Podcasts about hawke media the

Greg Spillane is the CEO of Fancy ( https://fancy.com/ ) a curated online retailer that provides a platform for consumers looking to discover the coolest and most innovative fashion, accessories, art, and gadgets from emerging brands and artists across the globe. About Our Partner This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Greg Spillane in this Episode What Fancy is, when it was started, and how Greg got involved Why Greg decided to join Fancy after it went through turmoil What Greg did initially to start turning Fancy around The business model behind Fancy and what the experience is for brands on the platform How Fancy goes about curating brands for their platform The importance of creating trust on the buyer side of a platform How content and storytelling play a role in selling products on Fancy Building community and bringing on guest curators for the platform How Greg decided to use crowdfunding to raise capital for Fancy and the benefits that came along with it Why Greg and Fancy chose to use Wefunder for their crowdfunding campaign Components involved in an equity crowdfunding campaign The customer acquisition strategy for Fancy The traction of Fancy today How Greg and his team improved conversions on Fancy How Greg has gone about building the team and culture at Fancy What Greg does to invest in himself and make sure he's performing at his best each day Books that have been helpful for Greg in his career Why Greg decided to get an MBA at USC Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/

Ruben Harris is the Co-Founder & CEO of Career Karma ( https://careerkarma.com/ ). Career Karma is a community of peers, mentors, and coaches that will help you land a dream career in Tech. You never pay a dime. The only cost is to help people behind you. Career Karma is always free for students because after they coach you to prepare and get enrolled in a bootcamp in their network, the school pays them a placement fee for helping you. Here are some cool investors that have joined them: Michael Seibel (CEO of Y Combinator), Betsy Ziegler (CEO of 1871), Jewel Burks (CEO of PartPic), Arlan Hamilton (Backstage Capital), Unshackled Ventures, Paul Judge (Tech Square Labs), Prakash Jankiraman (Nextdoor), Justin Rosenstein (Asana), Erik Torenberg, David Phillips (Hackbright), Sten Tamkivi (Skype, Teleport, etc), Mandela Schumacher-Hodge Dixon (Founder Gym), Edward Lando, Kevin Lee (Product Manager HQ), Kevin Olusola (Pentatonix), Anarghya Vardhana, and more About Our Partner This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Ruben Harris in this Episode What Career Karma is and what it's like to work with them How Ruben and his Co-Founders decided to start Career Karma Sending 1,900+ cold emails to break into investment banking and the process behind cold outreach Ruben's experience going through Y Combinator and what he did after getting rejected from YC the first time The importance of not lying to yourself and staying laser-focused Ruben's experience raising funding in the seed round for Career Karma What's fueled the growth in the last year (2020) Why user-generated content has been a key driver for Career Karma How Ruben and his team approach partnerships at Career Karma and what they look for in coding bootcamps How Ruben and his team manage so many different relationships The business model behind Career Karma How Career Karma will become a $100B company What Ruben and his team are doing with Reskill America The book Ruben is reading right now Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/

Tyler Bushnell is the Founder & CEO of Polycade ( https://polycade.com/ ) the only arcade machine that's been designed for classic and modern games, giving you the ability to play everything from the best new indies, retro classics, or the most graphics-intensive modern fighters. About Polycade (From Tyler) I grew up surrounded by gaming in a way that most kids could never dream of experiencing. My dad invented Atari and started Chuck E Cheese. I know. I still can't believe how crazy that is. From a young age, I was lucky enough to witness the power of gaming as a means of social bonding. My seven brothers and I were enveloped by games; we lived and breathed them. We built community around playing games together in person. It was this unique upbringing that allowed me to notice the massive market opportunity for gaming in today's world. Internet connectivity is changing the way we interact with one another. We're spending more time communicating virtually, we're losing face-to-face social connectedness, and we're becoming socially isolated. At the same time, modern video games are pushing players toward solitary gaming. The low-commitment experience that once made video gaming accessible and so popular in out of home environments has largely disappeared. We know that being around others builds trust and friendship, that face-to-face connection brings happiness, that replacing your real-world relationships with social media use is detrimental to your health. We know we need to spend more time out of our homes, off our phones, and be more in the moment. So why isn't technology working harder to connect people in real life and build communities that affect our well-being for the better? As children of Nolan Bushnell, my siblings and I were often reminded of the power of gaming to bring people together. We heard it in the stories of 100s of people who told my dad that they had met their significant other over a game of Pong and thanked him for his part in making that happen. We saw it with our own eyes. We recognize that we have an opportunity to provide the perfect catalyst for interaction. So we set out on a mission to make gaming social: getting people out of their houses, making new friends, and building community. Oh, and having some fun along the way too. We created Polycade. About Our Partner This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Tyler Bushnell in this Episode How Tyler decided to use Kickstarter to raise funds for Polycade initially How Polycade got started The benefits of using Kickstarter to test products The amount of preparation that went into Tyler's Kickstarter campaign for Polycade and how it went How Tyler built the initial prototype for Polycade Some of the early problems Tyler faced when created Polycade How Tyler approached pricing for this product Why Tyler decided to go through the Techstars accelerator and how Tyler's experience went The importance of understanding what a contract manufacturer is Getting introductions to about 140 investors through Techstars to raise a seed round The team behind Polycade today The customer acquisition strategy for Polycade Licensing for Polycade How Tyler has leveraged influencer collaborations to grow Polycade Working with Juelz Santana, Steve Aoki, and Lil John How growing up with a family of entrepreneurs (His dad, Nolan Bushnell, started Atari and Chuck E. Cheese) influenced Tyler Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/

Eric Gilbert is the Co-Founder of Treefort Music Fest ( https://www.treefortmusicfest.com/ ) an annual 5 day event in Boise, Idaho that's had over 133,000 attendees in 8 years and featured 1000s of bands from around the world. Treefort Music Fest is a five-day indie music festival, held at numerous venues throughout downtown Boise, Idaho every year in March. Over the first eight years it has expanded to also include Alefort, Artfort, Comedyfort, Dragfort, Filmfort, Foodfort, Hackfort, Kidfort, Skatefort, Storyfort, and Yogafort. Treefort is now a full-fledged multi-disciplinary event with a lot of dynamic collaboration and community engagement. Treefort is very active year round as an important champion for creatives. Invest in Treefort Music Fest: https://wefunder.com/treefort About Our Partners This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Eric Gilbert in this Episode What Treefort Music Fest is and the different "forts" they have How Treefort Music Fest got started The planning behind the first Treefort Music Fest and how the first festival did from a business perspective The marketing behind the first festival Getting sponsors for Treefort Music Fest The differences from the first year to the second year Becoming a Certified B Corporation vs. becoming a non-profit What it takes to run Treefort Music Fest today and the team behind it How Eric and his team decided to crowdfund with Wefunder How the team behind Treefort Music Fest markets the events with a small budget Eric's advice around starting a festival Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/

Dan is the Co-Founder and Chief Grain Officer of ReGrained, a mission-driven ingredient platform that leverages technology and culinary science to transform beer waste into food. Dan is an entrepreneurial systems thinker and loves tackling seemingly intractable problems through creative entrepreneurship and cross-sectoral collaboration. Through ReGrained, he has become a thought-leader about food waste business models, "edible upcycling" and the circular economy for food. ReGrained has:-Forbes 30 under 30: Food and Beverage (2018) -Won Slow Money NorCal's Food Funded Pitch Competition (2017) -Finalist at FoodBytes! (2016) -Finalist at SXSW Eco-Reuse and Recycling Sector (2016) -Burt's Bees Natural Launchpad (2016) -Won a sustainable innovation award at Sustainable Brands 2016 and was selected for Burt's Bees Natural Product Launchpad. Dan holds an MBA in Sustainable Business from Presidio Graduate School and a BA in Economics from UCLA. More on ReGrained: ReGrained better aligns the food we eat with the planet we love. They are an ingredient platform created to promote an innovative model of food production that they've coined as “Edible Upcycling.” Powered by patent-pending technology, they reimagine perceived ends as beginnings by finding nutritious food streams that are currently being treated as inedible and render them into delicious and healthy food. They rescue these overlooked but awesome ingredients and put them back to work. Their goal: To improve the way we value food and the resources that support all life Their initial focus: Upcycling the nutritious grain created every time that beer is brewed. In the U.S. alone, billions of pounds of this latent supply chain are available every year. Brewing beer processes the sugar out of the grain. This gives them optimal access to protein, fiber, and micronutrients. They upcycle this grain into ReGrained flour. They incorporate this sustainable, delicious, and nutritious ingredient into every ReGrained product, starting with SuperGrain+ Bars wrapped in innovative 100% backyard compostable packaging. Their mission doesn’t stop at waste ─ they are a Certified B Corp and support environmental conservation and social impact through 1% for the Planet. About Our Partner This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Connect with Daniel Kurzrock and ReGrained ReGrained - https://www.regrained.com/ Invest in ReGrained - https://wefunder.com/regrained Wefunder discount through Just Go Grind - https://wefunder.com/raisemoney/justgogrind Some of the Topics Covered by Daniel Kurzrock in this Episode What ReGrained is doing to build a more sustainable food system Why Dan decided to tackle this problem How Dan turned his idea into a real business Why Dan didn't drop everything to go all-in on ReGrained right away How ReGrained was acquiring customers early on Why Dan wanted to be an ingredient company The insights gleamed along the way when trying to market ReGrained and the problem with their early slogan of "Eat Beer" How ReGrained Supergrain+ came about What upcycling is and why it's important The Upcycled Food Association and why Dan helped create it Doing research with the USDA Dan's experience raising capital for ReGrained and why they chose to do equity crowdfunding through Wefunder How Dan has gone about building his team at ReGrained Books that have been impactful for Dan How Dan recharges outside of work Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/

Daniel Kaplan, a Senior Associate at Generator Ventures ( https://generatorvc.com/ ) is passionate about advancing senior care and aging. Generator Ventures partners with exceptional entrepreneurs who are leveraging technology to transform the aging experience. They believe that when high-tech, high-touch solutions are built to address the massive opportunities and challenges of the aging population, all stakeholders − seniors, caregivers, payers, providers, investors, and society − will succeed.  About Our Partner This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Daniel Kaplan in this Episode What Generator Ventures focuses on ($55M Fund, $1M-$3M checks) The value add of Generator Ventures and incredible team they have in the healthcare world Where Generator Ventures is sourcing deals from The number of new deals and follow on investments Generator Ventures typically is making in a year How COVID has impacted Generator Ventures The importance of speaking with customers as a VC and some of the questions Daniel typically asks How Generator Ventures supports their portfolio companies Daniel's experience as a mentor for Techstars' Future of Longevity Accelerator Go-to-market strategies in healthcare Some of the questions Daniel asks when he's reviewing the deck of a startup Why Daniel wanted to get into venture capital Opportunities within aging and senior care Value-based care What Daniel's role entails at Generator Ventures Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/

Amelia Lin is the Co-Founder & CEO of Saga, a voice based social app to stay close with family and friends. They help families save the life stories of loved ones on audio--it's like getting a personal podcast of your Grandma's childhood stories. Saga sends weekly prompts - they record and share. It's easy for anyone to use, they can dial a number from their phone to record, even without the app. Learn more at https://trysaga.com (They're hiring) About Our Partner This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Amelia Lin in this Episode What Saga is and how it works How Saga got started and what the initial version consisted of The evolution of Saga into an audio product Manually sending question prompts in the early days How Amelia decided what to charge early on for the product Amelia's experience fundraising for Saga and what she changed from her first time fundraising to her second time Use of funds for Saga after fundraising How Amelia is building her team and what she's looking for in new team members What's fueled the growth of Saga up until this point How Amelia is developing the product itself The various use cases for Saga How the different question packs are created for Saga The business model today with Saga How to continuously iterate on making a better social app The conversations with Amelia and her team around creating a magical experience with Saga Amelia's thoughts on whether she thought she'd be an entrepreneur at this point in her life Books that have been impactful for Amelia How Amelia recharges outside of work Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/

Jonny Price is the Director of Fundraising at Wefunder ( https://wefunder.com/ ) where he is working to empower entrepreneurs with capital and customers. He finds great entrepreneurs and helps them succeed on the Wefunder platform. About Our Partners This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Jonny Price in this Episode What Wefunder does What an accredited investor is The types of crowdfunding platforms and who should consider raising funds this way The process for an entrepreneur getting started with Wefunder How long the average crowdfunding campaigns takes from beginning to completion The pre-launch tasks a startup completes before their campaign goes live The benefits of regulation crowdfunding Potential downsides of crowdfunding Why thoughts around equity crowdfunding are evolving for VCs The process of getting a lead investor on Wefunder The two main value props of Wefunder The types of capital raised through Wefunder What separates Wefunder from other equity crowdfunding platforms How Jonny decided to join Wefunder The potential lift of the cap on regulation crowdfunding from $1.07M to $5M Wefunder being on track from $7M of investment volume this month The minimum and average investment on Wefunder Some of the best companies to come out of Wefunder What's next for crowdfunding Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/

Brentt Baltimore is a Principal at Greycroft. Based in the Los Angeles office, Brentt focuses on investment opportunities in enterprise software. He has led Greycroft’s investments in Mapped, Agni, Craft, and Smrt. Brentt is a Kauffman Fellow and a member of Class 25. Prior to joining Greycroft, Brentt led business development at Operator Inc., a venture stage company in the conversational commerce space and worked on technology commercialization at Numenta Inc., a machine intelligence research company. Brentt was also an Associate at Detroit Venture Partners. He began his career in investment banking at Credit Suisse in Los Angeles. Brentt graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a BA in Economics and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. About Our Partners This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Brentt Baltimore in this Episode What areas Greycroft is focused on Why Brentt wanted to get involved with venture capital and what was most appealing to him How Brentt joined Detroit Venture Partners The business of VC Why Brentt decided to get operator experience between venture roles Getting an MBA How Brentt ended up at Greycroft and why he chose it Why Brentt became a Kauffman Fellow and what the experience is like What early-stage founders need to know about raising capital Understand your "why" as a founder and being able to tell your story How Brentt is helping improve diversity in startups and venture capital with BLCK VC How early-stage founders should think through equity splits The operating and investing side of scaling a startup The most impactful book for Brentt Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/

As Principal at Sway Ventures, Brett Munster focuses most of his investment activities on the seed and earlier stages for the fund. In addition to evaluating new investments, Brett’s responsibilities include coordinating the due diligence process across all investment opportunities for the fund, monitoring the performance of the fund and modeling portfolio allocation, and working directly with many of Sway’s existing portfolio companies. Brett draws on his experience as a two-time entrepreneur and former operations executive to assist early-stage companies in their growth. Prior to joining Sway Ventures, Brett ran day-to-day operations for AMO, a loss mitigation company, where he oversaw a portfolio of distressed assets that grew to over $2 billion. Brett began his career at zAthlete.com, a sports social networking startup that he launched during his final semester at UC Berkeley and sold in 2009. Soon after, Brett launched his second start-up Visual Icon, a platform designed to help bring Hollywood content online. Brett graduated from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and was an infielder and captain of the baseball team. He also holds an MBA from the University of Southern California where his focus was on entrepreneurship and technology commercialization. About Our Partner This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Brett Munster in this Episode An overview of Sway Ventures  Why Brett wanted to get into venture capital Networking for a year to get his job at Sway Ventures How Brett's startup experience has influenced his time at Sway Ventures Brett's experience at a sports social network that was eventually acquired Why Brett decided to get an MBA from USC What Brett actually did to break into venture capital What the day-to-day looks like for Brett as a venture capitalist at Sway Ventures Navigating the global pandemic with portfolio companies at Sway Ventures The typical challenges startups face and how Brett is helping them through these at Sway Ventures How a startup can hire top talent Equity splits for founders How founder roles change as a company scales How Brett prioritizes his time each day Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/

Jeroen Corthout is the Co-Founder of Salesfare ( https://salesflare.com/ ) a simple yet powerful CRM that automates your data to build better relationships and make more sales. It's a fast, visual and easy-to-use sales machine. Built on happiness with the latest tech, by humans for humans. Salesflare is the most popular CRM ever on both Product Hunt and AppSumo. It also got featured on TechCrunch and Entrepreneur.com. You can set it up in just a minute at salesflare.com.  About Our Partner This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Jeroen Corthout in this Episode What Salesflare is and who it's focused on Why Jeroen decided to start a CRM company and the problem he was solving solving How the Salesflare product itself is different from the other 600 CRMs available on the market The impact of Salesflare's Product Hunt and AppSumo launch Bringing in more than 5,000 people through AppSumo What Jeroen did to prepare for their Product Hunt launch Issues that came up after the huge AppSumo launch The customer acquisition strategy for Salesflare after their launches The content marketing machine Jeroen built for Salesflare and the focus on SEO while making the content shareable on social media Tools that Jeroen uses on the content marketing side of the business Jeroen's incubator and accelerator experience Jeroen's fundraising experience The Founder Coffee series Jeroen started The traction Salesflare has achieved so far The big vision for Salesflare Jeroen's favorite books Why Jeroen offers bonuses to employees who get enough sleep How Jeroen recharges outside of work Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/

Rick Smith is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at Crosscut, one of the top venture capital firms in Los Angeles. Crosscut is a seed-stage venture capital firm, looking to invest $1-3 million in early-stage companies with hyper-growth potential. About Our Partners This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Rick Smith in this Episode An overview of Crosscut, including how much they invest and the areas they invest in How the global pandemic has impacted Crosscut How many meetings Rick is having with entrepreneurs before a term sheet now vs. pre-COVID What a first meeting vs. the next few meetings look like for a founder talking with Crosscut in the 2-4 weeks before a term sheet is offered Seeing 4,000 - 5,000 business plans per year, doing 400 - 500 meetings, making 10 investments The process of finding a Chief of Staff for Crosscut and why they decided to pursue including this role at the firm PledgeLA, investing in South LA, and diversity & inclusion initiatives Rick's advice around hiring for startups How Crosscut is investing in becoming the firm of the future Equity splits for founders Deal flow at Crosscut and why they co-invest Investing in first-time founders vs. repeat founders Rick's first exit at Crosscut Rick's advice for others looking to become investors Investing out of Crosscut V Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/

Ambyr Childers ( https://www.ambyrchilders.com/ ) actress and entrepreneur, started her namesake jewelry line with a desire to create timeless pieces that inspire and empower those who wear them.  From early on, Ambyr had a special connection with her grandmother who taught her that jewelry holds an invaluable truth and can be worn as a talisman to empower a woman's strength in her femininity. Learning the stories behind each treasured relic sparked the desire to embrace her heritage and the ancient symbols that surround it.   Raised by her entreprenurial parents and beloved grandmother, it came as no surprise when she felt a yearning to create something meaningful of her own to share with the world. So, as a token of beauty and a celebration of women and friendship, her signature design, the Rise Totem, was born. Encompassing the heart and soul of the brand, it is meant to serve as a daily reminder of our inner strength and connection with the feminine force.  Ambyr Childers’ jewelry is thoughtfully designed and crafted with the hope and intention of being cherished forever. Their mission is to delicately capture the magic of ancestry, infuse meaning and symbolism into luxurious yet practical jewelry, and embolden the wearer to Rise and Shine. About Our Partners This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Ambyr Childers in this Episode How Ambyr's entrepreneurial parents impacted her Why Ambyr decided to really take her jewelry company serious The constant shifting of priorities as an entrepreneur What Ambyr's day-to-day looks like now Managing running a business as a solo founder How social media impacts Ambyr's business What Ambyr's social media strategy looks like today How Ambyr uses social media and email to engage with people How Ambyr designed her staple jewelry piece for her brand Developing new products Partnerships The biggest challenges for Ambyr as a first-time founder How Ambyr sources her products and the importance of getting mentorship What's next for Ambyr's company and where she's looking to expand Balancing acting with a business Why Ambyr decided to become an actress Books that have been helpful for Ambyr as an entrepreneur How Ambyr was able to land a prominent role in the show You on Netflix How Ambyr Childers recharges Staying true to your mission as an entrepreneur Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/

Mubashar Iqbal, who goes by Mubs, loves making things. He's been making things since he was about 8 years old. He made so many things he was selected as ProductHunt's maker of the year for 2016, runner up in 2015 and 2017. Some of Mubs' recent projects include Founderpath, One Hour SaaS, Indiehackers.tv, and Pod Hunt, but he's created many more. About Our Partner This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Mubs in this Episode What Mubs is working on now How Mubs decided to work on Founderpath Why Mubs works on the projects he chooses to work on Ideas are everywhere How little Mubs sleeps Things that make Mubs say no to an idea to work on The number of products Mubs is still maintaining How Mubs' previous products help him grow his personal brand The importance of putting your ideas out into the world A day in the life for Mubs How Mubs approaches distribution for new products Making money from side projects vs. creating products for fun Selling your product and why if you've already tried to monetize your product it'll be more unattractive to buyers The No-Code movement Tips Mubs has for other people who are working remotely Ideas from Mubs' Trello board that he wants people to work on Mubs' advice for other makers Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/

Dr. Sophia Yen is Board Certified in Adolescent Medicine with 20+ years of experience in medicine. She graduated from MIT, UCSF Medical School, and UC Berkeley with an MPH in Maternal Child Health. She serves as a clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Stanford Medical School. Dr. Yen co-founded Pandia Health https://www.pandiahealth.com/ and enjoys educating the public and other physicians about birth control, acne, weight management, and other adolescent health issues. She has been featured in many publications for her work in reproductive health and as CEO of Pandia Health. About Pandia Health: #SkipTheTrip to the pharmacy each month! Avoid unnecessary infectious exposure! Never run out of birth control again!  If you are on the birth control pill/patch/ring, try Pandia Health. Pandia Health delivers a year’s supply of birth control, free delivery to your mailbox, automatic renewal. They take almost all private insurances except for Kaiser. If you have an active prescription (at a pharmacy or have your doctor send it in), the delivery service is FREE.  If you need a prescription, For AZ/CA/FL/TX/WY peeps,they can provide a doctor consult for $20. Enter code JustGoGrind for $5 off your telemedicine visit. If you have insurance, the medications are "Free" = no copay, no deductible. If you do not have insurance, most pills are $15/pack. About Our Partners This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Dr. Sophia Yen in this Episode What Pandia Health is and how it got started How Dr. Sophia Yen tested the idea for Pandia Health initially What Dr. Sophia did to make Pandia Health into a real business early on The importance of content in the growth strategy behind Panida Health The business model behind Pandia Health Fundraising for Pandia Health and the use of funds The content strategy Pandia Health uses How COVID has impacted Pandia Health and what people need to know about telehealth and telemedicine How Dr. Sophia went about building partnerships for Pandia Health Culture-fit at Pandia Health Keeping advertising in-house vs. outsourcing What Pandia Health is focused on today What women should know about their health and how technology now allows women to "turn off" their period How Dr. Sophia Yen decided to get into medicine in the first place How Dr. Sophia Yen's past experiences influenced how she runs Pandia Health (And how her accounting background proved to be important) What other entrepreneurs interested in starting a health startup should think about How Dr. Sophia Yen recharges outside of work Why it's important to build your support team as an entrepreneur Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/

Gooroo ( https://www.gooroo.com/ ) founder and CEO Scott Lee is on a mission to reimagine education, unlock every student’s potential, and promote lifelong learning for all. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Lee relocated to the United States with his family at the age of 16 without knowing a word of English. Through constant support from his parents, and with the help of tutors and mentors, he worked hard and constantly challenged himself to succeed. About Our Partner This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Scott Lee in this Episode What Gooroo is and how it got started Scott's experience in the Korean army for two years and how it impacted him How Scott started his past company, Mud Cafe What the initial version of Gooroo looked like How Scott found the technical talent to build Gooroo early on What Scott did to acquire his first customers How the business model for Gooroo evolved into a membership model Why Scott and his team are launching Gooroo courses How Scott prioritizes which content his team creates at Gooroo How Gooroo has acquired instructors for their platform and why transparency is so important How Scott uses feedback from students to impact which products and services Gooroo provides Why Scott partnered with the Department of Education Scott's approach to partnerships with Gooroo The biggest challenge of growing Gooroo How Gooroo has been impacted by COVID How Scott's time is spent day-to-day now at Gooroo Innovation in education The impact of Scott's father on his life The big vision for Gooroo moving forward Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/

Matt Lombardi is a Co-Founder of Beam ( https://beamtlc.com/ ). He's on a mission to reimagine health and wellness, is a former professional hockey player, entrepreneur, and avid CrossFitter.  Kevin Moran is also a Co-Founder of Beam. He's on a mission to humanize CBD with education first. He's a former professional baseball player with the Chicago White Sox organization, CrossFitter, Ironman, and marathon runner.  Beam is a Massachusetts-based wellness company founded by Matt Lombardi and Kevin Moran, both former professional athletes, offering THC-free, phytocannabinoid-rich CBD products, made from naturally grown hemp in Colorado. Noticing a lack of transparency in the CBD wellness market, Beam offers consumers a line of rigorously tested CBD products with high-quality natural ingredients. Built with an entrepreneurial spirit in mind, Beam marries the concepts of health, wellness, and an active lifestyle free of any physical or mental barriers. Beam believes that all-natural cannabinoids have the ability to unlock significant health benefits, which will ultimately aid customers on their journey to “find their better.” About Our Partners This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Matt and Kevin in this Episode How Matt and Kevin decided to start a company together Some of the questions they asked their potential customers initially What Matt and Kevin did to get customers in the early days How they sourced their product initially The angle they took to sell their product in the beginning How Matt and Kevin thought through branding at Beam from the early days Customer acquisition for Beam Working with a digital marketing agency vs. handling marketing in-house How Matt and Kevin have gone about building an influencer program for Beam Getting the initial $700K from a family and friends round How they go about obtaining the highest quality product possible What Matt and Kevin have done to grow their team at Beam How Matt and Kevin's role as Co-Founders has evolved What communication is like between Matt and Kevin What Matt and Kevin have enjoyed most about the experience of building Beam How Matt and Kevin recharge outside of work The importance of pushing yourself physically to perform well mentally Matt and Kevin's book recommendations Listen to all episodes: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/

Karl Alomar is a Managing Partner at M13, a serial entrepreneur, and he's built and/or sold high growth businesses in various market segments. He has an MBA from Columbia Business School in New York and a BEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Imperial College London. He has a strong technology pedigree and over 20 years experience in executive management roles in institutionally funded businesses.  M13 is a Venture Engine, a full-service venture firm that provides the platform for founding teams to create and develop high-growth businesses. M13 injects capital to fuel high growth while helping founding teams fill gaps in their businesses through their Propulsion Team, which provides strategic counsel, operational expertise, and a constellation of talent, experts, and resources to accelerate growth. Where they see whitespace in an industry, their Launchpad develops the right founding teams, products, and practices to incubate and launch an idea from inception. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Karl Alomar and M13 M13 LinkedIn Twitter Instagram Karl@m13.co Some of the Topics Covered by Karl Alomar in this Episode M13 Details: $190M Venture Fund based out of LA and NY Focused on consumer technology businesses Invest in Series A and late seed $2M-$7M $500K check for their feeder program A team of former operators Built a team of executives and platform at M13 How M13 works with their portfolio founders How M13 operates week to week What the dealflow for M13 looks like Why Karl decided to get into VC "Build what you love" and how Karl decided which businesses he wanted to start throughout his career Some of the first things Karl did to help Digital Ocean grow to $250M+ ARR The growth levers Karl used to scale Digital Ocean to hundreds of millions in revenue Scaling the team at Digital Ocean and one of the biggest mistakes they made early on Going through a culture crisis, losing 30-40% of their engineering team at Digital Ocean in a year, and the massive undertaking of resetting an entire culture of a company The importance of trust and leadership in a culture Karl's advice around decision making and the importance of being decisive What Karl looks for at M13 in the companies they invest in The characteristics of founders that grab Karl's attention What people interested in getting into Venture Capital should think about and why getting some operating experience is very important How Karl is building his team at M13 How Karl recharges outside of work What Karl's day-to-day looks like today Links from the Episode Ben Uretsky Digital Ocean Matt Hoffman Marie Sokolovsky

Matthew Loper is the Co-Founder and CEO of Wellth, a company that uses behavioral economics to drastically improve care plan adherence in patients with chronic conditions. This improvement to adherence allows risk-bearing providers to reduce readmissions, health insurers to reduce the total cost of care, and life insurers to confidently underwrite underserved customer populations like type 2 diabetics. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Matthew Loper and Wellth Wellth Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn Some of the Topics Covered by Matthew Loper in this Episode What Wellth is and how it got started How Matthew transitioned from healthcare investing to entrepreneurship Aligning the incentives of payers, providers, and patients in healthcare The first thing Matthew did to validate the idea for Wellth How Matthew made an educated bet on product-market fit for Wellth Why it consistently takes 5 years for healthcare companies to get to a Series A Conversations with Matthew and his family when he decided to quit his nice job to start a company Why Matthew didn't want to raise too much money early on with Wellth Why Matthew didn't take a salary for 3 years How Matthew convinced his Co-Founder to leave a great company to join him at Wellth The initial product for Wellth and why they've made lots of adjustments along the way How Matthew got the first people enrolled in Wellth The growth of Wellth and what's fueled it over the past few years How Matt has gone about growing the team at Wellth The process of fundraising for Wellth The challenges other entrepreneurs in healthcare should think about The standard patient journey when working with Wellth How most of Matt's time is spent now at Wellth How Matt prioritizes which partners he wants to work with What Matt does to invest in his own mental health and performance as a Founder and CEO How Matt lost 15lbs during the pandemic utilizing fasting Matt's favorite book Links from the Episode Livongo Teladoc AbleTo United Healthcare Axa Venture Partners Richard Thaler Iman Abuzeid Strava Shoe Dog

Ruben is the Co-Founder at Swoop, where he is responsible for operations, marketing, people & hiring, and fundraising efforts. Prior to joining Swoop, he spent four years working for Google and Facebook, helping scale new programs such as Workplace by Facebook globally and Google’s Agency Landscape in Europe. Ruben was born in Germany, spending his childhood years there, prior to moving to the US. He holds a BSc in Finance from Maastricht University and graduated as Valedictorian from the Rotterdam School of Management. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Ruben Schultz and Swoop Swoop Facebook Twitter Instagram Some of the Topics Covered by Ruben Schultz in this Episode What Swoop is, what the industry looks like today, and the problem Ruben and his team is solving How Ruben got people on the Swoop platform initially The challenge Ruben and his team are focused on right now How Ruben prioritizes product development Why Ruben decided to leave Facebook to start a company The conversation with Ruben and his parents when he wanted to leave Facebook How Swoop was funded initially Choosing a career path based not just on the short-term money you'll make, but the connections and upside you'll have in the future The thinking Ruben and his co-founders had around splitting equity Moving from tier 3 to tier 2 to tier 1 investors when fundraising The business models behind Swoop How COVID impacted Swoop and how they shifted to moving goods as well as people How Ruben and his team are evaluating which markets to get into Roles and responsibilities with Ruben and his co-founders What the big vision is for Swoop Why Swoop is so obsessed with their customers The biggest challenge Ruben faces as a first-time founder How Ruben manages the stress of running a startup Links from the Episode Crossing the Chasm Swupnil Sahai Stripe Twilio SendGrid Brian Conyer Notion Shopify Superhuman

Taylor Nieman is the Co-Founder & CEO of Toucan, the free Chrome extension that helps you learn a language without even trying. Previously, she worked on business development and strategic partnerships at Headspace, Science, and Fair. Toucan is a new, immersive way to learn while you go about your daily life. Learning a new language is challenging, fun, and rewarding. It also takes time, practice, and dedication - finding a few extra minutes in the day can feel impossible. At Toucan, they know creating a new habit is one of the most difficult things to do. Their Founding team has a deep understanding and appreciation for human habits, behavior, and the science of learning. Their free Chrome extension helps you learn without having to put aside time to create a new habit. Toucan works by immersing you in the language while you’re browsing the web. What’s even better is that you’ll see those words in the context of sentences - helping your brain connect the word to its useful meaning. Taylor and her team created Toucan to help people make more use of their time, without missing out on the fun and satisfaction of learning a new language. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Taylor Nieman and Toucan Toucan Twitter LinkedIn taylor.nieman@jointoucan.com Some of the Topics Covered by Taylor Nieman in this Episode How Taylor decided to start Toucan and go with a browser extension as their first vertical Founder-market fit and how Taylor chose to work in this particular space How Taylor met her two Co-Founders, Brandon Dietz and Shaun Merritt How Taylor has gone about scaling Toucan without paid acquisition The "Own the Word" campaign Taylor and her team created at Toucan The impact of being a top product on Product Hunt How Taylor iterates on the Toucan product itself The fundraising experience for Taylor and Toucan The business model behind Toucan How Taylor prioritizes strategic partnerships What Taylor has looked for in people as she's grown her team The challenges Taylor is working through now after raising $3M How COVID impacted what Taylor is doing at Toucan How Taylor recharges outside fo work Where Taylor's interest in technology comes from and how she taught herself how to code The conversations around equity with Taylor and her Co-Founders Taylor's advice around fundraising Taylor's biggest takeaway from the last year of growing Toucan The grand vision of Toucan The strategy behind the name of Taylor's company Links from the Episode Pray Science Incubator Fair Product Hunt Own the Word Rand Fishkin SparkToro Headspace Venture Deals

Sean Matson is the Co-Founder & CEO of MATBOCK, a company that is run by retired Navy SEALS and whose staff are also former US Military Veterans. The company creates and develops products that fill a need in the real world, whether it's hunting, camping, hiking, going on adventures, for law enforcement or for soldiers while at war. They work closely with the US Military and have been contracted to create products for them that use new technologies to make whatever products lighter, better, and more versatile. Their top-selling products include Auto-focus for Night Vision Goggles, Dry Bags, Cobra Sled (a mountain rescue litter), S-LIFT (poles and ladders for hunters), Reaper Hunting Vest and others. They just also signed a $1 million deal with law enforcement in America for new products to help everyone be safer. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Sean Matson and MATBOCK MATBOCK LinkedIn Twitter Instagram Facebook Some of the Topics Covered by Sean Matson in this Episode How Sean started MATBOCK The distribution strategy behind MATBOCK Building an unsexy product through fulfilling a real need How MATBOCK is run like a private equity group Working with distributors, the government, and procurement officers The challenges of distribution How Sean goes through the process of product development How Sean is handling the manufacturing side of the business Why Sean decided to become a Navy SEAL What Hell Week is actually like as a Navy SEAL and Sean's biggest struggle making it through How Sean's Navy SEAL experience influences how he runs MATBOCK Team building and how Sean has grown his team at MATBOCK The biggest adjustment going from a Navy SEAL to an entrepreneur How Sean recharges away from work Links from the Episode NSW Cole Zucker Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance

Swupnil Sahai is the Co-Founder & CEO of SwingVision and previously worked on the autopilot team at Tesla. SwingVision is building A.I. for athletes. Their app provides real-time, on-device video analysis and coaching using proprietary A.I. on just a single smartphone. They were recently featured in the Apple 2020 Fall Keynote event and are backed by investors Andy Roddick, James Blake and Techstars. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Swupnil Sahai and SwingVision SwingVision LinkedIn Twitter Instagram Facebook Some of the Topics Covered by Swupnil Sahai in this Episode Getting featured in the Apple Keynote What SwingVision is and how it got started Pivoting from an Apple Watch app to an app for your iPhone or tablet Making a decision to leave Tesla to start SwingVision Swupnil's experience working on the autopilot team at Tesla... 10 feet from Elon Musk's desk Why Swupnil's parents were so supportive of his decision to leave Tesla and start SwingVision Getting Andy Roddick and James Blake as investors in SwingVision How Swupnil explains such a technical product to people who aren't experts How Swupnil has gone about customer acquisition The team behind SwingVision and how Swupnil has grown it over time Prioritization and how Swupnil looks at who to partner with Swupnil's experience in the Techstars accelerator and why he decided to go through it in the first place How Swupnil iterates on the product itself to make it easier to use Gamification and how they implement it with SwingVision How Swupnil consistently gathers user feedback for SwingVision Pricing and how Swupnil figured it out for SwingVision so far The transition from employee to founder What Swupnil learned from Elon Musk Some of Swupnil's favorite books Links from the Episode Tesla Andy Roddick James Blake Techstars SportsTech Accelerator Tennis Australia Strava Superhuman Product-Market Fit Zero to One The Lean Startup

Tom is the CEO and Co-founder of GameSense Sports.  For the past decade, Tom has been designing and building sports-related technologies. He helped build several sport technology companies serving as Director of Product Development for Cyton8 Sports and NeuroSport Performance. He was Director of Sports Science and Performance at Elite Sports Services as well. He has helped develop multiple devices and software designed to test and train high-speed decision-making, situational decision-making, attention and autonomic control. Tom played college football at Humboldt State University.  Following college, Tom was invited to play and later coach in the European football leagues. When Tom isn’t chasing around a very active 3-year old he enjoys playing music, gardening, biking, hiking and snowboarding. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Tom Pardikes and GameSense Sports GameSense Sports LinkedIn Twitter Instagram Facebook Some of the Topics Covered by Tom Pardikes in this Episode What GameSense is and how it got started How Tom started working with professional sports teams What the MVP for GameSense Sports looked like How Tom financed the company initially Why Tom decided to go through the Techstars accelerator with GameSense Sports and the traction they had prior to applying The business model behind GameSense Sports How Tom is going about educating potential customers for his product The importance of creating a unique metric for GameSense Sports Building trust with customers How Tom looks at expanding into other sports besides baseball and softball The factors Tom is considering when deciding which markets to expand into The biggest challenge of being a first-time founder Impactful books for Tom How Tom recharges away from work Links from the Episode Duolingo Holger Seim Techstars Eric Cressey Todd Durkin How to Win Friends and Influence People What You Do Is Who You Are The Art of War Blinkist Zach Evans

Tara Viswanathan is the Co-Founder & CEO of Rupa Health, a functional medicine platform streamlining the process of specialty labs for practitioners. Connect with Tara Viswanathan and Rupa Health Rupa Health LinkedIn Twitter Instagram Facebook Some of the Topics Covered by Tara Viswanathan in this Episode What Rupa Health is and how it started The initial iteration of Rupa Health How Tara initially got people on the Rupa Health platform How Tara got the first prototype for Rupa Health built for only $800 Tara's business model for Rupa Health initially and how this was one of her biggest "mistakes" Tara's troubles in raising her Seed round and how raising a Pre-Seed round was actually a blessing Tara's experience raising a $250K Pre-Seed Round Conversations around splitting up equity and why Tara changed her mind after initially decided an amount Why relative equity is more important than absolute percentages How Tara is approaching growing Rupa Health today Tara's approach to hiring as she scales her company How Tara takes care of her own mental health Tara's journaling routine and how it helps her Tara's experience working with Wim Hof About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects.

Sam Caucci is the Founder & CEO of 1Huddle. He has a firm belief that everybody that works hard deserves access to a job that prepares them and skills them up for work. His product is helping companies across the globe to make training more fun, effective and accessible for their entire workforce. 1Huddle is a workforce training platform that's getting people ready to work using quick-burst games. Leading the charge to help organizations, across the globe, better prepare their people for the workforce. Clients across multiple sectors including professional sports teams, politics/government, hospitality, retail, automotive, college/universities, and more. Featured on CNN, Fox News, CNBC, SKY News, Yahoo! Finance, The Huffington Post, Bloomberg, and The Wall Street Journal. Clients include: vineyard vines, Loews Hotels, ESPN, Audible (an Amazon Company), Novartis, UEFA, Madison Square Garden, the City of Newark, and more. They are proud to be supported by some of the world's best VC's and investors, including 500 Startups and Tribeca Venture Partners. Connect with Sam Caucci and 1Huddle 1Huddle LinkedIn Twitter Instagram YouTube Facebook Some of the Topics Covered by Sam Caucci in this Episode What 1Huddle is and how it started The customer discovery phase of 1Huddle and why Sam started with professional sports teams How Sam went about getting the tech talent to build his platform and why he started with an offshore dev team The business model of 1Huddle and how Sam grew the company through bootstrapping initially What the initial version of 1Huddle looked like How Sam adapts the platform to each company that uses it Why Sam decided to go through the 500 Startups accelerator and what he learned from the experience Raising a seed round within 4 months of completing 500 Startups When Sam decided to bring the technical talent in-house Sam's experience as a solo founder Customer acquisition strategy The land and expand strategy Sam uses on the sales front Setting up a sales team for 1Huddle Building a hiring pipeline with local universities How Sam figured out his ideal customer profile The biggest challenges Sam is thinking about today How Sam invests in himself as a founder and why he's read 70 books in the last year Sam's book suggestions Understanding what your own personal mission statement and values are Links from the Episode Monumental sports 500 Startups Y Combinator Techstars Goodmylk Crossing the Chasm Iman Abuzeid 7 Habits of Highly Effective People The Art of War Long Walk to Freedom His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope Malcolm X Hardcore History About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects.

Dr. Iman Abuzeid is the Co-founder and CEO of Incredible Health, a career marketplace whose custom matching technology offers hospitals the fastest, most effective way to hire qualified permanent nursing staff. By 2024, the United States is poised to experience its biggest employment crisis to date, a shortage of one million nurses, putting patient care in jeopardy and hospitals at risk of significant financial loss. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the nursing shortage, highlighting the need for qualified nurses across the country. Incredible Health is on a mission to reinvent the hospital and healthcare staffing landscape, helping to solve the nursing shortage. As a former medical doctor whose immediate family includes three surgeons, Iman understands the importance of helping healthcare professionals find and do their best work. Incredible Health is based in San Francisco, backed by top tier venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, and is used by hundreds of leading hospitals across the country, including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Stanford Healthcare, Baylor Scott & White and many more. Dr. Abuzeid holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.  Connect with Iman Abuzeid and Incredible Health Incredible Health Incredible Health's Newly Enhanced Platform Free continuing education units Free nurse salary estimator LinkedIn Twitter Some of the Topics Covered by Iman Abuzeid in this Episode How Incredible Health got started Being 1 million nurses short in the U.S. by 2024 How Iman figured out what the initial version of Incredible Health would be Creating a solution that's 10x better than what's currently available How Iman met her co-founder, Rome, and the conversation around going into business together How Iman thought through the equity split early on Raising a few hundred thousand dollars from friends and family to get Incredible Health off the ground Raising a $2.4M Seed Round in 2-3 months after going through the NFX accelerator Raising a $15M Series A in 4-5 weeks led by Jeff Jordan at Andreessen Horowitz Iman's advice for fundraising and creating a process and how her own skills evolved How Iman brought on the first hospitals through cold-calling The MVP of Incredible Health and why you have to fight the urge to ship perfection How the team has grown for Incredible Health The values of Incredible Health and how it's part of everything they do How Incredible Health uses customer insights to develop their platform, operations, and marketing Why Incredible Health offers free continuing education for every nurse in the country How Iman thinks through the products and tools they're going to provide to their customers The sales process of getting hospitals on their platform The 3 biggest value adds of the investors Iman has for Incredible Health Questions that Iman asked of CEOs for reference checks on investors How Iman takes care of her own mental health and why she has a therapist How getting an MBA from Wharton impacted Iman's journey as an entrepreneur Books and blogs that Iman recommends How Iman recharges away from work and why she doesn't work on Saturdays Iman's experience as a minority woman founder Diversity debt Links from the Episode Rome Portlock NFX Jeff Jordan Andreessen Horowitz Obvious Ventures signal.nfx.com James Joaquin The Hard Thing About Hard Things Who (A book on hiring) Above the Crowd by Bill Gurley Stephanie Lampkin Blendoor About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects.

Jack O'Holleran, Co-Founder and CEO of SKALE Labs, is a technology entrepreneur focused on blockchain and decentralized systems. SKALE is solving the blockchain scalability problem by facilitating processing between blockchains and decentralized applications, helping the ecosystem run hundreds of millions of smart contracts and transactions per second. Jack also maintains a strategic advisor role at Aktana which he co-founded in 2008. Aktana is the leading SaaS sales and marketing analytics platform for global life science companies. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Jack O'Holleran SKALE Labs Twitter LinkedIn Some of the Topics Covered by Jack O'Holleran in this Episode What Skale Labs is and how Jack decided to start it The idea of a user-owned economy What drew Jack into the world of cryptocurrency How Jack grew his team and brought his CTO on board Raising a $10M financing round and how Jack learned not to grow too fast The business model behind SKALE as a user-owned network What the SKALE token is and how it works The challenges in making the vision for SKALE Labs a reality Bringing on a number of math-focused engineers from Ukrain The differences in growth from Aktana and what Jack is doing at SKALE Labs Jack's advice for other entrepreneurs on fundraising Using investors as a barometer for your company Equity splits and how Jack thinks about them How Jack manages the short term and long term within SKALE Labs What led Jack to leave his company, Aktana, and start something new The difficulty in leaving a company you originally started Jack's book suggestions Links from the Episode Aktana SaaStr Mike Maples Floodgate Rick Thompson Signia Venture Partners Stan Kladko Cole Zucker Hey Hero Game of Thrones Dune Series Foundation Series

Brooke Harris is the Founder & CEO of Goodmylk Co. While living in L.A., the supposed “health food capital” of the U.S., Brooke’s health deteriorated for a period of time. Brooke decided to turn to an alternative, plant-based diet as a form of healing medicine. But to her surprise, she found her effort to ‘eat healthier’ was actually making her sicker. Through research, Brooke found that many of the binders, thickeners, emulsifiers and preservatives in otherwise “healthy” food were unnecessary and unhealthy. It was then that Brooke realized that she would have to create that ‘something better’. Brooke began to experiment with real food recipes that led to her own health transformation, and she wanted to share her passion with others. She went on to create GOODMYLKCO., a game-changing, industry disrupting plant-based milk product for the masses. Of course, it was not all smooth-sailing. When Brooke initially presented her idea to industry insiders and investors, it was met with skepticism on all fronts. They told her there is ‘good reason’ companies with scale do things a certain way (read:compromise the integrity of the product). For Brooke, this was not an option. She was hellbent on better. After many months of trial and error, Brooke finally developed a proprietary flash-blast freezing technique that allowed her to scale without compromising the nutritional integrity or flavor of her plant milks. And now, GOODMYLKCO. plant milks will soon be available nationwide. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Brooke Harris Goodmylk Co. LinkedIn Instagram Goodmylk Co. Instagram Some of the Topics Covered by Brooke Harris in this Episode What Goodmylk Co. is and how it got started The difficulties in creating high-quality almond milk How Brooke got started in a local farmer's market Why Brooke tested blast-freezing to create her product Brooke's traction with Goodmylk co. before she raised funding Raising $500K in her first round of funding after bootstrapping initially with just $1,500 in the bank Brooke's distribution strategy early on with Goodmylk Co. The use of funds for the initial $500K that Brooke raised How Brooke was able to get products into Blue Bottle Coffee and Soho House The differences in Brooke's first round of funding to her second round How Goodmylk evolved after the second round of funding and how Brooke shifted to a more scalable model The educational component of creating healthy plant-based products How the distribution strategy and customer acquisition strategy has evolved for Goodmylk Co. The challenges that COVID presented for Brooke and her company How Brooke thinks about new product development The importance of timing in launching a new product How Brooke has gone about building her team for Goodmylk Co. and how Predictive Index has been useful for her in the hiring process How Brooke looks at competition in her industry What Brooke does to recharge away from work Links from the Episode Blue Bottle Coffee Masters of Scale Vanessa Dew Soho House Jesse Scheff Predictive Index Jordi Hays Purple Cow Crossing the Chasm Food Fix

Jyri Engeström is the Co-Founder and General Partner at Yes VC, an early-stage venture capital firm based in San Francisco. They invest in the pre-seed and seed stages of companies set in motion by social movements. In his previous role at True Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm, he invested in e.g. Iceye, building a constellation of radar satellites to track climate change. As an angel investor he's invested in Moves (acquired by Facebook), Applifier (acquired by Unity), Betabrand, Oura and others. As an entrepreneur, he has founded, grown, and negotiated the acquisition of two mobile consumer companies: Jaiku, a mobile social network acquired by Google; and Ditto, a mobile local recommendations app acquired by Groupon. As an executive, he has run product teams. At Google, he was the product manager responsible for the Gmail mobile app, Mobile Calendar, and Google's social networking efforts. At Groupon, he was Director of Product Management on the executive team that started and grew Groupon’s point-of-sale and payments businesses. He was the Head of Product at Boosted, an electric vehicle company that created the Boosted Board electric skateboard. At Nokia, he was Sr. Product Manager of Internet Handhelds. He is also co-founder of Sesat School, a micro-school in San Francisco; and serve on the board of the Rare Cancer Research Foundation. He also co-owns a café in Helsinki.  About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Jyri Engeström Yes VC Twitter LinkedIn partners@yes.vc Some of the Topics Covered by Jyri in this Episode How Jyri decided to start Yes VC in 2018 with his life partner, Caterina Fake Why Yes VC is focused on social movements Making 20 investments and the $13M Fund he ended up raising The check size of Yes VC of $250K - $1.5M w/ the smallest bet of $30K How Jyri is managing his deal flow for Yes VC and what's happening in the early-stage venture capital world "Mango Seed" rounds of funding as a trend in VC The $6M fund of Rahul Vohra and $6.7M fund of Chris Sacca The dynamic of smaller funds and who they invest in Why 3 of 5 investments of Yes VC were invested at the moment of founding Finding potential founders before they even start companies and why Yes VC seeds ideas in smart people COVID in the town of Bolinas and they offered testing for ALL the residents The diligence process at Yes VC and why they focus on founder-product fit How many deals Jyri is looking at and what entrepreneurs need to understand about venture capitalists Why 50% of their investments are from their founder network or early angel investors looking for early-stage funds to lead the round "The obligatory point of passage" Why Jyri believes the best founders now are building portfolios Jyri's experience starting and selling Jaiku to Google Selling his second company, Ditto, to Groupon Links from the Episode True Ventures Caterina Fake Etsy Kickstarter Jerry Yang Phil Black Jon Callaghan Founders Fund Rahul Vohra Chris Sacca Entrepreneur First Y Combinator Blue Bottle Coffee Reconnect Softbank Jack Dorsey Indie Hackers Andrew Mason Descript

Matthew Stoudt is the CEO and Co-Founder of AppliedVR where he is pioneering virtual reality therapeutics (VRx), the next generation of digital therapeutics. Leveraging the unique therapeutic properties of VR, AppliedVR is on a mission to enable patients with chronic pain to improve their lives through safe, effective and self-administered VRx. AppliedVR is backed by leading institutions including the NIH via the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the VA, Cedars-Sinai, Cleveland Clinic, Geisinger and over 150 other institutions.  Matthew is an accomplished entrepreneur who founded and built Outcast Media, the largest out of home digital media platform in the US, exiting to Verifone in 2014. Prior to Outcast, Matthew was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at McDonald’s where he launched several successful businesses including a digital media platform in multiple countries. Matthew began his professional career in investment banking and private equity, having raised over $1 billion in growth capital for a variety of businesses across multiple sectors. Matthew earned his MBA at Kellogg Graduate School of Business graduating with honors and his BA from Northwestern University.  Matthew is an avid traveler with a mission to visit every country in the world...if COVID will let him. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Matthew Stoudt AppliedVR LinkedIn Twitter AppliedVR LinkedIn AppliedVR Instagram AppliedVR Twitter AppliedVR Facebook AppliedVR YouTube Matthew@appliedvr.io Some of the Topics Covered by Matthew Stoudt in this Episode How AppliedVR got started How Matthew's wife sitting next to the CMO of Magic Leap on an airplane led Matthew to get into the world of VR What Matthew did to get AppliedVR off the ground Why the greatest impact for VR in healthcare is getting a device into patients' homes The impact of COVID on healthcare How Matthew has gone about building his team for AppliedVR Building the experience of AppliedVR's chronic pain platform Creating a proprietary biodata platform and transferring the experience into VR Combining hardware and software to create a solution for pain management Learnings from working with 60,000 patients and sending over 1,000 devices into patients' homes How Matthew and his team have gotten AppliedVR into the hands of as many patients as possible Partnerships and how they have helped AppliedVR build a trustworthy brand Why you have to tap into the entire healthcare ecosystem if you want to create real change Meeting an unmet need for patients, providers, and payers The fundraising process for AppliedVR and how they raised $23M Why it's important to be able to tell a compelling narrative New technology and how that impacts Matthew's vision for AppliedVR Why Matthew believes AppliedVR can become the CVS of VR How Matthew's time is spent day-to-day at AppliedVR Links from the Episode Magic Leap Oculus Real change through virtual reality IASP Pico Cedars-Sinai American Chronic Pain Association Beth Darnall

Holger Seim is the Co-Founder and CEO of Blinkist. Founded in 2012 by four friends, Blinkist now connects 15 million readers worldwide to the biggest ideas from bestselling nonfiction via 15-minute audio and text. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Holger Seim Blinkist LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Some of the Topics Covered by Holger Seim in this Episode What Blinkist is and how they're helping people fit more learning into their lives How Holger and his co-founders chose Blinkist over other ideas What Holger did first to get Blinkist off the ground How Blinkist raised money in 2012 without a product How Holger chooses which books to "blink" and what the blinks would include How Blinkist works with freelancers to breakdown books and why they look for subject matter experts How Holger and his team make each blink more engaging The legalities of the Blinkist business model Why Blinkist partners with authors and publishers and isn't cannibalizing book sales The challenges of book discovery The evolution of the Blinkist business model and how they look at pricing Early customer acquisition for Blinkist How Holger looks at allocation between different acquisition channels Deciding which influencers to work with Why testing is so important when creating a startup How Holger uses the Blinkist web app as a customer acquisition tool for the Blinkist app How the main call-to-action on the Blinkist homepage has evolved and why they offer a free trial now Holger seeing someone use Blinkist in real life for the first time Understanding how businesses actually impact people Company culture and how Holger's upbringing has impacted it Raising funds initially for Blinkist (150,000 Euros) The difference between raising your initial round of funding and subsequent rounds Some of the questions investors ask when you're raising a later round of funding How Holger and his co-founders looked at splitting equity and the roles between the founders Holger's approach to hiring and why he recommends hiring an HR generalist early on for a startup "Rich vs. King," and why Holger and his Co-Founders veer towards keeping control Holger's goal of reading 24 books in the year How COVID-19 has impacted Blinkist Links from the Episode Goodreads The New York Times Best Sellers Outbrain Taboola Hubble Contacts Mindset: The New Psychology of Success What You Do Is Who You Are

Omar Zenhom is the co-founder and CEO of WebinarNinja. Founded in 2014, over a million people have attended a webinar on WebinarNinja, and it has been named as one of the fastest-growing SaaS companies in 2018. Omar is also is the host of the iTunes Best of 2014 podcast, The $100 MBA Show. With over 130 million downloads and over 1,600 episodes, The $100 MBA Show is ranked as a top business podcast in over 30 countries.  About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Omar Zenhom The $100 MBA The $100 MBA Show on Apple Podcasts WebinarNinja WebinarnNinja Course WebinarNinja Facebook WebinarNinja Twitter LinkedIn Twitter Some of the Topics Covered by Omar Zenhom in this Episode How Omar started The $100 MBA Show Omar's 1st podcast, with 46 episodes of "People Who Know Their Shit" The importance of leveraging your strengths How Omar knew his first show was a failure and he decided to pivot Omar's experience at New Media Expo and how it influenced him starting a podcast The first few months of The $100 MBA Show and why Omar recorded the first 5 episodes multiple times Why Omar launched The $100 MBA Show with 30 episodes already recorded Growing to 10,000 downloads/episode after a few months of The $100 MBA Show launch Getting to 1,600+ episodes with 120,000 downloads/episode The importance of just getting started How Omar doubled down on the podcast and why he took voice lessons Why being consistent and focusing on the quality of the show is everything for growing a podcast How Omar and his team craft their curriculum for their show Why Omar decided to start WebinarNinja Building a SaaS company and how Omar builds his team The "CEO mode" and the "worker bee mode" as a founder Growing the podcast to 130 million total downloads WebinarNinja's 300% growth in the last year Why Omar hasn't gotten bored after doing more than 1,600 podcast episodes The dynamic of running a business with your life partner How Omar recharges outside of work and why snowboarding is such a good activity to get immersed in Omar's advice for other entrepreneurs Links from the Episode Nicole Baldinu New Media Expo Gary Vaynerchuk Tim Ferriss Pat Flynn Jordan Harbinger Entrepreneurs on Fire WordPress Steve Jobs Biography Elon Musk Biography Allison Ferenci The Hard Thing About Hard Things Zero to One Shoe Dog Essentialism Steal the Show I Can't Make This Up A Life in Parts Open

Allison Ferenci is the co-founder and CEO of Camera IQ, the world's first augmented reality platform for camera marketing. Camera IQ unites the camera ecosystem to enable brands create and deliver captivating AR experiences at scale. Allison has been creating new realities since she started her dual MFA in Interior Design and Digital Interactive Art at Pratt Institute. Exploring the intersection between design, architecture and human interaction, Allison became interested in how technology could bridge our online and offline worlds. In 2016, Allison founded Camera IQ on the thesis that the camera is no longer just the camera. Camera IQ helps brands build new interactive experiences that captivate audiences. Since inception, they have worked with major brands and are in partnership talks with major platforms. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Allison Ferenci Camera IQ Facebook Instagram Twitter Snapchat Medium LinkedIn Allison on Twitter Some of the Topics Covered by Allison Ferenci in this Episode Allison's background and how it led to her starting Camera IQ Meeting her co-founder, Sonia Tsao and her advice on what to look for in a co-founder The original business model for Camera IQ and how it has evolved Determining their pricing model Being in category creation Why Allison recommends bootstrapping at the beginning The challenges of fundraising as female founders and what Allison learned from the experience Early customer acquisition and exploring different verticals Hiring technical employees as non-technical founders How Allison approaches product development Camera IQ's relationship with different platforms Different use cases for Camera IQ, and how COVID has expanded opportunities How Allison views the future of AR How Allison sees success and failure Allison's book recommendations How Allison recharges away from work Allison's advice for entrepreneurs Links from the Episode Adobe Figma #131: Olivia Owens, Creator and General Manager of IFundWomen of Color and Head of Partnerships at IFundWomen, a Platform for Female Entrepreneurs to Raise Capital Through Crowdfunding Shasta Ventures Marketo Twilio Salesforce NEW INC (New Museum) Andy Weissman at Union Square Ventures Spotify Neiman Marcus Refinery29 R/GA New York Fashion Tech Lab Atlantic Records Republic Records Interscope Records Software development kit Bumble Snapchat Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert The Messy Middle by Scott Belsky Daily Rituals by Mason Currey

Ryan Emmons is the co-founder and CEO of Waiakea, the first Hawaiian Volcanic Water of its kind. Waiakea's mission is to provide healthy, delicious, Hawaiian volcanic water to people throughout the world with as little impact as possible while contributing to and promoting conservation and access to clean water and education for people in need throughout the world. This is embodied by Waiākea’s slogan “Drink Healthy, Drink Sustainably, Drink Ethically”. Waiākea volcanic water originates in Hawai’i through both snowmelt and rain on the pristine peak of the active Mauna Loa volcano, one of the purest environments on Earth. The water is then filtered through thousands of feet of porous volcanic rock that enriches Waiākea with a variety of trace minerals, making it electrolyte rich and naturally alkaline, before emerging at its source, surrounded by rich forest preserves just outside quiet Hilo town. In accordance with the Hawaiian practice and notion of “malama i ka ‘aina”, meaning “to respect and care for the land”, Waiākea is also proud to be the first American premium bottled water and beverage to be certified Carbon Neutral for its variety of eco-initiatives, including using 100% RPET packaging, sustainable sourcing, and its regional reforestation projects. On top of this, every bottle bought guarantees funding through PumpAid.Org that provides over 650 liters of clean water to those in need in developing countries...Waiākea is truly unlike any other water on the planet. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Ryan Emmons Waiakea Facebook Instagram Twitter Pinterest Waiakea on Amazon LinkedIn Some of the Topics Covered by Ryan Emmons in this Episode How Ryan's Hawaiian roots led to him founding Waiakea Becoming an entrepreneur Starting Waiakea while at USC Proving a differentiated product Early informal fundraising and getting a loan Building an ethical brand and a premium product Finding their first distributor Getting into Whole Foods Attending trade shows Expanding the business beyond natural channels into e-commerce, food service, convenient stores Product placement within stores Value alignment with distributors Being the first 100% upcycled bottle company The challenges of transitioning to their own production facility Going from 50 to 90% OEE Waiakea's social initiatives How Ryan views fundraising Prioritizing profitability and scalability The value Ryan found in executive education Overcoming challenges and what motivates Ryan Links from the Episode Santa Barbaraopoly Undergraduate Entrepreneurship at USC Marshall Rick's Running Water Expo West Trade Show SPINS #124: Loren Brill, CEO & Founder of Sweet Loren’s, the Clean Food Company With Delicious Non-GMO, Gluten-Free, Vegan Cookie Dough Available in 10,000+ Stores Nationwide Wawa Convenience Stores Shopify Pump Aid Entrepreneurs' Organization Birthing of Giants Mastering the Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish Scaling Up by Verne Harnish #56: Rand Fishkin, Founder of SparkToro, Author of Lost and Founder, and Former Co-founder and CEO of Moz YPO

Ronda Fraley is the founder of The Wine Party Co., making it easy to drink great wine and learn about it. Wine shouldn't be overwhelming. That's why Ronda created a digital wine platform that offers wines that are highly-curated, experiences that are ready-to-host, wine classes, and an inclusive community so that you can experience wine with confidence and without judgement. The Wine Party Co. came from the idea that good wine - which comes with a lot of confusion, uncertainty, and intimidation surrounding its many variations - can be made approachable. And give you a damn good reason to gather people together. Ronda is not your typical wine pro and she didn't set out to recreate your typical wine experience. The company’s approachable and inclusive vibe is a reflection of her career spent in hospitality, creating memorable experiences for guests and employees alike. Ronda's certifications from the Court of Master Sommeliers and Wine & Spirits Education Trust show that she knows what she’s talking about, but it’s her passion for bringing people together that is changing the way you experience wine for the better. Her focus on a healthier lifestyle also guides her wine selections. It’s why you’ll always find organic wines from small producers who pour love into their vineyards and their wines. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Ronda Fraley The Wine Party Co. Instagram Pinterest LinkedIn Some of the Topics Covered by Ronda Fraley in this Episode How Ronda got inspired to start The Wine Party Co. and how the idea evolved into what it is today Going from passion project to full time entrepreneur Why Ronda decided to bootstrap the business Customer acquisition through networking Why the freemium model has worked for Ronda The business model for The Wine Party Co. Low-budget marketing and exploring partnerships What makes a good webinar How Ronda is approaching growth for The Wine Party Co. How Ronda views competition and what makes her company unique How Ronda sources her wines from small businesses Short term execution versus long term vision The Wine Party Co.'s current traction Expectations versus reality regarding entrepreneurship Incorporating customer feedback Ronda's book recommendations How Ronda recharges away from work The importance of adaptability Ronda's advice for entrepreneurs Links from the Episode Dreamers & Doers Female Founders Collective Women Who Love Wine Key Ingredient Simply LaKita To taste Slack #59: Austin Rief, Co-Founder and COO of Morning Brew, on Growing to Over 1 Million Newsletter Subscribers Beaune Imports Farm Wine Imports Rinascimento Wine Co. Traction by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares

Shahira Marei is the Founder and CEO of The Dirty Cookie, which sells custom branded cookies in shot glass form that you can fill with any beverage you’d like. Their customizable cookie shots combine all of your favorite things about an after-school snack into a dish-free, premium dessert experience.  Shahira is an Egyptian American who was raised in Orange County, California. She started her career as an aerospace project manager at The Boeing Company and holds an MBA in management and a bachelors in marketing from California State University Fullerton. In 2015, five months after giving birth to her daughter, Shahira started her first business, The Dirty Cookie. The Dirty Cookie was the first company in the world to innovate a new way to drink your milk from your cookie, creating a custom cookie cup. The Dirty Cookie has been featured on Business Insider, The Today Show, FOX news, The Food Network, The Cooking Channel and much more. Shahira is passionate about bringing people and communities together and in 2018 founded a nonprofit in Southern California, LEAP (League of Egyptian American Professionals) to bring the Young Egyptian American Professionals together. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Shahira Marei The Dirty Cookie Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter LinkedIn welcome@thedirtycookieoc.com Some of the Topics Covered by Shahira Marei in this Episode What The Dirty Cookie is Where Shahira got her entrepreneurial spirit from at a young age Leaving Boeing to start The Dirty Cookie Signing a 5-year lease before having her business idea The first steps Shahira took to start her business The blessing and curse of being naive as an entrepreneur How Shahira managed financially and the early surprises as she was getting started Knowing what kind of entrepreneur you are Customer acquisition and marketing strategies for The Dirty Cookie Juggling a full-time job, being a new founder, and having a baby Expanding into online distribution, catering, and wholesale Deciding to close down the storefront The challenges of e-commerce How COVID has affected The Dirty Cookie and how Shahira has adapted the business Shahira's plan to transition from bootstrapping to fundraising How Shahira has been approaching new product development Shahira's podcast and book recommendations How Shahira recharges away from work Shahira's meditation and journaling practices The biggest lessons Shahira has learned along the way and her advice for entrepreneurs Shahira's support system Links from the Episode Boeing The Dirty Cookie on Business Insider The Dirty Cookie on The Food Network The Dirty Cookie on The Cooking Channel The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas The Dirty Cookie on The Today Show How I Built This with Guy Raz on NPR (podcast) Good to Great by Jim Collins The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod Transcendental Meditation The Silva Method of Meditation One Line a Day Journal Entrepreneurs' Organization Tory Burch Fellows Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses

Jesse Scheff is the Founder and CEO of Easyupp, an online platform that allows a salesperson to sell a car from any dealership. EasyUpp is dedicated to providing great dealers and salespeople a platform to help more customers. Built on relationships, Easyupp believes that the people are the purpose. If a salesperson has a customer that wants to buy from them, they should never be limited by inventory. Easyupp provides salespeople a way to help that customer at any dealership and provide dealerships with customers they would have never reached otherwise. Jesse is the President of National Auto Dealers Association class, and likes to approach old challenges in new ways. He is a 3x Ford Triple Crown Award Winner--awarded to only 21 dealers nationally, and he doubled year over year departmental profit and pushed annual sales well over $200 million. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Jesse Scheff EasyUpp Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Jesse on Twitter jesse@easyupp.com Some of the Topics Covered by Jesse Scheff in this Episode What is EasyUpp and the pain point it is designed to solve The first steps Jesse took to start EasyUpp Early customer discovery From being a one-man show to finding a co-founder What the EasyUpp platform started as and how it has evolved EasyUpp's business model and determining pricing Onboarding sales people and dealership partners Geographic expansion and growth Early bootstrapping and Jesse's advice for early-stage fundraising Networking to find investors Determining use of funds Figuring out when to utilize prior industry experience and when to set assumptions aside Jesse's resource recommendations and consuming relevant content The biggest challenges Jesse has faced on his entrepreneurial journey The effect COVID has had on Easyupp and the automotive industry Links from the Episode #134: Zuleyka Strasner, Founder and CEO of Zero, on Building a Convenient Zero-Waste Grocery Delivery Service, Becoming the Largest Sustainability Platform in the U.S., and Growing 15X in 5 Months Akimbo with Seth Godin (podcast) Seth Godin's Startup School (podcast) Y Combinator resources The Twenty Minute VC with Harry Stebbings (podcast) This Week in Startups (podcast) Zero to One by Peter Thiel The Lean Startup by Eric Ries Tim Ferriss on learning Slack Carvana

Peter Davis is the founder and CEO of Ampjar, a karmic advertising community that helps small brands to acquire customers through a fast and simple exchange of shout outs. Prior to running Ampjar, Pete ran a social and digital media agency which worked with household name brands in 6 countries. Pete sold the business to Private Equity in 2017. Pete is based out of Melbourne Australia where he lives with his wife Maria and 5 year-old twin girls. He plays soccer though admits his dreams of ever pulling on the shirt of his boyhood club Norwich City have probably gone, though it depends how bad they can actually get! Connect with Peter Davis Ampjar Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Pete on Twitter pete@ampjar.com This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media and Toptal. More on both of them below. Some of the Topics Covered by Peter Davis in this Episode How Peter got started with Ampjar The business model for Ampjar How their pricing model has evolved over the years Deciding to fund-raise for Ampjar Getting hand-picked by Jason Calacanis to participate in the LAUNCH Accelerator Peter's experience going through the accelerator and fundraising The sacrifices made by the partners and families of entrepreneurs Deciding to build a remote team Customer acquisition and Ampjar's scouting program How Ampjar's network works and the application and onboarding process The challenges of being a network effect company Ampjar's current traction How Peter maintains relationships with investors How Ampjar has supported its community during COVID The big vision for Ampjar How Peter's previous experience running a social and digital media agency has impacted how he runs Ampjar Peter's book recommendations How Peter recharges away from work Links from the Episode Jason Calacanis LAUNCH Accelerator #134: Zuleyka Strasner, Founder and CEO of Zero, on Building a Convenient Zero-Waste Grocery Delivery Service, Becoming the Largest Sustainability Platform in the U.S., and Growing 15X in 5 Months Chip Meakem at Tribeca Venture Partners Slack Zoom Basecamp Canva Who Gives A Crap Turning the Flywheel by Jim Collins The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work"​, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects.