Podcasts about hard thing about hard things

In this episode of RevOps Champions, Brendon Dennewill sits down with Sean Steigerwald, a serial entrepreneur and the CEO of CustomerIQ. Sean brings a wealth of experience from founding and growing SaaS and analytics companies, with deep expertise in business development, sales, and RevOps strategy. The conversation kicks off with Sean introducing CustomerIQ—a platform designed to automate and enrich CRM data entry while simplifying email automation for companies with complex sales cycles, particularly those using HubSpot or Salesforce.The discussion dives into the operational challenges of B2B companies, especially those in enterprise SaaS, professional services, and manufacturing. Sean emphasizes that the main pain point for sales and revenue teams is updating and leveraging the CRM efficiently. He stresses the importance of removing tedious manual tasks, and automating processes only after they've been validated manually. Both Sean and Brendon highlight the need for strong RevOps leadership to ensure cross-team alignment and operational efficiency, and share their appreciation for business operating systems like EOS to help teams remain focused and empowered during growth phases.Throughout the episode, Sean champions the value of consistent execution (“lead bullets” over “silver bullets”) and warns against overcomplicating tech stacks with unnecessary tools. They agree that alignment—across people, process, data, and technology—is key to scaling and customer retention. Sean concludes with practical advice: focus on process clarity before automation, use your CRM as a central hub for alignment, and keep things simple. For further learning, he recommends business books like “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” and entrepreneurial podcasts such as “Invest Like the Best” and “Founders.”Find more at revopschampions.com

Is your business on the brink, and you're feeling the heat? Profits are slipping, costs are climbing, and time is running out to turn it around. If it feels like your business is hanging by a thread, this episode is a must-listen.Omar gets straight to the point with a practical action plan for those make-or-break moments. Inspired by the tough-love insights from The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz, he'll walk you through key steps to get back on track. From cutting costs and refocusing your team, to breaking the rules when it's called for, this episode is packed with strategies you can use right now.It's time to step up, embrace the “wartime CEO” mindset, and make the tough calls that could save your business. Hit play at the top of the page and let Omar guide you through the process with wisdom from his own hard-earned experience!-Watch the episodes on YouTube: https://lm.fm/GgRPPHiSUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed

Neste episódio do Canary Cast, Filipe Portugal, sócio do Canary, recebe João Sobreira, cofundador e CEO da Advolve, empresa que construiu múltiplos agentes de inteligência artificial para automatizar o marketing de performance e potencializar o impacto das campanhas de grandes empresas. Com apenas 24 anos e já em sua quarta jornada empreendedora, João compartilhou como sua experiência com marketing digital desde os 15 anos o preparou para identificar as ineficiências e dores no mercado que está construindo atualmente. Após fundar a primeira Game Advertising Agency da América Latina e acumular profundo conhecimento em estratégias de aquisição de usuários, ele viu na ascensão da AI generativa a oportunidade perfeita para levar inovação e maior eficiência para o setor. Fundada há pouco mais de um ano e meio, a Advolve implementa um modelo de negócio de "autopilot" que substitui a maior parte do trabalho operacional dentro da área de marketing de performance. A plataforma opera de forma autônoma, conectando-se a múltiplas fontes de dados (plataformas de anúncio, atribuição, CRM e data lakes) para treinar modelos customizados para cada empresa que são operados por +60 agentes simultâneos, gerando e otimizando campanhas completas sem intervenção humana constante. A conversa explora as principais dores do marketing digital atual: a complexidade de coordenar milhares de anúncios em múltiplas plataformas, a fragmentação de dados entre diferentes ferramentas, e a necessidade de tomar decisões em tempo real com orçamentos limitados. João explica como a Advolve usa inteligência artificial para testar continuamente quatro categorias de variáveis (canal, segmento, audiência e criativos), escalando as combinações mais eficientes. O episódio também aborda a visão global de João ao construir a Advolve, que desde o início foi pensada para ser uma empresa internacional. Por fim, João compartilha lições de sua jornada empreendedora, destacando a importância de não adiar conversas difíceis, de ter resiliência, e de sempre pensar em construir diferenciais competitivos sustentáveis em um mercado onde a tecnologia avança rapidamente. Convidado: João Sobreira Com apenas 24 anos, João é cofundador e CEO da Advolve. Iniciou sua trajetória empreendedora aos 15 anos. Com ampla experiência em aquisição digital de usuários e growth, João identificou as ineficiências no mercado de marketing digital e fundou a Advolve para tornar o marketing de performance mais eficiente, escalável e assertivo através de modelos e agentes que usam inteligência artificial. Até aqui, a empresa captou USD 6.5M em investimento com Canary, Valor e Prosus Ventures e já atende grandes empresas como iFood e Cogna. Apresentação: Filipe Portugal Filipe Portugal é sócio do Canary, um dos principais fundos de venture capital do Brasil. Desde 2018 na firma e à frente do time de investimentos, Filipe acumula uma experiência relevante no mercado de venture capital brasileiro e latino-americano. Destaques do episódio:00:00 - Boas-vindas e apresentação01:40 - A jornada empreendedora de João Sobreira05:30 - As principais dores do marketing digital 13:00 - O modelo de "autopilot" da Advolve 13:20 - Como a Advolve conecta e utiliza múltiplas fontes de dados para construir seus modelos16:45 - O método de otimização automática de campanhas19:30 - Resultados alcançados por clientes da Advolve23:15 - O papel do humano que permanece no marketing digital25:40 - A visão global da Advolve e planos de internacionalização30:20 - Conselhos para empreendedores que estão começando34:50 - A importância da criação de "moats" em empresas de IA38:25 - Maiores erros e acertos da jornada empreendedora42:10 - Recomendações de conteúdo e livros44:30 - Um último conselho46:15 - Encerramento Glossário de termos em inglês citados no episódio:Autopilot: sistema que opera de forma autônoma sem intervenção humana constanteCopilot: sistema que auxilia o usuário, mas não substitui o trabalho humanoMoat: vantagem competitiva sustentável e relevante que protege um negócio contra concorrentesMarTech: empresa que serve tecnologias aplicadas ao marketingData lake: repositório centralizado que permite armazenar dados estruturados e não estruturadosTrial: período de teste de um produto ou serviçoAsset-light: modelo de negócio que opera com poucos ativos físicosNetwork effects: efeitos de rede, quando o valor de um produto aumenta conforme mais pessoas o utilizamState of the art: Estado da arte, tecnologia mais avançada disponível no momentoRecomendações de leitura e conteúdo:A trilogia que começa com "Dot Com Secrets" - uma série de livros sobre marketing digital e funís de vendas que João considera essenciais para qualquer pessoa que pensa em fazer negócios online."The Hard Thing About Hard Things" de Ben Horowitz - livro altamente recomendado por João para todo empreendedor, especialmente de tecnologia"Florian's Reading List" - Newsletter que Florian Hagenbuch, General Partner do Canary publica semanalmente no LinkedIn, com curadoria de conteúdos sobre tecnologia e inovação. João também recomenda consumir conteúdo em inglês, destacando que isso amplia significativamente o acesso a informações de qualidade sobre tecnologia e empreendedorismo.Até o próximo episódio!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cambium is on a mission to build better supply chains for the timber industry. Through their operating system, Traece, they make it easy to source sustainable and local Carbon Smart Wood™ from fallen trees at large scales. They've won awards, including Fast Company's “Most Innovative” and TIME's Best Invention 2024.Before Cambium, Ben worked at Sandia National Laboratories and Global Hydrologic Solutions. He is also a Forbes 30 under 30 and NOLS-certified Wilderness First Responder.--✅ Here are 6 topics we covered in the podcast:1. Founder OriginsBen traces his passion for forestry to his childhood in rural New Mexico. He combined that love with advanced studies at Yale, shaping Cambium's mission.2. Massive Market OpportunityGlobal wood demand will triple by 2050, yet half of U.S. needs could come from salvaged timber. Cambium's platform unlocks this potential through streamlined sourcing.3. How Cambium WorksBy connecting tree-care services, sawmills, and manufacturers, they reduce waste and shorten procurement cycles. Major buyers include furniture, millwork, and mass timber firms.4. Leadership and CultureBen's leadership style reflects lessons from backcountry guiding, where proactive teamwork can prevent crises. He also applies extreme ownership principles, ensuring accountability for missed goals.5. Scaling with IntentionCambium is expanding its team across forestry, tech, and sales, seeking low-ego, high-impact talent. Ben emphasizes adaptability and shared values over industry-specific experience.6. Staying GroundedBen stays focused with daily checklists, intentional routines, and physical play like soccer. He recommends The Hard Thing About Hard Things and Deep Survival for fellow builders.--

www.patreon.com/skodanabraedurStyrktaraðilar þáttarins eru: Myntkaup, Saltverk, Stjörnugrís, World Class, Silkisvefn og Takk takk (15% afsláttur á takktakk.is með kóðanum SB15).Heiðar Guðjónsson fjárfestir og hagfræðingur snýr aftur í þáttinn til þess að greina stöðu heimsins í mars 2025. Fyrsta mál á dagskrá var að búa til rými til þess að leyfa hlustendanum að finna sinn innri hægri-mann og hleypa sjálfum sér út úr skápnum. Síðan förum við af stað í unaðslegt hljóðferðalag um heima og geima: USA, Kína, Indland, gervigreind, Bitcoin, bóklestur, austurrísk hagfræði, kapítalismi & kommúnismi, mikilvægi skýrleika og fyrirtækjarekstur.Bækurnar sem Heiðar mælir með eru: Bræðurnir Karamazov, Biblían, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Fooled by Randomness.

Як керувати компанією, коли все йде не за планом? Чому стандартні бізнес-стратегії не працюють у кризові часи?Цей епізод — про книгу «The Hard Thing About Hard Things» Бена Горовіца, одну з найчесніших книг про бізнес. ⁃ Чому управління в мирні часи (Peacetime CEO) кардинально відрізняється від управління під час кризи (Wartime CEO)? ⁃ Як ухвалювати складні рішення, коли компанія на межі виживання? ⁃ Що таке управлінський борг і як з цим працювати? ⁃ Чому іноді доводиться звільняти друзів, відмовляти клієнтам і діяти не за правилами?+ Ідеї з особистого досвіду.Зворотній зв'язок та реклама: flow@kindgeek.comПідписатись на email розсилку: ⁠http://eepurl.com/iQh5ag⁠Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/ygnatyuk_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/gnatyuk.yuriy/⁠Telegram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.me/yuragnatyuk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/y.gnatyuk/⁠Підтримати на ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/flowpodcast

(0:00) Intro(1:15) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel(2:02) Start of interview(2:48) Jorge's origin story(6:03) His executive career in Silicon Valley (including computer and semiconductor industries)(9:00) On his board experience (he has served in ~20 boards)(11:32) Distinctions between serving on different types of boards (public/private/non-profits/etc). On non-profits: "the board is really there for what they call the 3 W's: wisdom, work, or wealth."(12:55) On startup governance.(19:24) On the backlash on ESG/DEI and his book Differences that Make a Difference (2019). "I think the companies that embarked on DEI programs for the sake of checking a box or purely for the sake of compliance are the ones that need to change or got in trouble."(28:49) Differences between CEO coaching and board membership. "Most engineers need to get way better at EQ. When you get into leadership, it's a lot more about influence than being right."(31:26) On founder-led companies and governance.(37:00) On the impact of AI on business and boards. *Reference to E162 with Nora Denzel on NACD's BRC on tech in the boardroom.(44:30) On trend of AI companies incorporating as PBCs.(46:55) Books that have greatly influenced his life:Good to great by Jim Collins (2001)Crossing the Chasm, by Geoffrey Moore (1991)The Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz (2014)Philosophy: Buddhism(48:42) His mentors: parents, Russell Redenbaugh, and his karate instructor.(51:44) Quotes that he thinks of often or lives his life by. (52:37) An unusual habit or an absurd thing that he loves. Sports examples and analogies with business world.(54:38) On the impact of work from home. "Trust has gone from imperative to imperiled"(58:00) The living person he most admires: Reed Hastings. *Reference to Netflix board case studyJorge Titinger is the founder and CEO of Titinger Consulting, a boutique consulting firm focused on strategy development, the cultural aspects of M&A, corporate transformations and leadership coaching. You can follow Evan on social media at:X: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

In this Checkout episode, we chat with Liam Millward, Founder of Instant, the platform transforming customer engagement for brands like Toys R Us and Stax. Liam reveals the tech that powers Instant's success, including HubSpot, which he describes as the backbone of his business. He also shares his admiration for FAYT the Label and its founder Brittany Saunders, who has mastered organic growth through authentic content. From his favourite book, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, to tackling the challenges of scaling a fast-growing team, Liam provides valuable insights for entrepreneurs looking to combine innovation with a customer-first mindset.Check out our full-length interview with Liam Millward here:Unlock Hidden Revenue Streams with Instant's Audiences: Featuring Liam Millward from Instant & Sean Meyer from Leelo Active | #457This episode was brought to you by: InstantAbout your guest:Liam Millward is a born entrepreneur, having launched his first venture at just 13 while travelling around Australia and the world with his family in a caravan. Liam later curated and developed Navigate Australia, a travel magazine that quickly gained traction, reaching over 50,000+ people monthly, within 12 months of launching. Now, Liam is the Co-Founder and CEO of Instant, an Australian technology company helping some of the world's most innovative brands drive revenue and retention on autopilot. He raised over $7.5m in venture capital when he was just 17, in Australia's biggest pre-seed funding round ever known to date, led by Blackbird. Instant rapidly grew to over $1.5 million in annualised revenue and hit 1 million shoppers just one year after launching. With two products now in the market across Australia and the US, Liam and his team are on a mission to continue scaling Instant globally.About your host:Nathan Bush is the host of the Add To Cart podcast and a leading eCommerce transformation consultant. He has led eCommerce for businesses with revenue $100m+ and has been recognised as one of Australia's Top 50 People in eCommerce four years in a row. You can contact Nathan on LinkedIn, Twitter or via email. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to The Private Equity Podcast, by Raw Selection! Today's guest is Jon Sonnenschein, Private Equity Operating Partner and former SaaS and software CEO. Jon shares insights on driving cultural change in portfolio companies, blending his experience as a CEO and Operating Partner.Breakdown:[00:00] Jon Sonnenschein discusses his experience as a Private Equity Operating Partner and former SaaS CEO, focusing on cultural transformation in portfolio companies.[00:30] From Chicago to Silicon Valley, with 20 years in startups, followed by joining private equity and leading growth at Earth Solutions.[00:59] The "star player bias" in talent acquisition and the importance of aligning cultural dynamics.[01:28] Addressing the balance between legacy culture and private equity-driven professionalization.[03:21] Transitioning from founder-led to private equity-backed and retaining core cultural elements while driving professionalization and growth.[05:18] Jon shares how he elevated long-term employees for cultural continuity while introducing professional FP&A expertise.[06:15] Jon explains his approach to understanding a company's culture by interviewing employees at all levels.[07:44] The role of listening and valuing employee perspectives in identifying growth opportunities.[09:11] Validating feedback through patterns, experiments, and data-driven approaches.[10:57] Testing new markets through structured, accountable experiments to assess viability.[11:56] Jon's methods for influencing cultural change without alienating long-term employees.[13:20] Professionalizing the product organization and using customer feedback to guide decisions.[15:17] Transparency, one-on-ones, and open forums to drive cultural change and employee engagement.[18:11] Creating psychological safety and fostering innovation through direct communication.[19:38] Jon reflects on insights from being an operating partner and how they inform his executive approach.[21:06] The importance of collaboration between operating partners, deal teams, and CEOs.[22:28] Recommended readings include Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman and The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz.[24:48] Jon emphasizes the importance of tackling culture head-on and shares key takeaways for private equity professionals.To be added to the book waitlist, you can email alex.offer@raw-selection.comThank you for tuning in! Connect with Jon on LinkedIn here. To get the newest Private Equity episodes, you can subscribe on iTunes or Spotify here.Lastly, if you have any feedback on the podcast or want to reach out to Alex with any questions, send an email to alex.rawlings@raw-selection.com

In this episode, Ben, Peter, and Salim discuss recent tech, AI, robotics, and crypto news and what the new administration means for tech enthusiasts.   Recorded on Jan 23rd, 2024 Views are my own thoughts; not Financial, Medical, or Legal Advice. Ben Horowitz is a prominent businessman, investor, author, and technology entrepreneur who has played a pivotal role in shaping Silicon Valley. In 1999, he co-founded Loudcloud, which evolved into Opsware, an enterprise software company acquired by Hewlett-Packard for $1.6 billion in 2007. In 2009, Horowitz co-founded Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), a leading venture capital firm that has invested in groundbreaking companies like Airbnb and Coinbase. He is the author of two bestselling books, The Hard Thing About Hard Things and What You Do Is Who You Are, offering practical insights into building businesses and shaping culture. Known for his expertise in technology entrepreneurship, venture capital, and thought leadership, Horowitz also established the a16z Cultural Leadership Fund to connect cultural leaders with the tech industry and promote diversity.  Salim Ismail is a serial entrepreneur and technology strategist well known for his expertise in Exponential organizations. He is the Founding Executive Director of Singularity University and the founder and chairman of ExO Works and OpenExO.  Learn more about a16z: https://a16z.com/  Join Salim's ExO Community: https://openexo.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/salimismail  ____________ I only endorse products and services I personally use. To see what they are,  please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:  Get started with Fountain Life and become the CEO of your health: https://fountainlife.com/peter/ AI-powered precision diagnosis you NEED for a healthy gut: https://www.viome.com/peter  Get 15% off OneSkin with the code PETER at  https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod _____________ I send weekly emails with the latest insights and trends on today's and tomorrow's exponential technologies. Stay ahead of the curve, and sign up now:  Tech Blog _____________ Connect With Peter: Twitter Instagram Youtube Moonshots

Episode 361 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Phil Pergola, CEO at CloudZero. Phil has a tremendous track record and we talk about a lot of great companies that he's helped build throughout his career, but I need to highlight one of these companies in this intro and that is BladeLogic and the lasting impact the company has made. If you've ever read the famous startup book by Ben Horowitz called The Hard Thing About Hard Things… the competitor to his company Opsware was BladeLogic which is absolutely classic. BladeLogic went on to become a public company and was subsequently acquired by BMC Software. Another fascinating point about BladeLogic is the people and how many have gone on to become C-level sales executives or advisors at some of the most successful companies out there like MongoDB, AppDynamics, Snowflake, Wiz, Okta, and others. There is even a podcast called Hunters + Unicorns which interviews a bunch of them. CloudZero is the leader in proactive cloud cost efficiency. They enable engineers to build cost-efficient software without slowing down innovation. The company announced a $32M Series B round of funding last year. In this podcast, we cover: * The importance of building a successful pre and post-sales organization, plus the details of the LAYR model (Land Adopt Expand Retain). * Phil's background and the story of his initial interest in pursuing a career path as an actuary. * A trip down Boston tech memory lane across multiple companies like Eggrock Partners which was acquired by Breakaway Solutions, BladeLogic, enerNOC, and CloudHealth Technologies. * All the details about CloudZero - how they found product market fit, why he joined as CEO, and the latest at the company today. * Advice on raising venture capital funding. * Lots of great advice on being a first time CEO - his lessons learned, what you should think about in the first 90 days, and advice on how to get on the radar for CEO positions. * And so much more. Episode Sponsor: As a longtime champion of the local startup ecosystem, Silicon Valley Bank supports innovative companies with the solutions and financing they need through every stage of growth. With more than 1,500 bankers and relationship advisors, and $42B in loans as of Q2 2024 – SVB delivers the right people, service and resources to support your entire financial journey. Learn more at SVB.com.

In this episode of The Unicorny Marketing Show, Graham Wylie joins Dom to challenge the conventional view of marketing. Wylie argues that marketing shouldn't be confined to a single department but should be a company-wide responsibility. He explains the importance of aligning marketing promises with product delivery and encourages organisations to involve every team member in creating a consistent customer experience. Key points:Marketing as a company-wide responsibility rather than a department function.The risks of inconsistent brand promises when marketing efforts are siloed.Leveraging market disruptions to drive change and opportunity.Engaging every stakeholder across the business for a unified marketing approach.Listen now to learn how to break marketing out of its silo and drive growth across your organisation.About Graham WylieIs Graham the world's foremost authority on marketing in organisations going through change? Possibly ;)With three decades in B2B marketing, across vastly different geographies and industries; Agency, VC, PE and Corporate environments, and always at an inflection point for the business, there is real depth and breadth to his experience. Combine that with a nerd-level curiosity about how marketing actually works, and why businesses struggle with go-to-market, you get a rare combination of cutting edge theory, innovative practice and real world pragmatism that delivers results.As we recorded this podcast Graham was wrapping up a large corporate transformation and by the time you listen to it he will have started as Chief Marketing Officer for activpayroll.Links Full show notes: Unicorny.co.ukWatch episode: https://youtu.be/CNdB6sGzYJsLinkedIn: Graham Wylie | Dom Hawes Website: activpayrollSponsor: Selbey Anderson Other items referenced in this episode: The Unicorny Marketing Show: April Dunford 80. The Unicorny Marketing Manifesto: What marketing is The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz Rory Sutherland

In this episode of The Unicorny Marketing Show, Graham Wylie joins Dom to challenge the conventional view of marketing. Wylie argues that marketing shouldn't be confined to a single department but should be a company-wide responsibility. He explains the importance of aligning marketing promises with product delivery and encourages organisations to involve every team member in creating a consistent customer experience. Key points:Marketing as a company-wide responsibility rather than a department function.The risks of inconsistent brand promises when marketing efforts are siloed.Leveraging market disruptions to drive change and opportunity.Engaging every stakeholder across the business for a unified marketing approach.Listen now to learn how to break marketing out of its silo and drive growth across your organisation.About Graham WylieIs Graham the world's foremost authority on marketing in organisations going through change? Possibly ;)With three decades in B2B marketing, across vastly different geographies and industries; Agency, VC, PE and Corporate environments, and always at an inflection point for the business, there is real depth and breadth to his experience. Combine that with a nerd-level curiosity about how marketing actually works, and why businesses struggle with go-to-market, you get a rare combination of cutting edge theory, innovative practice and real world pragmatism that delivers results.As we recorded this podcast Graham was wrapping up a large corporate transformation and by the time you listen to it he will have started as Chief Marketing Officer for a remarkable PE-backed growth business.Links Full show notes: Unicorny.co.ukWatch episode: https://youtu.be/CNdB6sGzYJsLinkedIn: Graham Wylie | Dom Hawes Website: activpayrollSponsor: Selbey Anderson Other items referenced in this episode: The Unicorny Marketing Show: April Dunford 80. The Unicorny Marketing Manifesto: What marketing is The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz Rory Sutherland

In this episode of Grow a Small Business, host Troy Trewin interviews Igor Vainshtein, founder of Golf Trak, shares his remarkable journey of scaling his business and achieving multiple successful exits. He opens up about the ups and downs, the power of persistence, and how embracing challenges helped him grow. Igor also highlights the importance of building a strong team and finding happiness in the process rather than just the destination. Why would you wait any longer to start living the lifestyle you signed up for? Balance your health, wealth, relationships and business growth. And focus your time and energy and make the most of this year. Let's get into it by clicking here. Troy delves into our guest's startup journey, their perception of success, industry reconsideration, and the pivotal stress point during business expansion. They discuss the joys of small business growth, vital entrepreneurial habits, and strategies for team building, encompassing wins, blunders, and invaluable advice. And a snapshot of the final five Grow A Small Business Questions: What do you think is the hardest thing in growing a small business? Igor Vainshtein believes that one of the hardest things in growing a small business is embracing and enduring the constant challenges and uncertainties along the way. He highlights the importance of finding joy in the process, especially in dealing with the pain and setbacks that come with building a business. According to Igor, learning to accept and thrive through these difficulties, rather than focusing solely on the end result, is crucial for long-term success and personal growth. What's your favourite business book that has helped you the most? Igor Vainshtein's favorite business book is "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" by Ben Horowitz. He appreciates its candid insights into the challenges of running a business, especially the tough decisions and obstacles entrepreneurs face. The book resonates with Igor because it emphasizes the reality of entrepreneurship, offering practical advice and encouragement for those navigating the complexities of building and leading a company. Are there any great podcasts or online learning resources you'd recommend to help grow a small business? Igor Vainshtein recommends several resources for small business growth, including "How I Built This" with Guy Raz, "The Tim Ferriss Show", MasterClass, Harvard Business Review Podcasts, and LinkedIn Learning. What tool or resource would you recommend to grow a small business? Igor Vainshtein recommends utilizing SaaS tools like HubSpot for customer relationship management (CRM), Trello for project management, and Mailchimp for email marketing to help streamline operations and enhance growth for small businesses. What advice would you give yourself on day one of starting out in business? Igor Vainshtein would advise himself on day one of starting a business to embrace uncertainty and understand that failure is part of the journey. He emphasises the importance of building a strong network and seeking mentorship, as well as staying open to learning and adapting as challenges arise. Focusing on customer feedback and iterating based on that can also significantly enhance the chances of success.   Book a 20-minute Growth Chat with Troy Trewin to see if you qualify for our upcoming course. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your small business to new heights! Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes or your preferred platform. Your feedback helps more small business owners discover our podcast and embark on their business growth journey.     Quotable quotes from our special Grow A Small Business podcast guest: Embrace uncertainty; it's the catalyst for innovation and growth in business — Igor Vainshtein Listen to your customers; their feedback is the roadmap to improvement and success — Igor Vainshtein Build a strong network; the right connections can propel your business to new heights — Igor Vainshtein      

In questo episodio n. 005 di Hacking Expert, approfondiamo l'evoluzione della cybersecurity e l'importante contributo dell'intelligenza artificiale nella lotta al cybercrime. Scopri come l'AI può essere utilizzata per contrastare gli attacchi informatici, rendendo più sicure le aziende di oggi.Principali punti di discussione:0:00 Introduzione e presentazione di Matteo Sala1:16 La carriera di Matteo e la nascita di Hackforce AI4:14 Come l'intelligenza artificiale può supportare la cybersecurity12:43 L'importanza di prevenire piuttosto che reagire ai cyberattacchi19:11 Gli Zero-Day e la vulnerabilità delle aziende28:46 Formazione continua come soluzione al phishing e attacchi social39:24 Il futuro della cybersecurity con AI e test periodiciRisorse citate nell'episodio:- The Hard Thing About Hard Things di Ben Horowitz: https://www.amazon.it/Hard-Thing-About-Things-Building/dp/0062273205

With more than 25 years of being a CEO and founder, James Lawrence loves to share his insights on leadership, organizational culture and the intersection of technology in the workplace. James believes the cornerstone of every successful organization is its people. His mission is to help people love their work and get connected with their teams because, in his words, "when people work better, we all win, together.”James is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for cultivating great workplaces and empowering people. At 48, he's the co-founder and CEO of Happy Companies, a startup that uses technology to deliver AI-enhanced coaching. Happy revolutionized the way organizations encourage improved communication, collaboration and engagement with their employees at scale.His journey to leadership wasn't straightforward. Early in his career, James learned the hard way that authority doesn't come from a title; it comes from genuinely understanding and connecting with your team.With a background of launching four startups, two auto racing championships under his belt, and previous leadership roles as the CEO of Power Automedia and Chairman of the Specialty Equipment Manufacturing Association (SEMA), James brings a unique blend of speed and innovation to the business world. James places a strong emphasis on nurturing talent and fostering the next generation of leaders, always with an eye toward meaningful work.James is married to his amazing wife Melissa and is the father of three kids: Bradley, Jordan and Taylor. When he's not leading his team or spending time with his family, James is likely coaching youth football, driving a race car faster than 200 mph, learning to fly, or diving into one of his favorite books, which range from "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" to "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"As a serial entrepreneur, James hasn't had a linear path. Here, he shares what inspired him on his journey and what ultimately sparked him to create Happy. He talks about how he shattered who his parents wanted him to be to overcome fear and live more authentically. James also shares insights on the power of honesty as a CEO, how he helps leaders foster healthy workplace cultures, and the challenge of beginning with the end in mind. What's Inside:How James overcame fear to live authenticallyThe power of honesty as a CEOHow James helps leaders foster a healthy workplace culture Mentioned In This Episode:James Lawrence on LinkedInHappy Companies Website

What even is a Life of And? And how can you achieve it? In this episode replay from Gut+Science, Tiffany joins Nikki Lewallen Gregory to share how she defines a Life of AND and the impact she hopes it will have in the world.  Get ready to be inspired to do the hard work and be equipped with tips and strategies to make your Life of And possible and be reminded why giving it your all is so important.    Timestamps: [00:00] Intro [02:45] The importance of systems and processes [11:04] Scheduling cleaning and laundry services [21:16] Tiffany's personal experiences shaping the podcast [30:18] Understanding and overcoming struggles [40:26] Tiffany's recharging rituals and hobbies [43:09] Recommended reading: "The Hard Thing About Hard Things"  

Building Bridges in a Remote World: Enhancing Communication with AI CoachingIn a recent episode of "The Thoughtful Entrepreneur," host Josh engages in a compelling conversation with James Lawrence, the CEO and co-founder of Happy. This platform is dedicated to improving organizational culture and communication within companies, particularly in the evolving landscape of hybrid and remote work environments. The discussion centers around the challenges of managing people effectively, a shift accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and how AI can play a pivotal role in addressing these challenges.James begins by sharing his extensive experience as a CEO over the past 30 years, noting that most organizational challenges stem from people-related issues. He explains that his recent focus has been on developing technology that helps companies accelerate their people management processes at scale. Reflecting on his early leadership experiences, James acknowledges the difficulties he faced in effectively leading teams and recognizes that larger organizations often struggle even more with training and managing personnel.Josh and James discuss the critical need for a positive workplace culture, whether in-person or virtual. They agree that fostering a sense of value among team members is essential for organizational success. James elaborates on how the Happy platform addresses these needs by providing AI-enhanced coaching tailored to individual employees. This coaching is integrated into the tools that employees use daily, such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, making it easily accessible and relevant.About James Lawrence:With more than 25 years of being a CEO and founder, James Lawrence loves to share his insights on leadership, organizational culture and the intersection of technology in the workplace. James believes the cornerstone of every successful organization is its people. His mission is to help people love their work and get connected with their teams because, in his words, "when people work better, we all win, together.”James is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for cultivating great workplaces and empowering people. At 48, he's the co-founder and CEO of Happy Companies, a startup that uses technology to deliver AI-enhanced Coaching. Happy revolutionize the way organizations encourage improved communication, collaboration and engagement with their employees at scale.Happy delivers plug-and-play AI-enhanced Coaching via tools like Slack, Gmail, Zoom and Teams. Happy believes that effective manager and employee relationships are key to creating organizations that are healthy, productive, and profitable.His journey to leadership wasn't straightforward. Early in his career, James learned the hard way that authority doesn't come from a title; it comes from genuinely understanding and connecting with your team.With a background of launching four startups, two auto racing championships under his belt and previous leadership roles as the CEO of Power Automedia and Chairman of the Specialty Equipment Manufacturing Association (SEMA), James brings a unique blend of speed and innovation to the business world. James places a strong emphasis on nurturing talent and fostering the next generation of leaders, always with an eye toward meaningful work.James is married to his amazing wife Melissa and is father to three kids – Bradley, Jordan and Taylor. When he's not leading his team or spending time with his family, James is likely coaching youth football, driving a race car faster than 200 mph, learning to fly, or diving into one of his favorite books, which range from "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" to "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective PeopleAbout Happy Companies:Happy is dedicated to empowering people—to improve how every team works together. We help everyone become the best version of themselves.Happy is a SAAS Tech Startup with

From being a distinguished engineer at Sun Microsystems to co-founding Oxide Computer Company to build a new kind of server, Bryan joins the show to chat about being told that he's on a suicide mission when starting Oxide, the moment he felt “I'm actually living HBO Silicon Valley”, and lessons from Sun. And much more. Chapters: (00:02:24) The Origin of Bryan's Nom-de-Guerre: "Colonel of Data Corruption" (00:04:02) What Debugging Performance Issues at Twitter in the Early Days Revealed About Silicon Valley (00:13:37) Value of Formal Education and the Experience That Everyone Should Have (00:16:02) Balancing Following One's Passion vs. Having Stability (00:21:14) What Shaped Bryan's Sense of Integrity (00:25:39) The Moments When Values Are Instilled (00:30:25) The Dark Side of Tech (00:35:12) "Economic Opportunities Attract Economic Opportunists" (00:40:35) The Origins of Oxide Computers (00:50:20) Building the A-Team (00:52:18) "Compaq Was the Most Successful Startup" (00:55:51) The Venture Capitalist's Dilemma (01:03:04) Being Told "You're on a Suicide Mission" (01:07:12) The Lifestyle of the "Lifestyle Business" (01:09:30) The Harsh Reality of Raising Venture Capital (01:13:12) The Challenges of Building Hardware (01:16:36) Why You Should Think About Not Only Gross Margin but Net Margin (01:19:14) Hardware and Software Co-Design (01:22:06) The Frustrations of Infrastructure Deployment (01:26:46) Finding the Right VCs (01:28:16) "Oh My God, I'm Actually Living HBO Silicon Valley" (01:33:12) Oxide's Principles and Lessons from Sun Microsystems (01:39:51) Sun's Unspoken Values (01:45:03) Sun's Legacy of Empowering Employees (01:48:53) Sun's Missed Opportunities (01:53:04) The Reason Why Sun Survived the Dot-Com Crash (01:56:21) "God Bless the Early Adopters" (01:57:39) A Tweet from Shopify's CEO (02:01:24) The Hard Thing About Hard Things (02:12:55) The Hardest Moment in Oxide's History   Show Notes: - Oxide's principles: https://oxide.computer/principles - Requests for Discussion (RFDs): https://rfd.shared.oxide.computer/ - Toby's tweet: https://x.com/tobi/status/1793798092212367669 - Bryan on twitter: https://x.com/bcantrill Stay in touch:

Guest: James Lawrence: CEO of Happy Companies James Lawrence is a seasoned tech executive and serial entrepreneur with a passion for cultivating great workplaces and empowering people. At 48, he's the co-founder and CEO of Happy Companies, a startup that uses technology to revolutionize the way organizations encourage improved communication, collaboration, and engagement with their employees. But his journey to leadership wasn't straightforward. Early in his career, James learned the hard way that authority doesn't come from a title; it comes from genuinely understanding and connecting with your team. With a background of launching four startups, two auto racing championships under his belt, and previous leadership roles as the CEO of Power Automedia and Chairman of the Specialty Equipment Manufacturing Association, James brings a unique blend of speed and innovation to the business world. James is married to his amazing wife Melissa, and father to three kids. When he's not leading his team or spending time with family, he's likely coaching youth football, or diving into one of his favorite books, which range from “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” to “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” A sought-after public speaker and innovator, James loves to share his insights on leadership, organizational culture, and technology. James believes that the cornerstone of every successful organization is its people. His mission is to help people love their work and get connected with their teams because, in his words, “when people work better, we all win, together.” Join us as we discuss the cornerstone of every successful organization Host: Jo Dodds

Guest: James Lawrence: CEO of Happy Companies James Lawrence is a seasoned tech executive and serial entrepreneur with a passion for cultivating great workplaces and empowering people. At 48, he's the co-founder and CEO of Happy Companies, a startup that uses technology to  revolutionize the way organizations encourage improved communication, collaboration, and engagement with their employees. But his journey to leadership wasn't straightforward. Early in his career, James learned the hard way that authority doesn't come from a title; it comes from genuinely understanding and connecting with your team. With a background of launching four startups, two auto racing championships under his belt, and previous leadership roles as the CEO of Power Automedia and Chairman of the Specialty Equipment Manufacturing Association, James brings a unique blend of speed and innovation to the business world.  James is married to his amazing wife Melissa, and father to three kids. When he's not leading his team or spending time with family, he's likely coaching youth football, or diving into one of his favorite books, which range from “The Hard Thing About Hard Things”  to “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”  A sought-after public speaker and innovator, James loves to share his insights on leadership, organizational culture, and technology. James believes that the cornerstone of every successful organization is its people. His mission is to help people love their work and get connected with their teams because, in his words, “when people work better, we all win, together.” Join us as we discuss the cornerstone of every successful organization Listen Live (Archive Available) Host: Jo Dodds

In this episode of the Grow a Small Business podcast, host Troy Trewin interviews Tim Tutt, co-founder of Night Shift Development. Tim shares his journey of scaling the data analytics company to a 25-member team, highlighting the importance of culture, patience, and prioritization. With significant revenue growth, Tim discusses key strategies for building a sustainable and successful business. Tune in to gain valuable insights from his experience in the tech industry. Troy discusses flywheel, a product aimed at growing small businesses, and recommends getting a copy of the Marketing Funding Flywheel eBook from the Grow A SmallBusiness website. This eBook contains 41 pages filled with over 50 tools and tips for your business. Why would you wait any longer to start living the lifestyle you signed up for? Balance your health, wealth, relationships and business growth. And focus your time and energy and make the most of this year. Let's get into it by clicking here. Troy delves into our guest's startup journey, their perception of success, industry reconsideration, and the pivotal stress point during business expansion. They discuss the joys of small business growth, vital entrepreneurial habits, and strategies for team building, encompassing wins, blunders, and invaluable advice. And a snapshot of the final five Grow A Small Business Questions: What do you think is the hardest thing in growing a small business? Tim Tutt believes that the hardest thing in growing a small business is managing people. As a founder, your primary role is to ensure that your team is supported and capable of helping you achieve your business goals. Balancing the needs of the team with the demands of business growth can be challenging, requiring a delicate touch and a deep understanding of both the business and the individuals involved. What's your favourite business book that has helped you the most? Tim Tutt's favorite business book, one he refers to often, is "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" by Ben Horowitz. He finds it immensely valuable, especially for building a strong company culture. One of the most impactful quotes for him from the book is "Take care of the people, the products, and the profits, in that order," which has guided his approach to building his company. Are there any great podcasts or online learning resources you'd recommend to help grow a small business? Tim Tutt mentioned that podcasts are not his primary source of learning, but he finds value in listening to a good handful of them on topics that are relevant to him. However, he leans more towards reading blog posts and recommendations from other founders on specific topics of interest. What tool or resource would you recommend to grow a small business? Tim Tutt highly recommends a carefully managed calendar as a crucial tool for growing a small business. He uses Calendly to schedule meetings and blocks out specific times for focused work. Time blocking, in particular, is a strategy he finds valuable for ensuring he has dedicated time for important tasks amidst the demands of running a business. What advice would you give yourself on day one of starting out in business? Tim Tutt would advise himself on day one of starting out in business to push through the tough times. He acknowledges that there will be many difficult days and moments of doubt, but he emphasizes the importance of maintaining strong conviction in the business idea and team. He believes that with determination and belief in the vision, one can overcome obstacles and succeed. Book a 20-minute Growth Chat with Troy Trewin to see if you qualify for our upcoming course. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your small business to new heights! Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes or your preferred platform. Your feedback helps more small business owners discover our podcast and embark on their business growth journey.     Quotable quotes from our special Grow A Small Business podcast guest: Prioritization is the key to handling the countless fires in business — Tim Tutt Building a culture of trust and transparency drives team success — Tim Tutt Strong conviction in your vision will help you push through the hardest times — Tim Tutt      

In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, host Rob Liddiard recites 'The Struggle', an iconic chapter from Ben Horowitz's startup leadership classic, The Hard Thing About Hard Things. Rob follows the passage by describing how he escaped The Struggle as founding CEO of Yapster (a UK software company which scaled to 100,000 business users) by leaning on the 6 Key Components of The Entrepreneurial Operating System.Interested listeners can reach Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) via Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time to learn about EOS, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).

Only 15% of old phones get recycled.And that's not the biggest problem. When you get your new phone in your hand, most of the harm has already been done. 70 - 80 % of the phone's footprint is in the making, not in the usage.If we use our phones longer, less resources are needed for their production. And there will be less electronics waste.But how do you design a phone for circularity and longevity?Fairphone managed to create and grow a phone company with a circular and fair model:A phone easy to repair100% electronic waste neutralMade in fair factoriesRepairable, sustainable, ethically sourcedIt all started with a campaign back in 2011.Bas van Abel, founder of Fairphone, was raising awareness around conflict minerals and mining practices in the electronics industry. They came up with the idea of a made-up, non-existing Fairphone.People loved the concept so much: they got 30,000 people on the pre-order list.That first year Fairphone made a turnover of 16M euro. They became the fastest-growing technology start-up in Europe.Fairphone was officially launched in 2013 and today they have:- 40M euro turnover- sold 500,000 Fairphones- released 5 phone versions- 150 employees across the worldListen to the episode with Bas van Abel, founder, board member, and ex-CEO of Fairphone, to learn How to balance a sustainable mission with a profitable business model, while taking care of your health as a founderIn this episode you will learn:- How to operate a circular business model and make it fair- How Fairphone found their product-market fit through campaigning- What conflict minerals are and the complexity of the supply chain needed to make a phone- How to make the supply chain as fair as possible- How they managed to set up the Fair Cobalt Alliance- What makes Fairphone fair?- How to create a business model that supports a longevity mission and is profitable at the same time- How to move from an old to a new reality through the theory of change and set impact milestones- How steward-ownership can help to have a healthier relationship with your stakeholders- When is the right time to raise VC- How to hire a management team- How Bas went into a big burn-out and how to take care of your personal health as a founderWatch the full episode on YouTube - https://youtu.be/FwXlWn-PJ8AResources:Bas van Abel LinkedInFairphone websiteBooks recommendation:The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben HorowitzThe Human Condition by Hannah Arendt===Watch my video presentation “3 key strategies to grow a following of 7500+ changemakers on Linkedin”

Struggling to promote your niche ICT consultancy? Introvert Peter Banigo, founder of Target ICT and host of The Tech Your Business Podcast, shares how he has built awareness despite his shy nature.Learn how Peter overcame self-doubt to launch an engaging tech podcast reaching 59 episodes. Follow his journey leveraging Toastmasters training to find his broadcasting voice.Hear how avoiding technical jargon and simplifying concepts created content that resonates. See how guest conversations convert organically into new business relationships.Understand why a personalised approach and exceeding customer expectations have been key to growing an audience and reputation. Appreciate how solving people's problems generously is Peter's proven recipe for referrals and word-of-mouth.Book recommendation: The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben HorowitzPublish your book with Piilot AIPIILOT combines advanced technology with human editorial teams to publish and promote your book.Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!Start for FREEBrilliant copy writing toolAI copywriting tool to generate unique copy, predict performance and increase conversions.Descript is what I use to edit the show.All-in-one audio & video editing, as easy as a doc.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showAm I adding value to you?If so - I'd like to ask you to support the show.In return, I will continue to bring massive value with two weekly shows, up to 3 hours per month of brilliant conversations and insights.Monthly subscriptions start at $3 per month. At $1 per hour, that's much less than the minimum wage, but we'll take what we can at this stage of the business.Of course, this is still free, but as an entrepreneur, the actual test of anything is if people are willing to pay for it.If I'm adding value to you, please support me by clicking the link now. Go ahead, make my day :)Support the show here.

Caresyntax CEO Dennis Kogan wants to introduce value based care to the operating room. It's a tall order but Caresyntax thinks they have a formula to benefit the patient, provider and payer.Kogan's parents are surgeons from the former Soviet Union, which gave him a foundational perspective. He studied technology and then business at Carnegie Mellon and Harvard Business School. One of his key takeaways is that quality and efficiency are highly related.Unlike many healthcare entrepreneurs I interview, Dennis's company is active all over the world. There are geographic differences, but they're not as profound as I imagined.The episode explores the impact of AI, including generative AI, on value-based care and the potential for surgical Accountable Care Organizations to more effectively manage quality and total cost of care. It also covers the challenges of entrepreneurship in the healthcare sector, referencing insights from Ben Horowitz's "The Hard Thing About Hard Things," and discusses Caresyntax's efforts to leverage AI in clinical decision-making to transform healthcare delivery.Host David E. Williams is president of healthcare strategy consulting firm Health Business Group. Produced by Dafna Williams.

Today's episode is with Matt Tucker,  a titan in the industry who was formerly the President and COO of Olo, and is now the Head of Tock. Matt and Zack discuss: The 'cockroach' strategy—a testament to the relentless hustle required to weather the tempests of industry uncertaintiesBen Horowitz's "The Hard Thing About Hard Things"Matt's insights on building teams based on trustMoreThanks, Matt!

#544: Honey Badger Nation - Thriving in the Digital Era: Guide to Virtual Real Estate Mastery John Kitchens dives deep into the transformative strategies that are shaping the future of real estate in the digital era. This episode is a treasure trove of insights, highlighting the innovative approaches to agent attraction, community building, and leveraging technology to stay ahead in the competitive real estate market. The discussion kicks off with John inviting listeners to seek personalized business advice, setting the tone for an episode packed with value. The crew shares their admiration for influential books like "Hard Thing About Hard Things" and "The 50th Law," underscoring the impact of a wartime mentality on business success. This mindset is crucial as the conversation transitions to the heart of the episode - mastering virtual real estate through cutting-edge strategies and boot camp training sessions led by Wally Bressler. A highlight of the episode is the exploration of virtual business models, exemplified by member Dave Z, who has revolutionized the way real estate transactions are conducted. By running his entire business virtually, utilizing a virtual staff, and an innovative app called Shawami for showings, Dave Z's approach serves as a blueprint for success in the digital age. The hosts commend his virtual presentations and his ability to thrive as a virtual agent, setting a standard for others to follow. The episode also addresses significant upcoming changes within the industry, such as the potential revision of FLQA requirements and the introduction of co-sponsorship opportunities within the company. These discussions are poised to impact revenue sharing positively and offer new avenues for agent support and alignment. The Honey Badger crew emphasizes the importance of these changes, inviting listeners to a special meeting on March 11th to delve deeper into these topics. In addition to industry-specific discussions, the episode touches on the power of community and trust-building. By sharing stories of successful investments in Mexico and the significance of being engaged in one's neighborhood, the hosts illustrate the broader implications of their strategies beyond mere transactions. The conversation underscores the necessity of direct engagement, whether through hosting events, sponsoring local amenities, or creating compelling video content to showcase one's area of expertise. "Thriving in the Digital Era" is more than just a podcast episode; it's a call to action for real estate professionals to embrace the digital revolution. By highlighting the successes of members like Dave Z, discussing pivotal industry changes, and underscoring the value of community and trust, John and the Honey Badger crew provide listeners with the tools and motivation needed to excel in virtual real estate. This episode is an essential listen for anyone looking to navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities presented by the digital transformation of the real estate industry.   WHAT CAN HELP YOU? We have created a brand new training, "7Figure Blueprint" that shows how to grow to 7 figures without the chaos and overwork. In this training, you'll uncover the three biggest myths limiting your growth, learn sustainable strategies for long-term success, and be introduced to a proven system that fast-tracks your transition from agent to CEO. Feel free to dive in: https://7FigureBP.com/ Let's make it happen!

Strap in for a wild ride

Welcome back to another episode of the Richer Geek podcast. Today we have Blake Hutchison. He's the CEO of flippa.com flipa.com. It is the world's largest marketplace to buy and sell online businesses. He leaves the teams to build-out a product empowering exit and ownership for business owners and entrepreneurs globally. before running Flippa, Blake held leadership roles across multiple fast-growth tech businesses, across e-commerce and SaaS.   In this episode, we're discussing…   ·       [3:13] Blake's entrepreneurial journey and background   ·      [5:31] Overview of Flippa as the top marketplace for buying and selling digital assets   ·        [6:46] Criteria for selling a blog or online business on Flippa   ·    [9:49] Importance of age, revenue, and traffic in selling digital assets   ·         [10:13] Discuss the "buy, fix, and hold" strategy   ·          [13:16:] Services and deal room on Flippa for business buyers   ·      [16:09] Importance of market research and analysis before buying a business   ·       [18:03] Insight into building and scaling businesses today   ·     [23:42] Book recommendations: "Black Box Thinking" and "The Hard Thing About Hard Things."   Resource from Blake Flippa | Blake Linked In   Resource from Mike and Nichole Gateway Private Equity Group | Nic's guide    

In this interview you'll learn about Charles Woodin's problem-solving approach to leadership, specifically in the context of startups and innovation. You'll also learn about his personal journey and the unique challenges he faced and overcame. Key highlights include: 1. Charles Woodin's Leadership at Geekdom  Woodin discussed Geekdom's shift in focus towards launching startups and detailed the process of establishing a new podcast studio. 2. Problem-Solving as a Superpower Woodin described his natural inclination towards problem-solving, a trait he identified from childhood, as his key strength. 3. Incorporating Diverse Inputs for Decision Making He emphasized the importance of seeking multiple perspectives to make informed decisions and how forming a board helped him become a better leader. 4. The Value of Adaptability in Business Woodin shared insights on adapting to changes, such as moving Geekdom's podcast studio to a new location and transitioning to different business frameworks like Six Levers. 5. Achieving Goals through Team Understanding A significant part of the discussion revolved around setting realistic goals, understanding team dynamics, and ensuring everyone is aligned with the organization's mission. 6. Effective Communication Strategies Woodin stressed the importance of clear communication, shared vocabulary, and regular check-ins to keep the team aligned with the company's goals. 7 Coaching and Accountability The conversation touched upon coaching techniques, understanding employees' motivations, and holding them accountable in a supportive manner. 8. Importance of Self-Awareness and Feedback Woodin highlighted the need for self-awareness in leadership and the value of external feedback in assessing one's performance. 9. Book Recommendation Woodin recommended “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” by Ben Horowitz for its practical insights into business and leadership. 10. Future Collaborations and Workshops The interview concluded with discussions about potential collaborations and workshops, particularly in process design and efficiency improvement. Throughout the interview, Woodin shared practical advice and personal experiences, reflecting on his approach to leadership, the importance of adaptability in business, and the value of a problem-solving mindset. As always, if you have any questions or want to submit a guest for the podcast that you think would be amazing, just reach out to me on the Dig to Fly website, and I'll do my best to get them on. If you enjoy the interview, please take 30 seconds to rate the Dig to Fly podcast on your favorite platform. Thanks!

Ben Horowitz is the cofounder and CEO of Andreessen Horowitz, the most influential venture capital firm of the last 20 years. Ben and Andreessen Horowitz (also known as a16z) have invested in some of the biggest companies out there, including AirBnb, Coinbase, Facebook, Instacart, GitHub and Oculus. Prior to his VC career, Ben founded Opsware/Loudcloud, which was acquired by Hewlett-Packard for $1.6 billion. He's also the author of the bestselling books 'The Hard Thing About Hard Things' and ‘What You Do Is Who You Are.'In this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Ben discuss the data moats, AI vs software, and the nuances of the modern VC. Ben starts by exploring whether AI will eat the world like software has, and who the winners and losers of the AI revolution might be.  They also explore one of Ben's best-known management concepts: wartime to peacetime CEOs, and how every CEO should be thinking about strategy and adaptability during broader tech headwinds. Ben's offers a candid perspective on how to build the right culture and what sets Andreessen Horowitz apart in the venture capital world.World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.‍You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Ben on Twitter at @bhorowitz.

Iliana Quinonez boasts an impressive track record in the tech industry, having amassed over 25 years of trailblazing experiences. Showing remarkable leadership, she has helmed teams of engineers, distinguishing herself in the realm of solution engineering and stewarding software companies towards success and earning the award and title of Latina Trailblazer in Tech. Iliana is indeed a tech powerhouse and the epitome of resilience. Iliana recently embarked on a fresh venture — the inception of her own consulting company. With a critical spotlight on advocating for Latinx women and underrepresented minorities, her firm offers catalytic startup services designed to fast-track their entrepreneurial and career trajectories. However, Iliana's accomplishments aren't solely confined to the professional sphere. She embodies the virtues of personal resilience and determination, as exemplified by her battle with a serious health crisis. Iliana had to face a health challenge that necessitated a complex and delicate brain surgery. But Iliana didn't merely survive this ordeal; she emerged stronger and more determined than ever. It's a powerful testament to her positive mindset and the ability to reframe challenging circumstances into unique opportunities for personal growth and evolution. Iliana's journey reflects the boundless opportunities that emerge from embracing life's changes head-on and taking thoughtful, calculated risks. Her wealth of wisdom and experience makes her an invaluable mentor to women within the high tech industry and beyond. Let Iliana's inspiring story encourage you to view obstacles as opportunities, just as she did. Get ready to be inspired and remember: every challenge can open up a new path to success. Visit https://www.gobeyondbarriers.com where you will find show notes and links to all the resources in this episode, including the best way to get in touch with Iliana. Highlights: [00:03] Meet Iliana Quinonez [00:10] Career Pivot [01:05] Personal Health Challenges and Resilience [08:37] Positive Attitude and Support [13:38] Balancing Personal Life and Transition [14:10] Building a Network and Seeking Guidance [18:31] Trial and Error and Continuous Growth [19:48] Overcoming Self-Doubt [24:11] Helping Startups with Their Value Proposition [31:31] Lightning round questions Quotes: By reframing challenges as opportunities, we can create impactful change and accelerate our path to success. - Iliana Quinonez Life is full of challenges and taking risks, but with resilience and the support of relationships, we can overcome anything. - Iliana Quinonez In the face of unexpected obstacles, it's important to educate ourselves, make the unknown known, and take risks for our own well-being and growth. - Iliana Quinonez Lightning Round Questions: What book has greatly influenced you? - “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” by Ben Horowitz What is your favorite inspiring quote or saying? - “People will forget a lot of things you do or say, but they'll never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou and “You can often change your circumstances by changing your attitude.” by Eleanor Roosevelt What is one word or moniker you would use to describe yourself? - Impact What is one change you've implemented that made your life better? - Don't take no for an answer (Winston Churchill) and creating VLM (valuable life moments). What power song would you want playing as you walk out onto a stage? - “La vida es un carnaval” by Celia Cruz and “Don't Stop” by Fleetwood Mac About Iliana Quinonez: ILIANA QUINONEZ - CEO and Founder, IQ Accelerate Iliana is a Latina Trailblazer in Tech. She is an IT Executive and Certified Executive Coach with more than twenty years of experience in the high-tech industry working across three different continents. Her experience includes leadership roles and coaching and mentoring practice in Solutions Engineering, GTM, Business Development, Product Management and Consulting. She has worked at Enterprise Software companies and startups including Salesforce, SAP, BEA systems, Informix Software, Magnet Systems and BDNA Corporation. She has experienced great IPO exits as well as startups pivoting and changing paths which has provided her the insights and empathy she uses to advise and coach startup founders, early-stage teams and high-tech professionals. Her most recent corporate role at Salesforce was VP Solutions Engineering, leading the team that supported the Travel, Transportation and Hospitality Industries. Iliana is a strong advocate for DEI and an active mentor in her communities. She has held Board Seats at organizations like Upwardly Global (helping immigrant professionals rebuild their careers in the US) and MENTOR California (helping bridge the youth mentoring gap in the state). She holds a BSc in Computer Science from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, an MSc in Information Systems from the London School of Economics and is a certified Beyond Barriers Coach specialized in women leaders. She is a frequent podcast guest and speaker at events highlighting the importance of Women Leadership, Latinas in Tech, Women in STEM, Latinx Startups and DEI. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and their two daughters. Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iliana-quinonez-34794/

Varun Badhwar is a three-time founder, a luminary in the cyber security industry, and a clear communicator. He joins Chris and Robert on the Application Security Podcast to discuss scanning with context, SBOM plus VEX, and the developer productivity tax. The concept of a "Developer Productivity Tax" acknowledges the challenges developers face when bombarded with a plethora of vulnerabilities. This "tax" represents the drain on developers' time and resources as they navigate through a myriad of potential threats, many of which lack actionable context. The inefficiencies arising from this process can lead to significant delays in software development, emphasizing the need for more refined tools and techniques.A key solution Varun offers is the integration of SBOM plus VEX (Software Bill of Materials with Vulnerability Exploitability eXchange). While SBOM offers transparency by detailing all software components and dependencies, it can be overwhelming due to the sheer volume of potential vulnerabilities it flags. VEX, designed as a companion to SBOM, provides the much-needed context, detailing the applicability, reachability, and availability of fixes for vulnerabilities. This combination aims to streamline the vulnerability management process, ensuring that only relevant and critical threats are addressed.Lastly, the importance of "Scanning with Context" was emphasized. Traditional vulnerability scanning can often result in a multitude of false positives or irrelevant findings due to the lack of context. The podcast delved into the two primary approaches to contextual scanning: static analysis and runtime analysis. While both methods have their merits, the discussion leaned towards static analysis for its scalability and efficiency. The episode concluded by stressing the need for further research and development in vulnerability annotation to specific code functions, ensuring a more precise and actionable vulnerability management process.Important Links:Endor Labs - https://www.endorlabs.com/Recommended books:The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben HorowitzSoftware Transparency: Supply Chain Security in an Era of a Software-Driven Society by Chris Hughes, Tony TurnerFOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA: ➜Twitter: @AppSecPodcast➜LinkedIn: The Application Security Podcast➜YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ApplicationSecurityPodcast Thanks for Listening! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 1 What's The Hard Thing About Hard Things"The Hard Thing About Hard Things" is a 2014 business book written by Ben Horowitz, the co-founder of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and the former CEO of software company Opsware. The book offers practical advice and insights on entrepreneurship, leadership, and building a successful business. It addresses the challenges and difficult decisions that leaders face, providing guidance on managing tough situations and making the right choices to navigate through difficult times. It is considered a valuable resource for aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders.Chapter 2 Why is The Hard Thing About Hard Things Worth ReadThe Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz is worth reading for several reasons:1. Practical Advice: The book provides practical advice for entrepreneurs and leaders facing difficult challenges. Horowitz draws from his personal experiences as the co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz and as a CEO of several tech companies. He shares valuable insights, tools, and strategies for navigating through tough situations, making difficult decisions, and developing a strong company culture.2. Raw and Honest: Horowitz does not shy away from discussing the brutal realities of running a business. He shares stories of failure, layoffs, and tough conversations, highlighting the emotional and mental toll that being a leader can take. This rawness makes the book relatable and helps readers understand that they are not alone in their struggles.3. Real-World Examples: The book is filled with real-world examples and anecdotes, making it easier for readers to understand and apply the concepts. Horowitz presents a mix of success stories and failures, explaining the lessons learned from each situation and providing actionable takeaways for readers.4. Focus on Leadership and Management: The Hard Thing About Hard Things goes beyond providing generic business advice and delves deep into the challenges faced by leaders and managers. Horowitz discusses topics like hiring and firing, building a strong executive team, handling crises, and managing the emotional aspects of being a leader. These insights are invaluable for anyone in a leadership position or aspiring to be one.5. Inspirational Tone: Despite the book's focus on the "hard things" in business, it maintains an inspirational and motivational tone. Horowitz emphasizes the importance of perseverance, resilience, and continuous learning. He shares stories of successful turnarounds and offers encouragement to those facing their own challenges.Overall, The Hard Thing About Hard Things is a practical, honest, and inspiring book that provides valuable insights for entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone facing difficult business situations.Chapter 3 The Hard Thing About Hard Things Summary"The Hard Thing About Hard Things" is a book written by Ben Horowitz, co-founder of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and former CEO of software company Opsware. The book serves as a guide for entrepreneurs and executives facing difficult decisions and challenges in their careers.Horowitz shares his personal experiences and lessons learned from leading a company through various crises and difficult times. He acknowledges that running a business is challenging and often requires making tough decisions that can have a significant impact on both the company and its employees.Throughout the book, Horowitz discusses different aspects of leadership, including managing layoffs, hiring and firing executives, and dealing with employee morale. He emphasizes the importance of being transparent and honest with employees during difficult times, while also recognizing the value of...

Exciting opportunity for small to medium business owners employing 5-30 team members. Are you ready to learn, grow, and invest in your ongoing development? Don't miss out on our latest podcast featuring a special guest who shares invaluable insights for business success. In this episode, Troy asked Lucy Bloomfield, the founder of Ten Thousand Customers based in Sydney, Australia, the final five questions: What does Lucy believe is the hardest thing when growing a small business? Lucy states that the hardest thing is managing cashflow, but her 17 years of experience in freelancing and various businesses helped her to overcome her weakness and took it from zero to 10,000 customers in 18 months. Lucy's favorite business book is "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" by Ben Horowitz. It talks about how great it is to start a business, but very few are honest about how difficult it is to run one. Sharing the insights gained developing, managing, selling, buying, investing in, and supervising technology companies. Regarding professional development, Lucy finds immense value in listening to the cost cartel where they basically help people who have a set of mastery skills that want to put in a front-end offer one to $3,000 program, how to sell it off the page, lead magnet, all of that stuff. Lucy suggests an effective tool for small business growth is mastering ClickUp, a tool that's good for managing workflow, complex workflow. Definitely 10 out of 10, she added. Finally, if Lucy could go back to day one of starting out, she would advise herself to slow down. Lucy states, “I had really big aspirations and I thought I needed to get them all done yesterday. And the slower I go, not only the more effective and profitable and sustainable it is, but the more I enjoy it, as well.” Book a 20-minute Growth Chat with Troy Trewin to see if you qualify for our upcoming course. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your small business to new heights!  Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes or your preferred platform. Your feedback helps more small business owners discover our podcast and embark on their business growth journey.

In this exclusive conversation from the Bio + Health BUILD summit, founding partner Ben Horowitz sits down with general partner Jorge Conde. They discuss everything from the inspiration behind Ben's book The Hard Thing About Hard Things, how the open Internet was secured, the difference between wartime and peacetime CEOs, scaling culture, and understanding how bio and healthcare differs from other forms of technology.

In this exclusive conversation from a16z's Bio and Health BUILD Summit, founding partner Ben Horowitz sits down with general partner Jorge Conde. They discuss everything from the inspiration behind Ben's book The Hard Thing About Hard Things, how the open Internet was secured, the difference between wartime and peacetime CEOs, scaling culture, and understanding how bio & healthcare differs from other forms of technology. Topics Covered:00:00 - Introduction02:09 - What are the most important lessons for a CEO?08:45 - Surprising leaders in history11:41 - Wartime CEO vs the peacetime CEO14:54 - Cultures role20:59 - Communication and scaling 25:39 - Culture as a moat27:46 - The interplay between startups and incumbents30:22 - Advice for founders on navigating AI Resources:Find Ben on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhorowitzFind Jorge on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jorgecondebioBen's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Thing-About-Things-Building/dp/0062273205 Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

¡Hola! Soy Jaime Sotomayor, conductor deI podcast Innovación Sin Barreras.En este episodio tengo el honor de presentar como invitado a Julian Colombo, CEO de N5, una empresa que se especializa en software para la industria financiera. A lo largo de su carrera, Julian ha demostrado ser un líder en el mundo de la tecnología financiera, con un enfoque en resolver problemas específicos en la industria financiera con soluciones de software innovadoras y efectivas.Julian viene del mundo de la tecnología financiera, habiendo trabajado en diversas iniciativas y empresas. Su filosofía se basa en la idea de que es esencial enfocarse primero en lo importante, en las fundaciones y en lo estructural antes de pasar a la sofisticación. Según Julian, es crucial resolver problemas básicos antes de pasar a soluciones más sofisticadas.En nuestra conversación, Julian nos habla de su visión sobre la creación de software para la industria financiera. Discutimos los desafíos y aprendizajes de este proceso, así como las estrategias que ha utilizado para establecer y crecer su propia empresa. Julian nos comparte detalles sobre cómo su software es diferente de otros en el mercado y cómo se centra en resolver problemas específicos en la industria financiera.Además, Julian discute la importancia de cobrar precios que remuneran el esfuerzo de su empresa y permiten su desarrollo continuo. Según Julian, es esencial ofrecer soluciones a problemas específicos en lugar de tratar de ser todo para todos.---¿Qué escucharás en este episodio?La tecnología en la industria financiera.La importancia de enfocarse en lo fundamental antes de pasar a soluciones sofisticadas.La visión de Julian sobre la creación de software para la industria financiera.Los desafíos y aprendizajes en el proceso de establecer y crecer su propia empresa.La importancia de cobrar precios justos y ofrecer soluciones a problemas específicos.La diferencia entre trabajar con proveedores genéricos y especializados en la banca.Recomendaciones para bancos antiguos y nuevos en la gestión de temas tecnológicos.Reflexiones sobre la vida, relaciones y enfoque en los resultados.---Recomendaciones:"Tom Sawyer", "Ambar", "El diario de Dan y Eva" de Mark Twain."Pensando, rápido y despacio" de Daniel Kahneman."El Cisne Negro" y "Engañados por el azar" de Nassim Nicholas Taleb."The Hard Thing About Hard Things" de Ben Horowitz."Secrets of Sand Hill Road" de Scott Kupor."Sapiens" de Yuval Noah Harari."La señal y el ruido" de Jordan Ellenberg."El juego del colgado" de Gisela Colombo (hermana de Julian).---¿Te gustó este episodio? Te invito a suscribirte gratuitamente al podcast y al newsletter de Innovación Sin Barreras en https://blog.jaime.pe/. Así no te perderás de ninguna de nuestras entrevistas sobre startups, tecnología e innovación, donde extraemos valiosos aprendizajes directamente de aquellas personas en la cancha. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.jaime.pe

Dmytro Gryn, CEO at Jooble, Job Aggregator. Dmytro is an expert in the information technology industry with 15 years of experience. He joined the Jooble team in May 2007 as a Software Engineer, becoming the first employee in the company after its two founders. Before becoming CEO of Jooble Job Aggregator, Dmytro worked as an engineer, team leader of the development team, and CTO of Job Aggregator. It was our pleasure to speak with Dmytro about Jooble and what is like leading a global company whose international headquarters is in Ukraine. Here is what we covered: - Dmytro's personal commitment to the mission of Jooble and how he rose from his start as a software engineer, to be the CEO. - Why he believes part of their success story is their culture story. He explains that people are attached to the culture and that brings commitment. - Lessons learned from expanding into nearly 70 countries. - What it is like to be a wartime CEO to manage global operations and remind people to take care of themselves. - How the book The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz offered valuable insight for him as a tech CEO facing challenges. - How Jooble has its sights set on fulfilling the role of a job search product and expanding to meet all job search needs. As CEO, Dmytro led the international scaling of Jooble to foreign online recruitment markets, created and controlled all the necessary processes, and assembled and trained a team. Today, he continues improving the company's capability to create more value for Jooble clients. Jooble's mission is to help people find work. The company is constantly working to ensure that the employment process is as comfortable and fast as possible for both the applicant and the employer. Every day, Jooble aggregates vacancies with more than 140,000 resources from around the world. Sources include corporate websites, social networks, classifieds, and other resources. Thus, all job offers are available in one place. Connect with Dmytro: Website: https://jooble.org/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmytro-gryn-7282802a/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DmytroGryn   Connect with Allison: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/ Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO    #futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can we use technology to our advantage in real estate? In this episode of Weiss Advice, we welcome Sydney Phillips, Sydney is a serial entrepreneur, inventor, and philanthropist on a mission to push humanity forward and live interestingly. She is the Co-Founder & CEO of Zuke AR, the leading augmented and virtual reality platform for the building industry, an eccentric futurist, and an amateur race car driver.Zuke is a visualization tool that helps to put you at the forefront of your industry, elevating you through each step of your project from start to finish. Tune in to this episode as Sydney shares how she utilizes technology in commercial real estate![00:01 - 01:44] Opening SegmentWe welcome, Sydney Phillips!Sydney is the Co-Founder & CEO of Zuke AR[01:45 - 25:35] Visualizing The Changes In Real EstateZuke helps visualize unbuilt environments for the city council, investors, banks, tenants, etc.Zuke creates virtual tools to show potential tenants what it will look like when finishedRetail is the sector where Proptech sees the most acceleration of adoptionWomen in the Metaverse is a group connecting with women building platforms within the MetaverseVenture capital is helpful for first-time founders to get their first exit[25:36 - 31:49] THE FINAL FOURWhat's the worst job that you ever had?'Worked as an intern at an investment companyWhat's a book you've read that has given you a paradigm shift?“The Hard Thing About Hard Things” by Ben HorowitzWhat is a skill or talent that you would like to learn?Writing her own patentsWhat does success mean to you?Sydney Phillips says, “It's freedom of time, freedom of wealth. It's having enough to be able to do whatever you want whenever you wake up.”Connect with Sydney Phillips: LinkedIn: Sydney PhillipsInstagram: @realsydneyphillipsLEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW by clicking this link.WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE?Be sure to follow me on the below platforms:Subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, or Stitcher.LinkedInYoutubeExclusive Facebook Groupwww.yonahweiss.comNone of this could be possible without the awesome team at Buzzsprout. They make it easy to get your show listed on every major podcast platform.Tweetable Quotes:“There's no lack of entrepreneurial spirit, but there is a lack of infrastructure.” – Sydney Phillips“The next cool kid that's going to get a major revamping is going to be office, just because I've seen the way that they treat their office space of a hybrid, which seems to work for most people.” – Sydney PhillipsSupport the show

In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) compare ChatGPT, Bard, HuggingChat, and BingChat regarding their recommendations for startup books and front-end code for a standard startup landing page. I compare the user experience of each LLM, the limitations of each for these use cases, and show how ChatGPT and Bard seem to be current leaders in these examples.Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-149 for more information. You can watch this episode via video here. 0:03 - Tee-up for the episode, talking about the 4 LLMs I'll be comparing, and where to find the audio/video of this episode. 1:14 - Talking about startup books, starting with ChatGPT's list: "The Lean Startup" by Eric Ries"Zero to One" by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters"The Startup Owner's Manual" by Steve Blank and Bob Dorf"Founders at Work" by Jessica Livingston"The Hard Thing About Hard Things" by Ben Horowitz"Venture Deals" by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson"Disciplined Entrepreneurship" by Bill Aule"Crossing the Chasm" by Geoffrey A. Moore2:47 - Talking about Google Bard's list: The Lean Startup by Eric RiesZero to One by Peter ThielThe Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben HorowitzThe Mom Test by Rob FitzpatrickThe Startup Owner's Manual by Steve BlankThe $100 Startup by Chris GuillebeauFounders at Work by Jessica LivingstonLost and Founder by Rand FishkinThe Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton ChristensenThe Art of Startup Fundraising by Steve Blank and Bob Dorf3:25 - HuggingChat's “list” - which was just The Lean Startup4:12 - Bing Chat's list: Lost and Founder by Rand Fishkin, The Startup Checklist by David S. Rose, and The Lean Startup by Eric Ries1. Other books recommended for startup founders include The Founder's Dilemmas by Noam Wasserman, Secrets of Sand Hill Road by Scott Kupor, and Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters1. According to Benzinga, the best startup books for beginners are “Zero to One,” “Creativity Inc.” and “The Lean Startup”1. “The Startup Owner's Manual” by Steve Blank is also recommended as one of the best startup books2. Other books that are recommended for business startup include “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield, “The 4-Hour Workweek” by Tim Ferris, and “Purple Cow” by Seth Godin1.6:06 - Diving into front-end code with the 4 LLMs, including asking it for the CSS for the recommended HTML code that Bard and ChatGPT put out (HuggingChat and Bing weren't able to generate code for me). 

Tune in to discover some of the most valuable business lessons that can elevate your career, as Eric Siu shares insights from over 400 highly successful individuals he's interviewed in their respective fields. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:00] - I've spoken to over 400 billionaires and millionaires, here's what happened [00:30] - How the most powerful people in the world like Elon Musk communicate  [01:13] - Why their favorite book is Ben Horowitz's “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” [01:50] - Check out our marketing and business newsletter! [02:40] - Why James Clear thinks habits can define your success [04:00] - Why being open-minded is the key to improvement [04:55] - Why curiosity as a trait is important if you want to be successful [05:50] - How Eric Siu is playing the game of business [06:55] - Recap and Final thoughts What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Leveling Up Eric Siu on Twitter Eric Siu on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Ishveen Jolly, CEO and Co-Founder of OpenSponsorship, a sports influencer marketing platform that's raised over $5 Million in funding, about why sponsorship is all about experiences that it feels like money can't buy, and how this billion-dollar industry looks set to keep growing well into the future. By giving their clients access to a whole range of sponsorship options across events of all shapes and sizes, OpenSponsorship is positioning themselves as ‘the Airbnb of sports sponsorship.'  We also speak about Ishveen's passion for sponsorship, and how she found her way into the industry despite not everyone around her always being on side, how sponsorship provides an ideal opportunity for athletes to earn independent income, and why ease of access and a streamlined service is putting OpenSponsorship well ahead of the competition. Topics Discussed: Ishveen's background in school sports, and how this passion for athleticism eventually grew into a business idea Working as a sports agent, and insights behind the scenes of this little-known industry Why industry contacts are as vital as knowledge and expertise when it comes to cutting contract deals in sports How a court ruling regarding athlete's brand independence paved the way for OpenSponsorship's industry rise Ishveen's vision for OpenSponsorship to become ‘the Airbnb of sports sponsorship,' and what it means for the future of the industry   Favorite book:  The Hard Thing About Hard Things

In this episode, Ida Tin talks about her journey of starting a jewelry business, traveling to Mexico, and starting a motorcycle tour company with her father. She also discusses how Clue grew as a company, raising funds from investors and building a successful startup team culture. Ida Tin shares her insights on the venture capital industry and her upcoming book, which aims to provide tips and tricks on how to think twice when building technology that will change the world.TimestampsStarting a Business and Traveling the World [00:00:41] Ida Tin shares her journey of starting her first business in crystal bee jewelry, traveling to Mexico for six months, and later starting a motorcycle touring company with her dad.Working with Family Members in a Startup [00:02:45] Ida Tin talks about working with her father in Moto Mando and how it was a great experience for her. She also shares her thoughts on giving hard feedback to family members in a startup.Building a User Base for a Niche Product [00:08:13] Ida Tin explains how Clue, a female health app, is relevant to 50% of the world's population and shares the importance of starting with a period tracking app to build a customer base. She also gives advice on growing the app's user base.Growing through digital marketing [00:09:16] Ida Tin talks about how Clue grew through digital marketing, specifically by working with YouTubers and influencers who found the product meaningful.Convincing investors [00:11:01] Ida Tin shares how they convinced Union Square Ventures to invest in Clue, including the importance of having a woman in the company and USV's intellectual thesis.Quality vs speed of execution [00:13:31] Ida Tin discusses the importance of quality in building a product that touches people's health, and how Clue rebuilt their app from scratch to ensure high quality. She also talks about how building a culture of trust and communication can increase speed of execution.Hiring for Mental Health [00:18:57] Ida Tin talks about the importance of hiring people with mental health and readiness to learn and grow in a startup environment.Prioritization and Mistakes [00:20:09] Ida Tin discusses the process of prioritizing tasks and products in a startup and the mistakes they made in the past.Creating Safety for Team [00:24:07] Ida Tin shares her approach to creating relational safety for her team, including skip-level meetings and involving the team in formulating the company's values.Venture Capital and Ethical Concerns [00:28:22] Ida Tin talks about her criticisms of the current venture capital system and the need for ethical considerations in building technology.Favorite Business Books [00:30:33] Ida Tin shares her favorite business books, including "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" and "Girl Boss."Importance of Building a Hug Culture [00:33:24] Ida Tin emphasizes the importance of building a culture where people feel comfortable giving each other a hug, as a sign of human connection and support in the workplace.Key LinksClue - https://helloclue.com/LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/idatin/

Irfan Alam is the CEO of Frontrow Health, a startup with a mission to finally put Americans in the front row of their own healthcare. Will and Victoria talk to Irfan about his background in business strategy and development for healthcare companies, how he went about searching for and building the perfect team, and how he started the culture of Frontrow Health on a level where there is balance and people want to join because it has a good culture. Frontrow Health (https://thefrontrowhealth.com/) Follow Frontrow Health LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/frontrowhealth/). Follow Irfan Alam on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/irfanalam12/). Follow thoughtbot on Twitter (https://twitter.com/thoughtbot) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/150727/). Become a Sponsor (https://thoughtbot.com/sponsorship) of Giant Robots! Transcript: WILL: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots Podcast, where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. I'm your host, Will Larry. VICTORIA: And I'm your other host, Victoria Guido. And with us today is Irfan Alam, Founder, and CEO at Frontrow Health, a startup with a mission to finally put Americans in the front row of their own healthcare. WILL: Hi, Irfan. Thank you for joining us. IRFAN: Thanks for having me; super excited to chat more about the whole process of building and launching Frontrow Health. VICTORIA: Yes, we're super excited. Of course, I know you as a client of thoughtbot, and I'm excited to hear your story. And you have this background in business strategy and development for healthcare companies. But what led you to decide to start your own platform? IRFAN: I think it was a combination of two things; one was a lived experience being inspired by the power of entrepreneurship with my family and then working at Everlywell. And then two, it was discovering and being reminded of a critical problem that I saw in the industry that I then became excited about solving. So growing up, I was raised by my two parents and my grandparents. My grandfather was an entrepreneur himself and also an immigrant and kind of brought our whole legacy of my family into the U.S. from Southeast Asia. He has always motivated me to take risks and to build something great for the world, and that's what he's always wanted for me. And so I joined Everlywell, a small digital health startup, back in 2019 because I was excited to get my feet wet in the world of startups. It was just within a number of months after that I had joined where COVID-19 hit, and Everlywell, a home lab testing company based out of Austin, got swept up into the storm of COVID and, in a lot of ways, threw ourselves into the center of the storm when we ended up launching the first home COVID-19 test. And it was that summer of 2020 when I probably had the most profound personal and professional growing experience of my life, just trying to handle this chaos and confusing world that we were all living in. But then also simultaneously watching how a small team could make an outsized impact in the world during a time of need. And that really led me to want to pursue my own startup ambitions. So I started thinking about business school. The founder and CEO, Julia Cheek, went to Harvard Business School in 2009 and publicly talks about it being sort of this magical moment in time where people were flooding in from the downturn economy, excited about solving new problems. And her class of graduates is sort of like a famous class of entrepreneurs. And so I brought it up with her, and she was super supportive. And I went through the process and got super lucky. And I decided to take the summer off in 2021 before coming to HBS and moving back to Boston. And it was during that summer where I started thinking about the problems that companies like Everlywell and direct-to-consumer health brands faced that I realized was not just at the fault of their own but because the industry didn't have the right digital tools necessary to succeed. That's sort of the origin of how Frontrow Health came to be. WILL: Sweet. So perfect segue; tell us more about the mission of Frontrow Health. IRFAN: We're on a mission to put people on the front row of their own healthcare. And we really just want to reimagine how people shop for their healthcare online. What I learned at Everlywell was that this boom of consumer health which means people who are taking charge of their own health and are able to do that directly through these digital health companies was a form of healthcare that could create a tremendous amount of value in people's lives. But that was only really accessible to a small niche audience. And it didn't feel like it was equitably accessible to the average American. And so some of those barriers that I realized as a part of my work at Everlywell for why the average American wasn't engaging with consumer health, this otherwise really powerful form of taking charge of your own health and wellness, was because of these three blockers that we're trying to address at Frontrow Health. The first being that people just don't know about what kinds of solutions are out there that can address their health issues beyond just taking a prescription medication given to them by the doctor that they visit in their office. The second is if they do know, they don't know what to trust. They don't know whether this spam of healthcare companies that they're getting advertisements on from Instagram are the right companies, whether these products are safe and effective for them uniquely because of their unique health issues their unique health history. And then finally, even if they are aware and they do trust the health product, at the end of the day, a lot of Americans just can't afford to spend money out of pocket to pay for these consumer health and wellness products like consumables, devices, virtual services, et cetera. And so Frontrow Health is all about trying to break down those barriers in order to unleash consumer health to the average American. VICTORIA: And were you always drawn to that healthcare industry from the beginning? IRFAN: Yeah. So I grew up very privileged with two parents who are physicians. My mom is a psychiatrist, which is quite rare for women of color, specifically of South Asian descent, to be a psychiatrist. And then my dad was a gastroenterologist. They were always the gut-brain connection between the two. And so, growing up, I somewhat classically assumed that I was going to be a doctor. Got to college, thought that that was going to be my path. I realized quickly that there is a whole world outside of being a physician yourself that I could still be a part of in healthcare without being a doctor. My parents actually, interestingly enough, began to encourage me to think beyond just being a doctor, with them both feeling like the amount of scale of impact that they could have would never be the same as someone who could do that through business or policy or these other facets that are important to healthcare. And so I got to undergrad, started studying policy economics. I started doing internships at different healthcare consulting firms. And I ended up first working at a life science business strategy consulting firm out of college. And it was great, but it ended up not being what I was most excited about because it was really focused on the biopharmaceutical and medical device industry. And what I realized when I got there was I just had this growing passion for digital health and technology, as I saw that it was kind of the future of how people were going to be able to take more preventative charge and improve their health over the long term. And so I was working on this digital health white paper with a partner at the consulting firm I was at, and I was doing research and stumbled upon Everlywell. And then, they had a job opening for this business strategy role. So that's why I ended up taking the leap into the startup world, into the digital health world, and just loved it and kept wanting to continue to grow my experience in that space. WILL: That's amazing. Your parents encouraged you to step outside of just the doctor-physician role and to think higher. So, as a founder, you know, it was amazing that your parents, as physicians, encouraged you to think higher and think into different roles. And as a founder, what were some of the decisions you had to make? What were some of the easier ones? What were some that were surprisingly difficult? IRFAN: I think the biggest misnomer of the founding experience is that founding a company is extremely linear. Sometimes you go one direction forward, and then you take a direction diagonally back, and then you go horizontally straight, and that was my story. When I do my pitch about Frontrow, I try to make it feel a little bit more linear, so it makes sense to people. But the truth is the quote, unquote, "hardest decisions" were about every time there was a direction changing point, and it required a decision about is this the right idea? Do I want to spend more time on another idea? Have I validated this enough? Should I validate it differently? Should I pursue this one further? What does that pursuit look like? Who should I pursue it with? Is it time to raise money? Do I drop out of school? Like, those direction-changing points that then create this much more complex map of the founder experience versus a linear line up into the right is, I think, the more challenging parts of being a founder. VICTORIA: That makes a lot of sense that you have to really go through this iterative process to figure out where are you spending your time, is it in the right place? A lot of hard decisions to make. And while you were founding Frontrow Health, you were also a part-time investor at Rock Health and reviewing other healthcare startup proposals. So did you see any trends or patterns that influenced how you progressed as a founder? IRFAN: Totally, yeah. That was actually instrumental to Frontrow Health. So the story is when I took the summer off before business school, I started thinking about different problems in the world, healthcare, and non-healthcare. Or actually, to be clear, I started thinking about lots of different solutions and ideas and then quickly began to realize that that was not the right approach to founding. I think the first step is to think about problems, problems you've seen, problems you've experienced, that you know others are experiencing, and then work to a solution from there by starting with what the user is experiencing. And so as I was going through that hacky journey over the summer, just randomly, a number of small healthcare companies started reaching out to me asking me for my opinion and advice about how or whether they should go direct-to-consumer, whether they should sell healthcare products direct to the consumer, which is what I did a lot of work on at Everlywell as one of the pioneering consumer health brands in the space. And I started to notice this trend of me telling these companies, "No, don't do it. It's really expensive. It's really ineffective and unprofitable to acquire customers through traditional paid media avenues like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, et cetera." And, unsurprisingly, you could imagine Everlywell was trying to sell a home diabetes test for people who are type 2 diabetics but were only able to target people based on their interest in yoga and running, which is not really a substitute for a severe chronic condition. And as a result, thousands of people would see our ads every day that had no clinical relevance to our solution. And that was one of the deep problems of why consumer health companies weren't able to reach out to the audiences that actually really needed their solutions. And so when I got to Rock Health at the first semester in business school, doing this sort of part-time investor gig, on the first day, the partners basically told me, "Oh, we don't invest in consumer health." And I was like, "Oh, whoa, okay, that's my jam. That's a bummer. That's like [laughs] the only thing that I know about." And as I started to see the data and the pipeline of companies that were looking for investments and understanding what their unit economics looked like, what their go-to-market approaches looked like, that's when I started to put the dots together that this was not just an Everlywell problem; this was an industry problem. Mark Zuckerberg didn't build Facebook so that direct-to-consumer healthcare companies can cost-effectively target clinically relevant patients online. That just happens to be what it's being used for today. And so that's when I started to realize that there had to be a quote-unquote, "better way." WILL: You bring up social media at Frontrow Health. Have you had to combat the medical advice of social media? IRFAN: Yeah. You mean like this concept of quote, unquote, "Instagram medicine?" WILL: Yes. Yes. IRFAN: It's a great question. So as the story continues, I began to think about what is the right solution to this problem? And instead of Everlywell, I started thinking about the right solution to this problem. What I realized was instead of Everlywell wasting away millions of dollars to big tech companies that wasn't going to improving the health of anybody, what if we gave that money back to the consumer in reward for sharing their health information which would allow us to target them with the right clinically relevant products? That was the first version of Frontrow Health. I called it Health Mart back then. And so I basically started to get people to fill out a Google Form with their health data. And then I worked with my parents to send weekly product recommendations over email based on their unique health needs; you know, I want to sleep better; I'm a diabetic, whatever it is. And then, I wanted to see if I was just going to Venmo them cashback upon purchase if they were going to be any more likely to buy these products for these health brands. And at first, people were incrementally more likely to buy. It wasn't mind-blowing. And so, as I started to talk to the participants of the study, I started saying, "You know, you said that you have high cholesterol. These supplements have active ingredients that have been shown to reduce LDL levels. It's pretty cheap. I'm giving you 25-30% cashback. Why haven't you bought it?" And what they started saying was, "Well, I don't know what these active ingredients are. And before I put that in my body, I want to check with my doctor first." And so that was the final aha moment that led us to Frontrow Health, which is, what if we could bring the doctor into the fold? And instead of consumers just experiencing this Instagram medicine where they're just being blasted with Instagram ads every day about different health products, and they don't know what to trust, that second barrier that I talked about earlier, what if the doctor could instead of just being a guide for what prescription medications you should be taking could also be a guide on what health and wellness products you can be using? And so I added my dad to the email thread, and I said, "Okay, you can talk to an independent medical provider and ask them questions about the products that you're being recommended." And that's when people started buying because then they were able to find the trust in the products that were being curated based on their unique information. WILL: Wow, that's really neat. So to help the audience understand your iteration today, so the first iteration was just giving products and then Venmoing them back cashback. And then the second was bringing in a provider. So what does the product look like today? IRFAN: We went through, like you mentioned, a lot of different iterations of this. There were even prior iterations to this that are more representative of that founder map versus the linear line that you've sort of just heard now. But in terms of where the story went from there, I began to think about how to validate this idea further. I came into winter break; the pilot went well. People were buying a lot of products. And so, I decided to sunset my part-time investor gig at Rock Health and decided to reallocate all my time to working on Health Mart at the time. What I started to think about was, well, what if the doctor was able to earn compensation for writing private product reviews regardless of their opinions? So that was the next iteration was like, how do you incentivize a doctor to take time out of their day to do this new behavior that doesn't exist? Doctors are not writing personalized private product reviews for their patients on supplements, home medical devices, apps, et cetera. And how could we get them to? And so, I started thinking about what are the different motivations of providers? Their time is extremely valuable. How do you incentivize them correctly without incentivizing them to give good or bad feedback but just honest feedback? Then I started basically having my dad recommend Health Mart to his patients every day to see would patients sign up. Like, if doctors were intrinsically motivated to get their patients on the platform so that they can help them get away from Instagram medicine and at the same time earn compensation for themselves as an additional revenue stream, could independent medical providers see that as valuable and a good use of their time? And the first piece of that about whether patients would sign up worked unsurprisingly very well. If your doctor is telling you to sign up for something, or it's free to sign up, and you only pay when you want to buy a product, and they're going to, for the user, be able to ask for feedback from the provider, they were pretty excited. But then the question of would doctors sign up, I started...basically, I had my mom. The next iteration was I had my mom make a couple of posts in these doctor Facebook groups. I put together a little website, a very ugly version of what we have today for a provider marketing page. And I had my mom drop the link in a couple of different doctor Facebook groups. And we actually started getting signups from the doctors. And then, as we started talking to them, what we realized was two things; it was like a win-win. The doctor was happy because they were getting compensated, and they were happy because their patients' health was improving. So when Obama was in administration, he passed a really fundamentally important piece of legislation called The Sunshine Act. And that basically ended this quote, unquote, "golden era" of pharma companies giving kickbacks to doctors. WILL: Oh wow. IRFAN: And so since then, doctors have been very eager to find additional revenue streams that they can leverage their decades of medical expertise to earn. They got medical bills to pay off loans to pay off. They spent 20 years training for this job. And so they were excited about an additional revenue stream that leveraged their medical expertise and also helped their patient. Because they also started saying things like, "Well, my patients are always asking me like, 'What about these supplements I saw for these ads online?'" And the doctor says, "I don't know what these supplements are. WILL: [laughs] IRFAN: I don't have the data in front of me. I don't know what the ingredients are. I don't know whether to trust the company or not." And we are building a platform where it's all streamlined for the provider. The provider is able to review the clinical information. They're able to review their patient information. They're able to really quickly write reviews. We give them templates. We give them suggestions. They're able to reapply recent reviews. And so that was sort of the next iteration. And that's actually when thoughtbot came in and when I started thinking about raising a small round, getting a dev shop to help me build the MVP. And that's kind of how the semester ended up closing out. VICTORIA: I love that your mom and dad were so supportive, it sounds like, of you going full-time on this startup. Was that scary for them for you to do that? IRFAN: It's so funny, yeah. So what happened next was I decided I wanted to start raising a small round because I had the conviction that there was a problem to be solved for consumers, for doctors, and for health brands. And we could build this one unique multi-sided marketplace to solve them. I ended up going back to Austin for spring break partially to visit my family and partially because I wanted to pitch to Julia, the founder of Everlywell, who I thought of all people on planet Earth would understand what I'm trying to do. She would get it because I am building a SaaS solution for health brands like Everlywell and her consumers. And she got it. She was jazzed. And so, she decided to angel invest. And that basically spurred a ton of interest from venture capital firms. I wasn't originally thinking about raising an institutional round but was very lucky with the timing. Just before the market crashed, it was a very hot market. And so we ended up closing a real seed round with the question on hand about whether I should pursue this full-time because the capital that I raised necessitated building a real team. Or should I just take a smaller amount of money and go back to school? And it's unsurprisingly, every different person in my life had some opinion about this, from my wife to my investors, to my parents, to my friends. What I wanted was somewhere nestled in between all of those things. And when I caught my dad up on the phone a couple of weeks after spring break and told him of all the crazy stuff that had been happening...and it was just happening and unfolding so quickly. I was like, "Okay, dad. I'm laying out all my cards here. You have full liberty to be mad at me for wanting to drop out of Harvard." And his first reaction was, "Well, you know, I don't really see the downside. Like, you could either start a company that you're really passionate about and it could go well, or you could be the worst entrepreneur of all time and then just come back to school during this leave of absence," or deferral thing that I'm on right now. And that was the first time where I was like, "Oh, you know what? I think you're right." And the truth was I decided to just continue to let the summer go by to think about the decision a little bit more before I formally submitted my deferral to HBS. As the markets turned, we realized that we needed to hire internally to save on cash burn a little bit. And so once I had built this really awesome team that I'm so lucky to be surrounded by, that's when I was, you know, without a doubt in my mind, I was like, I got to keep pushing for this because now we have this awesome team that just wants to keep driving this mission forward. And we were getting traction. We were talking to hundreds of doctors over the summer. We were talking to health brands. And it really felt like we were onto something. MID-ROLL AD: thoughtbot is thrilled to announce our own incubator launching this year. If you are a non-technical founding team with a business idea that involves a web or mobile app, we encourage you to apply for our eight-week program. We'll help you move forward with confidence in your team, your product vision, and a roadmap for getting you there. Learn more and apply at tbot.io/incubator. That's T-B-O-T.I-OVICTORIA: I-N-C-U-B-A-T-O-R. WILL: I hear you have an amazing product team. How did you go about searching and building the right team? IRFAN: We got lucky in a second way because of timing, where the first time was I raised the capital when the market was really hot in April. And then, I started hiring when the market crashed. And, unfortunately, as you all know, lots of people have been getting laid off since the summer, particularly in the tech world: designers, engineers, marketers, et cetera. Now, all of a sudden, there was a flood of really great talent on the market. And that was also what spurred me to start thinking about hiring sooner than I was originally planning to. My forecast was to hire people end of this year, maybe in a month or so from now, to start that process. Versus, we ended up making our first full-time hire, I guess in July, maybe. And it was...the best way I can describe it is like dominoes falling where once you get the first one in, then it builds trust and credibility, and then the next one comes, and the next one. And so the first couple of folks were these two brilliant engineers who were close friends of my interim CTO and classmate, Amit, who was helping us build the foundation of the product this past summer. He did an amazing job of basically recruiting one engineer, Anand, our first engineer who started his career as a PM at Microsoft and then turned into a software engineer at a number of different startups and studied comp sci and electrical engineering at Berkeley with Amit, where they first met. And then the second engineer was Nupur, who was a colleague of Amit, a machine learning engineer at Google Brain and the moonshot X team at Alphabet. And they were both, I think, just kind of tired of big tech and were ready to bet on the upside and their career. And the timing was right based on where the market conditions were. And so they decided to take the leap of faith with me. And then after that, or around that time, kind of in the middle, we were able to bring on our head of design, Jakub, who is like a unicorn human with so much rich experience in the product world. So he was a computer animator and then studied visual arts, but then started his career very early in the coupon website space as a product designer actually. And then led product design as a founding designer at a number of different startups. And then, most recently, was a senior product designer at Roman, which is a really large digital health company similar to Everlywell. And Ro, Everlywell, Truepill, all these companies had mass layoffs in the middle of the summer. And so when Jakub took my call...He talks about a really funny story where he wasn't taking me seriously at all. Convincing these excellent, talented people to come join my dinky startup at the time was not easy. WILL: [laughs] IRFAN: And so he just kind of took it because there was a mutual connection. Or he just said, okay, I'll explore what's going on given how crazy the market is. But once he heard what we were building, he was immediately on board, actually, because Roman has also struggled with the same customer acquisition problems. And it's a huge reason why a lot of these digital health companies continue to remain unprofitable. And so he understood the problem deeper than I think anyone because of the experience he had in the same space that we were in. And he realized that there was an opportunity to build a solution to solve these problems. So that was the first core team. And then from there, it kind of just snowballed, you know, there was more and more interest from other folks to join. And we brought in a great junior product designer. We just hired our platform engineer. But that was the original core team from the summer who took the big leap of faith and joined because of the market conditions, the belief in the space. And we actually just met up in San Diego for the first time for a company retreat in person. And it was just fun meeting everyone in person for the first time because now I get to know them as real people and see all their personalities. And we're really psyched about coming to product launch pretty soon here. VICTORIA: That's wonderful and, you know, that compelling vision and having those first initial people join and brought in everyone else. You know, I think part of the reason people are hesitant to join startups is because there is that reputation for kind of unhealthy work-life balance. So you're a healthcare startup. So how do you start the culture of your company on a level where there is that balance and people want to join because it has a good culture? IRFAN: It's a super interesting question that we spent a lot of time actually talking about in San Diego as a team. And it was brought up because I have a somewhat unhealthy relationship with work. And I am constantly working. And this is the most important thing right now in our life. And so Nupur, one of our engineers, had a phenomenal analogy that I think is the right framework to think about this from a company culture perspective. Because I've always tried to share with a team, like, I don't expect them to work nearly as much as I do, and I don't want them to either. I think the analogy was such a fun, helpful way to think about why that was the case. And so she kind of said, "I'm like the aunt, and you're like the single father. And the aunt doesn't have to take care of the baby at nighttime and on the weekends, but the single father does. And it's not that the aunt doesn't care about the company, but there's some space and boundary in that relationship." And so that's actually our motto right now is like, yeah, we all care about this product and this company, quote, unquote, "baby," but there's always biologically intrinsically going to be a deeper relationship between me and this company, for good reason. And so that is going to require me to work harder and longer than anyone else, probably for a long, long time. And I had to be ready for that. My wife and I had to be ready for that. And so far, honestly, I've never been busier. But I've also never been...or, like, I've never had this ratio between busyness and stress where I'm really busy but not that stressed. And I think it's just because I love what I'm doing every day. I haven't ever found this happy balance where I actually just enjoy what I do. And I'm constantly excited about continuing to build the right product to help people. WILL: Wow. VICTORIA: I'm actually babysitting my niece and nephew this weekend. [laughter] My brother would say, "You need to be here on the weekends with them." IRFAN: Maybe not the perfect analogy. But-- VICTORIA: I like it, though. It makes sense. [laughs] WILL: There's a difference. [laughter] VICTORIA: Oh yeah. Will knows; he's a dad. WILL: Yeah. I know company values can be so...we have them. Do we follow them? Or sometimes they get put on the shelf. I was reading your company values, "People first, bias for curiosity, and dream big." For Frontrow Health, how does that play a role in the day-to-day? IRFAN: When Jakub, Nupur, and Anand had all joined like that first core team, we actually spent time writing all this out and creating a document that discussed what the company culture and values were. And we looked at different examples of other companies. Amazon famously has, I don't know, these 16 principles. And we kind of said, okay, we want to pick just a couple because you can't always focus on everything at the same time. And we need some sort of guiding North Star if you will. And so these were the three that we came up with, the ones that you mentioned. So we are people first; we have a bias for curiosity, and we want to dream big. So people first to us means that our mission like we talked about, we want to increase access to healthcare at home for the average American. And so every decision that we make at the company has to pass that litmus test first. Whatever feature we're building, whatever business model approach we're taking, whatever go–to–market approach that we're taking, is what we're doing going to increase access to healthcare at home for the average American? Yes? Then we continue onwards, and then we continue deliberating and deciding; if not, we pass. And so that is how we determine whether we can continue to be people first because that is our mission. And as we're going down that thread, we want to push ourselves to constantly be bettering and asking questions about how we can be better. That is the bias for curiosity. That was one of Everlywell's company values and was the one that I resonated with the most. I find tremendous value in asking questions. Nupur on our team, one of our engineers, is a great example of bias for curiosity. She's constantly challenging and asking the right questions. And that helps us be better at being people first and increasing access even more than we can because we're never settled with what exists today. And then dreaming big is about finding answers to those questions and not settling for the tried and true paths. Some of the greatest companies that have ever been created are the ones that invent new behaviors that have never existed before. So Airbnb, now all of a sudden, people are comfortable with strangers living in their homes. Uber, now all of a sudden, people are comfortable driving in a stranger's car. At Frontrow Health, we're dreaming big in a world where doctors are not currently engaging with their patients related to their home health and wellness journeys when they leave the four walls of their clinic. How can we change the behavior where doctors are more involved in that relationship in a way that doesn't exist today? And so that's a part of what we're trying to do, and dreaming big to go and increase access, like I said, is our ultimate North Star. WILL: Wow. You said something I think that was...it seemed very small, but I think it said a lot about you and your company. You said that you encourage your engineer to ask the hard questions. I think so many times, people hate the hard questions. They are fearful of that. But I think in your field, you have to be able to ask the hard questions. So that's amazing that you brought that up, and you're talking about that. IRFAN: Yeah. And it doesn't...it's not just me, for sure. I think my team is...and it's kind of you to point that out. But yeah, my team does such a great job of holding true to these values on their own and pushing me to remind myself of these values. Nupur actually is Slacking me right now about some thought that she had coming out of a meeting. WILL: [laughs] IRFAN: And two points about different alternative ways to think about things. And yeah, I want to keep encouraging them and our future employees to do that. Because you look at the worst examples in healthcare, in particular, tech as well, the worst examples of companies are the ones where the employees were not able to or encouraged to ask questions; that's when things go south. So Theranos is the simplest example of this where they were hiding everything from their employees, and people had questions constantly but never asked them. And that's when more and more bad decisions were made. So I don't want that to be the case for Frontrow. And so it has to start with, yeah, this bias for curiosity. VICTORIA: That makes sense. And I wonder if that's part of your success, being someone who doesn't have a background in engineering or programming specifically and enabling your technical team to build what they need to get done. IRFAN: Yeah. I can't honestly explain to you guys how much I've learned over the past six months from my product and dev team. And you're right that I think one could see my lack of programming as a weakness which, in a lot of ways, it is. But what has also manifested as a result of that is I have naturally had to lean more heavily on my dev team to be owners of decisions that affect our business and to challenge them to think about are we being people first if we build and design solutions in the way that you're describing? I don't know the right approach about how to build this, or on what tech stack, or in what capacity we have the ability to. You guys have to take ownership of thinking through those, solving those problems, and coming up with the right decision. And as a founder, that's scary to do. You're giving up control of the decisions to others. But at the same time, by giving them that autonomy and encouraging them to take ownership of it, they feel I think more and more invested in what we're building. And that hopefully builds the habit of what you guys were talking about around wanting to constantly seek better solutions, challenge because they know that they have a voice in how things turn out. VICTORIA: Right. Maybe you've discovered this naturally or through your education and background. But studies that are done around high-performing technology organizations find that no matter what processes or tools you have if you have that high-trust environment, you'll have better security, more software development throughput, all of those things. So I think you're doing it right by setting your values and creating that kind of high-trust environment. IRFAN: Super interesting. I didn't know that, actually, but it makes sense. [laughs] We've been seeing it. I actually want to give some credit to thoughtbot because thoughtbot helped us set a lot of this important engineering culture at the very beginning, where I had to rely on my thoughtbot engineers, folks like Jesse, Dave, and others, to help me make the best decision for my company. They taught me a lot of these things at the earliest stage back in May around, okay, like, you guys are a consulting firm at the end of the day, technically speaking. But they pushed me to think of it more as how do we co-make these decisions? Like, how do we leverage each other's strengths to make the right decisions? The thoughtbot design team and engineering team...one of our designers through thoughtbot, Steven, is so funny because...and I gave him this feedback, which is great feedback, which is like, he constantly asked questions. And if he hears this, he'll laugh because he's constantly pushing, like, "Why are we designing it this way? Why do you think it should be this way? Where is the evidence that the user wants it to be this way?" And it was a great setup for when our internal team came on because I just kept up that momentum. And then they just kind of took with it and ran. VICTORIA: How did you find us, or how did you find the right technical partners in the very beginning to help you build your vision? IRFAN: It was not an immediately simple process. But when I found thoughtbot, it kind of unraveled quite quickly in a good way. So I was working with Amit like I mentioned, who'll become our interim CTO, one of my classmates at HBS. And he helped me put together an RFP where we outlined all the different feature requirements, all the different intentions for our solution or timeline, our costs, et cetera. And I just did a lot of Google research about different dev shops, and I started talking to dev shops in lots of different locations, U.S.-based, European-based, Asian-based, Latin America-based, started comparing prices. We had questions where we wanted to see their creativity in developing solutions. We started accepting proposals, reviewing those proposals. I somehow stumbled upon thoughtbot's website during this process. And I noticed that Everlywell was one of thoughtbot's clients, Everlywell, the home lab testing company that I used to work at before business school. I was like, oh wow. I knew that our engineering team and our engineering leadership had a really high bar for when we worked with outsourced talent. And so I thought that that spoke volumes about choosing thoughtbot. And so then we actually ended up asking Everlywell CTO an unprompted question of like, "If you had to pick any dev house that you've known or have worked with, et cetera, that was supposed to build you custom software from scratch, who would you pick?" And he said, "thoughtbot." It wasn't even like a question of, what do you think of thoughtbot? Or, what was your experience? It was just like, imagine you had to pick, and, unprompted, he said thoughtbot. So that was actually what did it for me. And I kind of threw aside all the other logistical hoopla that we were going through and said, you know, I got to trust the people who I know and trust, and having verbal confirmation of that was huge. And then, of course, I enjoyed speaking with Dawn at thoughtbot, who was helping broker the whole discussion, and it felt easy. And their proposal was also quite strong. And then, as I dug deeper into thoughtbot, it became clear that no pun intended, you guys are kind of the thought leaders in a lot of ways. WILL: [laughs] IRFAN: It's funny, our head of design, Jakub, when I mentioned that he's a unicorn, it's because he also taught himself coding and programming. WILL: Wow. IRFAN: So he's like a pseudo designer and programmer. He can do a little bit of everything. And he actually...when I told him that we were working with thoughtbot, he was like, "Oh, I learned Ruby on Rails back in the day from thoughtbot with whatever content they had published back in time." And then, as I spoke to other dev shops about going with thoughtbot, they started saying things like, "Oh, thoughtbot, yeah, they're kind of the OGs of Rails and a lot of the core tech stack that's been around for a while." And so it was just continued validation of the right approach. And then, we started working with the team in May, right after my second semester of business school ended. And it's been an incredible process. We have never missed any deadlines, and we're actually two months ahead of schedule. And it's not just because they're good at what they do, but it's also because of the culture and the teaching me about the best way to run retros, and sprint planning, and things to think about in terms of trust in your engineer and building that trust, and all the soft, intangible things. It wasn't just like thoughtbot came in and built code. It was thoughtbot came in and helped establish the company in a lot of ways. VICTORIA: That's great to hear. Thank you for saying all those wonderful things. I'm sure me and Will agree 100%. [laughter] IRFAN: Yeah, it's been an awesome process. And yeah, we've even ended up basically bringing on as a full-time independent contractor someone who worked through thoughtbot because we love them so much. And they were just so excellent at what they did. And just, yeah, I think that probably speaks the most volumes about the kind of organization that you guys are running. WILL: I appreciate you saying that. That means a lot. It really does. I want to take a second to kind of circle back and kind of talk about how you find the providers because I think, for me, one of the most influential classes I had in college was my professor said, "Hey, meet me at the pharmacy." So we went to the pharmacy, and he started asking us questions. And he was like, "What medicine do you think would be the most impactful?" And we would try to pull it out. He taught us how to compare the active ingredients. IRFAN: Wow. WILL: Like how some stuff is just marketing, and it's not really helpful and things like that. But I also saw the side, you know, the amazing providers like your parents. You talking about your parents just reminded me of my parents and how supportive they are. So it's just amazing. You had your parents as providers. How did you find providers beyond that that you have to extend that trust to them? IRFAN: I guess two reactions. The first is how do we talk to doctors to get feedback on our solution as we're building it? And then how do we get doctors to sign up and use our solution with their patients? Those are the two chronological steps. So for the first one, we very liberally use a platform called usertesting.com, which we used at Everlywell, where I first got introduced to it. And it's amazing. We have the unlimited package, and we run tons of user tests a day. So, over the summer, we were literally having unmoderated tests from medical professionals, about ten healthcare professionals a day who were coming to our website, coming to our product, giving their feedback through these unmoderated tests. We were quantitatively assessing qualitatively assessing their responses to specific questions that we were asking them. Like, was it easy enough to write a review? What were you expecting to see? How did that compare to what you did see? Like, all the traditional kind of user research. They really helped us build the product, and then we were able to follow up with them, get on the phone with them, ask them more questions about their experience, about their current experience in their clinic, whether patients are asking them about these things, about their interest in certain supplements, et cetera. And then we actually had one medical provider, a family practice nurse practitioner from Vermont, who was so excited about what we were building. She was sending me all this other information and content about how to reach out to other doctors and stuff. And then, at the end of the summer, when we were just about ready to start getting our beta off the ground, we were going to choose one provider to work with who was going to recommend it to their patients, and they were going to slowly kind of monitor the experience. This nurse practitioner actually just happened to reach back out, and we happened to connect again. And she's like, "Okay, what are you guys up to? Are you guys done with your product? I really want to use it." And I was like, "Oh, wow. Well, it's great timing because we're looking for our first medical provider." WILL: [laughs] IRFAN: And so that's where we ended up launching beta with, which was awesome. And since then, I've been spending a lot of time thinking about the go-to-market approach beyond just one medical provider. How do we scale to thousands of medical providers? And luckily, selling to doctors is a solved problem, like; the biopharma and medical device industry has been doing this for decades. And so it was really just a part of me brushing up on a lot of the work that I was doing in life science consulting about helping Big Pharma and whatnot go to market and just stealing a lot of notes out of their playbook. So, for example, there are companies that allow you to run ads online that just target physicians. So instead of my dad seeing a Lululemon ad while he's reading The Wall Street Journal, he'll see an ad for Frontrow Health. And so we actually run marketing tests over the summer, towards the end of the summer, with a newer provider landing page that we had built to see what percent were going to click on the ads, what percent were going to come to the website and sign up, and then how much cost would that be per acquisition of a provider. And the results were actually much better than we thought. It was half as expensive as what we originally predicted, which is awesome. WILL: Wow. IRFAN: And that was before Jakub, our new head of design, had even touched the website. We're actually just revamping it right now because he's been going through and revamping other aspects of our product and marketing experience. And now we're at the provider part. So we're actually going to be just about a week or so away from launching the marketing tests and actually getting every day more providers on the platform. The product is now done, so they can start getting their patients on the platform. We just signed our first health brand. So now people are getting real product recommendations and getting ability to earn cashback. And we can be revenue generating, which is also super exciting that we're, like I said, a couple of months ahead of schedule, actually. VICTORIA: That's really exciting, and that certainly sounds like enough on your plate. But is there anything else on the horizon for Frontrow Health that you're excited about? IRFAN: Yes. We are super excited that we're just coming out of stealth mode and launching our full product experience for consumers, medical providers, and DTC health brands. Going forward into 2023, we're really looking to try to find this quote, unquote, "product market fit." Are doctors excited about signing up and getting their patients on the platform? Are those patients excited about the products that we're selling on our marketplace? And are we delivering new lifetime customers for these health brands at a more cost-effective rate than they've ever seen before? And solving that original problem that came to me while I was at Everlywell. And by doing all three of those things, hopefully, we'll begin to increase access to healthcare at home where people who are not suburban high-income folks who can afford to pay out of pocket for preventative healthcare; we can now make that more equitable by bringing down the cost through the cashback, by introducing the element of trust, by engaging with a medical provider, and by opening up people's eyes to thousands of different consumer health and wellness companies that now exist in the world that we want to be able to connect the right products to the right people with. VICTORIA: That's so exciting. I'm really glad we got a chance to talk to you today and hear more about your story. Is there anything else that you want to add before we wrap up? IRFAN: This has been super fun being able to even just reflect and think about our whole story. For anyone else listening who's interested or excited about entrepreneurship, there's a really good book that I read last summer as I started thinking about entrepreneurship for the first time called "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" written by Ben Horowitz, who co-founded the VC fund, Andreessen Horowitz. He was an entrepreneur himself. And it's one of my favorite books because, as the title [laughs] explains, it just talks about the difficulty of the experience and the journey that's still ahead of me. But I think the overall takeaway of the book and my experience over the past year is that it's just the single greatest learning experience of my life. And that's actually really all I'm trying to optimize for personally is I want to keep growing and learning, and learning about the space, learning about myself, learning about how to work on a team, how to lead a team, how to grow a team. And if you're at all interested in any of those things, keep trying to think about all the right problems that are being experienced in the world. And we still live in a world wrought with problems and don't have nearly enough founders trying to go and solve all of them. VICTORIA: That's a really great perspective, I think, to bring to it about your own personal growth. And that's what it's really all about. [laughs] And hopefully, we're able to solve some big challenging problems along the way. IRFAN: Hope so. WILL: You can subscribe to this show and find notes along with a complete transcript for this episode at giantrobots.fm. VICTORIA: If you have questions or comments, email us at hosts@giantrobots.fm. WILL: You can find me on Twitter @will23larry. VICTORIA: And you can find me on Twitter @victori_ousg. This podcast is brought to you by thoughtbot and produced and edited by Mandy Moore. WILL: Thanks for listening. See you next time. ANNOUNCER: This podcast is brought to you by thoughtbot, your expert strategy, design, development, and product management partner. We bring digital products from idea to success and teach you how because we care. Learn more at thoughtbot.com. Special Guest: Irfan Alam.

If you've been following the news, you've probably heard of the recent FTX scandal.While there's much still unknown, in this episode we get the unique opportunity to hear from Brian Armstrong – co-founder and CEO of Coinbase – about what's top of mind for the crypto industry. That includes the impact of this current event on future regulation, how this crypto winter might be different from previous ones, founder psychology during downturns, the transparency that comes with being public, and much more.Brian is interviewed by a16z cofounder and general partner Ben Horowitz, who has the unique perspective of having invested in, built, and been on the board of numerous companies during the ups and downs, leading him to his well-known book The Hard Thing About Hard Things. Resources: Subscribe to web3 with a16z: web3-with-a16z.simplecast.com/Coinbase's website: coinbase.comBrian's Twitter: https://twitter.com/brian_armstrongBen's Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhorowitz Stay Updated: Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

This is a cool episode, because Grant Canary has found a way to make money by cooling the planet—with trees! In episode 98 with Maddie Hall, we learned about how her startup, Living Carbon, is bioengineering trees to grow faster so we can reforest the planet faster. And in this 101st episode, we'll hear about a different approach to reforestation. Every year, millions of acres of forests in the US burn down, and the number of acres burning is increasing annually. We know that trees not only provide critical wildlife habitat, but they're an important part of keeping carbon out of the atmosphere, yet literally billions of trees burn up in wildfires each year. Regardless of how fast those trees grow, just imagine how much time it would take to hand plant enough seeds to replace billions of burned trees. Enter Drone Seed. Founded in 2016, the company's raised well over $30 million from venture investors so far to essentially automate the reforestation process.  Rather than planting seeds by hand or even randomly from the air, the 100-person startup's drones survey the burned land, plan the mission, and then strategically drop pucks filled with seeds and the nutrients they'll need to grow in the areas they're most likely going to take root.  The company is already selling carbon offsets to companies like Shopify, proving that sometimes it can be more profitable to grow a forest than to cut one down.  Discussed in this episode Grant recommends The Lean Startup, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, and Multipliers Shopify's Planet app Mark Rober video TechCrunch story and CNBC story about Drone Seed More about Grant Canary Grant Canary is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of DroneSeed, which reforests after wildfire using heavy lift drone swarms. It was founded to make reforestation scalable and mitigate the worst effects of climate change. It recently acquired subsidiary Silvaseed which has been expanded to be the largest private seed bank on the west coast. The company is now a one-stop-shop for reforestation providing seed, seedlings, aerial seeding, and financing via carbon credits. Grant has focused his entire career on sustainability—working at Vestas wind energy in China, the US and Denmark, and for the US Green Building Council in its infancy. He has had one prior acquisition. He founded Biosystems Co., in Bogotá, Colombia that utilized food waste to feed insect larvae for use as industrial fish feed— alleviating overfishing pressure and utilizing food waste. He worked with the acquirer to scale that company to a 60k sq ft insect protein factory which is going strong today. Grant is a pacific NW native growing up in Oregon playing chess, then poker, then improv. By virtue of DroneSeed he is a Techstars Seattle Alumni ('16), Mulago Foundation Fellow, and Grist list of 50 Fixers.

Whether you're wanting to sell or just looking for an upgrade, there are so many ways you can do to increase the value of your property. But before going overboard and over budget with renovations, how can you make sure that you're going to get the best ROI?In this episode, Liz and Andresa welcome Liz Young. Coming from the commercial real estate tech industry, she believes in using the power of data to help homeowners make smarter home investments. She shares her expert insights on the dos and don'ts of home improvement projects, why it's critical to understand zoning, and how you can build productive relationships with contractors.Liz Young is a former real estate investor turned entrepreneur. In 2019, she founded Realm with the goal of giving homeowners the data-driven tools they need to be house rich, not house poor. Realm, a venture-backed startup, has raised nearly $20M to date and has helped over 50,000 homeowners get more value out of their houses. Quotes• “Primary residences are the best way for people to ease into the world of real estate investing and get comfortable in a way that feels low risk because you're still living in the house.” (7:40-7:50)“If you are taking the mindset of a real estate investor, you need to really start to think about not only what will I enjoy or what will make my life better, but also what will I recoup at the end of this?” (8:20-8:21)• “Adding space, square feet, is, besides location, the biggest driver of home value throughout the US. (13:07-13:13)• “Zoning is the world of exception handling. If you're able to identify those exception pockets, then you're able, even in a complex zoning municipality or town to still build the home you want.” (17:09-17:21)• “If you're talking about your first investment, whether it's going to be your primary residence or your first multifamily, what is your advantage? Why are you going to be better at this than someone else?” (24:45-24:53)• “You're going to learn the most from having a good relationship with professionals that will collaborate with you out of the gate.” (25:34-25:40) Connect with Liz:Download the Realm app here: https://realmhome.com/ Instagram: @lizpaigeyoungLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethpaigeyoung/ Twitter: @LizPYoungResource mentioned: The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben HorowitzHow To Join the InvestHER Movement 1) InvestHER CON 2023Meet Us in Arizona! | InvestHER CON 2023 Early Bird Tickets are available now!The inaugural InvestHER CON was unforgettable.We saw women freely raising their hands, asking questions, and going to the mic to share their thoughts; we saw women confidently speaking with sponsors, holding intimate conversations with each other, and connecting on a deeper level with themselves.You laughed with us.You cried with us.You played in the arena with us.And most of all, you inspired us!We're not stopping there. We're thrilled to announce that InvestHER CON will be returning in May 2023, at a venue in sunny Arizona!Early bird tickets are available now:https://www.therealestateinvesther.com/offers/K92UxTz3/checkout2) The Real Estate InvestHER Podcast - The weekly show details the journey of some of the most amazing women real estate investors around the world, who open up their lives and share practical and strategic tools for growing a rental portfolio, flipping houses, and the mindset that allows them to run a successful investing business while taking care of their families and most importantly taking care of themselves. Subscribe via:Apple Itunes SpotifyAmazon MusicAndroid Stitcher 3) The Real Estate InvestHER Membership STRIVE is a one-of-a-kind membership for experienced women investors looking to make deeper connections and take their Real Estate business to the next level. It is more than a transactional membership, and it is a transformational experience for women looking to live life on their own terms.4) InvestHER Community on Facebook We have thousands of members in our Facebook InvestHER Community (and growing!) This is a safe place for women to ask real estate investing questions and gain the support they need to achieve their goals! 5) InvestHER Meetups Around the Globe We have Investher Meetup members attending in-person meetings across the country and Canada. Meetups are being held monthly by experienced InvestHER Leaders! Learn more about our InvestHER leaders, meetup locations, and how to become an InvestHER Leader HERE! 6) InvestHER™ eXp TeamOur mission is to empower women in Real Estate to live a financially free and balanced life, and we are extending our support to Real Estate agents worldwide. We have created exclusive content and support for the InvestHER™ eXp Team:*Top skills and strategies to grow YOUR business*How to utilize your “real estate agent” advantage to become a real estate investor*Monthly live masterminds*Become part of Libertas Organization with top coaches, Tim and Julie Harris.Jonna Hall Weber is leading our team. If you have any questions or are ready to join our team, click here to schedule a call with her.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Every industry has pockets of growth and downturns, but the recent years have shown us what a whole new level of leadership looks like. This brings up the conversation this week, which is the Peacetime vs. Wartime CEO. Hallie and I first identify what it even means to be a Peacetime vs. Wartime leader, and how to know which personality traits and characteristics go with each. We discuss the external factors that come to play in knowing what type of CEO you need to be to best lead and have fun breaking down the different strategies according to Ben Horowitz's book, The Hard Thing About Hard Things. https://adamhergenrother.com/149-are-you-a-peacetime-or-wartime-leader/ (See full show notes.)