John Ruhlin, the #1 distributor for Cutco and founder of the Ruhlin Group. John’s an expert on high-level gift giving, and accessing CEOs and top executives. Tune in to hear about why gratitude is so important, how to make your relationships work for you, and the secrets of effective gifting.
Famous Five:
Favorite Book? – Give and Take
What CEO do you follow? — Gary Vaynerchuk
Favourite online tool? —Hatchbuck
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—No
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—I wish I understood that I didn’t have to do it all on my own
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:10 – Nathan’s introduction
01:30 – Welcoming John to the show
01:56 – Interned with CutCo and created their corporate gifting program
03:00 – Made around $10k over a summer aged 20
03:50 – Sold about $35-40k in his first summer
04:25 – Sold over $500k in his best year with CutCo
05:20 – “We help leaders not suck at saying Thank You”
05:50 – John speaks, writes, and coaches on corporate generosity and gratitude
06:20 – Worked with the Chicago Cubs on gifting
07:20 – They were remodelling a stadium - so John suggested using the wood from the old locker room to create 400 custom speakers for their most important relationships
09:20 – 8 people in John’s team and a strong relationship with his suppliers
10:08 – “I really try to appreciate everyone in our circle...I don’t have a business without those people”
10:40 – Almost lost the business on 2008 because of embezzlement by his accountant
11:25 – Published Giftology through Book in a Box
12:40 – Book in a Box cut down around 90% of the work related to creating a book
13:30 – Execution, launch and publicity are all being managed by John’s company
15:00 – Aiming to hit the Wall Street Journal bestseller list
15:20 – The best way to sell a book is to create a great book and have a tribe who’ll promote it
17:50 – The Famous Five
3 Key Points:
You are as strong as the people around you. Create strong relationships with your team, your suppliers, and your partners. You don’t have to do everything alone.
Say thank you. Relationships thrive on gratitude and appreciation
Be humble and be honest about your weaknesses, and you’ll find people to help you balance them out
Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
KJ Singh left $300k a year as an options trader at Wall St to move to Silicon Valley. After leading growth at Union Metrics, KJ’s founded Dil Mil - the world’s fastest-growing dating app for South Asians. Tune in to hear why some of the country’s richest people are unhappy; how KJ’s growing his business with no paid advertising; and what the future looks like for Dil Mil.
Famous Five:
Favorite Book? – Zero to One
What CEO do you follow? — Naval Ravikant
Favourite online tool? —Slack
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Yes
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—Don’t work on multiple projects at the same time
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:10 – Nathan’s introduction
01:40 – Welcoming KJ to the show
02:16 – “I think some of the top traders at different firms are miserable with their life”
03:00 – “I think a lot of the hard work in the startup world is meaningful work”
03:22 – KJ left finance aged 24, earning $300k per year
03:58 – He joined Union Metrics because he was attracted to the idea behind the firm
04:30 – Moved to Silicon Valley only knowing one person
05:00 – Worked at Union Metrics for 1 year, in which time it grew from 14 to 23 people
05:40 – Left Union Metrics to create a dating app for South Asians - why?
06:00 – KJ’s sister was 28, a doctor and attractive - but had never found time to date
06:17 – 90% of South Asians date and marry within their community
06:40 – “The traditional model of arranged model has broken down”
07:18 – Raised $2.8 million altogether using two SAFE rounds
08:15 – Dil Mil makes money through a premium model. There’s a free base service; it’s possible to purchase more ‘likes’
09:40 – Average income per user is $10 per month
09:55 – Just under 1 million downloads
10:13 – Run rate of around $500k; currently making around $44k per month
10:45 – “A lot of the metrics that SaaS companies use are relevant to us - but obviously, when we’re successful people leave.”
11:50 – Not using any paid advertising at the moment - growing through referrals
12:40 – Revenue goal for 2016 is $1 million
13:15 – Average customer stays for around 3 months, giving a $40 lifetime value
14:20 – “The point where you have revenue without investors is a great position to be in”
14:50 – Connect with KJ on Twitter
16:44 – The Famous Five
3 Key Points:
Find a niche market with a need you can meet.
Generate revenue. So many startups run a fundraising round with nothing but a great idea - then find they just can’t monetise.
Focus on one thing at a time. Don’t try to work on every great idea at once.
Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
Kevin Getch, the founder and director of digital strategy agency Webfor. He’s running a digital strategy agency that’s growing by 30% year on year - tune in to find out why he left his 6-figure job at the height of the financial crisis and how failures have given him the confidence to succeed.
Famous 5:
Time Stamped Show Notes:
3 Key Points:
Resources Mentioned:
Peter Awad, host of The Slow Hustle podcast. Peter started an automotor business in college and now runs two startups, as well as hosting an in-depth entrepreneurship podcast that’s been featured on the Apple homepage. Tune in to hear Peter talk about entrepreneurship with 4 kids, how he makes money from his podcast, and what you can learn from the way successful people manage their lows.
Famous Five:
Favorite Book? – Bold
What CEO do you follow? — No
Favourite online tool? —Pomotodo
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—No
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—I wish I had more confidence to do what I wanted to do
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:19 – Nathan’s introduction
01:40 – Welcoming Peter to the show
01:47 – Peter has a background in e-commerce
02:30 – Peter generates revenue from his automotor business
03:07 – Gross revenue in 7 figures, and gross margin of 20-30%
04:22 – Started an unsuccessful startup which he tried to run for 4 years
05:00 – Connections for Mission Meats were made through previous failures
06:05 – Entrepreneurship is full of highs and lows
06:40 – The Slow Hustle looks at the way that successful entrepreneurs manage their highs and lows and live a manageable life
08:30 – Has hour-long interviews that dig into people’s lives
09:20 – Show has 15 live episodes, and around 8-10k downloads per month
10:30 – Producing quality relationships with interviewees
11:45 – Just signed their first 2 sponsors
12:45 – Sponsored by a law firm and by the Iowa Startup Accelerator
13:16 – Sell an 8-show sponsor pack for $3k
14:25 – Sponsor pack buys you a 60-second ‘sponsor spot’ of pre-recorded conversation
14:40 – Around a $10 CPM
14:59 – “It’s a labour of love for me...if I can cover costs it’s fine with me”
15:20 – Connect with Peter on Twitter
17:03 – The Famous Five
3 Key Points:
Don’t be afraid or ashamed of failure. Your failures will set you up for future success.
All entrepreneurs - even the most successful - struggle with managing their work and life, with fear of failure, and with emotional lows. You aren’t alone.
Follow your passions and do what you love
Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
Ash is the co-founder of Tradecraft and an authority on entrepreneurship, social media, and branding. Ash has written a bestselling book, spoken to over 10,000 people and been cited in Forbes, TEDx, and Entrepreneur Magazine. Listen in to hear Ash and Nathan break down how to launch a successful business book, the fine art of self-branding, and how to capture an email list of half a million.
Famous Five:
Favorite Book? – Inside Steve’s Brain
What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk
Favourite online tool? —Hootsuite
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Yes
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—Master the art of being fearless. Stick with your heart.
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:19 – Nathan’s introduction
02:30 – Welcoming Ash to the show
02:45 – Right now Ash is making money through book sales and speaking engagements
03:08 – TradeCraft is Ash’s main business - but he drives traffic through self-branding
03:50 – Confessions From an Entrepreneur was published in 2012
04:02 – Ash makes $2-3 from each book sale; there have been over 150k volumes sold
05:00 – Ash focuses on a very niche market - and speaks to audiences to drive book sales
05:45 – Primarily promoted his book sales through Facebook
06:15 – Currently has a list of over 500k - captures emails by giving away the first volume of his ebook
07:10 – The reason that a lot of people don’t see returns on their books is that they don’t focus on one niche market
08:10 – Ash has a strong relationship with a lot of colleges through speaking
08:55 – Pushed programs to buy and distribute the book to students
09:45 – Speaking revenue in 2015 was around $90k for around 18 speeches
10:20 – Ash is stepping back from speaking while he works on a new book
10:50 – Works with some startups as a consultant to develop their pitch
12:10 – Ash has equity in 15 startups
13:00 – “Write an authentic book. Let your passion show.”
14:10 – Ash builds his by speaking engagements - and takes other people’s lists in exchange for co-promotions
14:10 – Connect with Ash on Facebook
17:35 – The Famous Five
3 Key Points:
Promote yourself. Take speaking engagements, write, build authority. All of the self-branding work you do will drive your sales.
If you want to write a book that sells - target your niche. Find the influencers there and push distribution through them.
Work at being fearless.
Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
Vincent Dignan is a growth hacking expert who was voted the best speaker at South by Southwest this year. He’s just launched The Growth Hacking Playbook and he’s turning marketing upside down by ditching the platitudes and giving people practical advice and tools on how to actually generate traffic. Listen in to hear about how to get to 1 million unique website views per month, how to find anyone’s email online, and why networking events are a waste of time.
Famous Five:
Favorite Book? – The 48 Laws of Power
What CEO do you follow? — James Altucher
Favourite online tool? —Audiense
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Yes
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—Don’t go to networking events. And start public speaking earlier.
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:10 – Nathan’s introduction
01:34 – Welcoming Vincent to the show
01:50 – Vincent provides consultancy, coaching, and speaking services that help them to grow their business
03:00 – Use Charlie app - it will find all of the publically available information from someone’s email address
03:33 – Email Hunter is a free tool to help you find anyone’s email
04:02 – Discover will show common connections on social media
04:30 – Profile Hopper visits people’s Linkedin profiles to generate return views to your profile
04:55 – Rebump is a Gmail tool that will re-send emails that haven’t been responded to
05:34 – Vincent has a small number of clients who pay him $5-10k per month
06:10 – Magnific is Vincent’s agency
06:40 – Vincent employs over 750 writers, editors, and marketers
07:40 – How could Nathan get to 1 million unique website views per month?
07:58 – Optimise his email list, and build his Twitter following
08:30 – Would create a tool to add “You like this, read this next” to the website
09:40 – Which articles do I send to which parts of my list?
11:10 – Start executing things - move your project along
12:45 – Vincent doesn’t take equity when it’s offered
15:20 – Connect with Vincent on Facebook
15:45 – The Famous Five
3 Key Points:
Get in front of audiences. Start public speaking and sharing what you know.
Use the right tools to build your list and drive traffic. The money’s in the list - so have the right tools to work it.
Start executing. You can go to a hundred networking events and still achieve nothing. Move your project along.
Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
Growth Hacker Marketing and The Obstacle Is The Way. Ryan’s an expert on media manipulation, resilience and growth - and his new book Ego Is The Enemy is due out soon. Tune in to hear why ‘fake it til you make it’ is terrible advice, why Donald Trump won’t last long, and what you can learn about business from Angela Merkel, Marina Abramovich, and Kanye West.
Time Stamped Show Notes:
3 Key Points:
Resources Mentioned:
Beth Milligan, a virtual assistant and online strategist who’s building her business from scratch. Tune in to learn from Beth about claiming back your time, tools to simplify accounting, and starting a business while looking after a toddler.
Famous Five:
Favorite Book? – Big Magic
What CEO do you follow? — Kim Garst
Favourite online tool? —Tailwind
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—To be more confident, and that she could do anything she put her mind to
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:30 – Nathan’s introduction
02:04 – Welcoming Beth to the show
02:50 – Beth helps entrepreneurs gain time back by carrying out the tasks they don’t want to do
03:40 – Beth charges a monthly retainer up-front
04:40 – Beth uses Freshbooks to manage her accounts
05:35 – She uses the time tracking feature to log hours and generate invoices
07:00 – Beth’s expenses are under $50 per month
08:55 – Beth has one young kid
09:20 – Beth’s still looking to build her product into something more scaleable
09:45 – Generates revenue of around $800-$1200 per month
11:12 – Tries to give people time back to focus on what they started their business for
12:00 – Connect with Beth at Milligan Strategies
15:00 – The Famous Five
3 Key Points:
You can do anything you put your mind to. Be confident.
Your time and focus are valuable - use tools that help you claim back time
Charge clients up-front to save problems later.
Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
Nathan Chan, founder of Foundr magazine. Nathan’s a master of Instagram who generates around 400 leads a day from the channel. He’s rocketed the Foundr app to the top of the app store, beating out Entrepreneur magazine and other competitors. Listen in as the two Nathans discuss building an unbeatable list, tips to win at Instagram, and whether Nathan would sell his business for $30 million today.
Famous Five:
Favorite Book? – Ready, Fire, Aim
What CEO do you follow? — Vishan Lakhiani
Favourite online tool? —SamCart
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—Party more
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:10 – Nathan’s introduction
01:45 – Welcoming Nathan to the show
02:30 – Nathan’s already been featured on the show
03:10 – Instagram is probably the most valuable revenue driver that Foundr have
03:20 - Their account has around 700k followers
03:40 – Instagram account has generated around 150k email subscribers
05:25 – A VA generates the graphics: they recycle images from 6 months ago
06:20 – Use a tool called Latergram to queue posts
07:04 – The purpose of the Instagram account is to drive traffic and generate leads
07:30 – Capture around 300-400 leads each day from Instagram
08:55 – Nathan teaches an Instagram course
09:25 – The most lucrative funnel appears to be posting about Instagram on Instagram
09:50 – Nathan runs a live webinar every week
10:40 – 3 main revenue streams are from the online magazine; ebooks; and a membership site
11:40 – Courses and digital products are the main revenue generators
12:18 – Over 500k people have downloaded the magazine
13:10 – Nathan found his design team on Behance
14:02 – Foundr magazine is an authority-building product rather than a multi-million dollar product
15:00 – The magazine is making in the high six figures in revenue
15:15 – How does Foundr outrank Entrepreneur in the app store?
15:30 – “Look at keywords - the app name and description”
16:27 – ‘A young entrepreneur magazine” - hits multiple keywords
17:25 – Foundr has just started a weekly podcast
17:48 – Had around 70k downloads in April 2016
19:00 – Nathan would take $30 million for Founder magazine
19:58 – Hoping to have a 500k email list by the end of 2016
20:08 – The membership course - Foundr Club - has 400 paying customers
22:13 – The Famous Five
3 Key Points:
Online media isn’t just about publishing content. Build a community, build a list, and work social media for all it’s worth
Optimisation is about paying attention to the small things: Nathan started his app name with ‘A+’ to be at the top of alphabetical listings
Use social media to capture leads, not to push sales
Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
Alex Skatell jumped into the incredible competitive online media space and founded the Independent Journal Review. Today it’s one of the top 50 websites in the country, with over 20 million unique views a day. Listen in to hear Alex and Nathan break down the future of online publishing, making money through news, and why you shouldn’t be afraid to go up against giants.
Famous Five:
Favorite Book? – David and Goliath
What CEO do you follow? — Fred Smith
Favourite online tool? — Asana
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—Go with your gut
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:32 – Nathan’s introduction
02:11 – Welcoming Alex to the show
02:25 – Why go into online publishing?
02:50 – Alex wanted to create a platform for self-published news in college
03:30 – “People aren’t looking at the front page of the paper to find what’s news”
03:50 – News is becoming more feed-driven: Alex’s company puts out content every 4 minutes
04:20 – 700k people on the email list
05:10 – “How can you reach people online, on your own terms?”
05:35 – Independent Journal Review was launched in 2012
06:08 – The company was initially bootstrapped, and has since raised around $2.5 million from friends and family
06:31 – 20-25 million unique views per day
07:20 – Around 50 people working in the newsroom
08:00 – There’s a technology company and a news company under Alex’s Media Group of America brand
09:00 – Alex believes in publically available tools like Wordpress and Google Analytics
10:00 – Total expenses each month are around six figures
10:30 – Largely makes money through advertising
14:00 – Nathan: Would you scale your technology into a SaaS platform?
14:30 – Alex: No, that’s not our focus
14:18 – Connect with Alex on Twitter and via email
17:30 – The Famous Five
3 Key Points:
Don’t be afraid to go up against the big guys. Start-ups can be flexible and take risks, even in spaces full of giants.
Go with your gut. Listen to your instincts.
The way that people consume and publish news is fundamentally changing - it’s becoming more personalised, more immediate, and more feed-driven.
Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
Heather Havenwood, CEO of Havenwood Worldwide, and an authority on marketing and online business strategies. Heather’s the author of several books including Sexy Boss, and she’s making $900 a day from affiliate marketing emails alone. Tune in to hear how Heather’s crushing affiliate marketing, why you don’t need to build great funnels to be an online marketer, and how to build fantastic marketing relationships.
Famous 5:
Time Stamped Show Notes:
3 Key Points:
Resources Mentioned:
Adam Valkin, managing director at General Catalyst partners. General Catalyst have invested in tech startups such as Air BnB, Stripe, Kayak, and ClassPass. Adam’s worked with top venture capital firms in Europe and the States, was the CEO of LoveFilm, and has many years of experience investing in startups. Listen in for a fascinating conversation on the future of online gaming, the process of investing in tech start-ups, and why it’s better to disrupt than be disrupted.
Famous 5
Favorite Book? – Good To Great
What CEO do you follow? — Jeff Bezos
What is your favorite online tool? — GIPHY
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —That it’s a young person’s world. In your 20s, everything is possible for you. Don’t wait.
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:33 – Nathan’s introduction
02:43 – Welcoming Adam to the show
03:10 – How did Adam get started in venture capital?
03:40 – Got involved with European internet companies, looking for a new frontier
04:17 – After the dotcom boom, he helped incubate LoveFilm in 2003
05:10 – Was asked to be the CEO of LoveFilm, which he did for 2 years
06:40 – After iOS, Android, and social media in 2008, it became possible for entrepreneurs to rapidly develop a global reach
09:45 – “It’s difficult to break into content-rich areas like online film, because of the strength of big providers.”
Companies like FlowSports are doing interesting things
11:00 – Adam worked with Excel, a venture capital firm based in London
11:50 – “I’ve always had more fun with disruption”
12:30 – Moved from Endemol to Excel after realising he wanted to be on the disruptor’s side
13:41 – Working with Hailo, a company trying to help commercial taxis catch up with Uber
16:45 – Moved back to the US in 2012 and began working with General Catalyst
17:40 – Met Payal, founder of ClassPass, in the very early stages of growth. Watched for a year and invested at the end of 2014 - highly successful.
19:45 – Currently investing in Super Evil Megacorp
20:30 - Super Evil Megacorp is a mobile game developer who believe the future of gaming will be driven by mobiles
21:35 - Believes that core gaming will be on mobile devices in the future
23:27 - The CCP investment: What’s Adam’s take on virtual reality?
24:33 - CCP developed EVE: Valkyrie - one of the most celebrated VR games
25:30 - EVE is driven by a subscription model
27:00 - When did Adam get involved with GIPHY and what’s the experience been like?
28:30 – Connect with Adam on Twitter and Facebook
31:30 – Famous Five
3 Key Points:
When you’re young, don’t wait. Go and make things happen.
It’s more fun to be the disruptor than the establishment.
Know when the party’s over; be willing to move to new frontiers.
Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
Anshey Bhatia, founder of Verbal+Visual - a platform for optimising e-commerce that’s become one of Shopify’s top partners. Listen as Nathan and Anshey talk about what growth means, where e-commerce is going, and the importance of focus.
Famous 5
Favorite Book? – Traction
What CEO do you follow? — Myself - I look at everything I’m spending time on during a day
What is your favorite online tool? — Slack
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Very close
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —To focus
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:23 – Nathan’s introduction
01:40 – Welcoming Anshey to the show
01:44 – Verbal+Visual is an agency that works with e-commerce brands to develop their user experience
02:09 – Recently worked with Uproot
02:20 – Anshey likes working with Shopify because it’s simple for both IT and management
03:30 – Worked with Shopify to create the first wine integration on their site
04:30 – Average e-commerce platforms go from an average of $50k to high-end $300k
04:54 – Initial development is on a project fee, after which optimisation services are offered on retainer
06:02 – Founded the business in 2009
06:13 – First-year revenue was around $150k
06:30 – Total revenue in 2015 was in the low 7 figures
06:41 – Team of 7 full-time employees and 5 part-time, based in New York
07:07 – Net margin of around 20%
07:31 – Anshey tries to leave profits in the business
08:28 – Goal is to reach a team of 40 people within 3 years
09:12 - Aim to have 2-3 new clients for each new hire
09:44 - The main area of growth has been partnerships, and building a portfolio
10:50 - Ideal customer is someone making $100k-$1 million; who wants to grow; and who is unsatisfied with their current e-commerce platform
11:20 – Connect with Anshey on Twitter and Linkedin
13:00 – Famous Five
3 Key Points:
Determine what growth means to you. Is it topline revenue? Team size? Customer value? Choose a measure that’s meaningful for your business.
Improve the quality of every project you do. Your portfolio is your number one tool for finding work.
Focus from the beginning on what you’re passionate about.
Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
Shawn Freeman, a man who’s trying to make IT easy instead of infuriating. Sean’s the founder of TWT Group in Canada - a managed IT solutions company that’s making a 30% profit margin on its $2 million in revenue. Listen in as Shawn and Nathan talk creating great relationships, where to invest profits, and how Shawn plans to grow to $10 million in revenue in the next five years.
Famous 5
Favorite Book? – A Leader Who Had No Title
What CEO do you follow? — Dan Price
What is your favorite online tool? — Slack
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —I wish I had the ambition to quit my job earlier and get started
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:25 – Nathan’s introduction
01:49 – Welcoming Shawn to the show
01:57 – TWT sells managed IT solutions to businesses with between 10 and 100 employees
02:45 – “You’ve got to solve problems every day...most of those are to do with people”
03:18 – Started in 2011
03:20 – Revenue in 2011 was $75k
03:40 – Shawn gave up a $115k salary aged 24
04:40 – Revenue in 2015 was $2 million
05:20 – “Our growth has been 90% driven by referrals”
05:40 – Serving 150 customers with a team of 10 people
06:03 – 30% net margin in 2015
06:20 – What’s Shawn doing with his profits?
06:48 – Aiming to make $2.5 million in 2016
07:05 – Next investment will be purchasing an office space
08:05 – “We want to keep focused on our niche - small to medium business”
08:30 - “I think we could be a $10 million business within 5 years”
09:46 – Connect with Shawn at his website
11:55 – Famous Five
3 Key Points:
Build trust. Successful business relies on your relationships with real people.
Think big. Make decisions that reflect the business you want to be
Stay focused on your niche. Grow by dominating the area you’re fantastic at.
Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
Bryan Bedera, an artist, business leader and founding partner at Amplify Relations. Bryan’s an expert in government advertising and PR strategy who’s received multiple awards for his work. Listen in to hear how Bryan started his business using his student loan, what startups can learn from Ted Cruz’s campaign, and why you’re better off being in the local paper than courting Buzzfeed.
Famous 5:
Favorite Book? – I don’t have one
What CEO do you follow? — Steve Jobs
Favourite online tool? — QuickBooks
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Yes
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and let things work themselves out
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:12 – Nathan’s introduction
02:23 – Welcoming Bryan to the show
02:36 – Bryan started out working for a political ad agency - was laid off when the recession hit but managed to keep a client for himself
03:25 – Has worked for McCain and Glenn Beck
04:17 – “Our speciality is mass-market relations”
04:40 – “First-year revenue was maybe $11k...we used student loan money to fund the entire startup”
04:55 – In 2015, 13 full-time employees and revenue of just under $2 million
05:19 – “We sell a change in public behaviour”
05:33 – Recently worked for a health centre to try to increase the number of people coming for STD testing
06:01 – Charge 15% of advertising spend
06:24 – Currently working for Ted Cruz with a robo-call product
07:11 – $500k would buy phone calls for every voter in Florida - Brian’s able to make a 90% margin on that
08:02 – “A political campaign will outsource everything”
08:37 – Our margins vary depending on the product
08:54 – “We can provide all the mass-market services you might need under one roof”
09:21 – Just had a contract with a British beer company ruled out because they didn’t want to work with Republicans
10:00 – How could startups take the robocall tool for corporate use?
11:06 – “The startup community overlooks the power of local and regional press. Go to papers in towns with 5000 people in them. They’re desperate for stories”
11:56 – It’s far easier to build a large library of content in local and regional press than by trying to go straight to Buzzfeed
12:45 – Connect with Bryan on Facebook
14:07 – The Famous Five
3 Key Points:
Be patient. Sometimes you just have to let things work themselves out
Build exposure through local and regional media. You’ll be amazed at how fast your content library grows
Know what you believe in, and why you’re doing what you’re doing
Resources Mentioned:
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
Rob Riggs, founder of Your Design Online: a business that helps non-profits and small businesses use big-brand tools to optimize their websites. Rob took his business from $5000 in revenue to over $1.2 million last year. Listen in as Rob and Nathan talk web optimization, driving growth through referrals, and how to get the most from your investments.
Famous 5
Favorite Book? – anything by Marcus Buckingham
What CEO do you follow? — Guy Kawasaki
What is your favorite online tool? — SEOReview
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —To stick with it. The harder you work, the luckier you get.
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:20 – Nathan’s introduction
01:45 – Welcoming Rob to the show
01:53 – Works on web development and optimisation
02:25 – “We work on the front end to maximise revenue, or the back end to streamline functionality”
03:25 – Typically work on a project-by-project basis, but have some retainer clients
03:44 – Starts in $6-8k range for a small project
04:05 – Monthly retainers range from $500 to five-figure sums
05:15 – Launched Your Design Online in 2004
05:55 – “I started hiring people better than myself to replace me”
06:00 – Total revenue in 2004 was $5k
06:22 – Total revenue in 2015 was $1.2 million
06:43 – Driving growth through referrals
08:23 – “My strategy is growing to support”
08:46 – Profit was around $400k in 2015
09:45 – Investing some money into commercial real estate for long-term returns
16:57 – Connect with Rob at Your Design Online
12:55 – Famous Five
3 Key Points:
Your best marketing tool is referrals. Provide fantastic quality and you’ll find your business growing.
The harder you work, the luckier you get. Keep going and think long-term, even when things are tough.
Think seriously about where the best returns are going to be. Don’t be afraid to invest in areas other than your business.
Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
Aman Advani, a man who’s bringing technological innovation to the fashion industry. Aman’s the founder of Ministry of Supply, a company that’s employing engineers alongside fashion designers to bring performance technology into the wear-to-work clothing space. Listen in as Nathan and Aman talk minimum wage, which numbers to focus on, and just how Ministry Of Supply made 14x their Kickstarter goal.
Famous 5
Favorite Book? – Good To Great
What CEO do you follow? — John Carlson
What is your favorite online tool? — Boomerang
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —In building a business, all the easy things are hard and all the hard things are easy
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:30 – Nathan’s introduction
01:58 – Welcoming Aman to the show
02:08 – Ministry Of Supply generates revenue through selling products
02:40 – Company launched on Kickstarter in 2012, raising $429k - 14x their goal
03:34 – Sampler package sold for $150
03:53 – “We didn’t factor in packaging or shipping...we joke that we probably lost money”
04:24 – Shipped over 100k units
04:55 – Started with a repeat rate of 10-20% over 22 days - that’s now doubled
05:50 – Team of 20 people
06:00 – Taken $7 million in outside financing through 2 priced rounds and 1 convertible note
06:40 – Currently focused on growth: they aren’t profitable
07:05 – Hoping to be profitable later this year
07:30 – Made $500k in sales in 2012
07:35 – Nathan guesses around $4 million in topline revenue in 2015
08:40 – Aman would rather focus on numbers like margins and repeat rate than revenue
10:05 – A direct sales model; not subscription
10:44 – Around 50k customers so far
11:00 – Focusing on optimising gross margin
12:00 – “We’re infusing technology into a fairly stagnant fashion business”
13:00 – Acquisition: currently investing in podcast advertising and direct mail
13:40 – Currently have two brick-and-mortar stores that are a significant investment
14:15 – “What’s your position on $15 minimum wage?”
15:30 – We’ll automate certain tasks and re-allocate humans to higher-value tasks
16:10 – Optimising inventory turnover - “A good rate for us would be 4-5 turns a year”
16:57 – Connect with Aman on Linkedin
19:25 – Famous Five
3 Key Points:
Choose to focus on numbers that mean something to you.
Put people in the highest-value positions you can. Make the most of your workforce.
You don’t need to be immediately profitable - but know when you’re going to be profitable
Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
Eddie Vaca. Eddie’s the founder of Amp Live, a company that can generate thousands of online viewers for your live event. Eddie worked for Youstream before deciding to take over the online live video space on his own. Listen in as Nathan and Eddie talk selling your first company, generating 300,000 viewers for a 20-minute show, and why live video is taking over the internet.
Famous 5
Favorite Book? – The Hard Thing About Hard Things
What CEO do you follow? — Jack Dorsey and Gary Vaynerchuk
What is your favorite online tool? — Grope bots
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —You can’t do it by yourself. Surround yourself with great people.
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:30 – Nathan’s introduction
01:48 – Welcoming Eddie to the show
02:08 – Eddie created his first digital publication aged 24: it was an action-sports lifestyle publication that was published via DVD
02:45 – AOL bought it for $25k
03:20 – Eddie’s embarrassed about the price now - but it was a small win that got him some momentum
03:45 – Got involved in a digital out-of-home screens business
05:12 – Moved to Youstream aged 30 to learn everything he could about digital online
06:08 – Youstream raised around $60 million and sold for around $120 million - why didn’t it sell for more?
07:30 – “Video is huge - it’s taking over the internet. And live is everywhere.”
08:04 – “The biggest problem people see today is that driving live channels outside of sport is really tough. Amp Live helps people move into those channels.”
09:10 - Amp Live is largely bootstrapped. Have raised a small friends-and-family round of $100k
09:40 - Revenue in 2015 was $1.3 million. Generates revenue by “selling eyeballs”
10:15 – Charges broadcasters to generate viewers for an event
10:50 – Customers include Martha Stewart, Microsoft, runways shows for New York Fashion Week…”If it’s live and it’s video, we want to be in there.”
11:58 – Generated 300k viewers for a 20-minute runway show
13:30 – Aiming to make every broadcaster a direct distribution partner
14:05 – Hoping to make around $3.9 million in 2016
14:44 – Connect with Eddie on Twitter or visit Amp Live
16:20 – Famous Five
3 Key Points:
Video is taking over the internet. Live video is going to be the next challenge.
Not everyone ends up on TechCrunch, selling their first company for millions. Be proud of the small steps you take and the gradual successes you build up.
Surround yourself with amazing people and help them to grow.
Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
Erica Douglass, a techie-turned-marketer who’s started Austin’s top-rated chain of phone repair stores. Erica’s business is entirely bootstrapped and profitable - they’re currently in 7-figure revenue and planning to double their store count in the next year. Listen in to hear how Erica tripled revenue in just one year, why small businesses need to leverage Yelp, and how to tell if your phone repair shop is lying to you.
Famous 5:
Favorite Book? – The Seth Books
What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk
Favourite online tool? — Light Speed
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Yes
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — That she had even more self-confidence than she did
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:15 – Nathan’s introduction
01:38 – Welcoming Erica to the show
02:02 – Austin’s top independent repair shop
03:05 – 7 employees at 2 locations - currently making 7 figures in revenue
03:55 – Erika’s computer crashed during a conference - her friend repaired it
05:25 – Erica bought into his repair business for $17k in 2014
05:27 – Total revenue in 2014 was $62k
05:36 – Total revenue in 2015 was $380k
05:47 – Erica drove growth by opening a new location targeted at college students
06:05 – On track to make over $1 million in revenue this year
06:31 – Make around 25% gross margin
06:45 – Planning to open two more locations this year
07:16 – Highest margin is on services like data recovery
07:40 – Around 700 jobs per month, at around $100 per job
08:22 – Apple doesn’t sell repair parts - there’s a whole market linked to China that repairs and recycles parts
09:30 – Erica has the highest Yelp reviews of any store in Austin
09:50 – It’s not possible to buy parts from Apple
10:29 – How do you value a business like this?
10:58 – What are the triggers that Erica looks at now she’s trying to buy a business?
11:46 – Yelp tries to monitor reviews to stop people gaming the system
13:18 – How do you differentiate a business somewhere that there’s not much brand loyalty?
14:22 – Yelp is the main tool that differentiates 1Up from their competitors
15:21 – Connect with Erica on Facebook
17:02 – The Famous Five
3 Key Points:
Yelp is a crucial tool for small businesses. Go the extra mile to make sure you’re getting those 5-star reviews.
Have confidence in your skills and your abilities. Start your company sooner.
You can drive incredible growth by tapping into the right location and market. 1Up took off after Erica found a location to target college students
Resources Mentioned:
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
Nathan Klarer, CEO at Bridgecrest Medical. Nathan’s building a B2B SaaS company that uses wearable technology to minimise accidents in mines and oil rigs. He’s 25 years old and has already raised $1.3 million. Tune in to hear about what’s next for wearable technology, how Nathan’s driving sales, and why he wishes he’d started sooner.
Famous 5:
Favorite Book? – Influence
What CEO do you follow? — Larry Ellison
Favourite online tool? — Nova
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — To have more confidence in myself and start earlier
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:10 – Nathan’s introduction
01:50 – Welcoming Nathan to the show
02:17 – Before Bridgecrest, Nathan worked in equity finance
02:51 – Bridgecrest is a B2B SaaS company that incorporates wearable technology into a platform that helps heavy industries prevent accidents
03:38 – Currently using wearable technology to minimise the fatigue risk of oil rig operators
04:20 – Sell directly to the operations or tech managers of oil and gas companies
04:50 – Annual contracts are in 5-6 figures
05:12 – Customers pay monthly
05:37 – Companies take 3 or 4 year contracts
06:02 – Nathan’s background is in engineering - he saw wearable technology being used for health and decided to bring it onto heavy industrial sites
07:10 – Nathan is the sole founder but has given equity to important team members
08:10 – Have raised about $1.3 million in total
08:36 – “We needed to raise that capital to build the product we wanted to build”
09:07 – Most of the costs are engineering for analytic software
09:34 – Launched the product last year
09:48 – Currently have 10-20 customers
09:40 – “We’re looking to build deep relationships with our customers” - no one has churned yet
10:50 – Sales can come through a single site in heavy industry - followed by upsales at the corporate level
11:30 – Launched in the last quarter of 2015, and made less than $1 million
12:40 – Keen to be adopted by big industry players in 2016
13:45 – As the CEO, Nathan now spends more time working on sales than engineering
10:30 – Connect with Nathan on Twitter
15:20 – The Famous Five
3 Key Points:
If you’re building a product, raise enough capital to get it right
Getting the right team around you is all-important. Make sure your founding team complements your weaknesses and buys into the company’s vision
Have confidence in your skills and your abilities. Start your company sooner.
Resources Mentioned:
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
Brian Ley, CEO of Alpharank: a start-up that uses heavy-duty mathematics to analyse brands’ word-of-mouth networks. Brian started out studying the spread of diseases - he’s fascinated by how everything from ideas to emotions is spread through human networks. Listen in to hear Brian and Nathan discuss how Donald Trump is memetically hacking your brain.
Famous 5
Favorite Book? – High Output Management
What CEO do you follow? — Richard Branson
What is your favorite online tool? — Audible
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Most nights
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —Not to drink alcohol, and to take as good care of your body as you can
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:30 – Nathan’s introduction
01:56 – Welcoming Brian to the show
02:10 – Brian started out studying computational epidemiology - the study of how diseases spread. He’s fascinated by how anything - disease, joy, decisions - spreads through human networks
03:10 – Alpharank generates revenue by charging a data provider fee
03:40 – Analyse a company’s influence and network connections
04:25 – Analysed social structure at a nightclub for multiple weeks: realised that you could see connections by analysing time-series patterns
06:02 – Currently have no revenue: have raised $500k investment
06:40 – Will stay pre-revenue in 2016
06:52 – The network is very tech-heavy - currently have a team of 7 engineers
09:15 – “I have complete faith that someone is going to figure out a way to track network connections directly”
09:45 - Can you explain mathematically what Donald Trump is doing?
10:10 - “Donald Trump is memetically hacking people’s brains”
10:40 – Engaging directly with the mammalian centre of people’s brains - where emotions are directly processed. And emotion is contagious.
11:55 – “Talking about things spreads them”
12:17 – The viral coefficient: K= Invitations x Conversion Rate
12:50 – “Marketing is being turned to math”
13:46 – Connect with Brian on Linkedin or on Twitter
16:40 – Famous Five
3 Key Points:
Your body is your limiting factor: take care of yourself
Everything spreads through human networks: diseases, ideas, emotions
Marketing is becoming mathematical
Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
Carlo Cisco, the founder and CEO of Select, a private membership community that offers discount deals with thousands of premier brands. Carlo was an early builder of Groupon. He’s also a canny investor who made $75k in stocks by investing during college. Listen in to hear Nathan and Carlo break down the numbers behind Select, discuss Groupon’s meteoric growth, and explain Select’s unbelievable CAC:LTV ratio.
Famous 5
Favorite Book? – The Intelligent Investor
What CEO do you follow? — Mark Zuckerberg
What is your favorite online tool? — Intercom
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —To get ready for some crazy stuff
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:30 – Nathan’s introduction
01:43 – Welcoming Carlo to the show
02:00 – Carlo started an events planning business while he was in college
02:20 – Actively invested in tech companies while he was in college
03:16 – Carlo put about $9k into stocks and turned it into $85k
04:11 – Joined Groupon and helped build their operation in Japan
05:30 – Groupon hasn’t helped businesses enough...most businesses aren’t getting repeat customers from Groupon or LivingSocial deals
07:35 – Started Select in 2013
08:00 – The goal was to work with premier brands in an ongoing, sustainable way
08:50 – Select generates revenue through a $250 annual membership fee
09:55 – Currently have around 9000 members
10:20 – Annual revenue is $725k - average revenues are down because of a discount deal that generated members early on
11:20 – Currently at over $1 million run rate
11:45 – Annual retention rate is around 75% - which is unusually high for the sector
12:20 – Have raised just under $800k in funding
13:00 - Had equity funding from an accelerator programme - “The network is incredible”
14:00 - Currently happy to break even on customer acquisition
14:40 - Current lifetime value is around $900 per customer
15:22 - Currently have a CAC:LTV ratio of 1:7
15:40 - Ideal customer: High-income professionals, 25-45 years of age
17:02 – Connect with Carlo on Twitter and Linkedin
18:30 – Famous Five
3 Key Points:
Accelerators have value beyond just funding - their networks and support can seriously pay off
Invest wisely and early
If you want excitement: prepare for it. Life can be crazy if you’re only ready.
Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
Michael Eisenberg. Michael’s a canny investor who’s on the cutting edge of the VC scene in Israel. He invested in Wix and Conduit while working with Benchmark - now he’s set up his own firm, Aleph. Listen in to hear about Aleph’s investments in an AI dashcam, Michael’s journey from unemployment to top VC, and why scale-up is the new start-up.
Famous 5
Favorite Book? – Good to Great
What CEO do you follow? — Jeff Bezos
What is your favorite online tool? — Gmail
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —There’s so much to do in this world. Keep working.
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:40 – Nathan’s introduction
02:00 – Welcoming Michael to the show
02:06 – Started Aleph 3 years ago with a partner - wanted to invest in Israeli startups
02:40 – Michael’s been a venture capitalist in Israel for over 20 years
03:20 – Started a merchant bank for technology startups in Israel
04:00 – Invested in the first online photo-sharing site in 1994 and sold for over $100 million
05:00 – Worked at Benchmark in Israel for several years - invested in Wix, Conduit, and other startups
06:00 – Raised $150 million for Aleph in 2013
06:20 – Core mantra is: “Different is better than better”
06:50 – Aleph is an equal-partnership firm in terms of return and decision-making influence
08:15 – Invest almost exclusively in Series A
08:40 – The Thing About Cycles - Michael’s blog post about cyclical investing
09:10 – Currently investing in Nexar, an AI-powered dashcam
10:15 – Nexar can give you real-time information based on location and the license plates of the drivers around you - it takes information from drivers’ speed and location.
11:20 – Have already covered more mileage than Google Streetview
12:10 - Invested $4 million in Series A
13:08 - 15 months in; 9 months since the launch
13:18 - Collecting about 80k license plates each day
13:46 – Connect with Michael on the Aleph website or through his blog
16:20 – Famous Five
3 Key Points:
Invest in disruption: “Different is better than better”
Michael’s currently investing in a smart dashcam that has an enormous capacity to collect data.
Keep working. The world is full of opportunities.
Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
Jill Stanton, co-founder of Screw The Nine To Five - a community that teaches people to take their online business to the next level. Jill’s built an incredibly engaged community around her website and online course. Listen in as Nathan and Jill talk engagement, creating multiple revenue streams, and why you need to be all-in or all-out.
Famous Five:
Favorite Book? – Profit First
What CEO do you follow? — Denise Duffield Thomas
Favourite online tool? — Slack
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Yes
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—That community is everything
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:25 – Nathan’s introduction
01:48 – Welcoming Jill to the show
02:10 – Screw The Nine To Five teaches people to take their online business to the next level
02:34 – Had the idea in 2012 when she and husband Josh started their own businesses
03:05 – Launched in April 2013
03:22 – Generate revenue from a membership site called Screw U
04:10 – Subscription is $69 per month
04:40 – Members access strategy sessions, conference calls with experts, Q and A
06:10 – Gone all-in on creating an engaged community
06:40 – Screw U currently has 361 paying members
06:55 – People stay 7 months on average
07:33 – Started as a one-off digital product: wanted to move into community building
08:33 – Over 500 people have signed up since the product started
09:17 – Other revenue comes from one-off courses
09:30 – Uses a series of tripwire offers that generate about $31k per month
11:36 – First live event is coming up - tickets open in May
12:10 – Jill had a podcast but closed it down
12:30 – 30k downloads per month after 114 episodes
13:10 – “It didn’t feel right any more...the business has grown hugely since we cut it”
14:25 – Connect with Jill by joining the Screw The Nine To Five facebook group
15:40 – Just over 16k people on their email list
17:20 – The Famous Five
3 Key Points:
Set up multiple revenue streams that feed into each other. Find ways to package different elements of your product for different consumers.
Go all in or all out. Cut what isn’t working and focus on what you love
Community is everything. Build a community before you do anything else.
Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
Guillermo Ortiz, the founder of Geek Powered Studios. Guillermo’s an ex-competitive gamer and the force behind a marketing and consulting company that focuses on data to take its clients from good to great. Listen as Nathan and Guillermo talk holistic marketing, investing in data, and why it’s good to be young and dumb.
Famous Five:
Favorite Book? – Scaling Up
What CEO do you follow? — Will Reynolds
Favourite online tool? — SEMrush
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Yes
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—I don’t know if I’d change anything. I was young and dumb and full of heart.
Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:30 – Nathan’s introduction
01:49 – Welcoming Guillermo to the show
02:30 – Used to be 6th in the world at Counterstrike
03:05 – Set up strategic partnerships with small businesses
03:30 – “We try to do everything correctly rather than one thing really well”
03:40 – Monthly retainer package from $2k - $5k per month
03:55 – Handle landing pages, graphic design, facebook ads, SEO...
04:50 – Would only say no if they lacked time or resources to make the request happen
05:30 – Have 15-20 team members
05:45 – Based in Austin, Texas
06:08 – Total revenue in 2015 was $800k
06:30 – Biggest expense is subscription services
06:55 – Spent 30-40% of revenue on SaaS
07:15 – Profits last year around $100-200k
08:10 – Founded the company in 2009 while working full-time
08:30 – Left in 2012 to focus on Geek Powered Studios
09:14 – Currently around 55 clients
09:23 – MRR in 2015 about $110k
09:35 – Very high customer retention rates - focus on establishing relationships
10:15 – Optimised the keyword ‘deer antler spray’ for one client
12:20 – Now focusing on holistic awareness instead of only rankings
13:15 – Goal for 2016 is to clear $250k in profit
13:50 – Connect with Guillermo on twitter
16:20 – The Famous Five
3 Key Points:
Data is the new oil. Invest in data about your company; invest in analytics. Master exactly what’s going on.
Work yourself out of a job. Build a successful scalable business that can operate without you.
Establish fantastic relationships with your customers. Retention and referrals come from real relationships.
Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives