Podcasts about resources from the interview

Email productivity ranks highly on the list of desirable outcomes for business owners, and today we have Rahul Vohra on the show, the brains behind the fastest email experience available, Superhuman! Rahul explains the philosophy behind the company and why the product has created its own buzz, more than anything. We get into some of the early periods of their story and the work that Rahul did before founding Superhuman too. Rahul does a great job sharing some of the secret sauce that has gone into the success he and his company have experienced, giving a detailed rundown of their marketing funnel and the important conversations he had with customers early on. We touch on the power of word of mouth, gaining the attention of the right investors, and how a history in game design has informed the way that Rahul thinks about email. Their tool is such a great example of finding a need in the market and servicing it with almost pinpoint accuracy, and the way that Rahul and his team have gone about this is truly inspiring, you will not want to miss this! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:46] Rahul's backstory leading up to his work on Superhuman. [01:23] How Rahul's company, Rapportive, was acquired by LinkedIn.  [04:24] Some interesting financial and business metrics of Superhuman! [06:04] The marketing strategy around the launch and waitlist model of Superhuman. [07:49] The methods that Superhuman used for customer development and how they generated such intense loyalty. [11:30] The power of word of mouth marketing combined with small paid experiments.  [13:04] Efficient customer meetings and injecting a company into the news cycle. [19:21] Clarifying the customer funnel at Superhuman!  [21:00] Rahul's reflections on working with Marc Andreessen. [24:02] Getting the attention of big venture capital firms; different routes to explore.  [27:28] The influence of game design on Rahul's philosophy towards Superhuman. [30:39] The exciting future of Superhuman that has Rahul looking forward! [31:20] Business trends that Rahul is currently excited about as an angel investor. [32:09] The music tool that keeps Rahul on track and productive! [32:32] Two great book recommendations from Rahul. [33:13] Connecting with Rahul online and on social media.   Resources From The Interview:   Rahul Vohra on LinkedIn Superhuman Rahul Vohra on Twitter Andreessen Horowitz Netscape Marc Andreessen  Todd and Rahul's Angel Fund Brain.fm  Must read books: The Art of Game Design, Gardens of the Moon   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

Today we have Melanie Deziel, the founder and chief content officer at StoryFuel, a company that equips marketers, creators, and sales professionals with the skill and strategies that they need to tell better brand stories. Because human beings are storytellers by nature, we connect far better with stories than cold, hard facts, and Melanie helps people to leverage brand narratives to promote their businesses by speaking to people’s emotional side. For her, good content marketing is audience-centered and focuses on their needs and wants, so you should consider content that educates or helps them through a certain process – that’s why good DIY videos get so many views! In this episode, Melanie talks about her background working for large media brands, why she decided to go on her own to pursue entrepreneurship, and the different ways they teach brands about content marketing. She dishes out some tips for finding inspiration and creating captivating brand stories and how they help people to get past their limiting beliefs and start producing the content they have always talked about. Also, be sure to check out her new book The Content Fuel Strategy in which she shares all her expertise and best practices!  TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [01:52] Melanie’s background in journalism and how she got involved in content marketing.  [02:24] Hear about the big media companies she worked for, including The Huffington Post. [03:00] Discovering that going on her own would offer her far more business opportunities. [03:33] Their focus on educating brands about creating and leveraging content for marketing.   [04:40] How they make their money through speaking engagements, consulting, coaching, etc. [05:53] Where most people fall short with content marketing – not putting the audience first.    [07:12] Why brand stories will always be relevant to the impression we make on others.  [08:20] Examples of how our everyday experiences can be rich sources of inspiration.  [09:08] Using process-focused, ‘how to’ content, and other advice for telling better brand stories. [11:14] The advantages of thinking like a journalist and how to apply it to content marketing.  [12:56] How ‘content therapy’ helps people conquer their limiting beliefs about creating content.  [14:08] Melanie talks about The Content Fuel Framework and what readers will get out of it.  [16:07] Hear how the Inbox When Ready plug-in can help you keep control of your inbox.  [17:42] How the books Exactly What to Say and How to Be Antiracist changed her life.  [18:26] The best people to teach you about using Twitter and the entrepreneurial journey.     Resources From The Interview:   Melanie Deziel on LinkedIn StoryFuel The Content Fuel Framework AnswerThePublic The Huffington Post The New York Times They Ask You Answer Content Marketing Institute Native Advertising Institute HubSpot Inbox When Ready Rand Fishkin on Twitter Must-read book: Exactly What to Say and How to Be Antiracist    Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

Today we have Timothy Sykes on the show! Tim is the CEO of TLC Media, which is an educational community that allows members to interact with the best traders online. Their philosophy is one of transparency and so the experts on the platform, including Tim, show all their wins and losses. Our guest is also the co-founder of Karmagawa, which is a social charity, dedicated to improving living conditions and the environment around the world. Tim currently funnels all of his stock trading profits into this cause and one of his main goals is to inspire and help others to give more! Tim tells us about his approach to the aspects of his life, from being real and leading by example, to differentiating yourself in a market. We also get into some thoughts on going viral and Tim's attitude of experimentation for his wide-ranging ventures. He explains his commitment to playing to his strengths and outsourcing the rest, before we discuss a long term attitude towards success and putting impact over profits. Tim urges listeners to get loud and get attention, and makes a strong case for more honesty in the business and trading worlds. To hear it all from an energetic and impactful figure, join us today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [01:03] Tim's social and charity work and the resultant founding of Karmagawa.  [02:28] The transition Tim made from focussing solely on materialism.  [03:36] The financials around Karmagawa and how it remains possible.  [05:30] Tim's aspirations to inspire others to give more! [07:26] The optics of charity and getting away from looking slimy and fake. [08:52] How Tim stays abreast of all the issues he wants to help with.  [10:34] An overly busy schedule and Tim's continual challenge of keeping up! [12:01] How Tim's educational business operates; the lessons he offers from TLC Media.  [12:59] A look at the growth of TLC Media and the speed at which this happening. [14:09] Tim's focus on his strengths and the employment and outsourcing around those.  [16:20] This moment in history; remote work, considering health, and bringing back morality. [18:31] Tim's daily routine content stack; trading, charity work, eating, and more! [19:56] The pricing at TLC Media for different programs. [20:29] The evolution of Tim's business strategy and marketing plan. [21:20] Changes in the mission and the ongoing task of cutting through the BS. [23:39] Tim's advice for growing your Instagram account and going viral. [27:01] Throwing everything out there to see what sticks; forget about the strategy! [29:19] Impact over profit — gaining credibility through honesty. [30:41] The business trends that have Tim excited right now. [33:47] The media that Tim has recently enjoyed the most. [35:29] Tim's must-read book recommendation: Hit Makers.   Resources From The Interview:   Timothy Sykes  TLC Media  Karmagawa  Bow Wow  Chuck Finney Bill Gates Warren Buffett   Robinhood  CELCIUS  Elon Musk Tesla  Evernote   mmhmm  Kardashians Medici    Game of Thrones   Dan Bilzerian     Must read book: Hit Makers     Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:      Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

Joining us on Leveling Up today is the CEO of kovai.com, Saravana Kumar! Kovai is an enterprise software company, and we get to hear from our guest about their past, present, and exciting future! Saravana is an amazing person and an excellent entrepreneur, who has a number of balls in the air. Apart from his main work at Kovai he is also dedicated to helping the community and spreading skills and wealth to people beyond himself! We talk about establishing a community in a niche market, something that Kovai has done so well in the last few years before we get into their customer acquisition strategies and how they make money. Saravana also unpacks important moments in the company's evolution, such as the move to India from the UK that was made in aid of scaling. We finish off this great chat with our usual questions, with Saravana sharing his favorite business book and tools, and how these have helped him up his game. So for all of this and a whole lot more, make sure to tune in with us today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:31] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [01:30] Saravana's personal story and path leading to his current position and company. [03:50] The move that Kovai made to India in order to scale more quickly.  [06:38] Kovai's important numbers currently; revenue and employees. [07:14] The lead up to hitting the $1 million annual recurring revenue mark.  [08:05] The bootstrap model that Saravana and Kovai have relied on. [09:37] Reasons that Saravana has turned down all the venture capital he has been offered.  [11:27] The economic model for Kovai and where they make their money! [12:30] Customer acquisition strategies at the company and what has been working recently.  [14:34] Saravana's ambitions for spreading wealth, learning and expertise to others. [17:15] How Saravana splits his time between his different projects and passions. [18:36] The two business tools that have helped Saravana recently with his company. [19:21] A must-read book recommendation from Saravana! [20:42] The impact that the Traction framework had on Saravana and his systems.   Resources From The Interview:   Saravana Kumar Kovai.co SaaStock  Microsoft Zapier Azure Zendesk Intercom Freshdesk  HelpSTAR  Pipe OneNote Microsoft Teams Slack Tim Ferriss Traction Must read book: The Millionaire Fastlane   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

Joining us for this episode is Erik Kostelnik, the co-founder and CEO at Postal.io, a leading B2B offline engagement platform that automates direct mail and gifting in the sales and marketing world, helping businesses to improve their customer acquisition and better engage with prospects. While their customer base might seemingly tell a different story, this company has been operational for only 78 days and has achieved remarkable growth amid the pandemic and the economic crisis facing many other companies. Erik shares how their technological advancements have allowed their customers to achieve unusual results, explaining that regular mail is often better received than email and, since it has been proven that the coronavirus cannot live on mail pieces, it has remained a trusted form of communications between businesses and their customers. Postal.io works on a subscription basis that caters to a range of customer needs, from the most basic $19/mo package to a comprehensive one for teams of plus-minus a thousand. Erik talks about why businesses should consider scaling their direct mail and gifting, why they had to adjust their industry and persona market fit early on, the success they had with the growth strategies of creating a marketplace and maintaining a close relationship with integration partners, and how they went about hiring the best executive staff.  TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:24] Erik talks about his sales and leadership story over the last 20 years.   [01:01] Get a sense of what postal.io offers and an example of a practical use case.  [02:18] How the firm’s technology has enabled their customers to achieve unexpected results.  [04:05] The importance of scaling your personal direct mail, gifting, donations, and more.    [04:28] Erik talks about their subscription-based model that offers something for everyone.  [05:52] The firm’s impressive customer count after just 78 days and amid the pandemic.  [07:37] Why it is 100% safe to receive and open physical mail and packages.  [08:13] How people’s response to mail and email differs and how it can be leveraged. [09:52] Erik responds to a question about how long it will take them to get to product-market fit.   [11:52] Why they have had to adjust their industry and persona market fit. [12:38] The success they have had with the growth strategy of creating a marketplace. [13:45] Maintaining a close relationship with integration partners and providing value to them.    [14:21] Erik shares how he defines and thinks about risk analyses. [15:49] Why technology entrepreneurs must take a step back at times.  [17:23] How they went about hiring a full staff of executives from their trusted network.  [17:48] The tool that Erik uses to read without the bother of advertisers and blockers.  [18:14] Erik’s app for getting the most important summaries from all kinds of business books.    Resources From The Interview:   Erik Kostelnik on LinkedIn Postal.io Outreach Hive Cisco VMware Salesforce SalesLoft Zapier Marketo  Mayfield Just Read getAbstract Coronavirus IX: Evictions (John Oliver) Must-read book: Lincoln on Leadership    Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

In this episode, we have Pete Lamson, the CEO of JazzHR, an SMB-focused recruiting software/applicant tracking system company designed to streamline the hiring process. Unlike most of their competitors who are focused on the mid- and enterprise market, JazzHR serves small businesses of anything between 50 and 500 employees, offering a solid product that they continue to improve as well as delivering industry-leading customer support. Pete discusses why customer retention is such a high priority for them and how, during the height of the COVID pandemic, they remained laser-focused on getting results for their customers and investors. As part of their customer experience strategy, they offer free onboarding services that allow their customers to get comfortable and confident with their software so that they can get the most out of it – just one of their many strategies for offering top-class customer support. Switching the topic to his role as CEO, Pete discusses his recruitment by JazzHR four years ago and how the founder Don Charlton managed to strike the perfect balance between supporting him while also giving him enough space to develop his own ideas, and he advises listeners on the most important considerations for any new CEO. For more on recruitment software, founder-CEO relationships, and customer experience, be sure to tune in!  TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:49] Pete talks about his entrepreneurial career and his biggest influences along the way.  [02:19] Learn what kind of business JazzHR is and how Pete and his team make money.  [03:11] How their solution simplifies and improves the recruiting process for their customers. [04:11] Hear some impressive metrics on their ARR, number of employees, and growth rate. [05:04] What makes JazzHR different from other recruitment software companies.  [06:53] Some of the positive feedback they are getting and their focus on customer retention.  [07:45] Advice for driving good customer experience, including offering onboarding services.  [10:53] Pete talks about their approach to onboarding new customers and the time it takes.  [11:35] Being recruited as the CEO four years ago and how the board equipped him to succeed.  [13:58] Get a sense of how effectively the founder Don Charlton supports Pete as the CEO.  [17:10] The actions Pete and his team have had to take to keep afloat when the pandemic hit.  [20:03] Overcoming the downturn by continuing to prioritize results for customers and investors.  [21:03] The most important PMF-related questions to consider as a new CEO.  [23:10] Pete talks about Sisense as his most trusted tool, especially in the context of COVID.    Resources From The Interview:   Pete Lamson on LinkedIn JazzHR Carbonite Indeed ZipRecruiter Taleo  Greenhouse Don Charlton on LinkedIn Kommute Sisense Must-read book: The Hard Thing About Hard Things   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

In almost all situations, the more personalized the piece, the more you will have to pay, and the waiting time for made-to-order is months, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Today’s guest is Christiane Lemieux, Founder and CEO of The Inside, an online furniture store that provides custom made, on-demand furniture that remains exclusive by utilizing technology. Christiane is a creative tech entrepreneur, and today we talk to her about what this means while exploring her journey launching Dwell Studio, The Inside, and what is in store for the world from her new company, Lemieux Et Cie. Christiane gets into the business models of her different companies, how she bridged technology with creativity at different stages of her career, and her strategy and vision for the launch of Lemieux Et Cie. She weighs in on the innovations the technology-powered, furniture on-demand model at The Inside brings to the world of made-to-order e-commerce. Christiane shares about how she is taking her products a tier higher with Lemiuex Et Cie, and why she plans to launch her new business in the IRL retail world. Christiane also details some of her experiences building a best in class, remote-first tech team as she transitioned from her position at Wayfair into a then-fledgling The Inside. For a great conversation about innovation that blends design and technology, make sure you tune in for this interview with Christiane Lemieux. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [01:09] Christiane’s journey from starting Dwell Studio and how she became a creative tech entrepreneur. [02:10] Selling Dwell Studio to Wayfair, working there, and the tech that went into starting The Inside.  [03:08] Made on demand furniture that remains exclusive by utilizing technology: How The Inside works. [03:35] Not needing a warehouse and having no waste: Advantages of The Inside’s business model. [04:19] Products at The Inside, and their pricing which starts from as low as $20. [04:40] Why the custom order model at The Inside produces stickier customers.  [06:04] How COVID is affecting digitally-first companies and businesses selling homeware. [07:35] The higher-end offerings by Christiane’s new company Lemieux Et Cie. [09:17] Getting people back on the streets and why Lemieux Et Cie is not enabling e-commerce instantly. [09:58] How The Inside landed its first customers using the usual D2C advertising playbook. [10:44] Challenges growing The Inside; escalated marketing costs for second wave D2C companies. [11:57] Retail competitors and the launch plan for Lemieux Et Cie once they enable e-commerce. [13:55] The difference between a creative entrepreneur and a tech one and what blending them means. [14:57] How Christiane leveled up at Wayfair and by hiring her own engineers for The Inside. [15:55] Building a brilliant, remote tech team from scratch by using Toptal. [17:11] A valuable tool Christiane uses and recommends for tweaking your stack rank.   Resources From The Interview:   Christiane Lemieux on LinkedIn Lemieux Et Cie The Inside Dwell Studio Wayfair West Elm The Architectural Digest Anthropologie Warby Parker Hudson’s Bay Toptal Slack Peloton Trello   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

Most people create the product they have in mind and then try to build a brand around it, but not Mario Nawfal, the CEO of the Athena Group of Companies. What has led to Mario’s success is his business philosophy of first testing a range of products to see which ones do well, and then to begin building out a brand around a product that is already on the consumer radar and trending. For him, it is all about leveraging the momentum of a popular product or service and getting your timing right. Just take 2020 as an example. Those who have become millionaires by selling PPE and hand sanitizers would have been nowhere the year before. In this episode, Mario talks about his group of e-commerce and agency companies, sharing how the avant-garde growth hack strategies developed by the latter are used to boost the business of the former. And while service-based businesses such as agencies are not easily scalable, Mario shares how they are still getting great value out of these organizations and using them to benefit the group at large. Our guest talks about the lessons he learned from Froothie, one of his early companies, regarding the importance of creating a community, and shares about his collaboration with growth hack specialists Jared Codling and Kyrill Krystallis. Tuning in, listeners will also hear Mario’s views on starting a company from scratch versus acquiring an existing one, and much more!  TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:47] Find out how Mario got started in e-commerce and eventually expanded into B2B.  [01:33] When Mario's entrepreneurial journey started and challenging himself in the agency space.  [02:12] Hear about the extent to which Mario is personally involved in the companies he owns. [03:00] Mario shares some numbers on the growth of his group of companies.  [05:45] The importance of testing and building a brand around a product that is proving to work. [06:43] Overcoming the problem of making money on inexpensive items with a low AOV or LTV.  [07:37] Learn about the innovative growth-hacking services offered by his agencies.   [08:55] How Mario’s agencies can serve his existing e-commerce businesses and vice versa. [09:40] Advice for building a brand around a product in a highly competitive market.  [12:52] The lessons from Froothie about the power of a strong brand and community.  [14:28] Mario shares his perspective on what growth hacking is and the best strategies to use.  [17:38] The genius way that Jared Codling built his community and extensive database.  [19:02] Using Phantombuster as a beginner and where you can find videos for tips and tricks.   [20:38] Building new businesses from scratch versus buying existing e-commerce businesses.  [21:34] A resource for growth hacking tools and the most important one for your health.  [24:14] One of the biggest mistakes you can make as an entrepreneur: neglecting your health.    Resources From The Interview:   Mario Nawfal  Mario Nawfal on LinkedIn Mario Nawfal on Instagram Athena Capital Athena Group of Companies Tiny Capital Andrew Wilkinson on Twitter Warren Buffett Froothie Phantombuster Kylie Jenner on Instagram Kylie Cosmetics Kanye  Bill Gross TED Magento  Marketing School Kyrill Krystallis on LinkedIn Jared Codling  We Are Growth Hackers  Inside Insight Hack Your Agency Top Fucking Secret The Real Yellow Pages Slack FreeStyle Libre Levels Must-read book: The Obstacle is the Way   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

Today we talk to Henry Schuck, Co-Founder and CEO of ZoomInfo (formerly DiscoverOrg) about best practices for steering the ship of a startup and scaling it until it goes public. ZoomInfo provides subscription-based sales and marketing intelligence to its clients in the form of accurate B2B content and company information to accelerate the growth of their marketing teams! Henry starts by summing up his education and career, sharing the story of co-founding DiscoverOrg, wearing multiple hats while scaling it to the point of going public, and then acquiring ZoomInfo. From there, we get into some of Henry’s habits that took him from startup CEO to public company CEO. He talks about mastering the skills needed to see DiscoverOrg through its first five years, how to let go of staff who served their purpose but are now holding the company back, and how bringing on investors changed the internal dynamics of the firm for the better. Henry also gets into his ‘pebble in the shoe’ method for aligning his teams with his vision, what goes into ZoomInfo's growth engine, and the people and resources he consults to stay sharp and constantly get better. For all this and more on the topic of continuous improvement and directing a publicly owned company from Henry, be sure to tune in. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [01:00] Henry’s education and how he co-founded DiscoverOrg and acquired ZoomInfo. [03:11] Wearing multiple hats, imposter syndrome, and the first five years of DiscoverOrg.  [05:00] Why Henry decided to bring on investors and what he learned about hiring after. [07:25] How Henry dealt with being accountable to people other than his co-founder after going public. [08:21] Dealing with letting go of employees who aren’t good enough to help you scale. [12:35] How Henry handled scaling so well; constantly mastering the skills involved. [14:00] Get great at something, train somebody else to do it, and then move on. [15:36] How Henry steers the ship by pointing out what’s wrong with existing systems.  [16:52] Winning by constantly iterating versus ‘that’s how it’s always been done’ thinking. [19:02] ZoomInfo’s growth engine and how it works using a specialization sales funnel. [20:41] Figuring out how to get, and take action on, metrics for one’s business. [22:50] People Henry consults with to get advice on how to be a better CEO. [23:52] Why the reMarkable tablet is a tool that’s made a recent impact on Henry. [24:28] Henry reads analyst reports to get better and stay informed. [25:27] Two must-read book recommendations from Henry. [27:17] The most compelling thing Henry recently read: Every analyst report on ZoomInfo! [28:03] How to find Henry online, get in touch with him, and learn more about him.     Resources From The Interview:   Henry Schuck on Twitter Henry Schuck on LinkedIn Henry Schuck Email ZoomInfo DiscoverOrg University of Nevada Ohio State University The Carlyle Group The E-Myth YPO EO Oura Ring Evernote reMarkable Smartsheet Morgan Stanley Ben Horowitz Must read book: Ogilvy on Advertising, The Hard Thing About Hard Things   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

Whether you’re trying to build wealth or simply have a better idea of market fundamentals, understanding macroeconomics will give you a significant upper hand. Nobody understands this better than George Gammon, the entrepreneur, investor, and real estate expert who helps his audience increase their wealth and freedom by teaching macroeconomics through his YouTube channel. On today’s show, George shares his thoughts on the state of the market, his approach to investing, and how he built a YouTube channel that went from 200 to 40 000 views a day just four months after its launch. George begins by explaining why the economy is in more danger now than in 2008, detailing that it is a complex system which, if meddled with, will produce unpredicted results and how the current Fed stimulus exemplifies this. We talk about how George approaches his portfolio and how this fits into his goals to live a life with as much freedom as possible. Here he discusses how to separate your investments into buckets, the need to set up a plan B, and how his decision to shack up in St. Bart’s during the pandemic factors into all this. We also focus on George’s recent career, and he shares the ins and outs of how he started his YouTube channel, his content repurposing strategies, and how the value he is bringing by teaching macroeconomics at a time like this contributed to the surge in his following. For all this and a bunch of actionable pointers from George about how to educate yourself about the economy and become a better investor, be sure to tune in.   TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!  [02:47] George’s road to learning about investing, interest in macros, and starting his YouTube channel. [03:56] Problems with the financial system; meddling with a complex system we don’t understand. [07:42] Understanding the Fed stimulus and how it’s making things worse now than in 2008. [15:03] ‘Price makers’, and why thriving online businesses are more protected right now. [17:08] George’s strategy for building an audience and product online and monetizing it. [23:07] The sudden growth rates George’s channel experienced and what produced this. [25:26] Asymmetric downside and why investors should understand macroeconomics. [30:11] George’s advice on how to diversify your portfolio in the current climate. [35:08] How to buy gold, or stocks that deal in it if you can’t get it physically. [36:39] Insurance versus speculation: The difference between gold and bitcoin. [37:35] Initial resources to consult for learning about macroeconomics. [40:42] What freedom means to George; having a plan B and how to form one. [47:07] Does understanding macroeconomics help you understand incentives? [47:30] Getting a clearer understanding of economics by reading Thomas Sowell. [49:09] ‘Stagflate,’ lie, and tax: Jason Burack and George’s view of what’s in store. [51:31] George’s remote process for his whiteboard videos and tools that help him. [52:53] Book recommendations from George for investing, probabilities thinking, and economics. [56:07] Why George recommends listening to The End Game podcast with Mike Green. [57:47] The best way to find George online.   Resources From The Interview:   George Gammon on YouTube George Gammon on Twitter The Rebel Capitalist Show Social Blade Robert Kiyosaki Neil Patel Milton Friedman  Free to Choose Thomas Sowell Basic Economics Jim Rogers Peter Schiff Stan Druckenmiller Chris MacIntosh Lyn Alden Jim Grant Rick Rule Sprott The Canadian Mint HSBC Macro Voices Real Vision Nomad Capitalist Hugh Hendry Charlie Munger Jason Burack on Twitter Wall St. for Main St. Peloton Zoom Skype WeTransfer Ed Thorp The Grant Williams Podcast: The End Game The End Game with Mike Green Peter Thiel Must read book: Beat the Dealer, Market Wizards   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

As the social climate continues to become increasingly tense in the US, with the pandemic, politics, and proposed tax hikes, it’s becoming more important for entrepreneurs to have a plan B. Today’s guest is Andrew Henderson, Founder of Nomad Capitalist, a boutique advisory firm that provides entrepreneurs with holistic plans to legally reduce taxes, get second passports and create wealth offshore. He joins us to provide insights both into his company and the issue of geopolitical diversification generally. We discover the services that Nomad Capitalist offers, and how Andrew, having lived and invested in numerous countries, adds his particular expertise. We hear how Andrew splits up his time throughout the year and why he encourages people to consider lesser-known countries as options. The conversation naturally goes to the pandemic, how it’s affected Nomad Capitalist’s business, and why the government’s reaction has been such an eye-opener. While many people continue to have a strong allegiance to the United States brand-name, Andrew believes that the COVID crisis has revealed some truths that we can no longer ignore, making a second passport that much more crucial. To hear more about the importance of not being tied to one place and having an escape hatch, be sure to tune in today.   TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:20] Get to know Andrew, his background, and what his company, Nomad Capitalist does. [00:59] Nomad Capitalist’s founding story and why Andrew thinks it has been so successful. [02:48] The company’s content-heavy strategy which has helped with their growth. [04:23] How the business runs and makes money as an advisory firm. [06:08] Getting started with Nomad Capitalist – How entrepreneurs would get the ball rolling.  [07:37] Andrew’s thoughts for US founders who feel uneasy about the social climate.  [10:10] Some up and coming countries Andrew recommends founders check out. [12:05] Andrew’s trifecta idea and splitting your time up between three places per year. [14:14] Some of the places where Andrew has properties and where he’s looking to buy. [15:00] Hear Andrew’s takeaways about COVID and the lasting impacts of the pandemic.  [16:25] The importance of not being stuck in one place. [17:40] Enquiry growth at Nomad Capitalist over the years and revenue increase. [19:49] Geopolitical diversification and why you should consider a second passport. [21:42] Why Andrew renounced his US citizenship and the backlash he’s faced. [26:21] The over-attachment people have to the brand name of America. [27:36] Andrew’s take on crypto, the future of the dollar, and ways to hedge against the dollar. [29:16] Looking back, what Andrew wishes he had done differently. [30:08] Some of the books and other media that have been inspiring Andrew. [33:13] Additional services Nomad Capitalist offers and how much entrepreneurs should set aside. [38:02] How to find Andrew online.   Resources From The Interview:   Nomad Capitalist Nomad Capitalist on YouTube Andrew Henderson on Twitter Andrew Henderson on LinkedIn Andrew Henderson on Instagram Nomad Capitalist Robert Kiyosaki on Twitter Salome Zourabichvili Donald J. Trump The Heritage Foundation Louis Vuitton The Imagineering Story  Must read book: The Ride of a Lifetime, EntreLeadership   Andrew's Links: https://nomadcapitalist.com/ https://nomadcapitalist.com/2019/07/19/portugal-golden-visa/ https://www.youtube.com/nomadcapitalist https://www.instagram.com/nomadcapitalist/ https://www.facebook.com/nomadcapitalist   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter  

We know the importance of networking, but many of us either shy away from it or take the wrong approach. Today's guest, Jordan Harbinger, does things differently, and it shows. As a Top 50 iTunes podcast host for over 12 years, Jordan deconstructs the playbooks of the most successful people on the planet, sharing their strategies and providing practical insights. In this episode, we hear about Jordan’s podcasting journey, and how building his show from scratch for a second time showed him the true power of his network and connections. We discuss the difficulties that came with starting over, including self-doubt and being unable to compensate the team fairly, and their resolutions. Jordan also shares some of his invaluable relationship development insights. Rather than calling it networking, which he feels has been tainted by sleazy salesman, Jordan’s approach is more authentic, and it recognizes the importance of making small deposits every day. Instead of ignoring most people and only reaching out to those who are can immediately do something for you, Jordan knows that opportunities are just ‘over the horizon’, which means front of as many people’s minds as possible. We get some actionable steps as well as a teaser of his free networking course. Along with this, we also discuss current podcast numbers, why he is spending so much on his show at the moment and some of the obstacles with podcasting ads. This was a great discussion, with so many key takeaways. Be sure to tune in today!   TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:   [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:25] Get to know today’s guest, Jordan Harbinger, and some of his accomplishments. [01:51] How Jordan started his first and second podcasts and current numbers.  [05:20] Jordan’s team’s loyalty and how he paid them before the show was making money.  [07:11] The story of how Jordan’s team decided to work for low pay or free.  [09:50] Overcoming doubts and putting on a brave face as a leader. [11:15] How Jason leveraged his network when he took a second go at his show.  [13:34] Jason’s approach to building relationships and what he does differently. [14:44] Why Jason believes that most opportunities are ‘over the horizon’.  [16:36] The mistakes that most people make when they approach networking. [17:57] People are more likely to help people who show a genuine interest in them.  [19:31] Networking is only awkward if you have not laid the groundwork. [22:25] You are probably not as good at networking as you think you are, so learn more! [23:06] Some of Jordan’s short networking drills. [24:35] The key to successful systems: Easy to implement and quick results. [25:20] How Jordan and Eric met, and the development of the relationship. [26:59] Invest in building relationships early on; it’s much harder to do it when you need help. [31:08] Jordan’s podcast numbers, including growth rates and where he sees it going. [33:51] Give yourself permission to experiment! [36:00] Why we need to re-think what a lifestyle business means. [37:34] The reason Jordan is investing $600,000 into podcast growth. [40:27] The common challenges in the podcast advertising space. [42:16] Why Jordan believes that now is a great time to spend money on podcasts. [43:46] Hear about the ads that Jordan buys on other podcasts and the results he’s seen. [45:56] The benefits of having people search for you on Google. [46:45] Jordan’s favorite podcasting tool and his must read book.   Resources From The Interview:   Jordan Harbinger Jordan Harbinger on Twitter Jordan Harbinger on Instagram The Jordan Harbinger Show The Jordan Harbinger Show on YouTube Gary Vaynerchuk Pandora Jason DeFillippo Jason Calacanis 6 Minute Networking a Free Course Seth Godin DoorDash Joe Rogan on Twitter Tim Ferriss PodcastOne Chartable T.I. Must read book: What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

Although marketing has evolved a great deal over the past 100 years, the same principles still apply because human psychology has not changed. This is why is, no matter how complicated the marketing landscape gets, simple copywriting remains the most powerful. No-one knows this better than today’s guest, Craig Clemens, an exceptional copywriter, brand-builder, and positioner. As co-founder of Golden Hippo, a leader in direct-to-consumer marketing that builds innovative health, beauty, and pet care brands, Craig knows that it takes to connect with customers effectively. In this episode, we dive into Craig’s fascinating marketing journey, including some of the profound sales and life lessons he learned from his time as a telemarketer. We also gain insights into Craig’s copywriting process, where he highlights the importance of market research. He does not believe in selling products but instead offering unique solutions to people's problems. We also hear more about Golden Hippo and its distinct approach to building brands. Along with this, we touch on politics, where Craig dissects how effective marketing is key to building momentum and a dedicated support base. Tune in today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [01:07] Craig’s background and his journey from telemarketing to where he is now.  [04:38] Some of the biggest lessons that Craig learned from his time in telemarketing.  [06:16] Craig’s recommendations about the best copywriting resources. [07:28] Why successful companies are some of the best examples of great copywriting. [09:29] Hear why you should be wary about studying venture-backed companies’ ads. [10:59] What Craig’s daily copywriting and creative process looks like.  [12:17] The unique things about market research compared with other types of research. [13:56] Why good copywriting is about doing the simple things really well. [14:25] Gary Halbert’s copywriting advice and some of his seminal work. [17:56] Golden Hippo’s current hiring needs and reopening their offices.  [18:28] Details about Craig’s company before Golden Hippo, Breakthrough Media. [19:56] Golden Hippo’s founding story and current employee numbers. [21:13] Hear more about Golden Hippo’s unique culture around each of their brands. [22:32] The ads that Craig has written have generated over $1 billion in sales revenue! [24:16] Important lessons that Craig has learned about leadership as his career has evolved. [27:23] Marketers and founders that Craig is currently following. [28:46] Craig’s take on politics and the role that marketing plays in the political landscape. [33:37] Hear about Craig’s favorite business book and best business tool.   Resources From The Interview:   Craig Clemens Twitter Craig Clemens Instagram Craig Clemens LinkedIn Golden Hippo Eben Pagan Double Your Dating Claude C. Hopkins Robert Collier Eugene Schwartz Alexa Crunchbase WeWork Breakthrough Advertising Robert Pittman Gary Halbert Hemingway Editor Rachel Hollis The Boron Letters Tribal Leadership Russell Brunson John Reese Dean Graziosi Tony Robbins Brendon Burchard Donald Trump Twitter Mike Bloomberg Barack Obama Tim Ryan Must read book: Ready, Fire, Aim   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

Steve Gatena, CEO of Pray.com, joins us today to talk about entrepreneurship and what it takes to run the world’s #1 app for daily prayer and biblical audio content. For Steve, being a successful entrepreneur is all about starting simple, building momentum and experience, practicing extreme ownership, and never forgetting the value of one’s networks. Our guest has an impressive background, and he starts by explaining the different companies he was a part of in media production, and how he made the transition from these service-based business models to becoming the CEO of a venture-backed tech firm. He talks about how some business models are more difficult than others to run and how fortunate he was to cut his teeth on easier ones which gave him the skills he needed to launch a software product firm, the most complex of all. We get into some of Steve’s secrets for running Pray.com so well, talking about the relationship between religion and marketing, building a global A team of investors and executives for a remote-first firm, and the value of self-awareness in hiring and delegating to staff. Steve also weighs in on how he made multiple pivots before landing on Pray.com's premium subscription business model, and what listening to one’s customer means when the audience and amount of user personas that subscribe to Christianity is so humongous. For all this and so many more amazing nuggets from Steve as far as books, tools, and other resources for building agile systems, be sure to tune in!  TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!  [02:25] Steve’s journey from the media production world to being the CEO of Pray.com! [06:10] Using one business as a platform for another and how to be an entrepreneur. [08:31] The story behind the helicopter gimbals invented by Steve’s partner. [09:39] The secret to entrepreneurship: Get experience and build more complex businesses. [12:11] Vital resources for building a startup, from books to courses and one’s network. [13:58] Mike Jones, networking events, and how Steve built his executive/investor teams. [19:50] The Pray.com podcast and how they make their money through subscriptions. [21:37] Figures Steve is free to share: Subscribers, figures per year, growth rates. [22:50] How Pray.com is optimizing their funnels based on different user personas. [25:33] The strategy going forward: Adding value through content and community. [27:44] Unexpected challenges and blessings Steve has experienced along the way. [28:52] Energy Steve gets from his cofounders and what building an A team means. [32:22] How Pray.com sources their global team of engineers, making them a remote-first firm! [34:28] The value of joining peer groups and how well helping others scales. [35:14] Steve’s hiring process and the best books on refining this methodology. [37:17] Tools and books Steve uses to optimize agile systems at Pray.com. [38:12] Core values and how Steve handles areas his knowledge lacks in being the CEO. [42:19] Steve’s favorite tools and why he is switching from Mixpanel to Amplitude. [43:36] Business model pivots, and how Pray.com arrived at the premium content model. [49:06] Steve’s favorite business book; why he loves The Personal MBA. [49:47] The most compelling essay or blog post Steve read recently: ‘Startup=Growth’. [50:36] How to get in touch with Steve and learn more about Pray.com.   Resources From The Interview:   Steve Gatena on LinkedIn Pray.com Life, Leadership, and Legacy REP Interactive Video Fort HELNET YPO Entrepreneurs’ Organization Pete Carroll Seahawks Mark Sanchez New York Jets Red Bull Marriott Coldwell Banker Herbalife Discovery Planet Earth Mission Impossible Transformers CSI Law & Order Children’s Hospital UCLA Medical Science Greylock Sequoia Scouts Y Combinator Startup School Andrew Wilkinson on LinkedIn Tiny Cineflex Channel Dynamics Steve Blank The Startup Owner’s Manual Mike Jones on LinkedIn Dollar Shave Club Mike Dubin on LinkedIn Katie Stanton Breaking Bad Ryan Beck on LinkedIn Mike Lynn Merrill Lynch Matt Potter on LinkedIn Anthony Pompliano Extreme Ownership Who Scaling Up Spotify Atlassian Confluence Jira Trello Mixpanel Amplitude Hubspot The Mom Test Josh Kaufman Paul Graham Startup=Growth Must read book: The Personal MBA   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

Many great tech companies have emerged from a founder trying to solve a pain point in their own lives, and AppDirect is no different. As the only end-to-end platform that helps deliver digital services on any device and accelerate time to market, the company has raised $350 million and is not slowing down anytime soon. Dan Saks is the President and Co-CEO of AppDirect, and he is here to share various insights on working in the business. In this episode, Dan sheds light on how the closure of his family’s 100-year-old furniture business opened his eyes to the need to connect businesses with the right technology. When he was graduating from college, SaaS and cloud services were in their infancy, and Dan recognized their power to help businesses thrive and bridge unequal access to technology. We get an overview of how AppDirect connects distributors of services so businesses can consume the applications they need. We then zoom out from the product-level view to a look at AppDirect’s long-term vision. It is unusual for a company to have this type foresight, so Dan explains why looking at the overarching problem of how to deliver cloud services to business frames their goals and allows for a highly iterative development process. This long-term thinking is also inextricably tied to their values, and we learn about how the company established theirs and how the strong culture stems from them. Along with this, Dan also presents illuminating insights on thinking about partnerships, AppDirect's interview process, and its ideas around peak performance and a holistic approach to wellness. Tune in today!   TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:   [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:47] Get to know Dan, his story, and what led him to found AppDirect. [01:58] How AppDirect works and creates technological connections.  [03:08] Hear about AppDirect’s business model and the way they generate income. [03:32] Some of AppDirect’s numbers, including workforce size, active users, and partnerships. [04:08] AppDirect’s founding story and how they look to solve problems from the bottom up. [05:46] Challenges that AppDirect faced in getting its product to market and lessons learned. [07:50] How AppDirect managed to create a long-term vision so early on in its inception.  [09:12] Dan’s words of encouragement for anyone starting a business. [09:40] AppDirect’s recruiting methodology and how it is optimized for long-term growth.  [10:40] Interview techniques to understand candidates’ passion and gauge how they align with AppDirect’s values. [12:19] How AppDirect’s values are woven into activities from interviews to annual reviews. [13:39] The process of establishing a methodical approach to values.  [16:00] Culture-related resources that have been valuable to Dan. [17:03] What the role of a co-CEO entails and dividing responsibilities.  [18:38] Dan’s tips on partnerships and the importance of understanding their different forms.  [20:18] Hear about biohacking and the ways that Dan incorporates it into his life and AppDirect. [22:23] How AppDirect encourages its employees to take care of themselves. [23:43] The importance of letting people define their own work lives. [24:29] Dan’s personal OKRs and how he uses them to make time for his passions. [26:33] Dan’s must read book, favorite business tool, and inspirational resources.   Resources From The Interview:   Dan Saks on LinkedIn Dan Saks on Twitter Dan Saks Email AppDirect Foundry Group Peter Thiel StarVest Office 365 Dropbox AT&T Deutsche Telekom René Obermann Angela Merkel Isadore Sharp Four Seasons Sam Walton Walmart Bill Gates Ray Dalio on LinkedIn Rubicon Project  Frank Addante on LinkedIn Harvard Business School Leading at the Speed of Growth Oura Ring Ben Greenfield Dave Asprey McGill University OKR Nicolas Desmarais on LinkedIn Must read book: How to Win Friends & Influence People   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

The more agile companies can be in the current volatile landscape, the better. Smartsheet is a collaboration software platform that helps companies optimize functionality and one of the things that makes it different is that it is not purpose-built. With 2572 documented use cases to date, Smartsheet possesses the kind of wide applicability that companies need to stay light-footed enough to keep up, and all without having to write a line of code! Today we have its CMO, Anna Griffin, join us on the show to talk more about how the software works as well as speak to the things that make her tick and how she got to be where she is today. Anna gets into her journey into the B2B space and what feeds into her out of the box approach to marketing. We turn our attention to Smartsheet next and hear from Anna about the platform’s fluidity and how they approach marketing it when the product does so many different things. She makes a case for how well the software lends itself to bottom-up adoption, and then we hear a few metrics that prove many larger firms are taking to it in a top-down way too. Anna gets into some of her unusual strategies for winning over these big enterprise clients next, and from there we dive a bit more into the places she finds her inspiration. For all this and more from a unique CMO with a flair for marketing and an equally outstanding product that is here to stay, be sure to tune in! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:50] How Anna arrived in the B2B space bringing an emotional approach to marketing. [02:20] The range of uses for Smartsheet – its agility – and why this means they need a CMO. [04:57] Competitors of Smartsheet like AirTable that give an idea of what the platform does. [05:36] How Smartsheet makes money and spreads due to its wide applicability. [07:48] That Smartsheet is built for scale and is adopted in bottom-up and top-down ways. [09:05] How valuable such a flexible product like Smartsheet is in an agile environment. [09:38] Metrics that show how Smartsheet is attacking top-down marketing. [10:27] How Smartsheet markets itself when it’s capabilities are so wide. [11:44] The success of community and traditional marketing for Smartsheet. [13:30] Anna’s mashup mindset: How she combines pep talks and more into marketing.  [15:35] Where Anna gets her inspiration, from country music to her favorite books. [16:53] The ‘Uberization’ of customer service that has upped customer expectations. [17:26] Anna’s favorite business tool and some of the podcasts she listens to regularly. [19:05] Why Anna’s favorite business book is Pretty Good Advice.   Resources From The Interview:   Anna Griffin on LinkedIn Smartsheet NoCode AirTable Microsoft Google Monday Asana Apple Steve Wozniak Wall Street Journal The Last Dance Jeff Rosenblum Uber Instagram OZY Shelley Zalis on Twitter The Female Quotient Leslie Blodgett on Instagram Bare Escentuals Must read book: The Great Gatsby, Friction, Pretty Good Advice   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

Business travel may not be happening as frequently anymore due to the COVID pandemic, but that does not concern today’s guest, Avi Meir. He is CEO and Co-Founder of TravelPerk, a ground-breaking business travel platform that offers companies of any size a one-stop-shop to book all of their travel in a single space. Avi is a travel industry veteran with fifteen years of experience. In this episode, we learn more about the platform, including the pain points they look to solve, how they generate income, and the ways they are reimagining business travel. We also learn about Avi’s choice to base the business in Barcelona, an unconventional destination for a tech company. Not only does the city offer a great quality of life, but Avi also believes that it influences their ability to attract top talent. Naturally, the conversation goes to COVID and how TravelPerk has been impacted. Avi shares the remarkable decision they have made to not let anyone go, and how they have used a combination of government relief and out of pocket payments to ensure their employees are furloughed with 80% pay. Aside from the practicalities of having to rehire, Avi knows that a drastic restructuring would harm the company culture, which they value tremendously. We discuss why figuring out core values is the foundational step to fostering a great culture, and learn what TravelPerk did to establish theirs. Along with this, Avi talks about their FlexiPerk product, which has been a pandemic standout and his hot take of why 2021 will see more business travel growth than 2019! Be sure to tune in today!   TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [01:10] An introduction to Avi, his background, and how he came to found TravelPerk. [02:25] Learn more about TravelPerk and its mission as a business travel platform.  [03:36] Hear about how the platform makes money through commission and products. [05:10] The typical amount customers can expect to pay on TravelPerk and the costs they save. [07:28] Some of TravelPerk’s numbers, including employee count and growth rate. [08:45] Why Avi decided to found TravelPerk in Barcelona which is not a typical tech hub.  [10:47] How TravelPerk manages to recruit great talent and its international workforce. [12:44] Hear how Israeli culture influences their prolific innovation and work ethic.  [14:39] How TravelPerk has dealt with COVID, including the decision to furlough employees. [17:59] Avi shares some COVID-related statistics about the business travel industry.  [20:23] The FlexiPerk product TravelPerk offers and its strength, particularly during the pandemic. [23:16] What culture means at TravelPerk and some unique ways the company fosters it [24:00] TravelPerk’s core values and how they were defined. [27:08] Hear Avi’s contentious prediction for the future of the travel industry. [28:00] Despite all the pandemic-related shifts, the need for human connection still remains. [28:49] Avi’s must read books and favorite business growth tool. [32:01] Why Avi tries to stay away from social media where possible.   Resources From The Interview:   Avi Meir on Twitter Avi Meir on LinkedIn TravelPerk Hotel Ninjas Booking.com Farfetch Monzo Expedia Airbnb IESE Start-up Nation Jim Collins Zoom Chris Voss Slack Notion Qassim Suleimani Must read books: Never Split the Difference, Delivering Happiness   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

Joining us today is Gino Wickman, the founder of EOS Worldwide—a leadership team development company—and the creator of Entrepreneurial Leap, Rocket Fuel, and the bestseller Traction, which you have heard many founders rave about. Contrary to what other books on entrepreneurship want to make you believe, not everybody is cut out to be an entrepreneur—so says Gino who has established himself as an authoritative voice on the subject over the past 20 years. According to him, there are six essential traits that every true entrepreneur has, and as controversial as it seems, he believes that a person is born with these traits and cannot necessarily acquire them at will. He also distinguishes between a visionary and an integrator, the former coming up with the great ideas and then pivoting to the next and the latter who is skilled at implementing and maintaining those ideas and keeping things consistent. These are some of the reasons why his books and entrepreneurial philosophies are radically different from the many others on the market. In this episode, he gets into what EOS (entrepreneurial operating system) is and what it means for entrepreneurs and their leadership teams, and he talks about recognizing the need for a system that would help businesses to manage their human energy more effectively. After all these years, Gino’s dream is not to ride off into the sunset and leave it all behind but rather to take up a new role as a coach and mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs—because this is what gets him fired up and performing at unusual energy levels. Tuning in, listeners will also hear about his latest book and project Entrepreneurial Leap and how it is helping first-timers to formulate a plan and take action!  TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [01:00] Gino talks about his entrepreneurial journey and being an EOS implementer at heart. [02:03] Redirecting his energy toward teaching entrepreneurs and what he hopes to achieve.    [02:55] The value of having spent the past 25 years learning from established companies.  [04:03] What EOS is all about and how it serves entrepreneurs and their leadership teams.  [05:13] Identifying the need for an operating system to orchestrate and manage human energy.  [06:44] Working hands-on with clients and getting referrals—the secret to Gino’s success.  [08:32] Why he bothers with coaching and teaching despite his success.   [09:53] Gino discusses Entrepreneurial Leap and why he has a 10-year timeline for the project.  [11:09] How this book is different from the many other books on entrepreneurship out there.  [13:03] An overview of the six essential traits of a true entrepreneur.  [13:44] What it means to be a visionary versus an integrator in the context of entrepreneurship.  [15:57] The positions that are typically occupied by a visionary and integrator in an organization. [17:07] What EOS clients do when they grow beyond the ideal 10–250 employee mark.  [19:08] The benefits of implementing EOS and Entrepreneurial Leap early on in a startup.  [20:36] The roadmap that Gino created to help aspiring entrepreneurs formulate an action plan.  [22:20] What Gino’s current work structure and team look like after selling EOS Worldwide.  [23:42] The three different ways of implementing EOS in your business. [24:53] Doing what he loves and other reasons for Gino’s consistently high energy levels. [27:24] Gino makes a case for the power of writing and planning with pen and paper.    Resources From The Interview:   Gino Wickman on LinkedIn Entrepreneurial Leap Entrepreneurial Leap Website Traction Rocket Fuel EOS Worldwide Tesla Must-read books:  Think and Grow Rich, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, and Good to Great    Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed Connect with Eric Siu:  Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

As a B2B business, attracting an audience to your website to convert them into sales leads is not an easy process, but Madison Logic does it all for you. Madison Logic is an account-based marketing service that helps B2B companies convert their best accounts faster and today we learn more about the firm from its Co-Founder and COO, Vin Turk. Vin opens by explaining how he got the idea to streamline conversions in the B2B space before explaining exactly what it is that Madison Logic does. We move on to discuss how the firm makes its money on both the lead and display side before chatting more about their ideal customers. Vin shares some impressive metrics about growth and ROI, mentioning their unique journey without VC backed capital and how being featured on INC 5000’s list six times back to back made a difference in this respect. We get into exits, spinoffs, and the company’s long term vision next, before drilling down on their customer acquisition model which includes a brilliant strategy to become more vital to current ones. Wrapping up with Vin, we chat about how Madison Logic keeps values consistent in the firm as far as strategy and corporate culture, and hear some amazing tips from him around continuous self-evaluation and reflection, so be sure to tune in! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:40] The story of Vin’s idea to streamline conversions that grew into Madison Logic. [02:49] A real example of how Madison Logic connects sellers to buyers in the B2B space.  [04:58] How Madison Logic partners with news outlets to market to their clients. [05:48] Madison Logic’s business model making money on a cost per lead basis. [06:36] Ideal clients: enterprise and mid-market B2B technology companies. [07:30] Metrics around growth, ROI, employee count, and international offices.  [08:12] Why being featured on the INC 5000 list six times was beneficial to Madison Logic. [09:43] Exits and spinoffs Madison Logic has gone through; its long term play.  [11:38] Customer acquisition and why ML is focusing on expanding current customers. [13:33] ML’s favorite tools for contact discovery, automated outreach, accounts intel, and more. [14:32] The size and structure of the sales team at Madison Logic. [14:58] How Madison Logic keeps vision and values for corporate culture and strategy aligned.  [18:15] ‘Not sweating the small stuff’ at Madison Logic by trusting in overall growth. [19:42] Book recommendations from Vin and Eric for how to run a better business. [20:50] Vin’s favorite business tools and why he loves Slack and Domo. [21:25] The best way to get in touch with Vin online and learn more about Madison Logic.   Resources From The Interview:   Vin Turk on LinkedIn Vin Turk Email Madison Logic The Department of Defense Northeastern University Info Week IBM Oracle Intel Dell Cisco Inc 5000 Clarion Capital Bombora Salesforce Marketo Bizable LinkedIn Sales Navigator ‘Dharmesh Shah Vectors Elon Musk’ Ben Horowitz Mark Cuban Slack Domo Must read book: The Hard Thing About Hard Things, The Innovator’s Dilemma   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

Today’s guest, Gary Saarenvirta, has been thinking deeply about AI long before the current hype. Having worked in the AI space for over 25 years, Gary was shocked at how little math and science was used in big business, and founded Daisy Intelligence to fill this glaring gap. Daisy is a SaaS AI-powered platform that helps retailers and insurers achieve higher profits by helping them make smarter operating decisions. In this episode, Gary sheds light on some of Daisy’s product offerings and the specific ways they increase profitability. As someone with an engineering background, Gary always focused on the technical side of things, but with the growth of the business, he has become increasingly aware of the value of people and culture. We talk about various ways that Daisy looks after their team, including flexible remote working options during COVID and mentoring programs. Gary himself has seen the value of having a coach, and he shares how this has helped him grow as a leader. Along with this, we discuss why Daisy’s technology is uniquely differentiated and how they use optimal control thinking to ensure their software stands out. Gary believes that by making businesses more efficient, through autonomous enterprise, it will not only reduce product costs but decrease the cost of living generally. We wrap the show up by hearing some of Gary’s must read books as well as why being a small company that has productized AI has helped them attract top talent. Don't miss out! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:45] Learn more about Gary and his background, and his company, Daisy Intelligence. [01:48] Some of Daisy Intelligence’s current clients including, Walmart Canada and Allianz. [02:08] How Gary walked into the idea for Daisy after a stint in the corporate world. [03:48] Hear about how Daisy makes money as a SaaS platform and their pricing structure. [05:19] Some numbers related to Daisy, including employees, growth rates, and more. [06:49] What Gary has learned about the importance of culture as Daisy has grown.  [07:43] Specific tools and resources Gary has used to build company culture. [08:56] The ways that Daisy has taken care of their employees.  [10:22] How coaches have helped Gary grow as a leader and what’s been effective for him. [11:22] What optimal control is and how it’s helped Daisy to their $5.5 million ARR.  [13:06] Why making companies more efficient is one of Gary’s main motivators. [13:43] The time it took for Daisy to reach product-market fit. [16:30] How Daisy stayed afloat for 12 years before getting VC finance in 2015. [17:59] Gary’s favorite business tools and why he enjoys looking at cashflow. [18:42] Must read books that Gary recommends and other resources he consumes. [20:06] Bonus question: How Daisy manages to recruit such high-talent people.    Resources From The Interview:   Gary Saarenvirta on LinkedIn Daisy Intelligence Walmart Canada Green Shield Canada Allianz IBM Geoffrey Hinton Play Bigger QuickBooks Salesforce Patrick Lencioni Ideal Team Player TensorFlow Must read books: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, The Advantage,Built to Last, Good to Great   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

Today we are excited to bring you a conversation with Amy Lacey, the bestselling author of Cali’flour Kitchen and the founder of Cali’flour Foods, a company that sells cauliflower-based foods and currently the fastest growing food company in e-commerce. When Amy began looking into resolving her autoimmune issues, she stumbled on a recipe for a cauliflower pizza base, which she perfected, started selling at farmers’ markets, and eventually built out into an 8-figure business. In this episode, she gets candid about the percentage of her business that is based on e-commerce versus retail, her thought process behind deciding to bring venture capitalists on board, and why it was more about choosing strategic partners than getting the financial backup. Since the earliest days, customer service and experience have been a top priority for her and the team, a value she believes sets them apart from many other food companies and opens doors to the most unexpected opportunities, including the chance to talk to people like Martina McBride and Whoopi Goldberg. And the secret to outstanding customer service, she says, lies in your ability to truly listen to the needs of people and then to deliver the perfect solutions. Amy also discusses how the COVID-19 crisis affected their sales, the importance of surrounding yourself with people who know the industry, the equity you should be prepared to give to key stakeholders, why you have to secure your trademark as early as possible, and more!     TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:56] Hear about the circumstances that led to Amy starting Cali’flour Foods. [01:39] The journey of discovering all the foods that were causing inflammation in her body.  [02:30] Wanting to find a way to still eat pizza and experimenting with a cauliflower pizza base.  [03:01] Taking her pizza bases to the farmers’ market and selling out before even getting there! [04:18] What Cali’flour Foods’ bestselling products are and those coming to market soon.  [05:24] The percentage of her business that comes from e-commerce versus retail.  [06:18] Putting the customer at the center of the brand and sharing their success stories.  [06:51] Deciding to bring in the venture capitalists to help her get into the grocery market.  [08:50] How the capital piece was more about strategy than money per se.  [09:58] Growing from 18 to 100 employees since bringing in the VCs and other great stats.  [11:00] Find out how COVID-19 has affected their business and sales. [12:06] How she went from stay-at-home mom to 8-figure entrepreneur. [13:31] Prioritizing customer service by employing people who had significant experience in it. [14:28] Amy’s pizza party with Erin Oprea and Martina McBride and other amazing meetings.   [15:36] The importance of being a good listener and offering impeccable service. [16:15] Growing fast based on the integrity of the product and being transparent.  [17:07] Why you need to surround yourself with people who have experience in the industry. [17:31] How Amy went about recruiting the right people and getting an advisory board together.  [19:11] Get an idea of the equity you should be willing to give up to an advisory board. [21:20] Securing your trademark and being careful who you share your business with.   [22:18] The value of the StoryBrand book, framework, workshop, and podcast. [23:46] Amy makes a case for why email is her favorite business tool.    Resources From The Interview:   Amy Lacey on LinkedIn  Amy Lacey on Instagram Cali’flour Foods Cali’flour Kitchen Robb Wolf Chico Farmers’ Market Shopify StoryBrand Erin Oprea The 4x4 Diet Martina McBride Whoopi Goldberg on Twitter SurveyMonkey Building a StoryBrand (Podcast) Donald Miller on LinkedIn Infusionsoft Klaviyo Must-read book: Building a StoryBrand    Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

On today’s show, we are happy to welcome someone we’ve wanted to have on for some time now, Andrew Wilkinson. He is currently a Managing Partner at Tiny Capital, as well as the Founder of MetaLab, which helped design Slack. Along with this, Andrew is also invested in a range of other companies. In this episode, we learn more about his incredible journey and how he grew a passion for tech and design into a range of flourishing businesses. Andrew also sheds light on his investing education and overcoming his initial reluctance to see the power of investments. For Andrew, being an entrepreneur is about freedom to create the life you want, and having time to pursue your interests, which is how he saw the value of delegating. This is not easy when you are starting out your entrepreneurial journey, as Andrew knows, but as a company scales, so too should the owner’s levels of delegation. We take a look at the types of businesses Tiny Capital is interested in and why they are only pursuing simple business models. Our conversation then takes a turn into a different interest of Andrew’s — subscription podcasts. We discuss why these are such effective, yet untapped income-generating models and Andrew shares some of the work they are doing in this space. We then circle back to Tiny and leadership more generally where Andrew unpacks the importance of incentives along with his characteristic lazy leadership style. Andrew’s self-reflexivity and ability to talk openly about his weaknesses is truly refreshing. This conversation was a great look into what it really means to be an entrepreneur. Be sure to tune in today!   TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [01:16] Hear more about Andrew’s background and his varied business journey so far.  [06:58] What led Andrew to learn about investing and what stood out to him in his education. [09:39] Why Andrew is not a good CEO and what he has done to compensate for this. [10:41] Learn about a launchpad business and the opportunities it provides owners. [11:04] A common mistake entrepreneurs make: Building the first business to be venture-backed.  [12:50] What Andrew’s day-to-day looks like and the different activities he’s involved in. [14:09] The kinds of businesses that Tiny Capital is currently interested in. [16:05] How Tiny buys businesses and some of the terms they stipulate. [17:01] Insights on how Tiny brings companies down from unrealistic venture valuations.  [18:05] Tiny’s organizational structure and tips for anyone looking to start something similar. [20:58] Some of the characteristics that Andrew looks for when hiring a CEO. [21:48] Why hiring great executives when starting out is so difficult. [22:26] The different comp structures that are appropriate for these high-level executives. [23:13] How Tiny interprets profitability and different ways to manage cashflow. [24:18] The difficulties Tiny’s staff faced working on the range of entities and splitting attention. [26:10] Find out about subscription podcasts and why Andrew is so passionate about them. [31:09] Andrew’s interest in the No Code movement and why it’s valuable for business owners. [35:02] The motivation behind Tiny’s Twitter ads and their efficacy in relation to deal flow. [36:55] Andrew’s take on incentivization, common mistakes, and examples of good ones. [40:53] Incentive-related resources that have helped Andrew. [41:47] How Tiny thinks about company culture after founders have departed. [44:29] What it means to be a ‘lazy leader,’ and the role a CEO should play. [46:28] Books that have shaped Andrew as an investor.  [48:11] Andrew’s favorite tool that’s not part of his portfolio.   Resources From The Interview:   Tiny Capital MetaLab Andrew Wilkinson on Twitter  Andrew Wilkinson on LinkedIn Dribbble  Designer News Slack WeWork Steve Jobs TechCrunch Coinbase Shopify Warren Buffet SpaceX Berkshire Hathaway Zack Onisko Creative Market Supercast Tim Ferriss Joe Rogan DoubleUp Squarespace Flytographer Lambda School Bubble Coda Zapier Anthony Casalena on LinkedIn Charles Munger The Psychology of Human Misjudgment My First Million Superhuman SaneBox Jason Fried Basecamp HEY Must read books: The Dhandho Investor, Tao of Charlie Munger, Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

Elay Cohen, CEO, and co-founder of SalesHood joins us on the show today to talk sales enablement platforms, dominating a category, and boosting sales through collaboration! SalesHood is a sales enablement platform that has been at the forefront of its niche as it evolved from its early adoption phase to a broad base market offering! We hear about the platform’s genesis where Elay realized the benefit of doing sales enablement to help companies grow while he was Senior VP of Productivity at SalesForce. From there, we learn what sales enablement actually means before Elay talks about the many companies who have experienced hyper-growth since adopting their platform. Elay weighs in on how SalesHood makes their money as well as shares metrics about their growth rates, ARR, and more! We also get into the effects of COVID on the success of SalesHood and their clients, and how the platform is perfectly suited to thrive at this time of increased migration to virtual. Elay does a great job of explaining the story behind how they arrived at a product to market fit, which leads into the topic of creating and dominating a category, and the role Elay’s book, Enablement Mastery, as well as his initiatives to create communities around sales enablement have played in this. Wrapping up, we hear Elay’s thoughts on his favorite book, tools, and CEOs so make sure to listen in and hear it all! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:15] Introducing Elay Cohen and SalesHood, a sales enablement platform. [00:38] What led up to SalesHood; the need to build a system that helped with scaling.  [01:40] What sales enablement is and how it helps teams boost sales through collaboration. [02:35] Examples of companies using SalesHood that have experienced hyper-growth. [04:12] How SalesHood makes money using a price per seat model. [05:09] Metrics for revenue, growth, employee count, ARR, users, customers, and more.  [07:49] How COVID has helped SalesHood by enabling their clients to go virtual.  [08:36] The two-plus year journey taking SalesHood to product to market fit. [13:17] Creating/dominating a category and why Elay wrote Enablement Mastery. [17:18] The value of creating a community around a category to dominate it. [19:43] Elay’s book recommendation and what he’s learning from That Will Never Work. [20:47] Essential software tools Elay uses. [21:43] Why Elay is such a fan of Gordon Ritter, Jason Lemkin, and Carmel Jud. [23:39] The best way for people to find Elay online and connect with him.   Resources From The Interview:   Elay Cohen Elay Cohen Email Enablement Mastery Arthur Do SalesForce DocuSign RingCentral Sage Verizon Ron Baden Domo Adobe Sign (EchoSign) Fortify Parker Harris Marc Benioff Telogis Arjun Gupta John Hopkins University Northern Illinois University University of Texas at Austin Stanford University Dreamforce Jira Google Drive Google Docs Google Slides Google Spreadsheets Gordon Ritter Emergence Capital Jason Lemkin Carmel Jud Rising International Must read book: That Will Never Work   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

Making money is easy, according to our guest today, Taylor Welch, co-founder of Traffic and Funnels, but knowing how to invest and multiply wealth is the hard part. This is why he has made it his mission to arm people with the skills they need to grow their money and minds beyond self-imposed limits. We kick off this episode by learning more about Traffic and Funnels and how they help clients build online digital marketing systems and show high-level consultants, coaches and experts how to develop lead generation machines to scale businesses to seven figures a year. From there, we dive into the importance of mindset. For a long time, Taylor was a skeptic about how important it is, but through seeing the power of positive, intentional thinking firsthand, he now knows that it’s a foundational pillar of success. We then turn our attention to leadership where Taylor shares his approach. For him, it’s about fostering his team to be able to not only make decisions but understand the motivation behind their choices. It's not about not making mistakes; it’s about what you learn from them. We round the show off by delving into the flywheel approach to business, SalesMentor, and why all businesses don’t need to make money. Be sure to tune in today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [01:04] Learn more about Taylor’s background and the work that he currently does. [02:23] Find out about Traffic and Funnels, what they do, and how they make money.  [04:26] The importance of mindset and why people stay stuck where they are. [05:48] Why Taylor believes it’s important to have lower ticket, affordable products. [08:35] Passion is an equally important driver in creating a product as money is.  [09:33] Where Taylor puts his time and energy in the business. [10:05] Taylor’s tips for entrepreneurs who want to scale their businesses effectively.  [11:39] Learn more about how Taylor coaches his leadership team and the approach he takes. [14:46] How Taylor thinks about risk when delegating decision-making.  [16:32] Some of the $10,000/hr. tasks Taylor dedicates his time to. [18:04] Why Taylor believes that leadership is the hardest part of running a company. [19:11] The marketing strategies that are helping Traffic and Funnels’ growth currently. [21:37] Find out how to strategically repurpose old content and frame it as new. [23:03] Traffic and Funnels’s approach to new ads and new offers. [26:01] The flywheel approach: How entrepreneurs create new businesses from existing ones. [27:03] Why it’s not necessary to build every business for money. [28:04] Learn about SalesMentor and the work that it does. [30:16] The book that’s shaped Taylor’s thinking and the tool he’s using in his business.   Resources From The Interview:   Traffic and Funnels Taylor Welch on Instagram Taylor Welch on LinkedIn Wealth Cap Holdings ‎Daily Mind Medicine Chris Evans on LinkedIn Mastering the Rockefeller Habits Verne Harnish Russell Brunson Jay Abraham Ray Dalio Asana Elon Musk on Twitter Must read book: Principles   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

Staying ahead of the pack and knowing what the next big thing is is not an easy skill, but it’s one today’s guest, Clinton Sparks, has mastered. As a Grammy-nominated producer, with over 75 million records sold, it would have been easy for Clinton to rest on his laurels and stick with music only. Instead, he is the former Vice President for Business Development at FaZe Clan, a professional esports company, author, and founder of Get Familiar Radio. Sparks  recently resigned from Faze and started the worlds most diverse gaming organization called XSET. We kick off the show by learning more about esports and why Clinton thinks marketers should be paying more attention to it. He talks about the importance of understanding this young, internet-savvy generation who can spot inauthentic advertising a mile away. We find out more about how to properly speak to gamers and discover what resonates with them. We then turn our attention to how Clinton’s upbringing fostered his entrepreneurial spirit and the value of building enduring relationships. Clinton struggled to find his place in the world, but through hard work, honoring his relationships, and showing empathy, he has managed to succeed. From there, we move onto the younger generation’s desire for fame over greatness and how the culture of instant gratification has devalued the true meaning of the hustle. Throughout the episode, Clinton highlights the importance of your reputation and ensuring that business deals are about reciprocity over financial gain. We wrap the show up with a look at what is on the horizon in the esports world along with the main takeaways from Clinton’s book, How To Win Big in The Music Business. Tune in today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:20] An overview of Clinton’s background and some of his professional achievements. [01:26] Why marketers need to pay more attention to and spend more in esports. [02:32] Clinton’s suggestions of good places to start when delving into esports marketing. [03:52] How the gaming mentality is different from the typical consumer. [05:26] Hear more about Wendy’s recent Fortnite marketing campaign. [07:42] Find out more about how Clinton always manages to stay ahead of the curve.  [09:41] The scene from Good Will Hunting that Clinton finds so relevant to the world today. [12:29] Clinton shares more on his book, How To Win Big in The Music Business.  [14:55] The importance of being honest about where you are and where you aspire to be. [15:50] Why Clinton thinks people should focus on greatness and not fame to truly succeed.  [18:36] Hear more about Clinton’s expanded definition of greatness. [19:35] Clinton’s tips on building great relationships and his dirt pile strategy. [22:05] What is currently exciting Clinton most in the esports world. [25:11] Why it’s important to consider how valuable a business deal is for the other person. [26:43] Hear about why Clinton’s favorite business tool is social media and how he uses it. [29:20] Clinton’s favorite business book. [31:45] What to expect from Clinton’s book, the main takeaways, and how to find it. [34:51] The best way to find Clinton online.   Resources From The Interview:   Clinton Sparks on Instagram Clinton Sparks on Twitter Clinton Sparks on LinkedIn Clinton Sparks on Facebook How To Win Big in The Music Business FaZe Clan Get Familiar Radio. Samsung Beyoncé Pepsi Eminem Nordstrom Lady Gaga Wendy's Fortnite Good Will Hunting Wayne Gretzky Offset on Instagram Must read book:    Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter  

Joining a firm as CEO requires a very specific skillset, and today we chat with Dennis Fois about his journey with Copper in this capacity, and what differentiates the company in the CRM space. Most CRMs have placed too much focus on increasing visibility at the company level at the cost of productivity at the user level, but Copper is different. In a nutshell, Copper is a productivity CRM designed for companies that use G Suite. Dennis begins by sketching out his experience and specialty of joining firms as their CEO to boost their scaling process and journey to product-market fit. From there, he gives us an idea of the vision at Copper – to be truly user-focused and increase adoption while making it more organic by honing in on amazing UX. We drill down on the process whereby a company onboards a CEO next, and Dennis does a great job of explaining when, how, and why this should happen, the typical differences between CEOs and founders, and what his experience joining Copper in the middle of their journey looked like. Building a great company culture across distributed and remote teams becomes our next main talking point, and Dennis lays out his brilliant thinking and approach to this matter. Make sure you catch today’s interview to learn how a CEO should run a firm from a man that was born for the role. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:52] Dennis’s travels, his professional experience, and the value he provides as a CEO. [01:35] What differentiates Copper from other CRMs: Focusing on UX and productivity.  [02:19] How Copper charges on a per-user/per-month basis in a three-tiered model. [02:29] Growth rates for Copper after the pandemic and how their user focus affects this. [03:46] What captured Dennis’s attention at Copper and the roles of CEOs versus founders. [06:08] When and how CEOs should be hired according to Dennis’s experience of this process.  [07:22] Why an external CEO should be hired and how to find one. [08:40] The process for Dennis as far as his onboarding with Copper and what went right.  [10:38] Building a healthy company culture in a virtual/remote work landscape after COVID. [16:45] Considerations and insight while building a long-form writing culture in the company. [19:25] Growth areas for Copper: Scaling spend down while getting more conversions. [19:55] How people are finding/adopting Copper because they need it, not because they found it on an app store. [20:23] Dennis’s favorite tool that isn’t Copper and how he uses it. [20:49] A book recommendation from Dennis and other media he likes to consume. [21:44] Where to learn more about Copper as well as Dennis.   Resources From The Interview:   Dennis Fois on LinkedIn Copper G Suite Jon Lee on LinkedIn Vonage (NewVoiceMedia) Peloton Basecamp Amazon Confluence Bear Malcolm Gladwell Tim Ferriss Must read book: Talking to Strangers   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

Most legacy HR software is complicated, costly, takes forever to get up and running, and worst of all seems to neglect one of its primary concerns – people. Zenefits changes this by bringing everything HR into one radically simple app, including the human element. Today we chat with Kevin Marasco, CMO at Zenefits about its unusual growth story, while also digging into his accidental journey into marketing as well as his favorite hobby – ultra-marathons! Kevin starts out by telling us how he switched from engineering to marketing and software development as a student, thereafter stumbling into what became a 15 year-plus path through multiple exits with different high growth SaaS companies. From there, we get into the tumultuous and controversial story of Zenefits, touching on its pivot from an online insurance broker to HR SaaS platform and Kevin’s take on its 2016 scandal. Kevin takes us on a deep dive next into what exactly Zenefits does as an HR platform built for people, weighing in on its quick onboarding process and services in the fields of compensation, performance, and wellbeing. After hearing about pricing models, growth metrics, and an updated strategy for increasing organic reach at Zenefits, we dig into Kevin’s passion for ultra-marathons. He talks about why he started them, how they have helped in a charitable as well as a personal sense, and how he honed his skill for them in no time using a continuous improvement formula! Be sure to tune in!   TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [01:25] Kevin’s accidental road into marketing and experience in the high growth SaaS sphere. [04:47] Being a part of Zenefits’ journey from online insurance broker to SaaS platform.  [06:44] Leading with freemium versus pureplay SaaS and a key Zenefits differentiator: quick onboarding. [07:22] Zenefits’ features; displacing legacy HR platforms by being built for people, not processes. [09:36] The pricing structures at Zenefits from eight to 21 dollars per employee. [09:50] Differences between mediatized portrayals and actual perceptions of Zenefits’ scandal.  [12:06] Metrics for growth, retention, customers, and Zenefits’ payroll solution adoption rates. [13:12] Moving to a more widespread and organic growth model and the benefits of this. [14:09] What ultra-marathons are, why Kevin does them, his mindset, and training process. [17:04] Why Kevin’s favorite business tool is Gong and how it improves marketing messaging.  [17:36] Turning adversity into advantage and Kevin’s favorite book on this topic. [18:37] The best way for people to learn more about Zenefits and find Kevin online.   Resources From The Interview:   Kevin Marasco on LinkedIn Zenefits HireVue Growth Everywhere with Mark Newman U2 Drake on Instagram Metallica HubSpot Workday Oracle SAP TechCrunch David O. Sacks on LinkedIn Gong Ryan Holiday Growth Everywhere with Ryan Holiday Must read book: The Obstacle is the Way    Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter  

Acquiring new customers is one thing, but keeping them is entirely another. Today we have Sunil Thomas on the show to speak about his company, CleverTap, a leading customer engagement and retention platform that helps brands maximize user time value. CleverTap tracks groups, segments, and data, and helps brands use it to market to their customers. For Sunil, what makes CleverTap unique is that they take a holistic view of customer retention by serving four categories: behavior analytics, segmentation, marketing automation, and individualization, using a mixture of manual and automated approaches to service delivery in each. Sunil shares details about some of CleverTap’s main clients and the verticals they occupy, before weighing in on why their customers who offer subscription models get the best out of their offering. We talk pricing structures and growth metrics for CleverTap and hear more on what their journey from idea to evangelization and product-market fit looked like. Our exchange covers the user experience of CleverTap too, and Sunil shares insights into the growth customers have experienced after adopting their platform as well as how open and compatible it is. We wrap up this great chat hearing bout Sunil’s favorite books and tools, so for all this and more, be sure to tune in!   TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:   [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:45] Where Sunil got his surname from considering he was born in India. [01:21] CleverTap’s main service helping brands with retention and conversion rates.  [02:14] Metrics for clients, client success, and verticals CleverTap serves. [04:15] Four user retention categories and how CleverTap catapulted their growth. [05:18] Using manual and AI-assisted automation to help retain users in four categories. [06:32] Whether CleverTap best serves clients with mobile or web-based businesses. [08:14] CleverTap’s pricing structures based on user volume and add-on features. [10:30] Challenges educating buyers that solving user retention is important.  [12:28] The two and a half year journey to first payment and product-market fit. [14:13] Growth metrics for CleverTap and how they have more than doubled revenue each year.  [15:21] The difference between CleverTap and HubSpot: B2B versus B2C. [15:53] Favorite books of Sunil’s and why he loves Patrick Lencioni’s fable style. [16:32] Getting things done and why Sunil’s favorite business tool is Microsoft OneNote. [18:00] How to get in touch with Sunil and learn more about CleverTap.   Resources From The Interview:   Sunil Thomas on LinkedIn Sunil Thomas on Twitter CleverTap Domino’s Fandango  The Discovery Group BookMyShow Nathan Latka with Sunil Thomas HubSpot NetSuite Yelp Patrick Lencioni   The Five Dysfunctions The Ideal Team Player   Microsoft OneNote Notion Roam David Allen   Getting Things Done   Leveling Up with David Allen TechCrunch Tom Tunguz Growth Everywhere Episode 96: Tom Tunguz   Must read book: Death By Meeting, The Advantage     Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:      Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

Joining us on the show today is multifaceted, entrepreneur's entrepreneur, Jim Mckelvey! Jim is currently developing his project, Invisibly, which aims to revolutionize the ways that consumers interact with advertising on media platforms. He is also the co-founder of Square and has started seven companies in total! His recent book, The Innovation Stack is compiled through his experience and research into what has allowed the most successful companies to create their own lane, and in it, he notes the common factors of the most innovative business in history. Jim explains how he learned the important skill of surrounding himself with more experienced and intelligent people and complimenting this with the ability to support and strengthen their work. We also get into the opportunity of calamity before discussing the need for humor and bravery in the life of an entrepreneur. For all this and a bunch more thought-provoking conversation, listen in with us today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [01:24] Jim's first book that he wrote during college and the skills he acquired during those years. [02:23] How Jim met Jack Dorsey as a teenager.  [03:29] Jim's role at Square and his attitude towards starting companies. [05:11] The beginnings of starting a payment company and the moment that inspired it. [06:16] The surprising growth of Square and its shaky path to success. [08:05] The concept of the innovation stack and the motivations behind Jim's book.  [10:56] The two types of problems in the world and what this means for solutions. [12:55] Understanding the differences between businesspeople and entrepreneurs.  [15:16] The example of Southwest Airlines and its innovation stack. [17:40] A better definition of disruption and ways to work in non-innovative spaces.  [19:19] Invisibly's two main goals and their overarching mission statement. [23:37] The way that Invisibly works for consumers online and in media. [26:14] Business in the pandemic and the history of companies during a calamity. [27:59] Why Douglas Adams' books are so helpful for kindling the entrepreneurial spirit. [29:27] The professional usefulness of saying 'no'. [30:05] Where Jim would invest a billion dollars currently. [31:20] Jim's departure from Square and his focus on family and projects he cares about. [33:10] The need for more entrepreneurs and dispelling the hero myth.   Resources From The Interview:   Jim McKelvey  Invisibly The Innovation Stack  Square Jim McKelvey on Twitter   Hatching Twitter   Jack Dorsey  Herb Kelleher Southwest Airlines  Forbes  Peter Thiel  Pre-suasion  Gladwell  Elon Musk    Must read book: The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy     Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:      Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

We are joined on Leveling Up today by Aaron Hirschhorn, the founder and CEO of Gallant, a new company specializing in regenerative medicine for pets! They aim to help pets have a better and longer, high-quality life and they are providing this through stem cell banking and therapy. Aaron explains how this is an untapped section of the market and how he has applied the ongoing research into stem cells to help pets and their owners! He gives us some examples of how their service works, which begins with the procurement of stem cells during a regular vet visit at a young age. From there a veterinary professional can treat future age-related health issues using that sample as the means. Our guest does a great job of simplifying how stem cells relate to aging and the potential advancements we will likely see in the field in the near future. He breaks down some of the components of the new business and how they have approached marketing and customer acquisition. For all this and a whole lot more from an exciting company in a fresh space, listen in!   TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:55] How to pronounce Gallant properly, what they do and some background on stem cells. [02:52] Examples of practical use cases for the company's service.  [05:30] The business model at Gallant and how they make money. [07:38] Partners, new customers, patents and more; looking at the young business. [08:17] How Gallant work with vets and the seamless alignment they offer. [11:00] Aaron's previous business, DogVacay, that he started in 2011.  [12:15] Lessons that Aaron has brought forward into his new business around simplification. [13:51] Building awareness through content creation and media appearances.  [14:32] Aaron's plans to live forever and what the future of aging might look like! [16:57] Aaron's commitment to the pet space and where he would invest $10 million.  [17:35] Moving to Florida and the tax benefits for startups. [18:13] Aaron's preference for novels over business books! [19:24] The set of tools that Aaron and Gallant use currently.   Resources From The Interview:   Gallant Aaron Hirschhorn Email Shark Tank  DogVacay  Yelp Rover Wag! SoftBank Chewy  Kindle Slack    Must read book: Children of Time     Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:      Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

Yesware is an all-in-one sales software that provides users with everything necessary to prospect, schedule meetings and follow up, all from the comfort of the inbox! Here to talk about the company and his role as CEO is Joel Stevenson! Yesware has raised $47 million as well as acquiring a host of companies along the way and we wanted to bring you the lowdown on how they have done it all. We hear from Joel about his journey from SVP of Sales to COO of Marketing and finally to CEO of the company! Joel explains his relationship with Matt Bellows, the co-founder and former CEO, and a lot of our conversation is spent unpacking the transitions the company has gone through and how they have grown and evolved. Joel started in sales and tech and he is kind enough to look back at his early career and the common motifs that have run through all of his work. We also talk about leadership techniques, Yesware's belief in executive mentorship, and how they go about communicating in the company. So, for all of that and a whole lot more, listen in with us today!   TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:48] Joel's long and winding road to his current position as CEO. [02:10] Departing from Wayfair and finding a home at Yesware.  [02:50] Yesware's business model, their offers, and how they charge and make money! [03:52] The growth of the business over the last six years and their move away from freemiums. [05:09] Developing leadership and Joel's own path to his current role. [08:05] Joel's attitude to change management and keeping the team on board.  [09:12] Matt Bellow's current role at Yesware and responsibilities that Joel took over from him. [10:29] The frequency of communication and meetings at the company.  [10:51] The power of executive coaching; the emphasis that Yesware has placed on this. [11:47] The sales world at this moment; high volumes, dry pipelines and availability.  [13:39] Trends that Joel and Yesware have noted during and before the pandemic. [14:22] Joel's emphasis on video for meetings — making use of current circumstances. [15:41] Joel's favorite business tools lately; Microsoft To-Do and Whoop. [16:18] Why Joel's loves David Allen's Getting Things Done. [16:42] The publications and podcasts that Joel keeps up with.   Resources From The Interview:   Joel Stevenson  Yesware Matt Bellows Wayfair  Salesforce  Zenefits BodesWell Slack Reboot Valour  Microsoft To-Do Whoop  David Allen Must read book: Getting Things Done   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

Today on Leveling Up we welcome Andrew Fischer from Choozle. Andrew is the co-founder and CEO of the company and he shares some of their story and what makes the business tick. Choozle is a digital advertising software platform that leverages detailed consumer data to power programmatic advertising campaigns across multiple platforms. They do this through one, intuitive interface and this model has proved very successful for Andrew and his team, having raised over $14 million since they began work in 2012! In our conversation, we chat about the service they provide to their clients and what sets them apart from other advertising services in the space. Andrew gives us a few interesting statistics and breaks down some hiring numbers before we talk about customer acquisition and adapting to the new world in a post-COVID landscape. We chat about the future of media and the increasing trends away from cable television, so to hear it all, make sure to tune in! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:54] How Choozle works, the service they provide and how they make money. [02:30] Why to choose Choozle! Making the most of the average consumer.  [03:40] Ideal business sizes for the company and their preference for independent agencies. [04:53] Employee-growth at Choozle; the peaks that the company has hit. [06:15] Choozle's focus on programmatic advertising campaigns. [07:19] Costs involved in working with the company and the array of budgets they work with. [08:30] Current steps that Choozle is taking to extend their service for customers. [10:50] Trends in television and media consumption in the contemporary climate.  [11:25] Business during the pandemic and how Choozle is weathering the storm. [12:57] Customer acquisition strategies at Choozle over the last few years. [14:11] The type of startup Andrew would back right now! [14:51] Andrew's two essential book recommendations. [15:55] Why Andrew has returned to a simpler practice of note-taking.   Resources From The Interview:   Andrew Fischer on Twitter Choozle  Roku Fire AT&T The Last Dance  Evernote    Must read books: The Hard Thing About Hard Things and Shoe Dog     Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

Zapier CEO and co-founder, Wade Foster, joins on us on Leveling Up today to discuss his business, remote work and the vital importance of building a company culture! It became apparent to Wade quite early on in the journey of Zapier that if they were going to grow in the right way and continue to scale what they were doing, a well-suited company culture was necessary. This led to the development of their ethos and core values and these steps have served the company immensely in recent years! We get to hear from Wade about some of the financial aspects of the company, including their freemium model and the way they lay out their pricing plan. He also comments on leadership, with particular reference to the challenges posed by a crisis. The global pandemic has provided many challenges for us all and Wade weighs in on his approach to these and making the most of the connected opportunities. The conversation also covers the utility of podcast appearances, hiring practices at Zapier, and profit-sharing! Tune in and hear it all!   TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:54] Zapier's place in the no-code ecosystem! [01:39] A refresher on Zapier and where they are currently as a business.  [03:24] The freemium model at Zapier, the pricing model, and how they make money. [07:28] Key lessons in growth and scaling for Wade around remote work and company culture.  [09:41] Evaluating communication skills during the hiring process.  [11:54] Practical steps towards building better company culture! [14:41] Employee retention at Zapier and how the remote model contributes to this.  [16:09] Lessons that Wade has learned during the pandemic about leadership during crisis. [19:45] Feelings about the current uncertainty; the positive and negative sides of the pandemic. [21:17] Profit-sharing and employee incentives at Zapier. [24:20] How Wade thinks about podcast appearances; qualitative feedback and recruiting. [26:11] Wade's favorite recent business book: The Outsiders. [29:48] The usefulness of Workona and Krisp!   Resources From The Interview:   Zapier Wade Foster  Wade Foster on Twitter Wade Foster Email Slack G Suite QuickBooks Trello MailChimp SalesForce Stripe Twilio Basecamp Glassdoor Nathan Barry Workona Krisp   Must read book: The Outsiders     Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:      Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

Offering a SaaS product that services agriculture presents unique challenges for growth and today we chat with Allison Kopf, CEO of Artemis, about what this process looks like. Artemis is a cultivation management platform that enables growers to manage people, processes, and compliance all in one place while creating a virtually risk-free operation. Allison starts by telling us about her background in energy and what drew her obsession towards enterprise-level management and infrastructure in the agricultural industry, weighing in about how software can optimize farming and supply chains to streamline operations, bring growers closer to distributors, and more. We turn our attention to why Artemis services high-risk specialty crop farmers, and how the company makes money while encouraging compliance by using a subscription model that charges by acreage and complexity. From there, Allison talks metrics for growth rates before speaking to Artemis’ customer acquisition strategies and how direct to farmer lead generation in the format of digital events is faring since COVID. The risk of burnout due to over-productivity while working at home in the pandemic is real so we query Allison next about how her passion projects of baking, venture capital, and playing Zelda are working as buffers against this. Wrapping up, Allison weighs in on her favorite venture capital books and the massive strides Zoom and Slack have made in recent months. Tune in for this amazing conversation. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:42] Allison’s background in farming and idea to tweak supply chains by creating Artemis. [02:25] What a cultivation management platform is and how software can optimize supply chains. [03:13] Why Artemis works with high-risk specialty crops directly consumed by consumers.  [05:24] How Artemis makes its money using a subscription-based SaaS model. [05:43] Encouraging compliance and why Artemis charges by acreage not user. [06:26] Employee size and growth rates at Artemis for Q1 and COVID’s influence.  [07:16] Unique customer acquisition challenges Artemis faces as an agri-SaaS product. [09:58] Talking virtual events as a way of generating quality leads during the pandemic.  [12:08] Allison’s focus on baking, venture capital, and Zelda since COVID to resist overworking. [16:30] New creative business models since COVID and venture deals Allison has closed.  [17:22] Favorite books of Allison’s about venture capital and underrepresented founders. [18:29] Talking Zoom’s growth, Slack’s usefulness, and Allison’s favorite work tools.   Resources From The Interview:   Allison Kopf on LinkedIn Allison Kopf on Twitter Allison Kopf on Instagram Allison Kopf Email Artemis   Star Wars: The Clone Wars   Zelda XFactor Ventures Zoom Eric Yuan Slack   Shoe Dog Little Black Stretchy Pants Must read book: Raising the Bar, and It’s About Damn Time     Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:      Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

With the explosive proliferation of SaaS products, it can be difficult to keep up to speed with developments such as pricing trends. While there are review sites for products, these have largely become an extension of marketing and sales rather than objective information for customers. Capiche is looking to turn this model on its head, and CEO, Austin Petersmith, joins us to share insights into the exciting platform. Capiche is a secret society for SaaS products, showing pricing data for a variety of companies. We kick off the episode by learning more about Austin and the company. With a background in journalism and experience in tech startups, Austin saw the flawed software development review ecosystem that comes from a pay to play model. He realized the need for elevated conversations, which set the wheels in motion for the creation of Capiche. We then move to discuss the pricing data the site has available. With pricing asymmetry and opacity as the biggest problems, by making data available, Capiche puts users back in the driver’s seat. From there, we then look at the platform’s approach to monetization and why they are opting to build their community first. Their customer-centric approach ensures that they stay true to the transparent ethos which the platform was built on. We round the show off with some tips from Austin for anyone looking to build community and more. Be sure to tune in today!   TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:31] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [01:00] Find out more about Austin’s story and what led to the creation of Capiche. [03:56] What Austin thought was missing with SaaS products and the conversations about them.  [04:42] The SaaS pricing data that Capiche has available and the benefits for users. [06:42] Capiche’s growth plan and why they’re opting for high quality over monetization now. [08:00] What Capiche is working on currently. [09:22] Some of the ways that Austin has thought about monetizing Capiche.  [11:27] How Capiche looks to turn the conventional review site approach on its head. [11:57] Capiche user metrics and other data.  [14:52] Lessons that Austin has learned from the mistakes he made building Capiche. [17:52] Austin’s favorite business tool at the moment.  [19:03] A recent great business book Austin has read.   Resources From The Interview:     Austin Petersmith on LinkedIn Austin Petersmith on Twitter Austin Petersmith’s email Capiche Jon Stewart Jason Calacanis Inside.com Notion Wirecutter Hacker News Figma Must read book: The Great CEO Within     Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:      Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

How many CEOs are running a million dollars a month, ad to webinar? Tanner Chidester is one of them and he joins us today to talk about qualifying calls and what it’s like grossing $12 million annually at 28 years old. Tanner is CEO of Elite CEOs and Fit Warrior, two high ticket coaching businesses that offer one on one mentorship in the fitness and entrepreneurship spaces. We hear from Tanner about how he went from playing D-I football to dropping out of college to pursue entrepreneurship following the advice of a mentor. Tanner weighs in on how he built Fit Warrior’s high ticket coaching service and used that business as a platform to start Elite CEOs. He talks about how his businesses make money, shares metrics about his staff count and monthly revenue, and also speaks to the resilience of the high ticket coaching model in this time of the worldwide pandemic. We hear more about Tanner’s business model which stresses many touchpoints between coaches and clients, and he talks about their subscription lengths, billing structures, success rates, and ideal clients. From there, we get into one of today’s biggest takeaways, with Tanner sharing about how he can close 60 percent of the calls his sales team take by using a conversion conversation model that qualifies calls for only a third of the cost that most businesses would pay. Wrapping up, we talk about some mindset hacks for optimizing the wellness side of entrepreneurship, and Tanner gives his recommendations for a favorite app and book to this end. Tune in for some lesser-used conversion strategies and nuggets about the effectiveness of high ticket offerings! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:44] How Tanner dropped out of college to pursue entrepreneurship and made millions. [03:25] Why Tanner is focusing on Elite CEOs now and how he used Fit Warrior as a platform. [04:18] How Tanner made money initially with Fit Warrior by selling high ticket services online. [05:17] Advertising, sales, service packages, and staff count metrics for Tanner’s businesses. [06:09] How COVID is affecting conversion rates for Tanner’s sales funnels.  [06:49] The high level, one to one coaching business model Tanner uses in both businesses. [09:50] Ideal client types and why Tanner prefers coaching clients with high ticket offerings.  [10:56] Why Tanner’s conversion conversation model has been so successful for him. [14:00] How Tanner only pays around $250 rather than $600 for a qualified call. [16:26] Additional information about how Tanner’s team qualifies clients on the front end. [18:58] How helpful The Calm App has been for Tanner’s mental wellbeing. [19:52] The use of seeing a therapist for aiding in mental health. [20:55] Happiness after wealth and why Tanner loves High Performance Habits. [21:28] The best way to connect with Tanner online.   Resources From The Interview:   Tanner Chidester Elite CEOs Fit Warrior The Calm App BetterHelp Russel Brunson   Must read book: High Performance Habits.     Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:      Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

Not enough people in the SaaS world are customer-obsessed, but Derek O’Carroll, CEO of Brightpearl is changing that, and he joins us today to dive into how. Brightpearl is a scalable retail operations platform designed specifically for high growth multi-channel retailers wishing to automate and integrate their e-commerce and accounting operations. Derek got into startups in the 90s and while Senior Vice President of Global Field Sales and Marketing for Norton under Symantec he was responsible for $1.7 billion in global revenue. Today, Derek talks about leaving Symantec to join Brightpearl after looking for an area in the market that was undergoing disruption with a good product but challenges on product/market fit. He gets into what exactly Brightpearl does, how they make money, their deal client types, and their amazing growth metrics since he joined the team. After that, we turn our attention to how Derek manages teams with a focus on communication and the benefits of this approach, before zooming further into one of the biggest takeaways for today: how Brightpearl differentiates themselves by locating functional and non-functional attributes to build into their product. Here Derek talks about the process they went through to arrive at fast deployment, pricing, customer success, and automation. Next up, we chat about changes in customer behavior post-COVID and Brightpearl’s swift response to it, before wrapping things up with our usual rapid-fire questions for our guest. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:50] Startups in B2B/e-commerce Derek was involved in leading up to Brightpearl. [02:21] Complexities Brightpearl manages around the process after a product is bought online. [02:57] The transparent, configurable subscription model Brightpearl uses to make money. [03:56] Brightpearl’s clients: merchants trading across multiple channels with above $1M GMV. [04:30] The thread running through Derek’s projects; differentiation in disruptive spaces. [06:31] Derek’s approach to managing teams focussing on optimizing communication. [10:09] Statistics of Brightpearl’s yearly order value, market location, revenue, and more. [12:00] Functional and non-functional differentiators of Brightpearl’s product. [15:10] Time to value and how Brightpearl’s deployment speed frees client resources. [16:48] The fluidity of customer behavior post-COVID and how Brightpearl has dealt with that.  [20:49] Tools Derek recently added to optimize his business: Slack and Donut. [21:44] A book recommendation from Derek.   Resources From The Interview:   Derek O’Carroll Brightpearl Derek O’Carroll on Twitter Derek O’Carroll Email Symantec Norton   Escaping the Build Trap   Jeff Bezos Oura Ring Peloton Slack Donut   Must read book: Rubicon     Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:      Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

Everbowl is a superfood brand, headed up by their inspiring founder and CEO, Jeff Fenster. Jeff joins us on Leveling Up today to talk about his amazing business and the impressive growth it is experienced in its young life. Jeff unpacks the idea of relationship capital, a concept that has made a huge impact on his success and how he goes about his work. We hear from him about his formative years and how his original plan to be a sports agent did not pan out in the way he initially imagined. Now Jeff aims to help everyone be their best selves through eating and moving the way that we are meant to. This means better, healthier practices throughout the day and that is where his amazing acai bowls come into the picture. They are packed with superfoods and all the stuff your diet might be missing to get you to your peak performance. Jeff generously shares some inside information about the company, his eight minute trick to making the most of his time and why he aims to be the dumbest guy in the room! We also touch on his parallel superfood coffee business, Superfuel Coffee! So for all that and then some, be sure to listen in! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:31] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [01:05] The quick and dirty version of Jeff's story leading up to Everbowl. [04:03] Jeff's passion for serial entrepreneurship and health.  [05:53] The products that Everbowl offers and their reliance on real food. [07:05] Employee numbers, 2019 revenue and future prospects for the company. [08:11] The merging of superfood and coffee for something unique to the market. [09:02] Jeff's concept of vertical integration and why more entrepreneurs should be using it.  [11:30] Factors that have contributed to Everbowl's impressive growth. [13:20] Jeff's deep care for relationship building and the idea of relationship capital.  [19:40] How to get started with a great network; Jeff's rules for amassing relationship capital. [22:01] Jeff's overarching mission in his business and life; helping improve lives. [22:51] Daily routines and practices that keep Jeff healthy and happy. [25:55] The main challenge that Jeff has faced in his life as an entrepreneur. [29:06] Jeff's favorite business tool and business book currently! [30:48] The two CEO's that Jeff is most inspired by: Steve Ells and Elon Musk.   Resources From The Interview:   Jeff Fenster Everbowl  Superfuel Coffee  Four Sigmatic  Kobe Bryant Shaquille O'Neal  Tiger Woods Slack Zoom Tim Grover Chipotle Steve Ells Elon Musk Henry Ford   Must read book: Relentless     Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:      Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

We have spoken before about the ways in which writing and publishing a book can help you grow your business and authority. It sits alongside other tactics such as hosting a podcast, starting a blog, or creating a YouTube channel. Our guest today is a great example of the power of publishing! We are so happy to have the best-selling author of six books and CEO of Self-Publishing School, Chandler Bolt join us to talk about how you can put your thoughts and experiences into the form of a book and how this can lead to massive growth and revenue for you and your business! Chandler and his company have helped countless people publish their books and he walks us through exactly what his company does. They do not actually publish works, they help authors through the process, making it that much easier for anyone to become an author! Chandler explains why now is a better time than any for you to be writing and self-publishing that book you have been thinking about and we get into the differences between a traditional approach to publishing and the methods that Chandler espouses. For this hugely inspiring exploration of a market that anyone can exploit, listen in with us today on Leveling Up! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:58] Chandler's surprising story about getting into writing and publishing. [02:07] How Self-Publishing School operates and makes money.  [03:00] Numbers from Chandler's business; income, growth and publishing stats. [03:44] One of Chandler's favorite success stories from his publishing work! [05:03] Chandler's business psychology; goal-setting, accountability and transparency. [06:40] The hit-rate Chandler experiences with his goals.  [08:01] Why now is the best time you can publish your own book! [09:20] Free resources and paid services from Self-Publishing School.  [10:21] Traditional publishing versus the self-publishing route; weighing the pros and cons. [12:49] Understanding the idea of a book funnel and how useful it can be.  [15:25] The 'silent salesman' and how a book can generate business for you in the long run. [16:12] Chandler's heavy work ethic — publishing 6 books in 3 years! [17:35] The time that is spent writing a book and getting help with the heavy lifting. [18:46] Writing challenges that Self-Publishing School set for their clients. [20:04] The rebranding of summits as challenges! [20:55] Chandler's approach to scaling companies and his passion for operations. [22:08] Three business book recommendations from Chandler! [23:04] The tool that has improved Chandler's business the most recently.   Resources From The Interview:   Chandler Bolt Self-Publishing School Self-Publishing School Podcast Published  Seth Godin  Inc 5000  Good Day Sacramento Measure What Matters  Isaac Newton Shakespeare  Pat Flynn   New York Times USA Today Wall Street Journal   Russell Brunson    Traffic Secrets From 6 to 7 Figures   ClickFunnels Need to Breathe  Book Launch   7 Figure Principle Podcast  Dan Martell   Keith Cunningham  Asana Slack Standuply   Must read books: Influence, Extreme Ownership, How to Win Friends and Influence People    Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

We have a true legend of digital marketing on the show today. Rich Schefren has done a lot in the marketing space, to put it lightly! He is a pioneer of the modern marketing world and has been a mentor to many of the most famous young faces doing interesting things right now. We are so excited to speak to Rich today as he breaks down his experience in this episode that is absolutely brimming with information. Rich packs so much wisdom into each answer, and his decades of expertise become so apparent that you are definitely not going to want to miss this one! We discuss the discovery of the video sales letter, how he got a billion-dollar testimonial and what it means to be resourceful during difficult times. Rich tells us exactly why he loves his iPad so much, what he learned from the old guard of legendary marketers and how he has gone about laying staff off when it was necessary. We discuss pruning your business, building a strong team through profit-sharing, and the definitive moments from his career, so tune in to hear it all! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [01:54] A brief background to Rich's work and how he landed up where he is today! [04:58] Working with legendary direct response marketers.  [09:12] Rich's move into coaching and mentoring new faces in the game. [12:15] How writing 'The Internet Business Manifesto' changed Rich's life! [16:02] Resourcefulness and creating value for others; evergreen lessons from Rich. [18:39] Pruning parts of your business and enabling its further growth. [21:42] Rich's strategy for setting up profit-sharing in his company. [27:54] Lessons that Rich learned through layoffs and handling employees. [32:30] Rich's best books about direct response marketing! [34:42] The value Rich found in learning to speed read and his note-taking process.   Resources From The Interview:   Strategic Profits Rich Schefren on Twitter Ryan Deiss  Russell Brunson Zoom Fred Segal American Rag Timeout Jay Abraham Gary Halbert John Carlton Dan Kennedy  Stephen Pierce Gary Vaynerchuk Agora Publishing   The Internet Business Manifesto  Jon Benson ClickBank Charlie Munger  QuickReader Calibre Voice Dream GoodReader Evernote Kindle    Must read books: Breakthrough Advertising     Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:      Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

Thinkific has risen to become the top searched course platform since their CEO Greg Smith last appeared on the show and today he joins us again to share some amazing updates. Our conversation with Greg covers the story of Thinkific’s evolution, and the company’s best practices for marketing, hiring, subscriptions, and corporate culture. We dive right in hearing Greg’s story about his college how-to blog for passing the LSAT that he morphed into an online course with the help of his software developer brother. Next up, Greg gives us a bunch of metrics about the company’s gross revenue currently, how much the average course creator would pay and earn using Thinkific, and which types of courses tend to scale. He also touches on some of the company’s strategies around getting course creators prepared to put their best foot forward and create packageable content that adds meaning to consumers for growing their own businesses. Our interview then moves onto the topic of hiring and staff, and we hear Greg's thoughts on delegation, headhunting, keeping vision aligned, and how to involve late cofounders from an ownership perspective. Thinkific stands as a great example of a company that scaled fast through a great team and business model so make sure you don't miss this one. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:26] Opening comments on Greg’s company Thinkific, the top searched course platform. [01:16] How Greg’s LSAT college blog morphed into his first online course. [02:56] Metrics on Greg’s course: its price, continuing amazing monthly sales, etc. [03:36] How people are finding Greg’s course: YouTube and Google SEO converts. [04:39] The way that Thinkific makes money from a freemium option upwards. [05:27] Further metrics on Thinkific: 110 plus staff and 14 million ROI plus. [06:42] What course creators make on Thinkific: from 5000 to tens of millions of dollars. [08:00] Percentages of people who run courses on Thinkific that continue to scale. [08:42] Three milestones for a course creator that bode well for future success. [09:26] How the infrastructure trains course creators to make and market courses. [11:40] What qualifies as a valid reason to run a course. [12:50] Contributors to Greg’s success: a good team, paid ads, and refining focus. [14:14] What Thinkific is doing to manifest its corporate culture: investing in people. [17:43] How online course searches and Thinkific’s business focus bodes for their future. [21:40] What people who run cheap courses on Thinkific do to market on low budgets. [23:00] Greg’s biggest challenges in the last three years: knowing what to delegate. [23:50] Why Greg only focuses on team building and strategy now. [24:15] How well people that Greg hires do in tasks he thought he was good at. [25:10] Going beyond workplace gimmicks to build a corporate culture. [25:48] Whether a total hands-off leadership approach is really the best one. [26:50] Greg’s approach to keeping staff on track by helping them articulate the mission. [27:37] Employees who ended up merging into cofounder positions at Thinkific. [28:35] Strategies for adding cofounders and equity along the way. [29:30] Specifics of arrangements for how much equity to give cofounders. [31:27] Greg’s must read books, favorite business tool, and companies he follows.   Resources From The Interview:   Greg Smith Greg Smith on Instagram Thinkific Exploding Topics Sam Ovens   Who   Glassdoor Tia Fomenoff   High Output Management Let My People Go Surfing   Matt Payne Miranda Lievers AngelList   Slicing Pie   Todd Herman Jim Collins Slack Excel Google Docs Audible Kindle Whispersync Better! Tobi Lutke Shopify   Ready Player One Must read book: Turning the Flywheel, The Alter Ego Effect     Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter