is fine as a lifestyle business.” Says every VC with a slight look of disdain after you pitch them your brilliant idea they don't want to invest in. The industry has given “lifestyle business” such a bad reputation by commonly using it to describe non-venture scalable businesses with less ambitious founders. Only 1% of startups are venture funded, which means the other 99% are bootstrapped and by industry standard, lifestyle businesses. If anything between zero and unicorn is “lifestyle”, I'd happily take it.eWebinar was founded intentionally as a lifestyle business, and that means choosing happiness over revenue for all decisions as it relates to the wellbeing of every team member, product, pricing, customer support, operations…On this episode, Melissa and Todd discuss what a “lifestyle business” is for them, and the things they do to achieve the dream company that gives everyone involved (not just the founders) a great lifestyle.Takeaways:• How the industry and VCs (negatively) perceive lifestyle businesses• Melissa's 10 non-negotiables to happiness that led her to found eWebinar• Intentional decisions we make to achieve our dream lifestyle business• How choosing happiness over revenue impact product, operations and team• The culture we try to create at eWebinar and what it's like to work hereContact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host Follow Melissa Kwan on LinkedIn where she share stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly. Subscribe to 'your founder next door', Melissa's bi-monthly newsletter on how to build a company without an abundance of resources and friends in high places. Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Learn more at ewebinar.com and find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into automated webinars that perform better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
Should you “do right by your customers” at the expense of the company, your team, and your own wellbeing? Your answer might be “yes”, until you realize a small change that customers would barely feel could mean instant profitability for your bootstrapped startup.Having said that, hindsight is always 20/20. There are some mistakes that you just have to make yourself, no matter how many warnings you get.On this episode, Melissa and Todd share the five pricing mistakes they made, why they were so costly (including one that would've given them $30k/month overnight), and what they could have done differently.Takeaways:• The pros and cons of not offering annual plans• Why you need to put usage limits on your trial period• Why “being fair” has little to no impact for your customers• Why you shouldn't grandfather and increase pricing across the board• The importance of understanding every cost that drives your platformContact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host Follow Melissa Kwan on LinkedIn where she share stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly. Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Learn more at ewebinar.com and find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into automated webinars that perform better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
Most companies think the answer to more revenue is to sell enterprise, but they aren't aware of the massive hassle and costs that come with going upmarket.There's no such thing as free money. The bigger the deal, the more attention you need to give your customer. The more customizations you offer, the more versions of your product you have to maintain.Many founders think the air is better up there because they think it'll solve their money problems. Spoiler alert: It won't.On this episode, Melissa and Todd discuss all things enterprise sales and why they stayed away from it, and why they think you should too if you have a good thing going with self-serve SaaS.Takeaways:• What we learned from spending a decade selling to big companies• The not-so-hidden costs of enterprise: sales, operations, product• Why going upmarket is not always a path to more revenue• Things you should consider before going upmarketContact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host Follow Melissa Kwan on LinkedIn where she share stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly. Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Learn more at ewebinar.com and find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into automated webinars that perform better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
Hiring is one of the biggest challenges every company faces. For bootstrapped startups, this challenge is even bigger as we have to compete against funded companies and tech giants.Part of building a startup is trial and error, throwing things against the wall to see what sticks. Hiring is no different - it's a learning process that can sometimes get expensive if you don't “fire fast”.On this episode, Melissa and Todd dives into their 5 most costly hiring mistakes, what happened, and what they learned from each experience that helps them better define job requirements and run interviews in the future.Takeaways:• The profile of people startups should never hire• Why marketing agencies can't take a company from 0-to-1• When dev shops make sense (and when they don't)• What “firing fast” means and why it matters for startups• Hard lessons we learned about hiring and firingContact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host Follow Melissa Kwan on LinkedIn where she share stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly. Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Learn more at ewebinar.com and find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into automated webinars that perform better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
eWebinar was built in a silo for 18 months before the first person signed up for a trial. Melissa and her team had no idea if this business would become “real”, and if people were going to pay for the service.On this episode, Melissa and Todd recount stories of when they knew they were onto something, through customer interactions and feedback, outgrowing their marketing website, and hitting scaling issues from increased usage.Takeaways:• Signs of our business business becoming “real” post launch• How customers, marketing, and pricing changed as business grew• Product enhancements we had to do as a result of scaling issues• How growth changed the way we approached the businessContact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host Follow Melissa Kwan on LinkedIn where she share stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly. Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Learn more at ewebinar.com and find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into automated webinars that perform better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
Should founders pay themselves? It's probably the biggest debate in the startup world. Many entrepreneurs believe sacrificing and struggling is necessary to succeed; that we should put everything towards growth to our own detriment. Here's the truth: being in survival mode isn't the best state for a founder to be in. You can't think, be creative or strategize effectively if you're worried about covering your bills. In fact, not paying yourself could put you on the fast track to burnout. The good news: there is a way to build our businesses while setting ourselves up for financial security. From the idea we go after to the way we fund the business from day 1, we can succeed without sacrificing our own stability. Why is the concept of founders paying themselves so controversial? How do you build a business that feeds the life you want to have? In this episode, I'm joined by 3x bootstrapper, entrepreneur, and CEO of eWebinar, Melissa Kwan. We talk about why you don't have to build a business in survival mode. Topics Covered; How to put yourself in the healthiest state as a founder How to choose your business idea thoughtfully The challenge with “blue sky startups” Guest Bio Melissa Kwan is a 3x bootstrapper, entrepreneur, host of the Profit Led podcast and co-founder and CEO of eWebinar. She is a digital nomad who believes in life over work, happiness over revenue, and creative work over hard work. To learn more, visit https://ewebinar.com/ and connect with Melissa on LinkedIn. About Your Host Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she's on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality! Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast Please rate, follow and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! Hearing your comments and questions helps me come up with the best topics for the show! The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.
If you've been following Melissa on LinkedIn, you'll know that she's a frequent contributor on the platform, sharing lessons and stories from her journey bootstrapping three startups. What you might not know is the backstory of WHY she turned to social selling after running out of leads to sell to.On this episode, Melissa shares her “hacks” of building a content machine starting with taking Justin Welsh's “LinkedIn OS” course, how she experimented with different content styles, and eventually found her own.Wondering if all this effort was worth her time?Hear Melissa dive into the benefits and ROI of spending time writing content, which goes far beyond building an audience who she hopes to one day sign up for eWebinar.Takeaways:• Why I turned to LinkedIn when we ran out of leads• Why your personal brand matters now more than ever• How I went viral on LinkedIn 8 weeks in a row (the good old days!)• 11 “hacks” to build your own content machine and get engagement• The benefits of writing content, social selling, and personal brandingContact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host Follow Melissa Kwan on LinkedIn where she share stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly. Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Learn more at ewebinar.com and find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into automated webinars that perform better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
Spending money on marketing is often not an option for bootstrapped startups, at least not enough to make a meaningful impact.Without an abundance of resources, there's no choice but to get creative.While found-led sales can get you off the ground, your network can exhaust pretty quickly, leaving you with the challenge of figuring out new ways to generate demand.On this episode, Melissa and Todd share the 12 most effective zero-dollar marketing strategies that got eWebinar to $1M ARR.Takeaways:• Why paid marketing should be your last resort• How to create evergreen content that lasts forever• 12 $0 strategies you can steal to grow your own businessContact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host Follow Melissa Kwan on LinkedIn where she share stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly. Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Learn more at ewebinar.com and find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into automated webinars that perform better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
Companies like Amazon and Costco who pride themselves on customer service conditioned consumers (me and you) to think that customers are always right - but, are they?In the faceless world of software, customer demands can be brutal, leading to soul crushing and demoralizing support. Training your customers to respect your team and product sets the foundation for healthy business relationships that make you feel appreciated.On this episode, Melissa and Todd recount customers from hell, the things they did to try and get around paying for the service, and how they dealt with demanding and rude customers.Takeaways:• What happens to your business when the customer is always right• Our customer horror stories and what they did to game the system• How we set expectations for customer relationships• How to deal with customers from hellContact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host Follow Melissa Kwan on LinkedIn where she share stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly. Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Learn more at ewebinar.com and find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into automated webinars that perform better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
15 years ago, Dropbox spread like wildfire with their freemium product and that gave us the impression that free = more users. It deluded companies to think that giving something away for free is a go-to-market strategy, when it's far from that.Giving away something for free has many negative implications that aren't often talked about. The most irritating one being the fact that it attracts the worst customer profiles. The people who are least tech savvy, most time consuming on support, and never end up converting.On this episode, Melissa and Todd share stories about the different campaigns they tried to get users into eWebinar and why removing price friction is one of the worst things you can do for your business..Takeaways:• How price perception affect how people evaluate products • Types of users who have never activated on our platform• Why free users are the worst and suck all your time and energy• Reasons we no longer offer discounts, no exceptions• What happened when we charged more and shortened trial periodContact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host Follow Melissa Kwan on LinkedIn where she share stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly. Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Learn more at ewebinar.com and find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into automated webinars that perform better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
Today on the show, we have Melissa Kwan, CEO and Co-Founder of eWebinar.In this episode, Melissa shares her experience building and scaling eWebinar, a product-led company, and contrasts it with her previous sales-led ventures.We dive into the key differences between sales-led and product-led growth models, specifically how each approach tackles churn and retention.Melissa also opens up about the challenges of bootstrapping a SaaS company, the role of automation in scaling, and how focusing on lifestyle has shaped her business decisions.Mentioned ResourceseWebinar SpacioHomeSpotterHotjar StripeChartMogulLeah TharinUserpilot Emeric Ernoult Agorapulse Churn FM is sponsored by Vitally, the all-in-one Customer Success Platform.
If you have a great product and offer a commission for people to promote it, they'd happily do it and you'd just make money, right? Not so fast…On this episode, Melissa and Todd recount the painful memories of spending $130k on affiliate marketing over 10 months; an experience Melissa considers the “biggest financial mistake she's made in her career”.Takeaways:• Why we jumped into this channel too early• Reasons why this strategy was a colossal failure for us• Why you should stay away from affiliate marketing (for now)• The complexities of affiliate marketing nobody told you about• Things you need in place before affiliate marketing might workContact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host Follow Melissa Kwan on LinkedIn where she share stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly. Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Learn more at ewebinar.com and find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into automated webinars that perform better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
Everyone says you need to measure everything so you can make data-driven decisions on your product. That's exactly the strategy eWebinar DID NOT follow, especially when there's not going to be enough data when you don't have enough users.On this episode, Melissa and Todd shares how they decided on priorities even before having a significant customer base, and the lean process their product team goes through to execute on feature development and roll out.Takeaways: • How we came up with an initial wishlist as a guideline• How we prioritized by listening to customers (but not always)• Why we didn't measure anything nor make data-drive decisions• The process of deciding on features per quarter and executing• Things we do that are significantly different than large companiesContact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host Follow Melissa Kwan on LinkedIn where she share stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly. Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Learn more at ewebinar.com and find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into automated webinars that perform better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
Running a startup is a lot of throwing things against the wall to see what sticks (and what doesn't). The hard truth is, majority of things you do won't work...but you need to do them anyway to find the few things that do.On this episode, Melissa and Todd dives into the 10 go-to-marketing strategies that didn't work for them, why, and what they learned from each one.Takeaways: • Think twice before putting effort into Product Hunt.• Things they wasted too much money on too early.• What they thought would have a huge impact, but didn't.• Should you pay to be in a newsletter with massive reach?• There are a lot of things you think will move the needle, but do they?Contact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host Follow Melissa Kwan on LinkedIn where she share stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly. Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Learn more at ewebinar.com and find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into automated webinars that perform better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
In the last 13 years, Melissa has worked with over 10 marketing agencies/contractors to execute a content strategy. Most couldn't deliver on their promise. It was incredibly frustrating. You may have experienced something similar.The vicious cycle went something like this:→ Hire company experienced in digital marketing for min 3-6 months→ Get proposal of new content strategy because old one was bad→ Technical and content audit, keyword research→ Receive mediocre pieces of content→ Realize company is not a good fit→ Start over after spending $10k+Most writers wrote for the sake of generating more clicks without a deep understanding of our business and customers. As a result, their content was basic and boring. Most pieces were not written for the advanced business users they wanted to attract.Melissa and Todd finally decided to take back control and learn SEO and content writing from the ground up.Takeaways:• Why marketing agencies suck• The importance of owning your SEO when it's a primary revenue source• Benefits of knowing how SEO and content works• How to own your SEO, and skills required• Companies that can help you on this journeyContact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host Follow Melissa Kwan on LinkedIn where she share stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly. Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Learn more at ewebinar.com and find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into automated webinars that perform better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
Melissa and Todd talks about how they stay super lead as a bootstrapped startup, how they decide what to and what not to spend money on, and how to avoid money mistakes they've made in the last few years.Takeaways: • What "lean" means especially for bootstrapped startups• The importance of optimizing cost versus being cheap• What to spend money on (software, people, operations)• What not to spend money on until absolutely necessary• Money mistakes they made and how to avoid themContact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host Follow Melissa Kwan on LinkedIn where she share stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly. Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Learn more at ewebinar.com and find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into automated webinars that perform better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
Melissa and Todd talks about how (and why) they leveraged their best customers to sell and market eWebinar by using the language they used to describe value propositions and how the product solves their problems.Takeaways: • The moment Melissa realized 1on1 sales was never going to cut it• How to extract the best product marketing language from your customers• The process of doing customer interviews and deep dives to create a database of marketing language• Identifying your best customers and creating an "Ideal Customer Profile" (ICP)• What to do with the content you extract and how to get help• Why this is the most valuable exercise you can do for your startupContact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host Follow Melissa Kwan on LinkedIn where she share stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly. Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Learn more at ewebinar.com and find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into automated webinars that perform better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
Send us a Text Message.In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Melissa Kwan, co-founder and CEO of eWebinar. eWebinar is a platform that automates webinars using prerecorded videos. Melissa is a three-time bootstrap founder, digital nomad, and host of the Profit Led Podcast. As an entrepreneur, she's driven by her desire to create a business that aligns with her personal values and lifestyle. In our conversation, Melissa shared a wealth of insights on webinar automation, remote team management, and the importance of prioritizing happiness over revenue.Key Takeaways:eWebinar's Automation: The platform automates webinars with prerecorded videos, saving time and enabling business growth without the need for constant live presence.Unique Approach: eWebinar offers a "Netflix of webinars" experience, featuring interactive elements, chat functionality, and a user-friendly design.High Attendance Rates: Thanks to flexible scheduling and on-demand options, eWebinar boasts high attendance rates, catering to various business verticals.Bootstrapped Growth: Melissa's zero-dollar marketing strategies include podcast marketing, LinkedIn engagement, and content SEO.Remote Team Management: Successfully managing a remote team of contractors requires clear communication and well-defined processes.Happiness Over Revenue: Prioritizing lifestyle and happiness is crucial for building a fulfilling and sustainable business.Aligning with Values: Align your business with your personal values and non-negotiables for long-term success and satisfaction.Continuous Improvement: Constantly refine your platform and deliver value to customers to drive growth and retention.Where to find Melissa:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissakwan/ProfitLed Podcast: https://ewebinar.com/profitled-podcastWebsite: https://ewebinar.com/Where to find Michel:Newsletter: https://www.stunandawe.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micheljgagnon/X: https://twitter.com/michelgagnonSupport the Show. Do you have a question you'd like me to answer on the podcast or feedback to share? Leave me a message here. You'll find all the show notes, transcripts, and past guests at stunandawe.com Up your growth game with our hands-on Growth Marketing Course For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email marketing@stunandawe.com. Support the show on Patreon Follow us: LinkedIn Twitter
Founder-led sales is the ONLY way to get your startup off the ground. If you can't sell your own product, how can you expect someone else to? On this episode, Melissa digs into why every founder needs to be the first to sell their product, and how anyone can learn how to sell today.Takeaways: • Where to find your first set of prospects to sell to• Using sales as a way to talk to customers and get feedback• Separating good feedback from bad feedback• Verifying and discrediting assumptions made about the product• Disconnect between what you're selling and what others think you're selling• Using objections to prioritize your roadmap• How anyone can learn how to sell by using Melissa's scriptContact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host Follow Melissa Kwan on LinkedIn where she share stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly. Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Learn more at ewebinar.com and find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into automated webinars that perform better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
Launching eWebinar after 18 months was a huge milestone, but then what? On this episode, Melissa and Todd discuss what it was like to wake up from the dream that if you build it, they'll come. Spoiler alert: That didn't happen.Takeaways:• When reality set in after months of daydreaming• Product assumptions that worked and didn't work• Initial user reactions, the good, the bad, and the ugly• Why the market wasn't as ripe as they thought• Things that went well and things that didn't• Realizing people didn't always understand the solution• What to do when it's going to take way longer to hit profitability than anticipatedContact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host Follow Melissa Kwan on LinkedIn where she share stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly. Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Learn more at ewebinar.com and find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into automated webinars that perform better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
Melissa and Todd dive into the thrilling and nerve-wracking experience of launching eWebinar's MVP. While many people see product launches as the end goal and celebratory occasion, Melissa explains why it's often more stressful instead because that's when the dreams you've sold become reality.They reminisce about getting stuck in a never-ending rabbit hole of features, how frustrated David (CTO) was, and how they ultimately had to choose a launch date just to get the product out the door. Melissa recounts the fascinating experience of seeing users (webinar attendees) interactive with eWebinar for the first time and the pressure she felt from her startup finally coming to life.Tune in and learn how Melissa got their first trial users on board, and how they ended up converting 85% of those users at the first billing date.Contact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host Follow Melissa Kwan on LinkedIn where she share stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly. Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Learn more at ewebinar.com and find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into automated webinars that perform better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
Melissa and Todd discuss how they established eWebinar's pricing model, focusing on aligning their business strategy with their lifestyle goals and market approach. Melissa shares insights from her past ventures, highlighting her shift towards a product-led strategy to ensure the business supports a hands-off lifestyle, avoiding the demanding nature of sales-led models. Melissa explains why she's against freemium and opted for free trial instead, and the reason they chose a low cost pricing structure to temper customer expectations about service levels.They talk about how eWebinar's automated functionality required a unique pricing model based on the number of active webinars instead of live concurrent attendees, a risk they took as it moved away from traditional webinar software business models. This resulted in challenges and difficulty in explaining their model to prospective customers unfamiliar with automated webinars. Melissa and Todd reflect on the importance of pricing in shaping customer relationships and the need for ongoing adjustments based on usage and user exploitation.Contact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host, Melissa on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Follow eWebinar: LinkedIn – YouTube – Instagram – Twitter. Visit them online at www.ewebinar.com, and find out more about how you can turn your pre-recorded video into an automated webinar that performs better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
When Melissa first went to Todd with the idea of eWebinar, he wasn't immediately convinced the product was solving a much needed problem. She engaged him as a contractor to write the first version of the website which started with competitive research. During that process, he grew passionate about the idea because he identified a gap in the market for a product that could offer a superior automated webinar experience.On this episode, Todd describes the process he went through in doing market research and how he came up with the set of launch features. Melissa and Todd also discuss how they strategically cut things down to speed up their launch date, otherwise they would've been stuck in a perpetual rabbit hole of never-ending development.Contact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host, Melissa on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.Follow eWebinar: LinkedIn – YouTube – Instagram – Twitter. Visit them online at www.ewebinar.com, and find out more about how you can turn your pre-recorded video into an automated webinar that performs better than a live webinar.Thanks for listening!
David, eWebinar's CTO and Cofounder, floated around for 2 years as a fractional CTO before joining the company. Previous to that, he was the cofounder for a New York telecomm startup that raised $10m, but shut down after they failed to find enough traction after 4 years to continue raising capital.Melissa shares David's story and what his mindset was after quitting Microsoft for startup life, and how his beliefs shifted away from gunning for "all or nothing" to "how do I not end up with nothing?"On this episode, Melissa talks about what founders should know when they're pitching an experienced CTO who has an abundance of options, what a top 1% CTO/Cofounder looks like, and how to navigate equity split when they decide to join your team.Contact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host, Melissa on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. Thanks for listening!This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to have a cofounder to start a company. But, that may work for or against you if you're a business cofounder, depending on whether or not you have the technical chops (or lead on your side) to manage a development team.After two previous startups, Melissa was sick of (not doing a good job) managing engineers and thought she could start eWebinar by hiring a dev shop to build their v1 before outsourcing to a team in Vietnam.That experience was a disaster, but it led her to her now cofounder and CTO, David, who's also her life partner.Melissa shares her perspective on what a great founding team looks like and how to go about convincing people to join you before there's even a product.Contact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host, Melissa on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. Thanks for listening!This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.
In this episode of the B2B SaaS podcast, dive into the remarkable journey of E Webinar with its co-founder and CEO, Melissa Kwan. Discover how E Webinar, a pioneering webinar automation solution, has scaled to new heights without relying on traditional VC funding. Melissa shares insights into the company's founding, unique features, growth strategies, and vision for the future, offering valuable lessons for entrepreneurs and SaaS enthusiasts alike.Discover the story behind E Webinar's inception and its unique features catering to sales and customer success needs.Gain valuable insights into E Webinar's growth trajectory, from bootstrapped beginnings to crossing the remarkable milestone of a million ARR.Explore the strategies behind E Webinar's success, including its product-led growth approach and focus on SEO and content marketing.Learn how E Webinar navigates customer support, trials, and conversions entirely self-serve, emphasizing product excellence and customer satisfaction.Delve into Melissa's vision for the future, focusing on sustainable growth, team well-being, and success without the need for VC funding.Whether you're an entrepreneur, SaaS enthusiast, or interested in balanced business growth, this episode offers invaluable wisdom and inspiration.You can also watch this episode on youtube here.
Join Sean and tech whiz, Melissa Kwan, as they unravel the allure and struggles of bootstrapping startups. Melissa dives into founding eWebinar and transforming pains into gains, all while crafting a business that perfectly suits her digital nomad lifestyle. She drops valuable gems on pricing pitfalls and the underrated power of slow growth. Don't miss these candid confessions!Here are a few of the topics we'll discuss on this episode of Product Launch Podcast:Bootstrapping is a lifestyle, not just finance.Price on value, not just to compete.Growth is slow and steady, not instant.Solving personal problems can fuel success.Grandfathered pricing can be a trap.Resources:eWebinarNxtStepPodcast ChefConnect with Melissa Kwan:LinkedInConnect with our host, Sean Boyce:LinkedInEmailQuotables:13:33 - Sean: So I'd love to hear you talk a little bit about why that strategy makes the most sense for you and how it compares to basically whatever type of situation you may have found yourself in if you were fundraising instead.Melissa: Yeah so my first company was Bootstraps because I didn't know that raising money existed so this was 13 years ago like all the tech stars and Y Combinators came after that like shortly after that. But like you know I'm from Vancouver so it wasn't a big tech community right back then it was just meetups and then I guess along the way I learned that you know people raise money and build companies on other people's money which actually seemed pretty cool at the time but I didn't really understand that concept.5:44 - I think when you build a company it becomes so much of your life and you're spending so much time on it that you have to start with what makes you happy first. And that's what I didn't do in my previous two startups I was like this is an idea it makes money, let's do this. But for 10 years I was always discontented and frustrated because I didn't start from a place of love I guess, like and love for myself.05:48 - So coming to eWebinar I didn't choose eWebinar as a business. I really sat down and I wrote 10 non-negotiables that I had to have in my next business so things that made me happy. For example, I have to have a completely remote team of contractors because I know I'm not really great at managing people hiring and firing and having those tough conversations I wanted a product that could be sold 100% through the internet I was so sick of going to conferences and sitting at booths and doing face-to-face meetings.03:10 - So I ended up living the problem of doing you know repetitive trainings and onboardings and always wondered why there wasn't an incredible product that solved that problem. And I think being able to build a company that solves a problem that I know so well and one that I feel really connected to because you know freedom has always been my number one priority and that was a problem that was restricting me from living my life cause I was also also digital nomadding.08:30 - And if you think about those things like Alibaba, for example, was like the eBay of China right. They didn't need to show the world eBay was successful eBay was already successful, like Word for example was not the first Word software so it's kind of along the same line. So I think first is like make sure it's something that makes you happy that you want to work on and especially if you're a bootstrap company don't go and try and start a blue ocean opportunity unless you know exactly what you're up against. Find something that you know you can improve and make that your business and you can probably cut down on at least two or three years of trying to get something new out there on the market. Free Email CourseHow to Build a Profitable AI-Powered B2B SaaS Business for Less Than $750 - https://nxtstep.io/b2bsaasConnect with SeanSubscribe to my YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@nxtstepseanConnect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-boyce/Notes generated by Podcast Show Notes (podcastshownotes.ai)
Hey there! It's Melissa, and I'm the Cofounder and CEO of eWebinar. At the time of this recording, we'd just crossed $1m ARR , 36 months after product launch.In the last 1.5 years posting on LinkedIn about my experiences bootstrapping three startups, I noticed that the stories that get the most engagement are the ones that gave people a window into the reality of what it's like to build a startup with very few resources. The feedback I've gotten has been about how relatable it was to hear from a non-unicorn founder.That got me thinking: There isn't much original content that dives into a day in the life of an average, non-venture backed founder. That's why I decided to switch things up. This season, rather than focus on the experience of others by interviewing them like in Season One, I want to tell you what it was actually like for us to bootstrap a startup to $1m in 36 months.On each episode, my co-host (Todd Parmley, our COO) and I will go in-depth into one major aspect of our journey. We'll share war stories, mistakes, and lessons learned. Todd was a customer of mine in my last startup, and the first person I went to when I decided to start eWebinar. He's just as much of a cofounder as my CTO/cofounder who joined me a year into this venture - but we'll get into that in the later episodes.You'll be getting two different perspectives: one from a founder and the other from the first person to join a startup.So then, what can you expect from this season? We'll talk about things ranging from how we put together an all-star team with limited capital to the best and worst investments we made in our business to key pricing decisions that turned out to be costly mistakes. You'll hear horror stories like how users figured out loopholes to misuse our free trial, costing us $8000 in 10 days, and success stories like how we ended up owning our SEO strategy having zero experience in digital marketing, which now makes up over 50% of our demo traffic.Though our story won't always be pretty, we hope it will be insightful. Our goal is to demystify bootstrapping by sharing our experience of it, and tell you what it's really like to figure things out as you go, so that A) You'll know you're not alone in the struggle and B) Maybe you can find some of the inspiration you need to forge your own success.If these topics resonate with you, subscribe to ProfitLed on your favorite podcast app to get notified of new episodes and also join our mailing list by going to profitled.fm. P.S. I promise to only share things you'll actually care about.If there are particular topics you want us to get into this season, let me know by connecting with me on LinkedIn. I'd love to hear from you.Contact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host, Melissa on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. Thanks for listening!This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.
Melissa founded eWebinar two months after her last startup (real estate SaaS software) was acquired. This episode is the origin story of eWebinar: how she finally settled on eWebinar vs all the other ideas she had, and why she was determined to bootstrap this startup over raising venture capital.Melissa talks about the importance of choosing an idea/product that makes you happy over what you have experience in and why the traditional model of building a career on top of your education is counter-intuitive.Todd (co-host and COO of eWebinar) tells his story of working with startups that never took off, and why he still decided to take a chance in eWebinar from day one, long before there was a product. He shares insights around what it takes to recruit your first hire who is an experienced, high-paying, seasoned executive.Contact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host, Melissa on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. Thanks for listening!This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.
People think bootstrapping is a financial decision, when it's really a lifestyle choice. Read that again.In this episode, Melissa talks about the reasons behind choosing to build eWebinar as a lifestyle company and how that shapes every decision they make from how they operate, to who they hire, to company culture.Melissa and Todd discuss the benefits of bootstrapping over venture capital, what it means to run a bootstrapped company, and misconceptions about bootstrapping which include things like: they raise zero capital, founders don't want to give away equity, they have smaller exits...Contact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host, Melissa on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. Thanks for listening!This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.
Melissa Kwan, Co-Founder and CEO at eWebinar, talks about the limitations of Zoom meetings. When it comes to scaling automated content, people fear that they'll lose that personal connection with the audience. However, technologies like eWebinar enable interactive experiences with prerecorded content. Today, Melissa discusses how to retain a prospect's attention. Show NotesConnect With: Melissa Kwan: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn // TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Revenue Generator Podcast: Sales + Marketing + Product + Customer Success = Revenue Growth
Melissa Kwan, Co-Founder and CEO at eWebinar, talks about the limitations of Zoom meetings. When it comes to scaling automated content, people fear that they'll lose that personal connection with the audience. However, technologies like eWebinar enable interactive experiences with prerecorded content. Today, Melissa discusses how to retain a prospect's attention. Show NotesConnect With: Melissa Kwan: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn // TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Melissa Kwan, Co-Founder and CEO at eWebinar, talks about the limitations of Zoom meetings. When the pandemic hit, Zoom meetings became the go-to for sales demos. However, Zoom has limitations as a marketing channel, as it forces the customer to fit into a specific time slot and may not always be convenient for them, leading to low attendance rates. Today, Melissa discusses why Zoom calls aren't scalable. Show NotesConnect With: Melissa Kwan: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn // TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Revenue Generator Podcast: Sales + Marketing + Product + Customer Success = Revenue Growth
Melissa Kwan, Co-Founder and CEO at eWebinar, talks about the limitations of Zoom meetings. When the pandemic hit, Zoom meetings became the go-to for sales demos. However, Zoom has limitations as a marketing channel, as it forces the customer to fit into a specific time slot and may not always be convenient for them, leading to low attendance rates. Today, Melissa discusses why Zoom calls aren't scalable. Show NotesConnect With: Melissa Kwan: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn // TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Melissa Kwan, Co-Founder and CEO at eWebinar, talks about startup marketing. In today's highly competitive market, establishing trust with customers is challenging. Social selling has emerged as a powerful tool, but it requires a deep understanding of your audience and the content they want to see. Today, Melissa discusses why social selling matters so much. Show NotesConnect With: Melissa Kwan: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn // TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Revenue Generator Podcast: Sales + Marketing + Product + Customer Success = Revenue Growth
Melissa Kwan, Co-Founder and CEO at eWebinar, talks about startup marketing. In today's highly competitive market, establishing trust with customers is challenging. Social selling has emerged as a powerful tool, but it requires a deep understanding of your audience and the content they want to see. Today, Melissa discusses why social selling matters so much. Show NotesConnect With: Melissa Kwan: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn // TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Melissa Kwan, Co-Founder and CEO at eWebinar, talks about startup marketing. Prioritization is crucial for startup marketers as they are often limited by time, resources, and budget. However, with all the different marketing channels out there, it's important to evaluate each and prioritize the most effective channels that align with your goals and capabilities. Today, Melissa discusses prioritization for startup marketers. Show NotesConnect With: Melissa Kwan: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn // TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Revenue Generator Podcast: Sales + Marketing + Product + Customer Success = Revenue Growth
Melissa Kwan, Co-Founder and CEO at eWebinar, talks about startup marketing. Prioritization is crucial for startup marketers as they are often limited by time, resources, and budget. However, with all the different marketing channels out there, it's important to evaluate each and prioritize the most effective channels that align with your goals and capabilities. Today, Melissa discusses prioritization for startup marketers. Show NotesConnect With: Melissa Kwan: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn // TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Melissa Kwan, Co-Founder and CEO at eWebinar, talks about startup marketing. Before data restrictions and privacy concerns, startup marketing typically involved investing in Facebook ads to drive brand awareness and gain customer insights. Now that Facebook has started to prioritize privacy, building a personal brand to launch a product has become the go-to strategy for smart marketers. Today, Melissa discusses why startup marketing isn't what it used to be. Show NotesConnect With: Melissa Kwan: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn // TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Revenue Generator Podcast: Sales + Marketing + Product + Customer Success = Revenue Growth
Melissa Kwan, Co-Founder and CEO at eWebinar, talks about startup marketing. Before data restrictions and privacy concerns, startup marketing typically involved investing in Facebook ads to drive brand awareness and gain customer insights. Now that Facebook has started to prioritize privacy, building a personal brand to launch a product has become the go-to strategy for smart marketers. Today, Melissa discusses why startup marketing isn't what it used to be. Show NotesConnect With: Melissa Kwan: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn // TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Ever wondered what it takes to turn a bootstrapped startup into a wild success? Join James and Keith as they sit down with Melissa Kwan, Cofounder and CEO of eWebinar, to talk about the pains of residential real estate and starting/selling prop tech companies. Hear firsthand from Melissa as she shares her fantastic and risky Zillow story and journey from bootstrap to riches. Learn the tricks of the trade in this episode of Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered. To check out how eWebinar can help you refocus your time follow this link. For Melissa's full Zillow story go here. Follow Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered Podcast on Instagram - YouTube - Facebook - LinkedIn - TikTok. Visit us online at realestateinsidersunfiltered.com. This podcast is produced by Two Brothers Creative 2023.
Building a successful startup, especially in the competitive world of B2B SaaS, is a challenging task. It requires dedication, strategic decision-making, and a focus on achieving profitability. Achieving profitability in a startup requires careful planning, customer focus, revenue-driven decisions, and adaptability. In this podcast episode on the Grow Your B2B SaaS, host Joran Hofman interviews Melissa Kwan, a successful entrepreneur bootstrapping her third startup, E-Webinar. Melissa shares her expertise on how bootstrapped founders can achieve profitability and why they must do so. Melissa emphasizes that becoming profitable allows founders to have financial stability, pay their team, and have the freedom to focus on their own happiness and personal goals. Melissa also discusses her anti-VC stance, explaining that she prioritizes a particular lifestyle over financial gain and prefers to build a company where life comes first. She advocates for founders to enjoy the journey and find fulfillment along the way rather than solely working towards a big exit or financial success in the future. Melissa advises founders to focus on revenue generation and make decisions based on what will increase revenue, rather than solely focusing on product features or improvements. By thinking about their product as a revenue-generating machine, founders can ensure the sustainability and profitability of their business. Melissa's insights shed light on the importance of profitability for bootstrap founders and the potential for a fulfilling and balanced lifestyle while building a startup. She encourages founders to prioritize their happiness and well-being while also considering revenue generation and making informed decisions for the growth of their businesses. We discuss strategies to increase revenue and profitability, such as focusing on add-ons and catering to power users. Melissa highlights the need to learn and implement marketing strategies, such as SEO and content generation, and emphasizes the challenges of transitioning from a sales-driven approach to a marketing-led one. She also shares her approach to building an audience on LinkedIn by crafting thoughtful, longer-form content. She provides insights into pricing strategies, revenue-driven decision-making, cost consciousness, and the importance of community and work-life balance. Key Timecodes Melissa Kwan (0:29) Show and guest intro (1:16) Why you should listen to Melissa Kwan (1:34) why is it so important for bootstrap founders to become profitable? (4:26) Why didn't Melissa Kwan go for an investment with eWebinar? (8:31) Why building a startup to sell shouldn't be your set end goal. (10:03) Common mistakes startups founders make while bootstrapping. (12:17) what are things which will increase revenue (13:54) Melissa's process and strategy towards profitability (18:06) The common challenges and obstacles companies face while bootstrapping (22:08) Where and when to post content (25:35) Why Melissa doubled her prices and reduced support tickets by 70% (29:14) How to grow towards 10K MRR (30:58) How to grow towards 10 million ARR (33:31) Melissa's crucial advice to SaaS founders
Our guest today is Melissa Kwon, co-founder and CEO of eWebinar. Melissa is a 3x bootstrapper navigating the entrepreneurial world while embracing the digital nomad lifestyle. In our discussion, she talked about finding her authenticity and how that shaped her approach to leadership and entrepreneurship. She explained why the bootstrapping path was a better approach for her than looking for VC funding. We also delved into the unique experiences and challenges of being a digital nomad. Melissa also dispelled some myths and offered valuable insights into building and effectively managing fully remote teams. KEY TAKEAWAYS[02:00] - Melissa Kwon, introduces herself and eWebinar her webinar automation system.[04:00] Melissa shares her experience with her previous startups, the challenges of raising venture capital, the sacrifices required for massive startup growth, and why she decided not to pursue that path.[10:00] - Melissa discusses the fresh approach she took when starting eWebinar with a clear vision compared to her previous startups and why it's vital to her to learn the necessary skills and prioritize ventures that align with her values and happiness.[14:00] - The challenge of going against the traditional model of pursuing skills and career first, and how she learned to detach from ego-driven communities in order to focus on doing what she loves.[17:00] - Melissa talks about transitioning to a digital nomad lifestyle, her experiences in various communities, including in Amsterdam, and offers advice for those considering a digital nomad lifestyle to live more freely[22:00] - Melissa highlights the key traits she looks for in a successful remote team and shares her strategy of empowering team members while swiftly addressing any issues.[30:00] - Melissa describes how eWebinar works and how to get a live demo.[32:00] - Melissa shares the behind-the-scenes of how her travel impacts her professional life, the business expressions that drive her crazy, and the special dish she loves.If you enjoyed this episode, this is an invitation to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes.Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.comWebsites:al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.comeWebinarOther links for Melissa Kwan:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/melissakwanAuthentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino CattaneoDino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneoPodcast Instagram: @al4edp Podcast Twitter:
Prepare to be captivated as we delve into the transformative world of automated webinars with our distinguished guest, Melissa Kwan, the CEO and founder of eWebinar. We're taking you on a deep dive into the exciting realm of digital marketing, exploring how the power of webinars, both live and automated, can revolutionize your business strategy.Ever wondered why webinars hold such a powerful sway in marketing? Our conversation with Melissa explores the psychology behind their effectiveness and unveils the game-changing potential of repurposing content to engage with diverse consumers. We talk about the art of maintaining customer-centricity even in automated webinars, and how auto-responders and chats can ensure seamless customer experiences. From choosing the right platform to scripting for maximum engagement, we leave no stone unturned. Melissa shares insightful tips on promoting automated webinars, the dos and don'ts of creating them, and how they can be harnessed to generate leads and enhance your company's reach. Her tips on leveraging authenticity to create impactful webinars are worth their weight in gold. Brace yourselves to reimagine your digital marketing strategy and give your business the boost it needs.Guest LinksCheck Out eWebinarConnect with Melissa on LinkedInLearn More: Join My Digital First Mastermind: https://nealschaffer.com/membership/ Learn about My Fractional CMO Consulting Services: https://nealschaffer.com/cmo Download My Free Ebooks Here: https://nealschaffer.com/freebies/ Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/nealschaffer All My Podcast Show Notes: https://podcast.nealschaffer.com
Get to know Melissa Kwan, our guest on Feisworld Podcast today: Who am I: Cofounder and CEO of eWebinar, third-time bootstrapper, 13 years in startups, previous company acquired in 2019, digital nomad Key Focus: Giving people back their time through webinar automation so they can grow their business without being there 24/7. Find me: Recent podcasts: ListenNotes Email: hello (at) eWebinar.com Website: eWebinar.com LinkedIn: /melissakwan Instagram: @themelissakwan Twitter: @themelissakwan --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/feisworld/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/feisworld/support
Today we have another episode of Better Done Than Perfect. Listen in as we talk to Melissa Kwan, co-founder and CEO of eWebinar. You'll learn the difference between live-first and automated webinar solutions, why you should be honest with your prospects, how you can make your on-demand demo effective, and more.Please head over to the episode page for the detailed recap and key takeaways.Show noteseWebinar — Melissa's productZoom, Livestorm, Demio — popular tools for live webinarsHow to Script an Effective On-Demand Product Demo — And Convert Leads Without Talking to Them!Connect with Melissa on LinkedInThanks for listening! If you found the episode useful, please spread the word about this new show on Twitter mentioning @userlist, or leave us a review on iTunes.SponsorThis show is brought to you by Userlist — an email automation platform for SaaS companies. Onboard, engage, and nurture your customers, as well as marketing leads. To follow the best practices, download our free printable email planning worksheets at userlist.com/worksheets.Interested in sponsoring an episode? Learn more here.Leave a ReviewReviews are hugely important because they help new people discover this podcast. If you enjoyed listening to this episode, please leave a review on iTunes. Here's how.
We sat down with Melissa Kwan, a 3x bootstrapper, to talk about her entrepreneurial journey, working with contractor developers, getting first customers, developing social media presence, and going to Burning Man in 2023. Show notes - Melissa's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissakwan/ - eWebinar: https://ewebinar.com/ - The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs (book): https://amzn.to/3t4sK20 Stay in touch: ✉️ Subscribe to Metacast newsletter: https://www.metacastpodcast.com
Melissa Kwan is the Cofounder and CEO of eWebinar, an automated webinar solution that combines pre-recorded video with real-time interactions and live chat to deliver an engaging experience for attendees. Top 3 Value Bombs: 1. You need to have a very positive relationship with money to achieve your desire for financial success. 2. Automated webinars can help you be free from doing things you repeatedly do and give you time to do more things. 3. You do not need to work more; instead, work creatively. There are many other things in life that you can enjoy that do not have to be related to work. Visit and unlock your time using automated webinars. Be in two places at once! - eWebinar Website Sponsors: FranBridge: Jon Ostenson, founder of FranBridge Consulting and top 1% consultant, represents the premier source for the best opportunities in the non-food franchise world. Sign up for a free consultation at FranBridgeConsulting.com! Podopolo: The best podcast listening app in the world is here! Visit Podopolo.com, download the app for free, mention John Lee Dumas (my Podopolo username) when you sign up, and start listening now! HubSpot: Learn how HubSpot can help your business grow better and get a special offer of 20% off on eligible plans at HubSpot.com/eof!