Startup Competitors: Recent Episodes
Michael Kelly
How do early-stage software startup founders identify competitors in their space? How do they leverage the information they learn to develop a go-to-market strategy? In each episode of the Startup Competitors Podcast, we sit down with a startup founder to learn about how they think about competition, and how they leverage their knowledge of the market and competitors to make better tactical decisions.
In this episode, I interview my son, Patrick Kelly, co-founder of Shorca Wood. We talked a bit about his business and about being an entrepreneur. He has grown up watching me start multiple businesses and host this podcast. He is also an entrepreneur himself and isn’t even a teenager yet.
After hosting my Startup Competitors podcast for four years, I have decided it’s time for this final episode. I’ve enjoyed it immensely and have met many entrepreneurs who’ve generously shared their genius and wisdom. I thank each of them once more, and thank each of you who have listened and supported the Startup Competitors podcast all these years.
Topics In This Episode
Solving problems with projections and spreadsheets
What is your earliest memory of Developer Town?
What’s it like when I’m so busy with my entrepreneurial endeavors?
How do you think watching me has affected what you might do in the future?
What are some things you’ve picked up from watching me that you think are good? Not good?
Why do people work? Why do you work and why did you and Levi start Shorca Wood?
As a parent that works so much, what can I do differently or better?
About Shorca Wood
Shorca Wood is a two-year old wood supply company started by two friends who are not even teenagers yet. One of them happens to be my son, Patrick Kelly. The other is his friend, Levi. They specialize in selling firewood by the rick (which basically fills the bed of an F150 truck). The wood is harvested and split from the acres of timber on the Kelly homestead.
If you would like to hear more about Shorca Wood, check out my previous interview with Patrick: startupcompetitors.com/podcast/2020/12/28/shorca-wood-learning-business-at-a-young-age
About Developer Town
DeveloperTown is a multi-faceted software consultancy for today’s IT and Business Leaders. We create world-class digital experiences to help businesses succeed in a competitive digital world.
Website: developertown.com
Company LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/developertown
Company Twitter: twitter.com/developertown
Company Facebook: facebook.com/developertown
Company Instagram: instagram.com/developertown
Michael’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michaeldkelly
Michael’s email: mike.kelly@developertown.com
Pernix Solutions is a software building company co-founded by former Intel and HP employees. They specialize in extending and building development teams, developing mobile and web apps, and crafting MVPs for startups and entrepreneurs.
In this episode, I chat with Carlos Sirias, founder and CEO of Pernix Solutions. Carlos is located in Costa Rica and we talk about the economic stability of Latin America. We also discuss how that ties into him building an apprentice program, where the company is headed, and more. I have a lot of respect for Carlos and his willingness to give. Whether you’re thinking about building a product or are already in the middle of building one, you need to listen to this episode.
Topics In This Episode
Apprenticeship program and mission
Helping create economic growth in Latin America
Why things go wrong in the technology field and how to fix it
The economic burn and benefits of an apprenticeship program
Scoping for minimal viable product
How early experience and behaviors manifest later
Success examples
Does Pernix Solutions take equity in startups they help through their apprenticeship program?
Common mistakes startups and entrepreneurs make starting out
Focusing on what makes a startup succeed
Becoming employee-owned
Contact Info
Pernix Solutions Website: pernix-solutions.com
Pernix Solutions (company) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/pernix-solutions/about
Carlos Sirias LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/csirias/
Email: info@pernix-solutions.com
Sequense is a B2B SaaS workflow management software created by travel agents, for travel agents. Because the travel industry has evolved and grown, especially due to Covid, people are having more of a relationship with their travel agent. In fact, in updated terminology, travel agents are more frequently called travel advisors. Currently, approximately 100,000 United States travel advisors are responsible for over $32 billion per year in travel revenue.
In this episode, I talk with Sequense co-founder and CMO, Megan Habig about the need travel advisors have for a platform like Sequense. We discuss building an early stage tech company, fundraising and working with an accelerator, launching without a technical co-founder, and their early go to market strategy. I really enjoyed this conversation and hope you do as well.
Topics In This Episode
The inspiration and evolution of travel behind Sequense
Experience with an accelerator, pre-seed funding, and advisors
Leveraging people already in the industry
Why Sequense doesn’t technically have any direct competitors
Future growth over the next 5 years, including software development
Designing to shorten learning curves and facilitate customizations
Launching and building without a tech co-founder
Goals for funding rounds
Learning and following through to make the most of opportunities
The most rewarding part of the journey so far
Megan’s biggest challenges in all this
Contact Info
Sequense Website: https://sequensesoftware.com
Sequense (company) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sequense-software
Megan Habig LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/megan-habig-40aa8721
Email (investor advisors): investors@sequensesoftware.com
Email (travel advisors): info@sequensesoftware.com
I was recently a guest on the fun and inspirational Moments To Momentum podcast with Scott Abbott. In his signature style, Scott asked me a series of questions, balancing frivolity with deeper business insights. We talked about how I got started in technology, Oreos and whiskey, and a few other interesting facts about my life.
After that, we moved on to more serious topics. One we discussed at length was how to recognize and not trivialize the pain and suffering of others. And once you recognize that pain exists, how you can appropriately adjust your approach to people whether in business, life or parenting. The other was “the day I fell in love with sales”.
It was a really fun conversation and I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed being Scott’s guest.
A Sample of the Questions Scott Asked Me:
Who is Mike Kelly? What’s your background? How did you get started in technology? What are you doing now?
What is DeveloperTown and FullStack?
Any celebrity crushes?
If you were a teacher, what would you teach?
What is your favorite: cookie, snack, beverage and meal?
If you had a yacht, what would your yacht be named?
Can you share with us one of your most meaningful, defining and noteworthy situations - you know, a specific experience, time, relationship, or event - that has made a significant impact on your life, so far? What happened, why was it so meaningful, what did you learn, how did it benefit you, and what advice or recommendations can you share?
About Moments To Momentum with Scott Abbott
"Moments to Momentum, with Scott Abbott" is a fun, informative and inspirational podcast - featuring impactful conversations, with successful leaders from a wide-spectrum of demographics and vocations - that share their most meaningful situations, stories and events (i.e. “moments”), that they have experienced. Furthermore, how those big moments produced "momentum," that helps them succeed in their profession, and life. By having leaders share their most significant experiences - along with the lessons and advice learned - listeners gain their own “moments to momentum," as they enjoy and benefit from our guests’ personal experiences, insights and recommendations.
An important element of the podcast - is identifying and discussing what Scott calls, the "bio-mechanics" to productivity, happiness and success. In other words, using the podcast to understand and appreciate, the components and connection between the biological elements (i.e. the mind, heart, body, soul, psychology and sociology), with the mechanical elements (i.e. the strategy, tactics, systems, structure, tools, science and engineering), that it takes to effectively determine, develop, maintain and optimize consistent productivity, happiness and success: in business, work and life.
momentstomomentum.com
iResearch is an online platform that allows users to conduct focus groups all over the world, in any language. With the ability to quickly extract insights from consumers, iResearch provides users the knowledge to make smart business decisions. ConnectQik is an app that allows users to make connections and take part in engaging interactions. Designed to capture business information, you can instantly exchange information with new contacts.
In this episode, I talk with iResearch.com and ConnectQik.com founder and CEO, Darshan Mehta, about finding meaningful insights from customers, users and consumers. We discuss how such insights inform product road maps and decision-making, as well as Darshan’s four ways to increase your chances of being successful. We also chat about current international business opportunities and his upcoming book, Getting to Aha! - Why Today's Insights are Tomorrow's Facts.
Topics In This Episode
Become your own worst competitor
Control inroads, differentiate yourself and your product
4 ways to increase your chances of being successful
Structuring methods, questions and conversations to reveal powerful insights
Tapping into the jet streams of society -- getting to the why
Find a connection from your product to an emotion; an example
Why you should do focus groups first
Marketing solutions and problem solving versus selling to people
International business opportunities and insights
Darshan’s experience living in Thailand
Contact Info
iResearch Website: https://iresearch.com
iResearch (company) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/iresearch-com
Darshan Mehta LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/darshan--mehta
ConnectQik Website: www.connectqik.com
Email: DM@iResearch.com
Get Darshan’s Book: Getting to Aha! - Why Today's Insights are Tomorrow's Facts
iTeam is a network of CEO think tanks that brings top level CEOs together in private groups. The purpose is to provide a place to reflect on tough decisions or get honest feedback. With an emphasis on technology enablement, and a process to find, sharpen, and drive competitive edges forward, the results speak for themselves. They have identified and are addressing the somewhat hidden needs of high level CEOs.
In this episode, I talk with iTeam founder and CEO, Thaddeus Rex, about what it means to run a business specifically designed to help other CEOs focus on their businesses. This includes analyzing processes, offering strengths where others are weak, and supporting and interacting in a mutually beneficial manner. All this creates a unique, and much-needed, pact of dedication between CEOs who might otherwise be alone in many circumstances and decision-making.
Topics In This Episode
The pact that inspired iTeam
Investment and growth through Covid-19
Quality control of a business when your product isn’t actually a product
Analyzing potential fit of a CEO and business builders
Solving unsolvable problems - the right team
iTeam’s current competitors and how iTeam is different
What makes a great facilitator
Differentiation in startups to set yourself apart
Thaddeus’ core philosophy about the purpose and impact of business
Some success stories and some struggles as iTeam members support each other
Cultivating options for solutions
Contact Info
Thaddeus Rex website: thaddeusrex.com/iteamexperience
iTeam (company) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/the-iteam
Thaddeus Rex LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thaddeusrex
iTeam (new website coming soon): thinkiteam.com
Vertex Intelligence is a data science and machine learning consultancy. They help a wide-range of companies solve tough data-related challenges by changing human problems into math problems and then solving them. Vertex identified frequent issues plaguing companies of all sizes, such as scheduling, data mining, and resource allocation, and developed machine-learning based solutions.
In this episode, I talk with CEO, Tyler Foxworthy, about how they’ve leveraged data science and optimization to build Vertex Intelligence. We cover problems data scientists solve that exist now and where he sees it going in the future. Tyler shares some of Vertex Intelligence’s successes, including working with multiple enterprise-level companies. Boot-strapped to success, they have achieved seven figures with just four full time employees.
Topics In This Episode
When and how a company should look at the processes they need to optimize
Looking at internal and external (3rd party) data and blending them
Mapping problems into math, an example
Identifying and leveraging the right solutions; getting started and maintaining continuity
Current status of data science and where Tyler sees it going
Who is already using data science and who is coming into this approach
The impact of SaaS software companies on business development and structure
Why clean data is crucial and the resulting departure from traditional software
Entering the data science field and market
Contact Info
Website: vertexintelligence.com
Vertex Intelligence (company) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/vertex-intelligence
Tyler Foxworthy LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tyler-foxworthy
Email: tyler@vertexintelligence.com
Otus is a single platform for teaching, grading, analyzing and planning for K-12 education. It’s designed for administrators, educators, students and families so they can concentrate on what matters most -- learning. Through robust and integrated technology, Otus eliminates the time and ease of use pain points for administrative and teaching tasks.
Otus employs 8-week cycles for product assessment, actively and rapidly adapting and responding to requests for additions and improvements. They have positioned themselves in the center of the “Venn diagram” of technological needs in education. In this episode, I talk with Otus Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, Christopher Hull about all of this and much more. Listen as he expertly outlines their product roadmap and also gives me my absolute favorite answer ever received to a question I’ve asked at least 75 times.
Topics In This Episode
The reach of Otus, their 300% revenue growth and market share increase
Customer acquisition, leveraging referrals and social media; crafting the path to product adoption
Otus’ current competitors, how Otus sits in the center of the Venn diagram of meeting needs
Product roadmap: measuring success through “buckets”, key metrics, usage benchmarks, and implementation reporting
Responding to customer requests for both current pain points and future preferences
Otus’ 8-week cycle for product improvement and listening to multiple stakeholders for input
An example of an 8-week cycle
Listening to clients first, then assessing competitors, and combining results
Pricing models and adapting for growth and usage
Simple pricing for launch of a SaaS
Pricing review cadence and processes
Contact Info
Website: otus.com
Otus (company) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/OtusK12
Chris Hull LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chull9
Company Twitter
Christopher’s Twitter
Company Facebook
Geneoscopy is committed to reinventing the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. Their innovative techniques for non-invasive diagnosis and treatment includes technology for assistance in early-stage colon cancer detection. As a venture-backed startup based in Saint Louis, Missouri, Geneoscopy is walking through building technology and bringing it to the marketplace. This includes commercializing technology coming out of universities and schools of medicine. For Geneoscopy, this is specifically Washington University’s School of Medicine.
In this episode, I learned a lot from Chief Commercial Officer, Vince Wong, JD, MBA, who has worked through the various aspects it takes to fully bring a product to market. We discussed what they’ve already accomplished, where they currently are, and their soon launching 10,000 clinical participant study. In particular, I was excited to discuss what Vince termed “air” support and “ground” support for product rollout. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Topics In This Episode
Series B funded company; in development product FDA break-through designation
Product manufacturing plans and differing operating models for inside and outside the United States
Current competitors and how Geneoscopy is superior
Marketing and positioning: healthcare insurers, healthcare providers and opinion leaders, patient advocacy groups, patient awareness
Cutting through marketplace noise
Partnering with and leveraging existing footprints
“Air” support and “ground” support for product rollout
How launching a new product is both similar and different in method
Potential direct-to-consumer futures
Decentralized targeting creates widened reach, expanded demographics
Contact Info
Website: geneoscopy.com
Clinical study participation: colonscreeningstudy.com
Email: vince.wong@geneoscopy.com
Geneoscopy (company) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/geneoscopy
Vince Wong LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/vince-wong-7254151
Upper Hand builds award-winning innovative sports and fitness management software. They streamline day-to-day operations and eliminate manual and time-consuming tasks for fitness studios, sports facilities and sports academies. Upper Hand has found tremendous success, skillfully transitioning from a solid B2C company into a sought-after, growing B2B company.
Interested in learning about how they did it, I spoke with Kevin MacCauley, Founder and CEO of Upper Hand. We discuss their early pivot, their product roadmap, vertical growth focus, and their plans for future development in the ever-changing landscape of sports and fitness. Our conversation also moved into discussing the role of AI, data interpretation, Big Tech, and more, all of which I found engaging. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Topics In This Episode
Navigating the challenges of evolving from a B2C model to a B2B model
Upper Hands’ current competitors
Focusing vertically for future growth, data handling and payment platforms
Engaging innovation and accuracy in the customer roadmap
Integrating valuable client education and leveraging analytics
Why Kevin sees AI, data interpretation, and action as integral to success
Analytics, technology regulation, ethics, AI, data storage, and Big Tech
Contact Info
Website: getupperhand.com
Email: kevin@getupperhand.com
Upper Hand (company) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/upper-hand
Kevin MacCauley LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kevinmaccauley
Buddy Brands is a collection of solution-based pet product brands, all focused on relieving various pet health problems. Their combined products address issues such as pain, mobility, anxiety, allergies, and itching. Through Buddy Brands, President and Founder, Trevor Crotts, uses his expertise in employing advanced technology to increase consumer confidence and drive sales of quality products.
In this episode, I talk ecommerce with Trevor, who is also involved in the startups Compel Commerce and ScanShop.io. We discuss how targeted marketing and business scale drive positive growth, along with the importance of the ever-expanding role of 3D and AI in the future of ecommerce. As a dog person and business person, I really loved our conversation. Following our time together, Trevor was gracious enough to offer a 25% discount code (Startup25) on Buddy Rest or Natural Doggie products for Startup Competitors listeners.
Topics In This Episode
Using eBay as a tool to learn the moving parts of ecommerce
The trends and future of ecommerce, especially coming out of Covid
Competing with the large juggernauts in your business space by smartly leveraging ecommerce
The future of 3D model creation and AI for use in ecommerce and augmented reality (enhance shopper experience, increase conversion rates, and decrease returns)
Responding to knock-offs and direct competitors that crop up
How Buddy Brands has taken on diversification of their brand and product lines
Contact Info
Want to try any Buddy Rest or Natural Doggie products? Use the code Startup25 to save 25%!
Website: buddybrands.pet
Email: service@buddybrands.co
Phone: (888) 674-1710
Buddy Brands (company) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/buddypetbrands
Trevor Crotts LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/trevor-crotts
Contact Buddy Brands: buddybrands.pet/home
Unicorn Venture Partners specializes in pre-seeds and Series A investments. Their two verticals are mainly the technology space and consumer space. Because Unicorn Venture Partners has no LPs (limited partnerships), how they operate, the massive success they’ve had, and how they’ve grown since 2018 sets them apart.
In this episode, I talk with Jonathan Hung, Co-Managing Partner of Unicorn Venture Partners. We discuss the experience diversity superpower of the three founding partners and how that has impacted their success. We explore valuable concepts like “watch the blind side”, the ‘business emergency contacts’ litmus test, and cash cow business structures. In particular, I found the tips Jonathan shares regarding successful investment pitching to be (potentially) worth millions.
Topics In This Episode
Structuring the leadership team without VPs
The importance of writing investment memos, even though only three people read them
Looking at a business team and leadership as perhaps the most important success indicator
How Unicorn leverages both itself and the other separate entities of each of its founders
Balancing Unicorn Venture Partners with the demands of Johnathan’s various ventures.
Why business owners should be selective, even if they need investment funds. Is this someone you’d have as your business emergency contact?
Rethinking and reinventing cash cow businesses to increase revenue and scale
Tips from Jonathan on how to successfully secure capital
Contact Info
Website: unicornvp.com
Email: jon@unicornvp.com
Unicorn Venture Partners (company) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/unicorn-venture-partners/about
Jonathan Hung LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonathanhung
Contact Unicorn Venture Partners: unicornvp.com/contact-us
Contact Jonanthan directly for investment pitches, to read his blog, and more: jonathanhung.com
Capbase is a compliance platform designed to manage information and paperwork typically needed for a startup. It includes corporation, payroll, funds raising, document signing, compliance and government filings, and much more. It was started by Co-Founders Stefan Nagey and Greg Miaskiewicz, who both have founded and sold other companies.
In this episode, Stefan Nagey shares how Capbase was inspired by the mistakes and pain points he and Greg experienced. They wanted to help other startups avoid the time and money losses they’d suffered. I found it compelling to hear how Capbase smoothed and combined so many separate processes. They’ve pulled together the tools they once needed most, creating a virtual and viable company that’s growing.
Topics In This Episode
Entirely virtual, Capbase employs people from all over the globe
Why and how they jumped into such a tight market
Differentiating themselves from any competitors
Building integrations: current and future, including partnerships
Deciding on costs and passing along revenue to clients
Leveraging quality content to drive marketing
Evaluating sales retention through client milestones
How Capbase finds their employees
Ways Stefan and Greg divide up their co-founder responsibilities
Contact Info
Website: capbase.com
Email: info@capbase.com
Capbase (company) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/capbase
Stefan Nagey LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stefannagey
Contact Stefan directly: capbase.com, click the blue and white Intercom Chat Box
Avestor provides real estate investing made simple. It allows the average person to build their own custom real estate platform, using a range of prequalified investments. Despite the uncertainty of the economy during Covid, they went fully live in 2020. And it paid off. Their commitment and growth actually shaped the company in positive ways, despite the restrictions Covid created.
These surprising positives made the conversation with Sanjay Vora, Co-Founder of Avestor, super interesting. I was especially compelled by their approach to their customer road map, and how it offers clients control over their investment portfolios. I also found their year-long pilot program, their productivity during Covid, and how they leverage partner platforms valuable. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and come away with some ideas for your own startup and business growth.
Topics In This Episode
How Avestor leverages partner platforms and pre-investments
Avestor’s growth so far, closed deals, and planned platform improvements
Who are Avestor’s current competitors? Will competition increase in the future?
How Avestor is taking advantage of the current climate in real estate
How they are positioning for anticipated client load increase
The personal motivations to create Avestor
What’s next on their customer road map
How Covid solidified virtual processes and helped overcome investor discomfort
Overcoming their biggest launch hurdle
Preparing for their biggest growth hurdle: scaling
Contact Info
Website: avestorinc.com
Email: sanjay@averstorinc.com
Avestor (company) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/avestor-inc/
Sanjay Vora LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sanjayvora/
Observa combines human observation with artificial intelligence to compile accurate retail marketing data. They compare what a client’s marketing spend (trade spend) is supposed to be getting them to what is actually happening in-store. With a human force of over 275,000 in-store observers, and the technology to turn raw information into usable marketing data, Observa is addressing one of the biggest problems in retail.
Whenever a company generates the opportunity to make themselves that indispensable, I want to learn what they are doing and how they do it! That’s why I was excited to talk with Co-Founder and CEO, Hugh Holman, about Observa. I asked him how they built their client base and observer force, how they are leveraging AI and incorporating emerging technologies, and much more. I really enjoyed this conversation. In particular, I loved the story he shared about the early days, when he would personally fly to locations to fulfill service promises. I hope it inspires your business journey, too.
Topics In This Episode
Meeting the needs of clients throughout the U.S. and Canada
The journey from personally fulfilling client needs to having an observer force of over 275,000
Scaling using AI for some of the necessary (previously human) work
Who are Observa’s competitors? What are they disrupting in the current retail services market?
Future AI expansion: incorporating emerging technologies such as bots and drones
Landing client contracts: offering subscription-based services and finding innovative ways to lower price points
Retooling and customizing for clients to meet unique goals
How COVID impacted Observa
Contact Info
Website: observanow.com
Email: sales@observanow.com
Observa (company) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/observa/
Hugh Holman LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hughholman/
Lloyd is a career navigation business with a human touch. It’s based on the premise that people both want and need additional structure and accountability in their careers, especially as they grow. I chatted with Co-Founder and CEO, Dan Gusz, about the current beta phase of Lloyd and how they plan to scale going forward. We also discussed how Lloyd is approaching product development and the features they plan to implement in the product road map. I enjoyed the conversation immensely and if you are early in your business or career, I think you will find this episode particularly helpful.
Topics In This Episode
Using data in the area of behavior science to build a viable product
How Lloyd combines accessible technology with a human coach
What they have learned from the beta testing
Customer acquisition strategy
Who are Lloyd’s competitors in the career coaching space
Looking at how they can implement personalized coaching at various levels of career goals
Preparing for growth and future competition
The role of behavior science and behavior economics as technology increases
Contact Info
Website: withlloyd.com
Lloyd (company) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/withlloyd
Dan Gusz LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dan-gusz
Appsurify is the tester for testers. Its plugin is compatible with existing software test environments, and provides the immediate feedback developers constantly need. Whenever software changes are implemented, it isolates the proper and necessary subset of tests to run. With Appsurify, any organization utilizing software development can quickly improve their system. This competitive edge allows them to ship faster, get to market faster, have fewer defects, and much more.
Fully bootstrapped, Co-Founder and CEO, Johnston Harris says Appsurify has already generated a healthy dose of interest. And they have a potentially unlimited customer base. Their software can help almost any business -- ranging from small Mom and Pop ventures to huge Fortune 500 enterprises. With a product wielding such widely applicable prowess, I was eager to learn all about Appsurify’s business model.
Topics In This Episode
Isolating pain points to build a proper solution
Creating exponential value by saving time and pinpointing needed change
Developing an environment where automated testing and manual testing work hand in hand
Managing risk by flagging high risk changes, as well as mapping fragility and failures
Offering a lower barrier to entry to increase customer awareness and advocacy
Identifying Appsurify’s current competitors and highlighting how Appsurify is superior
Providing flexible compatibility and integration to serve a wide range of customers
Implementing via self serve or personalized help: why offering both is working
Running numbers to prove ROI and convert sales
Contact Info
Website: appsurify.com
Email: sales@appsurify.com
Contact form: appsurify.com/contact
Phone: 650.402.1400
Appsurify LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/appsurify
Johnston Harris LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnston-harris-5051b332
ProBook is the all-in-one platform for any sports team. It streamlines team management by integrating the Five Pillars of coaching excellence. This includes tracking and fostering athlete development and team culture by centralizing social media, events, profiles, nutrition, film, schedules, communication, and much more.
However, ProBook has a huge competitor - the gorilla in that space... so how are they wedging themselves in? I discussed their early success and future plans with founder and CEO, Andre Harakas. He outlined how ProBook is positioning their platform to outperform and displace their main competition. He discussed targeting their message via social media and coach ambassadors, and the status of their beta launch. We even talked about how they are already looking to future integration, including AI.
Topics In This Episode
Offering flexibility to enter the market: replacement of main competitor OR as a companion
Strategic partnership development, including celebrity athletes
How are they gaining market share? Why price point and targeting smaller teams works
White glove customer service: building relationships, networking, and the value of ‘who you know’
What swag are they using?
Andre shares how detailed meeting notes and a Google Form helped their product roadmap
Freemium model coming soon - expanding market reach
Nearly free advertising: offering sporting events and clinics
Plans for AI and emerging tech improvements
Integration versus Self-Build: How does ProBook plan to position itself as it grows?
Contact Info
Website: probooksport.com
Email: probookteam@gmail.com
Contact form: probooksport.com/contact
Phone: 317.658.4590
Twitter: twitter.com/ProBookSports
Instagram: instagram.com/probooksports/
Forecasting for your business using outdated, clunky software slows your business and it eats up time you could spend on action items to grow. Forecastr fixes that pain point. It’s an online software platform that helps founders build great financial models, so they can make better decisions, impress investors, and get funded. Through Forecastr, you can quickly see your current revenue streams, expected growth, expenses and more -- so you can focus on the areas that need your attention the most.
Because what they do is so timely for Startup Competitors, CEO and co-founder, Logan Burchett, and I went through the Forecastr platform together. He showed me how it works, what forecasting it does automatically, and how it can help keep my business on track. I even recorded a video stream, too, so you can follow along. To find out more about Forecastr, or to schedule a meeting with their team, go to their website at: https://www.forecastr.co/.
Topics In This Episode
Revenue streams and formula
Choose from multiple revenue types to populate suggested applicable fields
Input data such as start date, customer / subscriber numbers, more
Forecast monthly / yearly growth based on input percentage or estimations
Customer acquisition funnels and planning
Retain subscriptions, churn rate, more
Quantify acquisition costs (such as advertising); identify unprofitable campaigns
Forecast base income and customer retention to identify needed focuses
Estimate time frame for profitability (investors want to know this!)
Input and remove brainstormed strategies to determine best courses of action
Hiring, outsourcing / contract labor
Input budget impact, track costs
Identify future needs to plan ahead
Additional financials
Hosting, taxes, fees, etc.
Revenue shares, profit distribution, salaries for executives
The Dashboard -- Gives solid numbers to
Highlight goals
Track expectations and achievements
Pinpoint areas that need attention
Contact Info
Website: forecastr.co
Email: Logan@forecastr.co
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/forecastr
We all know a data breach can crush a small or medium-sized business. PrettyFluid Technologies protects businesses by taking the liability and security of customer data off the company and placing it back in the hands of their customers. With a truly first-to-market concept, Zentinel™, their SAS platform, is so needed, they easily pre-sold it before build.
Of course, I was eager to find out how that happened. And even more eager when I learned that the bootstrapped company has also received numerous unsolicited inquiries for partnerships and investments! Fortunately for me (and my audience), Christopher Perry III, Co-Founder and CEO of PrettyFluid, was kind enough to answer my numerous questions. He covers how their solution protects both businesses and customers, how they went from concept to paying clients, why larger companies are already interested in potential partnerships, and more.
Topics In This Episode
Removing the cost burden and liability of data security for small and medium businesses
How they pre-sold their product before build
Additional revenue streams potential: end-user monetization
Designed to build trust with customers versus operations that assume trust
The power of third party consultants, outside advisors, and credibility by extension
Expecting competition: How much of a head-start does PrettyFluid have?
Does this alter how companies gather customer information?
Their parking lot of prioritized ideas and roadmap for ongoing innovation and implementation
Receiving unsolicited inquiries for potential partnerships and investments
Contact Info
PrettyFluid Technologies
prettyfluid.com
prettyfluidtechnologies.com
Christopher Perry III, Co-Founder and CEO
cperry@prettyfluid.com
prettyfluidtechnologies.com/contact/
Zentinel™
Motor is bringing extra power to the electric car movement by uniting utility companies and drivers. Approximately 70% of Americans have never even been in an electric car, and it is Motor's primary goal to change that by changing the way we think about electric cars. In my conversation with co-founders Mike Barg and Bryan Bernard, they share how they create a seamless experience for customers in order to increase electric car usage, as well as what it was like launching Motor from a larger company.
Leveraging the natural partnership between utility companies and electric car owners, Mark, Bryan and their team are accelerating the adoption of electric cars. We discuss the barriers to electric car ownership and usage, and they also talk about the win-win relationship they've created with utility companies. As an electric car owner myself, I was particularly fascinated by this conversation, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
If you are interested in trying Motor, use the code STARTUP for a discount.
Topics In This Episode
Leveraging a changing market for growth
Customer service and product considerations in order to lower barriers for buyers
Addressing increasing product availability and customer retention
24-month plan: Increase awareness, bend the access curve, expand partnerships
Is Motor like a “loss leader”?
Innovation and subsidiary positioning: Zero emissions goals, streamlined service, including bill payment, delivery, strict safety guidelines, and working with vendors and contractors
Navigating the differences of direct corporate integration and the absence of investor pitching
Identifying buyer personas, exceeding forecasts and meeting KPIs
Contact Info
Website: MotorEv.net
support@motorev.net
833-MOTOR-EV
Facebook @MotorEVIndy
Instagram @motor_ev
Twitter @Motor_EV
Forecastr is an online software platform that helps founders build great financial models, so they can make better decisions, impress investors, and get funded. Financial forecasts are key to any business’s tool kit, particularly for startups, and Forecastr fills an important role of helping create financial models and support them over the long term. I talk with CEO and co-founder Steven Plappert about the recent launch of the beta product, and how they were able to launch with 87 clients already signed up and ready to go.
A key component of the Forecastr model is their use of white-glove onboarding of their clients, and in our conversation, we spend some time talking about how to scale this level of high-touch and analysis through the product roadmap. He also discusses some of the areas in which they plan to grow, as well as taking a look at the competitive landscape for financial modeling. I really enjoyed this conversation, and I’m already looking forward to a future episode, a part two, where Steven takes us through the onboarding process that he does with customers. To find out more, be sure to go to their website at: https://www.forecastr.co/
Topics in this episode
What it looks like to go through the white-glove onboarding for new clients
Supporting clients on an ongoing basis, after the models are built
The products they sold to customers before the beta was even built
What makes their product so important for the market
The vision of Forecastr
Partnerships with incubators, accelerators, and VCs
Contact Info
Website: https://www.forecastr.co/
Email: Steven@forecastr.co
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/forecastr/
Jewelr is an all-encompassing software solution built specifically for the jewelry industry. Their MVP addresses everything a retail store needs to run as a whole, and the product roadmap seeks to address other facets of the jewelry industry as a whole. In my conversation with Natalie Whitmore and Richard Crowe, two of the four members of the founding team, they illustrate the current state of the technology within the jewelry industry and just how outdated it is. We spend a lot of time in our conversation talking about the product they are building, how they plan to bring it to the marketplace, and how they plan to remain competitive if and when another modern solution comes to the marketplace.
Topics in this episode
How they built their founding team
Moving clients to a SaaS model
What they are looking for with beta testers
Using beta testing to learn more about and address data migration to the Jewelr platform
Taking a different approach to marketing
Additional products and services on the product roadmap
The result of the pandemic on the retail jewelry industry
Contact Info
Website: https://www.jewelr.co/
natalie@jewelr.co
richard@jewelr.co
Kennected completely simplifies and automates your lead-generation and outreach via LinkedIn by teaching you how to optimize your LinkedIn profile and think uniquely around finding your target audience. In this episode, I talk with Kennected co-founder and CEO Devin Johnson. We talk about how the team got started, what their product roadmap looks like beyond the their current product offering, and preparing the business for rapid growth. Devin also shares details about the mindset resources and tools that he uses which have helped him grow to this level of success, and how he intends to leverage those to achieve his goals.
Topics in this episode
Onboarding as a key differentiator
Focusing on the importance of customer education to fully demonstrate the features of the product
Why Devin really prioritizes the sales function of the business
As you grow, which is more important; marketing or sales?
What makes LinkedIn so hard?
Preparing internal structures and creating strategy to be able to support future growth
Applying the abundant mindset, and the importance of goal-setting, visualization, and execution
Resources
The 10X Rule, by Grant Cardone
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
Contact Info
Website
Florida Funders is a combination of a venture capital group and a crowd network of about 1500 angel investors who finds, funds, and builds the next generation of great technology companies in the Southeast, primarily in Florida. In this episode, I have a super fun conversation with Tom Wallace, managing partner of Florida Funders, that is packed with a lot of information and advice, particularly for founders. Tom differentiates between active and passive investing, and why it is that 75% of their investments are active. He also details the role they play in helping founders and investors become educated so they can have the greatest chance for success.
Topics in this episode
Educating angel investors on the “why”s and “how”s of investing
The process of getting funded through Florida Funders
Importance in diversifying for investors
Managing expectations around time frames for investments
Valuation as a key indicator when making investments
Getting involved with and helping CEOs
Their “secret sauce” for investors and the two things they look at most
Advice from some of the best pitches they’ve heard
Contact Info
Website
Email: tom@floridafunders.com
Today we have a fun conversation with Patrick Kelley, one of the co-founders of Shorca Wood. Patrick is my 10 year old son, who confounded Shorca Wood with his friend. In this conversation, we talk about how the business started, what he learned about business this year, and what’s next for Shorca Wood. I hope you enjoy
GenoPalate is a nutrition intelligence company, with the mission to change food-buying behaviors in the future to fight obesity and diabetes. The technology is based on nutrigenetics, using DNA information to create personalized nutrition and eating plans for each person. In this fascinating conversation with Sherry Zhang, she talks about her background in microbiology and the previous companies she founded, before creating GenoPalate. We also discuss some recent books we have found to be impactful, and the future of where GenoPalate can go in the future.
Topics in this episode
User experience of GenoPalate
Obtaining and providing DNA data
How this information forms behavior changes for users
The secret of success for consumer wellness products
The biggest hurdles in getting this business off the ground
The process of finding mentors and building relationships
Book Recommendations
Think Bigger, by Michael W. Sonnenfeldt
Category Creation, by Anthony Kennada
Deep Medicine, by Eric Topol
Business Adventures, by John Brooks
Flip the Script by Oren Klaff
Contact Info
Website
Email: sherry@genopalate.com
FastDemocracy is a legislative analytics platform designed to put the government at your fingertips, giving users the ability to track legislation, share it, and really understand what is going on with legislation, and understand the inflection points in order to create change. In this conversation, I talk with co-founders Anatolij Gelimson and Sara Baker, a married co-founding team, about how each of their skill sets combined to create this product, how they market it to nonprofits and companies, as well as the education gaps they each had to fill along the way.
And of course, I couldn’t let them go without asking about what it’s like to be a married co-founding partnership. This was a really interesting conversation, and as you’re listening to this, the app for FastDemocracy just dropped, so be sure to check it out and thank them for coming on the show.
Topics in this episode
Fast Democracy currently provides data for government at both the national and state levels, which includes all 50 states
The outdated systems most states still have in place
Selling to nonprofits, business associations, companies
Their competitive advantage
The process of collecting all the data that is available on the platform
The use of a comment section and the power and helpfulness found there within legislation and lobbying efforts
Making the decision to invest in team growth
Contact Info
Email: sara@fastdemocracy.com
Email: anatolij@fastdemocracy.com
Website
IdeaWake is a software platform that helps capture, evaluate, and implement ideas from front-line employees. They also have a product offering that allows for a front-line employee to take an idea, validate it, prototype it, and actually pitch it to someone within the organization that owns the budget for implementing it. IdeaWake is all centered around the idea that people who are closest to the customer and to a process have the best ideas on how to improve that process. In my conversation with co-founder and CEO Coby Skonord, he shares the background from the very early idea stages, to how they became a global company whose product is used in 39 countries, and the metrics they used along the way to measure success.
Topics in this episode
How they handle being a global company
Breaking up the competition into 2 categories: competitors for the current state of the company, and competitors for where you want to go
Getting specific about the market and ideal target customer
Offering consulting within the product offering
The launch check-list they work through with new clients
The impact of covid for them and their customers, using employee-sourced ideas to respond to the challenges they faced
Transitioning customers over to a new system
Contact Info
Website
Email: coby@ideawake.com
Benekiva is a claims and customer service platform, working to bridge the gap between insurance carriers, policyholders, and beneficiaries. In this episode, I talk with Brent Williams, the founder and CEO of Benekiva about where the idea for Benekiva came from, how it was developed, and the product roadmap for the company. He talks about the process for implementing Benekiva within a carrier’s system, how they made implementation a quick and easy process, and how claims teams became their biggest cheerleaders within their client’s teams. I really enjoyed this conversation with Brent, and I hope you do as well.
Topics in this episode
Completing three years of research to determine the issues within the insurance industry and how they could address them
Building a platform that carriers would pay for
The mutually beneficial relationship between this platform and insurance carriers
Having two separate development teams
Operating on the Apple model
Sales and implementation with enterprise companies
Creating a tool that communicates with a company’s existing systems in order to shorten implementation time
Contact Info
Website
Email: brent@benekiva.com
Phone: (515) 202-0862
Shotcall is a platform and marketplace for fans to hop in the gaming content alongside their favorite people. In my conversation with founder and CEO Thomas Gentle, we talk about how gaming has grown in recent years, just how widespread it is, and how Shotcall wants to take it to the next level.
Todaro Robotics is a laboratory systems integrator for automation and robotics, helping biotech, pharma, and life science companies automate their experiments and their processes, with clients from the startup size all the way to large corporations, such as Eli Lilly. In my conversation with co-founder James Slatic, we talk about the addition of product development to their company in addition to the consultation services they provide, and the integration and growth of both sides of the company.
We also talk about some of the struggles of launching a business where you’re not the smartest guy in the room. You know how to build and run companies, but don’t necessarily understand all the science. I enjoyed this conversation and I truly hope you do as well. Find James on social media, and be sure to thank him for coming on the podcast, and thank you for listening.
Topics in this episode
Changes within the industry as a result of covid, and the shift toward automation
The science of DNA purification
Approaching a technology that is already in the market, yet coming at it from a different angle
Differences in the rate of growth as your company grows
The role of consultants in the biotech, life science, and pharma industries from individual consultants up to large firms
The roll-up process of combining with complementary companies and either going public or becoming an acquisition candidate
Limiting legal risk between consultation services and product company
Revisiting growth strategies as you evolve
Tactics for working in an industry where your clients are technically skilled in a way that you aren’t
Contact Info
Website
Omni Valley is an online exclusive investor platform connecting those who work and invest in the venture capital industry, those who are looking at start-up companies, or for those who invest at the venture capital fund level, and provides a space for them to better network and connect. In my conversation with co-founder and CEO Grady Buchanan, we talk about why they have built out that platform, what they see as opportunities to be, competitors in the space, and how they think they can wedge into that market with a unique value prop that investors are underserved on today. We talk about how they can achieve their goals for the platform within the scaled-down version of a minimum viable product, as well as the built out version from later down the product roadmap.
Topics in this episode
Investor preferences
The effect covid has had in the investment space, particularly for startups that aren’t on the east or west coast
The decision to not start with a revenue-first product
How they are different from other networking platforms
The difference between what an investor says they are interested in, versus the actual investments they are making
Benefits of creating networks for investors based on a geographic basis
Their biggest challenge to date
Contact Info
Website
Email: grady@omnivalley.co
Rootnote is a SaaS platform for content creators to help them understand their data and manage their businesses better. I talk with brothers and co-founders Jason and Jeremy Burchard about how large the passion economy is now, with over 32 million Americans currently making a living wage in the content creation space. And even though it is such a large market, there is still a lack of understanding of the data and how creators can make the most of their content from a financial perspective. This was an exciting conversation and I’m looking forward to seeing how this platform grows as new content platforms grow as well.
Topics in this episode
Starting with a focus on music artists
Looking at stats across a broad spectrum of services
Working with management companies to help create the pro version
The challenges with other data aggregators for musical artists
Understanding the landscape between hypothetical and reality when it comes to the market
Embracing competition
Their biggest milestone to date
There is real money on these platforms. People are doing well on them.
Thinking about the pace at which new platforms are getting created, and keeping up with them
Contact Info
Website
Jeremy’s Band, Moonlight Social
Watch them on Twitch
Stre.me is a platform built for behavior change with a focus on implicit bias, which enables HR and diversity, equity, and inclusion officers to rapidly deploy individualized implicit bias education. In this episode, I talk with co-founders Jack Patton and Anne Marie Labenberg about this platform they’ve built, and the competitive advantage it has over traditional training sessions within an organization and how it leads to incremental behavior change. As a product that is currently in the pilot phase, we discuss their tools for identifying the right product-market fit, the product roadmap, and the ethical piece of this work and employee privacy.
Topics in this episode
The specific opportunities to get hard data on ROI and effectiveness within the healthcare space
Tracking an employee’s implicit bias in a professional setting
Addressing regulatory needs for implicit bias training
The customer discovery process in order to find the best product-market fit
How do you fund going further, faster?
Connect
Website
Email: info@stre.me
This episode is a little different from most others that we create here at Startup Competitors. I talk with Sean Ammirati, a VC, distinguished service professor of entrepreneurship, and director of the Corporate Startup Lab at Carnegie Mellon University. Sean shares a bit of his history as an entrepreneur and the path that he took to get to where he is today. We spend most of our time diving into the similarities and differences between traditional startups and corporate startups, the strengths, and weaknesses of each, and even discuss some of the regulatory pieces of corporate startups. This was a fascinating conversion, and I hope you enjoy it.
Topics in this episode
The trend in recent years of large companies rediscovering their entrepreneurial roots
The importance of early customer feedback for both traditional and corporate startups
Traditional entrepreneurs don’t have to think about how their vision fits into a larger organization’s strategy
For corporate startups, one single “no” could be much more devastating
The feedback problem with corporate startups
The customer knows the problem. The entrepreneur comes up with the solution.
Collaborating as a corporate startup with competitors
The tools and techniques that work for both corporate and traditional startups
Contact Info
Website
Corporate Startup Lab
Book, The Science of Growth
Saaslio works together with IT service providers and managed service providers to manage the SaaS landscape of their end-clients. In my conversation with John Harden, Saaslio’s founder and head of business development, he explains that he has found a way to help partners increase revenue and sales, while also helping the partner’s end-clients save money, thereby, serving both sides of the coin, which is very rare and difficult to achieve. We also talk about the mindset behind having a giver mentality, the two most impactful meetings he’s had this year, and the future of aggregated data they are collecting along the way.
Topics in this episode
Waste in the SaaS space
Relying on the trust factor that is built between large companies and managed service/IT providers
Channel products versus direct products
Creating a long-term solution for a problem that people perceive to be a one-time issue for end-clients
Bundling this solution with VCIO offerings
The biggest problem with taking the product to the market
Joining the gBETA accelerator
A healthy way to grow a network of people that really want to help
Contact info
Website: https://saaslio.com/
Email: john.harden@saaslio.com
You’re Golden is a photographer-on-demand platform, making it fast, easy, and affordable to capture unedited photos of real-life moments. In this episode, I talk with founder and CEO Sydney Golden about growing a startup as a side hustle, and as a solo entrepreneur. We explore the relationship between a mentor and mentee, and some of the qualifications and tactics that make a good mentor. Sydney also shares the product roadmap for You’re Golden, and the plans to grow You’re Golden through the COVID crisis.
Topics in this episode
Growing a two-sided marketplace
Comparing the traditional photography model now with the business model of You’re Golden
The decision to create unedited photos for customers
Narrowing down the market and identifying the ideal client
Finding the white-space in the market
Customer acquisition in the times of COVID
Finding community as a solo entrepreneur
Contact Info
Website
Promotable is a workforce accelerator that closes employers skill gaps and prepares professionals for high-growth careers in the digital economy with courses in data analytics and Python programming. In my conversation with Aaron Filous, Promotable Founder and CEO, he explains that he found that a lot of the existing solutions out there weren’t solving the problem of how to grow your professional skills and learn data analytics that you could then apply to your current role, or could use to get promoted. The options were either low-level courses or to go back to higher education. He explains how Promotable fills that gap. We also talk about the impact of COVID on their product road map, and some of the big wins he has experienced along the way.
Topics in this episode
What separates a workforce accelerator from a course
How they ensure that they are filling the skill gaps in the workforce
Live training versus a self-paced video instructional method
The unique opportunity with covid and the current trend of self-improvement
Biggest wins and biggest challenges since starting Promotable
Contact info
Website: promotable.io
Youtube channel
Email: hello@promotable.io
Lumatic is a photography management platform that helps organizations more easily capture and use photography. In this episode, I talk with founder Tyler Hromadka, who used his background as a photographer to build a platform to make it easier to store and access photos, with a focus on Greek organizations, while also providing the ability to find photographers. Tyler shares that in the current market, there are only about four competitors in the space, and they have been in that space for many decades without innovating, which leaves a lot of room for Lumatic to enter the space and set themselves apart. We also discuss what it’s like to lead a growing team, and the use of automation that doesn’t feel robotic and distant.
Topics in this episode
Keeping the photo editing in-house for quality control
How they track their traction
The difficulty in hiring a photographer online
Building a business around the idea of being a long-term partner with an organization
Communicating expectations to team members who have never met in person
Hiring for a personality type, as opposed to experience levels
The sole-proprietor mindset
Contact Info
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thromadka/
Website: https://www.lumaticimagery.com/
Wes Barton is a farmer, turned lawyer, turned investor, and is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Third Prime, venture capital firm based out of New York City. Third Prime is focused primarily on investing at the seed stage that are quite young, generating nominal revenue. In our conversation, Wes shares a bit about his personal background and we spend most of our time discussing some of the things they look for in a potential investment opportunity and some of the big do’s and don’ts when looking for investors. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation and I hope you find value in it as I did.
Topics in this episode
The transition from angel investing in a couple of deals to creating an investment firm managing $100 million
Wes’ early investment experiences
The characteristics they are looking for in the initial conversation
Investing discipline and criteria now, versus when he started
Looking at the dynamic between co-founders
Asking entrepreneurs, “What could go wrong? What could make this fail?”
Sourcing channels and the entrepreneur community
Contact Info
Twitter: https://twitter.com/farmer_vc
Website: https://www.thirdprime.vc/
Email: wes@thirdprime.vc
Insurmi is a technology whose primary product, Violet, is an AI assistant built for insurance. In my conversation with founder and CEO, Sonny Patel, he shares the story of how he started Insurmi as a college student, originally as a B2C insurance solution. As they went through three different accelerators, Insurmi was able to pivot to B2B, find product-market fit, and really use the environment of the accelerator to grow their business to what it is today. Sonny also shares roll out strategies with new clients, some of the major challenges they’ve faced through the years, and the impact COVID has had on sales and networking, and the long-lasting effects this will have on the industry. This was a fascinating conversation and I hope you enjoy.
Topics in this episode
Why they created a solution specific to the insurance industry
The differences between the different accelerator programs they participated in
The need for an insurance-based solution, as opposed to a generic conversational AI
Benfits of pivoting from B2C to B2B
Categories of use cases and the measurables and KPIs for each
Using this time of COVID to improving remote sales skills
Making predictions at what business travel may look like after COVID
Networking within digital events and via DMs and Zoom
Contact Info
Website: https://insurmi.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonnypatel94/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonnypatel94/
In this episode, I talk with Scott Hansen, founder of Professional Chats, and the principle at Black Bison Group, where he does investing, coaching, and consulting, looking specifically at B2B hybrid software services companies. We have a wide-ranging conversation beginning with his background and the founding of Professional Chats, and how he leveraged the skills and knowledge he gained from that insight to now investing in companies that are in the associated medical space, looking to grow and understand the market better. He also shares the core values and key indicators he looks for with the founders of potential investment opportunities.
Topics in this episode
How software can produce better results for a service business
Evaluating a potential investment opportunity:
The process to figure out if a business owner is going to be a good fit
Sourcing deals through his network
New technologies coming for AI and data science
Making your service expensive for users at the start
Understanding buyers and your market in order to make the best marketing decisions for your business
Two core values that he will take with him to future start ups
Contact info
Website: http://blackbisongroup.com/
Email: scott.hansen@blackbisongroup.com
Go Nimbly is a revenue operations consultancy and software company, helping businesses operate their revenue side of their business, which includes such areas as sales, marketing, and customer success, and the analytics that make those teams run. In this episode, I talk with Jason Reichl, co-founder and CEO of Go Nimbly. He details his background in design and product management, and the time he spent in Silicon Valley, seeing SaaS companies spring up all the time, which didn’t prioritize revenue operations in a way that made sense.
It was from this that the idea came to him and his co-founders to create a company that could help businesses see their revenue operations teams in a new way, and maximize their profit. In our conversation, he shares key strategies for unifying revenue operations teams within a company, the work of consultancy, and Jason details the book that the Go Nimbly team is writing to help the reader transform so that they can transform their business.
Topics in this episode
Working as a part of a revenue operations team
The revenue gains companies experience when they unify the revenue operations; sales, marketing, and customer success
Revenue impact statement
Why they target SasS companies
Three levels of operations teams out there
Intuition-based
Experiential
Customer-based
Four core metrics to measure the health of an operations team:
Volume
Value
Velocity
Conversion
Create a roadmap for operational projects in order to see if it has an impact on improving the value that you are looking at
Working with companies in the short-term, and being stick enough with them so that the partnership continues long-term
Contact Info
Go Nimbly blog: https://gonimbly.com/blog/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/betterjason/
TallyLab is an everything-tracker for consumers and an anything-tracker-maker for businesses. It’s a web-based application where users can set up trackers to track anything that happens as a moment in time, recording what they did, and when they did it. In this episode, I talk with co-founder and CEO, Jordyn Bonds, who saw first hand what happens with our everyday data, and how companies aggregate that data in ways that we do not opt into, and may not be ok with. It was this insight, as well as the need for a tracking app, that was the inspiration behind creating TallyLab with a high priority on data protection for end-users. She shares some of the effects of the pandemic on the company, the trends of data protection, and what she’s tracking everyday using TallyLab.
Topics in this episode
The importance of keeping UI simple, so users can start quickly
New projects, as a result of the COVID pandemic
The difference between an ideal customer, and one that becomes an actual customer
Cloud services are hackable, meaning, your data is at risk
Asking companies to leave data and opportunity on the table, in favor of protecting the privacy of their end-users
The regulatory landscape of data privacy
Users realize that they’re doing better with the thing they’re tracking than they think they are
Contact Info
Website: https://tallylab.com/
Email: jordyn@tallylab.com
Knowable is an audio-first learning platform where you can find high-quality educational courses, and listen and learn on the go, without having to stare at a screen. In this episode, I talk with co-founder and CEO Warren Shaeffer, who shares that the idea behind Knowable came from not a lack of time, but a lack of time he could devote to watching something and learning that way. Knowable is the third startup Warren and his co-founder have started. He details the other companies he created, and details one of his favorite courses on Knowable, Launch a Startup, in which well-known startup experts share their insights and expertise to help listeners prepare for building their own companies.
To take this course, or any other on Knowable: Use the code StartupComp at checkout for 50% off your first course.
Topics in this episode
Sourcing the content for the courses
Reaching out to experts and pitching to them to lead a course
Compensation and collaboration with experts
How COVID is increasing the rate of innovation in the education space
The experimental marketing efforts they’ve done so far while in beta
The difference between a podcast and an audio-first course
Apply to be a creator at: https://knowable.fyi/create
Contact Info
Website: https://knowable.fyi/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wwshaef
Boson Motors electric commercial vehicles, focusing on dairies, planters, farmers, and agriculture utility vehicles. They may the only programmable vehicle in the world that runs on the Android operating system, making it open-source that any Android developer can deploy custom applications to. In this episode, I talk with co-founder and CEO Arun Seelam, who, along with his co-founder, are ex-Googlers, looking to take on the world of autonomous vehicles and electric trucks. In our conversation, Arun shares current status of the company, the setbacks that Boson Motors has experienced as a result of the COVID pandemic, as well as a silver lining they found along the way.
Topics in this episode
Why they are working toward an end goal of partial autonomy, as opposed to creating fully autonomous vehicles
Roadmap of production and how they plan to ramp up over the next two years
The process of creating the prototype, starting with a motorcycle
The impact of COVID on production, as well as on fundraising
Launching the product in California and India, and the regulatory differences in each place
Tracking competitors’ roadmaps
Giving farmers the ability to service their own vehicles, unlike with John Deere and other competitors
Contact Info
Website: https://www.bosonmotors.com/
Fringe Benefits is the world’s first fringe benefit marketplace as a way for employers to provide benefits that employees can use now, that they don’t have to be sick, disabled, or 65 years or older in order to benefit from. It’s a way for companies to provide a wide array of curated benefits that employees can choose from, that employees can then take with them upon leaving. In my conversation with co-founder and CEO Jordan Peace, he shares the launch and growth of Fringe with five co-founders, the selection process of working with vendors, and the successful utilization of their platform with employers using their service. He also details the role COVID has played in their growth, and helping companies to provide benefits for a work-from-home world.
Topics in this episode
Examples of benefits they provide
The importance of identifying companies that already have an established culture, instead of having to create that for an employer
Building a curated vendor list
Selling points of the marketplace to vendors
What a target vendor looks like
Detailing what product-marketplace fit looks like
Utilization of Fringe is over 90%
Future-proofing benefit system for employers
Contact Info
Website: https://www.hellofringe.co/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-peace-greenhousemoney/
Botco.ai is an intelligent chat nurturing solution helping businesses convert more customers by being always on and always available to answer their customer’s questions. In my conversation with co-founder and CEO Rebecca Clyde, she shares how Botco.ai was built out of a lack of a solution for enterprise companies and their customer’s need for on-demand assistance. Before Botco.ai, Rebecca owned a marketing automation company, and she explains how that role, and the process of leaving that role to hand over the reins, gave her a particular set of skills that prepared her for starting Botco.ai. We also discuss investor expectations, how to best use a marketing budget, and her role as a parent to prepare her children for the business world.
Topics in this episode
The impact a chatbot service has for conversion rates
Steps to take after releasing the MVP
Challenges of working with a chatbot service for an enterprise company
Competing with in-house development teams
How to identify that your product is needed in the market
The role of education, and how to take that on in a tangible way that leads to business opportunities
Where are you creating gaps in the customer experience, and how can you bridge those?
Generation Z’s relationship with technology, and the role that plays in the work force and our economy
The future of voice-assistance for Botco AI products
Resources
Aaron Ross
The Sandler Sales Methodology
Contact Info
Website: https://botco.ai/
Email: rebecca@botcoai.ai
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaclyde/
SnapShyft Labor Marketplace is a cloud-based staffing software and mobile app that connects businesses with fully vetted and experienced professionals on-demand - think staffing as a service. In my conversation with founder and CEO Thor Wood, we talk a lot about building and launching a two-sided marketplace, customer acquisition, raising funds, and the SnapShyft story before, during, and after COVID. They are in the hospitality space, so you can imagine it’s a difficult time for them. I really enjoyed all aspects of this conversation. Thor was also on the podcast, The Pitch, that I found to be super interesting. You can listen to that episode here: https://gimletmedia.com/shows/the-pitch/dvheez6.
Topics in this episode
Building a platform around people who are already in the hospitality industry
Launch strategy of a two-sided marketplace
The work and research they did before writing any code
Fragmentation of staffing within the temp staffing industry
Possible future acquisitions from big existing companies, like Uber
Defining product-market fit
Establishing a trust-factor with the worker side of the marketplace
Contact info
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/snapshyft/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/snapshyft/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SnapShyft
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snapshyft/
Website: https://www.snapshyft.com/
Take part in investing with SnapShyft: https://netcapital.com/companies/snapshyft
CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen) is a national accounting firm with over 120 offices nation-wide and 6,000 employees. What really sets CLA apart from the other accounting firms is that, while they do the traditional services such as audits, reviews, and tax work, they also help clients with outsourcing work, talent solutions, and a wealth advisory group. In this episode, I talk with Chris Wright, the BizOps leader, and we go deep into some of the back-office operations for a small business, common mistakes, things you should be looking into as a startup company, and what they do at CLA. Hopefully, you get a lot out of this conversation and are able to apply some of these things to help your business grow.
Topics in this episode
What BizOps are, and what it looks like to be a biz ops client
Working with a company that is struggling with their financial concepts
Why it’s important to not over-buy and over-stock on inventory
Helping business owners communicate with their investors and board of directors
The new package at CLA for small and emerging companies
Common mistakes they see early-stage companies making
Working with a small bank versus a national bank
Partnering relationships CLA can provide to their clients
The value of creating connections and community
Contact Info
Email: chris.wright@claconnect.com
Phone: 317-569-6159
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-wright-cpa-963ab425/
The New Paper is a digital media company that aims to overcome the sensationalization of the media by publishing a once-daily digest that does a couple of things: provide the 5-10 most important daily stories for a US-based consumer, and the top factual things you need to know about each story. It’s no secret that media and the news varies widely based on which outlet you are consuming it from. In my conversation with Michael Aft, co-founder, and co-CEO, he shares his frustrations with the current state of the media industry, and how The New Paper was created to be an unbiased first-touch news source for its readers.
Topics in this episode
Building trust with your audience
How to create an unbiased news source
Monetization strategy
Ad revenue
Consumer subscriptions
Handling news-fatigue and frustration with media
Making the decision to create a co-CEO organization, and what that looks like once the team and company grows
Keeping content and revenue-based decisions separate
Customer acquisition strategy
Books Mentioned
Cravings: Hungry for More, by Chrissy Teigen: https://www.amazon.com/Cravings-Hungry-More-Chrissy-Teigen/dp/1524759724/
Expecting Better, by Emily Oster: https://www.amazon.com/Expecting-Better-Conventional-Pregnancy-Wrong/dp/0143125702/
Never Split the Difference, by Chris Voss: https://www.amazon.com/Never-Split-Difference-audiobook/dp/B01COR1GM2/
Who, by Geoff Smart and Randy Street: https://www.amazon.com/Who-Geoff-Smart-Randy-Street-audiobook/dp/B001H97LVO/
Contact Info
Website: https://thenewpaper.co/
Compact Medical Solutions is a medical device startup, working to design a new type of bag valve mask resuscitator called the Butterfly BVM. A bag valve mask resuscitator is a device you’ve probably seen on tv shows that helps someone breathe when they can’t breathe on their own. It helps to blow air into the lungs and help them to breathe. These devices haven’t had many updates since they were first designed in 1957, and CEO Johnathan Merrell and his team are working to change that to make them slimmer and better for patients.
In my conversation with Jonathan, he explains why the current solution can be so damaging and can cause hyperventilation when used. He also details his experience of going through the G Beta accelerator program, different avenues of FDA approval, and how he’s able to juggle being a father of four, a practicing physician, and CEO of a startup.
Topics in this episode
The progress they’ve had over the last year
How pitching is different during COVID
Adding these devices to AED boxes in order to have devices available for heart and lung support
The damage of hyperventilation
Taking a medical device to market and how that might have changed recently with COVID
The difficulties in regulations and bringing a medical device to the market
Future sales strategy once they secure FDA approval
Contact Info
Email: jon@compactmedicalsolutions.com
Website: https://www.compactmedicalsolutions.com/
In a recent post on LinkedIn, Nick Turner asked for help in identifying Black/Minority Entrepreneurs who are actively seeking funding. While I'm not entirely sure how to show support right now, this call to action made it easier for me to think about a way that I might be able to take a small bit of action to show support to the black community right now.
Paxafe is a company that aggregates critical data from the supply chain, enabling more intelligent shipping and cargo insurance. In this episode, I am with Ilya Preston, CEO, and co-founder of Paxafe and he talks about how the company is aiming to address global supply chain insurance issues, such as a lack of real-time visibility, theft, counterfeit product, damage, and product loss, all of which results in a loss of over $600 billion a year in the B2B and B2C shipping markets.
Ilya explains that there are many existing solutions for shipping data, however, they do not provide real-time data or contextualization of the data, leaving manufacturers at a loss for how to improve the supply chain. Paxafe on the other hand has created machine learning and analysis in order to best understand the current status of a shipment and to explain any issues that may have arisen during the shipment. In addition to explaining their competitive advantages, Ilya also shares the pivot they had from a previous startup to where they are now, growing their network, and the impact they’ve experienced as a participant of an accelerator program.
Topics in this episode
Pre-commercial beta testing
How Covid-19 has affected current fundraising
Creating machine learning and analysis
Reversed logistics
Benefits of participating in an accelerator program
Pivoting a startup to a new target industry
Partnering with insurance companies
Contact Info
Email: ilya@paxafe.com
Website: https://www.paxafe.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/paxafe/jobs/
Quote card: We provide contextual intelligence. We’re able to tell you precisely what happened with your package, and that enables us to partner with insurance companies.
Audiogram: 30:09 We’re trying to set the gold standard in asset tracking and asset IOT tracking. The market, as I mentioned, is very fragmented. There’s a lot of solutions out there, and there is no one kind of clear leader... so we’re trying to use machine learning and various analytics principles to set the standard in the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of the data to provide much more contextual insights so that companies aren’t just getting data, but are then getting data that can answer ‘So what?’.
Salesflare is an easy to use B2B sales Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) mostly used by marketing and software development agencies, startups, and other smaller companies and a lot of those in software as a service industry. Today we are with the co-founder of Salesflare, Jeroen Corthout and he talked about how Salesflare started out of frustrations from trying to use other CRMs that took a lot of time to update. Out of that frustration, they developed a CRM that requires less manual work, as it automatically gathers all the data for you.
He also shared how Salesflare started in 2014 as just an email plugin with no desktop application in Outlook or Gmail inbox. They got their very first customer in 2015 which eventually grew to 20 to 30 before doing a full online launch in 2016. And now there are thousands of active companies that are using their product. He also shares Salesflare’s competitive advantage over other CRMs and what they do to stand out in the market.
Topics in this episode
Salesflare and its Integrated tracking system
Detailed user experience
Customer acquisition through word of mouth and/or recommendations.
Explanation of the statistics between customers who quickly sign up for the product versus those who use the trial first.
Having product walkthrough upon signing up for trial.
Process of data migration for clients that came from another CRM Company.
Email workflows as the latest released feature.
More improvements geared towards SASS Companies.
Contact Details
Website – https://salesflare.com/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/salesflare/
For today’s episode, I am with Esti Chazanow, co-founder and brand manager of LIV Watches, a watch company dedicated to producing premium and high-quality watches that are authentically Swiss made. We discuss how LIV Watches is a brand she built with her husband Shalom ‘Chaz’ in late 2014, which all began with their first Kickstarter campaign. Esti shares how her background in education, business, and commerce, provided a springboard for her to be able to take on the marketing of the company. She also shares her husband’s journey from starting as a packer for a watch factory, to then product development, and finally becoming a watch trader before coming together to create LIV Watches. In our conversation, Esti shares why they call their customers “fans”, how they experienced organic growth and sales, and what it means to treat your team like family.
Topics in this episode
Focusing on education
Making millions of dollars in Kickstarter.
Brand success with only through organic growth.
Main channels to sell the products – Kickstarter and website. LIV Watches website à https://www.livwatches.com/
The small team of LIV Watches.
Leveling up the business through personal relationships – internally and externally.
Pushing affiliate market program as a result of previous marketing mistakes.
Quality, value, and relationship as key differentiators to reinforce marketing in the business.
Contact details
Website - https://www.livwatches.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/livwatches/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/livwatches/
Email – esti@livwatches.com
EllisX is a newly launched platform that has a goal to connect start-ups with events and media opportunities. In today’s episode, I am talking with the founders of EllisX, Leia Ruseva, and Richard Mensah and we discussed how EllisX is the first service platform that matches startups with event managers in media, based on mutual interest. Therefore, they help start-ups get exposure for their products during the early stage and attract more users and potential partners by word of mouth. This innovative customer segment aims to serve by giving exposures to start-ups that is quick and easy. We also discuss how they define success for the company, identifying core values, such as meritocracy, and how those values are applied internally and externally.
Topics in this episode
Increasing value through an invite-only platform to ensure it is beneficial to everyone on the platform
Remaining focused on the core-customer segment, even though there are other verticals that could potentially have great product-market fit
Meritocracy as one of the company’s core values.
Creating a platform for a market with an outdated status quo in which people will be going outside of their existing networks for a solution
Why they don’t believe in paid acquisitions for users.
The shift to online events in a post-COVID world.
Naming the company
Contact details
Website - https://www.ellisx.com/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/ellisxinc
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellisx
Email – info@ellisx.com
StoryBolt is a marketplace of stories and storytellers for employee engagement solutions for companies and corporations. Today I am with Nassim Abdi, PhD, Award-nominated actress, university professor, and now a startup co-founder and CEO of StoryBolt. As of writing, they have a huge pool of 3000 documentaries from hundreds of countries around the world that tackle topics such as diversity, equity, inclusion, team building, and corporate culture. In our conversation, we talked about StoryBolt as a marketplace for short documentary films with its respective filmmakers that goes live for a Q&A session after the film viewing and how it can be utilized as a platform for companies that want to have a brilliant launch and learn program for their employees.
Topics in this episode
Meaningful and engaging premium program of StoryBolt.
How the fusion of Abdi’s previous experience in teaching and acting led to building StoryBolt.
Secret Ballot by Sony Pictures, an award-winning film where Abdi is the lead actress. Check the trailer here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpffq654gsI
Matching as a value proposition that they offer which led to “no direct competitors” in the business.
Token-based subscription as access to the platform and its inclusions.
Exploring new content ideas in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic
Diverse ideal target customers, but mainly focusing on corporations-right now
Reaching ideal target customers through webinars and referrals
Sponsorship and channel partnership as a means of expansion for the platform
Future scaling strategy
Contact details
Email – nassimabdi@storyboard.com
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nassimabdi
Website - https://storybolt.com/
The Prepared is a platform that teaches people how to get ready for emergencies. Today I am with John Ramey, Founder, and CEO of The Prepared and he talks about how The Prepared can help in all kinds of emergencies, ranging from everyday events like car accidents, or job loss, medical problem, up through natural disasters and black swan type of events and especially now with this COVID Pandemic.
The Prepared created a framework that teaches people modern emergency preparedness. They do gear reviews, teach skills through video courses in their community. Basically, what they offer is a collection of content and resources for people who want to be a modern-day prepper.
Also, he talked about the boost of growth for the company - from a one-man company in 2017 to now having fifteen employees in 2020, right at the start of the explosion of COVID Pandemic.
Topics discussed in this episode
Content, Community and Commerce in the business framework.
Providing direct, to the point, content by omitting ads, advertorials, and sponsored posts.
The organic growth of the company.
Catalysts that accelerated the prepping trend.
The events that encouraged the growth of the company
Scaling as the future plan for the company.
Releasing new products
More content about food production from The Prepared during this COVID Pandemic.
Contact info
Website - https://theprepared.com/
Gravity Ventures is a capital funding group that aims to help start-up tech companies. Today I am with Trey Buck, managing director of Gravity Ventures and he talks about how Gravity Ventures aims to provide opportunities for local investing companies and for angel investors. In which, with the aid of the funding, the two come together, thus offsetting risks for start-up companies of doing it solo by being provided with capital from angel investors. In a way, these two different entities benefit as they become part of one another through the funding.
Topics in this episode
The process of how start-up companies can obtain investment from Gravity Ventures.
What investors want to see when start-up companies pitch to them.
Examples of what they look for in the due diligence process
The diverse portfolio of companies they have invested in.
Overview of Fund Four for the investment group
Importance of product-market awareness and knowing your competitors.
How to stand out in a product pitch to make investors invest.
Contact details
Website – www.gravityventures.com
Email – trey.buck@gravityventures
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/company/gravity-ventures-llc
Reach Ocean Clean Up thru www.oceancleanup.com
Today we have a very interesting episode, as I am with Steve Jones who’s my co-founder of Startup Competitors. In this episode, we have a 'meeting-like' podcast as we talked about the possible pivot of our product to effectively grow more and have the right product-market fit. Just a quick recap, our product offers customers a high-level overview of what the industry looks like, by providing thorough data of their competitors in the business. Basically, the process is that a client gets on the website, purchases the package that suits them best, then we get an e-mail. After that, we reach out to the customers and the whole process takes off. Now, we are exploring the possibility of a pivot and if you think you would be interested in being a part of this pivot, you can help us by answering our survey, just click this link,
Topics in this episode
Product market fit and current business situation that led to the idea of a pivot.
Upcoming changes in the product
Ways to achieve the pivot.
Identifying target clients – anybody who is in business who has competitors.
Making the new product subscription-based.
How is the Startup Competitors podcast doing?
Answer the survey for Startup Competitors pivot thru this link:
Contact details
Twitter - @internetsteven
E-mail - sjones@startupcompetitors.com
250ok is an email analytics platform to help email marketers send better emails successfully. In this episode, I am talking with a repeat guest on the show, Greg Kraios, Founder and CEO of 250ok, who has had a recent change in his title, which is now Chief Ambassador at Validity. Since our last conversation and now, 250ok has been acquired by Validity, and Greg is here to talk about how that process took place, what he learned along the way, why him and his team decided to proceed with the acquisition, and what it has been like to combine with a former competitor, who was also acquired by Validity. To hear our previous conversation, you can find it here: https://startupcompetitors.com/podcast/2018/8/27/250ok-with-greg-kraios
Topics in this episode
How 250ok fits with Validity and their mission
What it looks like to be accidentally profitable
Working together with a competitor who was acquired by the same company to combine products and people
Understanding the core strengths of your competitors
Having the right people in place on your board and as investors can really make processes such as these very easy
Creating a workplace and a culture that people want to be a part of, working together on a product they’re passionate about
When they knew they had product-market fit
How important it is to share a vision and values with the people who are acquiring your company and how that plays out throughout the process
Coming trends in the market for email marketers
Contact Info
Email – greg.kraios@validity.com
greg@250ok.com
Website - https://250ok.com/about/
Blind Zebra is a 23-year-old sales training and sales coaching firm based in Indianapolis. In this episode, I talk with Bryan Neale, CEO of Blind Zebra about how he started training and coaching salespeople on three aspects – thinking, action and language, and how that eventually led to developing a framework, predominantly in the B2B space. He also shares his journey of starting as a one-man operation to where it is now, and the growth he’s experienced over 20 years.
Topics in the episode
The simple framework of “Think-Do-Say".
How to become a natural salesperson thru coachable sales DNA.
Why accountability people are important in a business plan to achieve goals.
Making the most out of LinkedIn.
Using language components of context setting and storytelling to incorporate client's language into their personality.
Changing product offering, sales and marketing strategy to grow the business.
How the sales training program payment works and does it matter?
Founder talk about the difference of a solo salesperson coach before, to having an entire sales team now.
Thoughts on the difference between selling products versus selling services.
Contact details
Email - bryan@blind-zebra.com
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blind-zebra
Advance selling Podcast - https://advancedsellingpodcast.com
Regenstreif is a 50-year-old, independent think-tank founded by Sam Regenstreif, an institute that conducts research and development that aims to bring technology and innovation into healthcare. Today I am with Todd Saxton, a repeat guest of the show, author of Titanic Effect, and VP for Business Development of Regenstrief. He talked about Regenstreif’s three legs which are (1) constituents that do cutting edge research in several areas of health data including capturing, organizing and hiding patient health information. (2) Decision tools for clinicians that are basically patient health data that aids in better and faster decision-making and (3) health services, and how it is made more efficient and effective. The Institute focuses on pairing technology with the above-mentioned services, so they come together and deliver success.
Topics in this episode
History of Regenstreif, from founder's frontloading dishwashing invention to healthcare innovations.
The challenge of translating excellent research to actual production.
Upstream as social determinants of health and how it helps physicians in immediate diagnosis.
Regenstrief’s budget for research and production/commercialization explained.
Decision tools as a primary trend invested by the Institute.
Intersection of health data and artificial intelligence in the future advances and/or innovations as the basis of the Institute's leverage.
Learnings from veterans of the Health System Innovation field.
A day in his life as VP of Business Development, wearing different hats and juggling other responsibilities.
How Regenstreif brings technology and innovation to healthcare, as a community.
Contact info
Website - https://www.regenstrief.org
Email - tsaxton@iupui.edu
Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-saxton-7625368
The Titanic Effect Website - https://www.titaniceffect.com
Avail is a real-estate software company that offers services such as tenant-finding, lease signing, rent collection and property maintenance all through an online platform. This service is basically designed to benefit full-time professionals with rental properties on the side, which provides them with passive income or savings for retirement. On today’s episode, I talk with Ryan Coon, co-founder and C.E.O of Avail and he speaks about their mission to improve rental experience lives for Do-It-Yourself (D.I.Y) landlords and tenants by providing tools and resources that can help them be efficient part-time landlords and provide a better online experience for renters who are living in their rental units.
Topics in this episode
Statistics of real estate rental business in the United States.
Product optimization's step-by-step process.
Trends that helped the company's growth.
The challenge of reaching fragmented DIY Landlords.
How they connect with their market via SEO, content marketing and product build-up
Product's future challenges and brand development through mobile application establishment.
Adapting the Objectives and Key Result (OKR) framework in defining objectives and tracking outcomes for goal setting.
US Government funding for businesses owners as the response for the Coronavirus 19 pandemic: https://www.sba.gov/disaster-assistance/coronavirus-covid-19
Contact info
Website - https://www.avail.co
Facebook - https://facebook.com/HelloAvail/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryancoon
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ryanmcoon
Rentgrata connects prospective renters with current residents of apartment communities so that prospects can ask questions and get feedback from their peers. If a prospect chats with the resident on Rentgrata and ends up signing a lease, both the prospect and the current resident get a reward. It’s a modern take on traditional referral programs that are offered by apartment communities. In my conversation with Co-Founder and COO, Sam McArtor, he shares some current metrics, as well as the pivot they experienced along their startup journey. He also shares how the conversion rates they have seen with their platform have helped them in the sales process and how they use pilot programs to expand to more properties.
Topics in this episode
Providing information that a prospective renter can’t find elsewhere
The positions they hired for after completing a round of funding
Creating conversion rates that are ten times the traditional methods
Other verticals they may expand into in the future
Why they are first-to-market and do not have direct competitors in their space
The pivot they underwent from their first idea, to what Rentgrata is now
Managing a pilot program with a property manager and converting that to an expansion of their full portfolio
Using AI to provide feedback to property management
Contact Info
Website: https://www.rentgrata.com/
Email: sam@rentgrata.com
Ilya Rekhter is a repeat guest on the show. He previously was on in November 2018 to talk about his startup, DoubleMap. Since that time, DoubleMap merged with another company in their space, and they created a new company called Journey. That company was recently acquired by Ford and Ilya shares the process of going through both a merger and acquisition, what he has learned along the way, and what’s next for him, looking forward. To hear our earlier conversation, go here: https://startupcompetitors.com/podcast/2018/11/5/doublemap-with-ilya-rekhter
Topics in this episode
The benefits of merging with competitors
Detailing the acquisition process
Qualities you should look for in founders/co-founders
Ford wasn’t the most lucrative offer, but it was the most attractive because of the strategy
Working with partners through the acquisition process
There’s no right time to do get acquired - the telltale time to sell
Avoiding venture capital and relying on grant funding, as well as the drawbacks of being bootstrapped
Being critical of your investors to be sure they’re a good fit and can be helpful.
The biggest mistake he ever made
Contact Info
Email: ilya.rekhtor@gmail.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ilyaXindy
Engage Mentoring is plug-and-play software that enables workplace mentoring to be made easy for companies of all sizes. Within the Engage Mentoring program, there's an existing database that allows participants to access mentors both inside and out of the company, so you can enable cross-company mentoring as well. In this episode, I talk with Alison Martin, the founder, and CEO. She explains why mentoring is so important, and she addresses the concerns of poaching and confidentiality when mentoring is applied across many companies. She also shares what she is learning now, and the coming challenges for Engage Mentoring.
Topics in this episode
Measuring the success of a mentoring relationship
Employee engagement and retention
What differentiates Engage Mentoring from other mentor solutions
The hurdle of explaining the external mentoring process
Being part of a company’s mentoring strategy, without being the exclusive provider
The challenge of scaling
Learning from veterans in the tech field
Previous episode: WarmUp with Michael Hurley, https://startupcompetitors.com/podcast/2019/1/28/warmup-with-michael-hurley
Contact Info
Website: https://engagementoring.com/
Email: alison@engagementoring.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-martin-7347319
Lynx enables operations efficiency and workflow automation to improve guest experience for smart apartment hotels, boutique hotels, vacation rentals and is integrated with over 300 different types of smart devices like smart locks, thermostats, lights, and sensors. In this episode I talk with co-founder and CEO Resha Shroff, who shares the difficulties in the early phase of the start-up, how anxiety shifts and lessens over time, and still battling with founder burn out, over three years into the company. She also details some of the positions they are currently looking to fill, as well. In order to apply, email your resume to degroot@getlynx.co
Topics in this episode
Every company has competitors
Why they made the strategic decision to not make a hardware component, which is what their competitors have done
Resha’s experience as a property manager and engineer and how that gives her perspective on the solutions a property manager needs
White-label versus non-white-label apps for customers
Being hardware agnostic gives them the ability to recommend devices to their customers without it coming from a sales perspective
How Lynx defines product-market fit
Trends in the market they are well-positioned for, and trends they aren’t as well-prepared for
Contact info:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reshashroff
Website: https://www.getlynx.co/
In this episode, I talk with Kristen Cooper, founder and CEO of StartUp Ladies, a for-profit membership organization whose purpose is to increase the number of women who are starting up and scaling businesses. They do that by providing educational programs and creating a community for the next wave of startup investors: teaching them how to invest and connecting them to women and minority-owned businesses
Kristen shares the founding story of how she created a community of like-minded women who wanted to learn from each other. She made a list of the topics she wanted to learn more about and a list of people within that community that could teach on that topic. She shares the process of entrepreneurs and future investors use the online platform to ensure the funders are taking the necessary learning sessions in order to be prepared for conversations with investors.
Topics In This Episode:
How to create community in your space
Growing that community into a for-profit organization
The need for structure, consistency, and accountability
Importance of mental wellness for entrepreneurs
How to expand a physical community to other physical spaces
The kind of people you should have on your team in order to grow and expand
Missed opportunities for StartUp Ladies
Contact Info:
Visit the website: thestartupladies.org
Send me an email: kristen@thestartupladies.org
Realync is a video solution for multi-family leasing companies. It is a technology platform that allows multi-family owners and managers to show prospective residents a property through recorded videos and live video tours. In my conversation with co-founder and CEO Matt Weirich, he shares that the original market they targeted was not the market they are in today. After going through an accelerator program and working with a mentor, they realized the potential that multi-family users would have on the platform. He discusses how they knew they found product-market fit after pivoting, current status, and the upcoming biggest challenges for Realync.
Topics in this episode
Changing a pricing model with a new product-market fit
Focusing on client success over sales
The future of the platform, both vertically and horizontally
Having clients rank their product roadmap based on what would be most valuable for them
Focusing on growing the team in 2020
The biggest challenge they face today
Being the leader of a business and a lean team
Contact Info
Website: https://www.realync.com/
Email: contact@realync.com
RevBoss is a lead-generation software and service company, working with SaaS companies and marketing agencies to grow their sales pipeline and grow faster. The team at RevBoss will work with their clients to hone in on the target customers and then create strategies to find cold prospects and engage them. In my conversation with the founder and CEO, Eric Boggs, he explains that the value in RevBoss is that it is cheaper and faster than working with a salesperson and getting them through training and onboarding. They know where to get the right data, and how to use that information to create results
Topics in this episode
Building email prospecting campaigns
RevBoss’s pricing models
The positive impact they’ve experienced as a result of being selective about who they work with
Importance of handing off a prospect to a good sales team
Responding via phone call to a generated lead, vs an email
Selling against the status quo within a company and their current solutions
How long it takes them to source data that they can then provide to clients
Going back to a prospect that has gone cold.
Balancing between scaling the startup and finding time for family
Contact Info
Website: https://www.revboss.com/
Email: eric@revboss.com
Civic Champs is a social enterprise to help automate the volunteer process for both the nonprofit and volunteers to make it a seamless experience for both parties. In my conversation with co-founder and CEO Geng Wang, he shares other features of the platform, how they determine which features to add to their product roadmap, as well as the partnership between Civic Champs and the Shultz Family Foundation. Geng shares that even though the volunteer market is a crowded space, it is highly fragmented and that there is still room in the market for new solutions.
Topics in this episode
Separating Civic Champs from the competitors
The origin of the idea for Civic Champs
Identifying pain points for their clients
Providing value to the mentorship space
Outbound marketing techniques
Converting volunteers to donors for nonprofits
Using surveys as a method to determine product-market fit
Contact Info
Website: civicchamps.com
Email: geng@civicchamps.com
Taylor Simpson is the founder and CEO of The Halo App, a peer to peer platform where borrowers can have access to money safely. Taylor shares how he quit his dream job as an architect in Milan and made the change to become an entrepreneur. Through a conversation with a friend who needed to borrow $200, he learned that he could create better investments for himself by helping out those that need money fast. He details the journey it took, the story of The Halo App, and where it is today.
Topics in this episode
Fail forward
The biggest mistake Taylor made in the early stage
His experience working with fraudulent investors
Morale low point of the team
Growing right instead of growing fast
The strategies used to reduce the default rate on the app from 70% to 6%
People have tried to do this in the past. Why will this idea work now?
Word of mouth marketing, and affiliate marketing
Contact Info
Email: taylor@thehaloapp.com
Website: https://www.thehaloapp.com/
Social media Platforms: @TheHaloApp
Use the code Mike or Taylor to start using the app today.
Barry Wormser is the principal attorney at Wormser Legal and is also a local angel investor and advisor to a number of early-stage companies in Indianapolis. He has a great deal of insight when it comes to the needs of a company, especially in the early stages, in order to set themselves up for success, or if nothing else, to be prepared in case things go sideways. In our conversation, he shared top tips for why startups should invest in legal and accounting needs early, as well as what he’s looking for when meeting a potential investment opportunity.
Topics in this episode
Founders should consult advising teams early, and have a willingness to engage with them
Things founders should have an understanding of:
Their near-term goals
Actual financials and projections that are based on sound assumptions that they can articulate
An understanding of product-market fit, and where it can go wrong
Having difficult conversations with your team at the beginning of the project
Saving money at the expense of good legal documentation is a huge mistake
The process of finding a good law firm and choosing that firm, based on how you fit together
Fundraising trends
Biggest mistakes in fundraising
Handling conflicting advice from investors
How Barry determines if a potential investment is worth his time
Contact info
https://www.wormserlegal.com/
barry@wormserlegal.com
Matt Tait is the managing director of Somerset Cloud, a tech company that does back-office support and day to day accounting for small businesses. In my previous conversation with Matt, in episode 11, we discussed Plat Concierge, which you can listen to here: https://startupcompetitors.com/podcast/2018/3/19/plat-concierge-with-matt-tait.
In this episode, he shares an update on Plat Concierge, and how he used that experience to transition to now being at Somerset Cloud, bringing technology and accounting together, creating relationships with clients, and the future of the industry.
Topics in this episode
Focusing on core competencies
Conversations with new clients
Charging a flat fee versus billable hours
Indicators of growth
Quickbooks Online versus Quickbooks Desktop
Signs of product-market fit
Contact Info
Email: matt@somersetcloud.com
Phone: 317-590-5070
Today we have part two of my recent conversation with, Frank Dale, founder of Costello, which was recently acquired by Sales Loft, the 7th fastest growing tech company in America last year. To hear part one of our recent conversation, click here: https://startupcompetitors.com/podcast/2019/12/31/costello-the-importance-of-culture-in-an-ideal-acquisition-partnership
Frank details the three requirements to build an amazing business: keep the focus on the customer, get the best people you possibly can that are both values and mission-aligned, and keep the standard high across the board. He explains how he created those things within Costello in order to get it where it is today. He also shares what’s next for Costello, how to have difficult conversations with members of your team, and what he’s learned from SalesLoft that he will take with him in the future.
Topics in this episode
Making changes and improvements based on customer interviews
Winnable deals slip through the cracks because of a lack of project management
What it takes to be a good sales professional
Relationship between engagement and if a partner is a good fit or not
Building something people will love
Book: Meaningful, by Bernadette Jiwahttp://meaningfulbook.com/
Why and how you should create an environment where people feel comfortable challenging you
Good conflict vs bad conflict.
Contact Info
Website:https://andcostello.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/frankcdale
Email: frank@andcostello.com
Today we have back for round 2, Frank Dale, who’s the founder of Costello, which was recently acquired by Sales Loft, the 7th fastest growing tech company in America last year. I recommend going back to listen to the first episode with did with Frank, which we rebroadcasted on December 2nd in preparation for this conversation: https://startupcompetitors.com/podcast/2019/12/2/costello-the-benefits-of-having-close-relationships-with-your-customers .
In part one of this in-depth conversation, Frank shares the journey of the transition from SalesLoft being a customer for over 19 months, to then acquiring Costello. He details the lessons he learned from the acquisition of Compendium, a previous company of which he was CEO, and how he used that experience to create a pattern through which Costello could be acquired. Frank also shares helpful tools and insights he gained along the way for other companies that may go through this process.
Topics in this episode * Why this acquisition was a good fit for both Costello and SalesLoft
-
The importance of culture and making sure they’re a good fit when considering a partnership of any kind
-
Taking into consideration how an acquisition affects:
o Employees
o Customers
o Investors
o How do I feel about it?
-
Core values as a scaling mechanism for a company
-
Being intentional about talent and core values while also having a strong organizational structure
-
Pay attention to the ecosystem of companies that your customers are using, because some of those could be potential partners. And for those potential partners, pay attention to their values system.
-
Why we bet on SalesLoft: the culture and the people
-
Bottoms-up sales
-
Building credibility with investors
-
A helpful guide book in understanding the acquisition process: Magic Box Paradigm by Ezra Roizen, https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Box-Paradigm-Framework-Acquisitions/dp/0692778047
-
How to communicate a possible acquisition to your board
Garrett Mintz, CEO and Founder of Ambition in Motion, wants to help employees become excited to go to work and to feel fulfilled by the work they do. Ambition in Motion focuses on facilitating mentor relationships between team members of an organization in order to increase engagement and satisfaction among employees. In our conversation, Garrett shares his unique journey and how he grew from his experience of getting arrested for drug dealing as a freshman in college, learned from it, and then used that growth and knowledge in order to create his startup.
Topics in this episode
Getting started by working with higher education organizations, and the longer sales process that takes
Making the jump from higher education to corporate settings
His experience in connecting with a mentor, and the impact that had on his personal life, and how he turned that into professional growth
In contrast to what people may think, Garrett argues that being in business school is the best time to start a business
Pivoting from simple mentor connections to also helping people gain networking skills
The difficulties of working with a greek organization’s local chapter
The spectrum of work orientation, and how you feel about your job
How to increase engagement through mentorship
Looking 2 and 5 years into the future
Contact Info
Email: garrett@ambition-in-motion.com
Website: https://ambition-in-motion.com/
Work Orientation Assessment: https://ambition-in-motion.com/companies
SnapSupport is an AI driven support platform on your customer’s and field technician’s phones that allows them to quickly resolve issues. In my conversation with co-founder Wilker Ambooken, he details where the idea came from to create SnapSupport, and how it has grown to a company with a global footprint even though it is still in its early stages. He also shares that being an entrepreneur is his dream, and how much he loves it, despite the low points.
Topics in this episode:
Using data points to aggregate the information
Next steps will focus on marketing and sales
Pilot programs in Europe
The technology perspective of being global, and the language differences
Existing market challenges
Wilker answers the question: If I gave you $500,000 as an investor, and you had to spend it on sales and marketing, how do you think you would spend it?
Contact Info:
Website: https://snapsupport.io/
Email: wilker@snapsupport.io
Personal Email: wilker@gmail.com
Ian Hamilton is the CEO of Atlas Energy Systems. While pursuing his undergraduate degree at Purdue University, he studied thermionic energy conversion that was developed from the 1950s-1980s. At that time, both NASA and the Soviet Union were developing the technology that was physically viable, but it wasn’t from an economic perspective. Ian and his team have worked to redesign the core physics of the technology so that thousands can be made at a time, for a fraction of the cost.
Topics in this Episode
Why they chose the oil and gas industry for the initial application
What does success mean for this technology?
Difficulties with manufacturing, and why they had to build their own site
The ideal use case for this tech is based on robustness and reliability
Partnering with a sales and distribution team
Inbound interest in the technology
The largest pain point Ian has experienced throughout this process:
The process of finding a manufacturer, and the challenges the manufacturer may face with producing this product
Contact Info
Website: https://atlasenergysystems.org/
Email: ian.hamilton@atlasenergysystems.org
This week we are going to feature a rebroadcast of Costello with Frank Dale. They were recently in the news for being acquired by Sales Loft, and I thought it would be a good idea to get a refresher on the company and the conversation I had with Frank, the co-founder, and CEO.
Costello was created out of Frank’s belief in customer development and his interest in neuroscience. He spent time working as a consultant with early-stage technology companies, and it became clear that the salespeople were struggling on the phone. So he created a system to help the sales team take a consistent approach. Using Costello, companies are able to reach their sales quotas, by reducing their ramp time by 50%, increasing close rates by 94%, increasing conversion rates on cold calls from 9% to 40%.
Topics in this episode:
Addressing the multitasking problem
The different industry categories of their customers
Platform integrations
The journey of creating the product
Why data wasn’t getting reported in the CRM
Using feedback as a sales technique
“What should change about this?”
Contact Info:
Website: https://andcostello.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/frankcdale
Email: Frank@andcostello.com
Dawn Lively started FullStack because she loves the professional employer organization, PEO, industry. FullStack provides full-service HR support to small, mid-size growing companies, particularly in the tech space in Central Indiana. Their services include payroll, benefits administration, and human resource black and tackle. Dawn shares what makes a PEO different from other companies doing the same thing. She details the current status of FullStack, some HR tips for business owners, and the future for FullStack.
Topics in this episode
Being committed to transparency
Platforms in the market
The client’s experience
The importance of one-on-one time with team members
The single hardest thing about having a start up
Handling errorsTheir litmus test for product/market fit
Areas of growth
Contact Info
Website: https://www.fullstackpeo.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Consulting-Agency/FullStack-PEO-1107694849373703/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fullstackpeo
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fullstack-peo
Startup Competitors grew out of the idea of performing competition analysis for startups, and turning that idea into a product, through which it would identify the competitors most relevant to your business today, the key pieces of information you should know about them, and how you can leverage that to find out what it means for your product and strategy. After an unsuccessful Ad Words campaign, I thought that our clients were probably listening to podcasts on how to be a startup. I reached out to big podcasts at NPR and Gimlet, but their advertising was expensive, so I thought I should start a podcast myself.
In celebration of this being the 100th episode, Kristen Cooper, CEO and Founder of The Startup Ladies, brings in mimosas and interviews me about how Start Up Competitors got started, what I have learned throughout my time as a podcast host, and how I want to improve in the future. I also get a chance to share a little about my farm and podcast I do with my son, as well as my passion for martial arts, what it has taught me, and how I apply that to other areas of my life.
Topics in this Episode
The problem of spending too much time working on your product or idea before you are ready to pitch it.
Interviewers he looks up to
Starting a farm in order to be a good dad
Why podcasts over other mediums?
The number one driver of your ability to learn is time spent doing the thing
Destination thinking. What does the end of the first year need to look like? What are the things I need to do to manifest that? What do I need to see as signs of success?
What do you want to tell your listeners that will make them a better founder?
Best Quote is a white-labeled software tool to help contractors make their sales process more efficient. In my conversation with the founder, Jeff Wraley, he details what the journey has been like from commercial construction to now being a sole-founder of a startup. We discuss resources that influence the sales tactics, as well as the role that Best Quote plays for contractors to sell to their customers. The company is currently pre-funding with a self-built MVP. Jeff shares the changes he sees for the construction industry in the next three to five years, as well as the future of Best Quote in that time.
Topics in this Episode
User experience for contractors
Screening tools for potential clients
The use of education in the sales process
Strategizing sales for small business owners, as well as larger companies
How to measure the success of customer experience
The role of technology in the construction industry
Finding balance as a solo founder
Contact Info
Website: https://www.bestquoteapp.com/
Email: jeff@bestquoteapp.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffwraley/
Jason Becker is the CEO of two companies, he was previously on to discuss RICS, and in this episode, he is back to talk about DyKnow and what it is like to work with a leadership team and be CEO of the two businesses. DyKnow helps teachers defeat distractions in the classroom by giving teachers a real-time view of what’s happening on student’s devices while they are teaching.
DyKnow was founded in the early 2000’s around intellectual property that was created at DePauw University. The original product was designed as a way for professors to connect their Smart Board to computers within a computer lab at the university. Through shifts in the market and the needs of their clients, DyKnow has evolved over time and Jason shares the process of starting over to create DyKnow as it exists today.
Topics in this episode * How the market changed since DyKnow began
-
Evaluating how the product is valued
-
Handling privacy within the software and devices
-
Deciding the evolution of the product
-
What it takes to start over from scratch
-
Financing the pivot within the company
-
Ending support for the legacy product
-
Radical internal transparency and why it is important
Darrian Mikell, co-founder and CEO of Qualifi has a background in the tech industry as well as personal experience with the pain points of interviewing candidates. Based on those experiences, he, with three other cofounders, created Qualifi to help recruiters streamline their hiring processes and to make the candidate experience painless. The first product is focused on the phone screening step in the hiring process. Darrien details the education that is necessary for the sales strategy, how they honed in on their ideal client and the future of the market.
Topics in this episode
Why they chose a subscription model
Details of an ideal client
Features of the platform
How the recruiter themselves is the biggest competition to Qualifi
The lifecycle of a client’s usage of the platform
Addressing recruitment discrimination
Contact Info
Website: https://qualifi.hr/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrianmikell/
Email: darrian@qualifi.hr
AcreBin makes it easier for regular people to buy and sell land. It guides parties through the entire process from marketing to due diligence, to closing. It is also a web platform for sellers to post their lands for sale. From the buyer’s stand point, they sort through the properties based off of their criteria and then when they identify a piece of property that they want to buy, they have to opportunity to click a button on the website on the application and submit a buying contract to the seller. The seller and buyer can pass the contract back and forth until they reach a mutual and agree to a purchase price and then from that point forward.
They actually provide the buyer with the comprehensive due diligence package so they have all the information that they need to make an informed decision to close on the property. They are now based in Florida which is the very north-eastern part of the state. Soon to launch in the five counties in north-east of Florida.
AcreBin is entirely free to list your property for sale. And then it doesn't take a fee when it sells or there is no cost of building business on AcreBin. It owns a Florida title agency and they monetize on a transaction on AcreBin. It also provides a buyer and the seller a contract and free help title, which gives access to the title agent to the transaction. There is no incremental charge to the transaction. There’s no commission, there is no fees, and actually if you look at the closing fee, it’s probably below what most Florida title agencies charge. That’s how they monetize the transaction.
Drone technology is rapidly advancing in the ways in which it is used. In my conversation with Aaron Pierce, from Pierce Aerospace, he shares how he got started with drone technology, and the pivots Pirce Aerospace has had from its start as a digital logbook, to now developing remote ID for drones. With their technology, drones over half of a pound can be remotely identified, as is required by the FAA, making it as easy as possible for users to be compliant.
Pierce Aerospace is currently made up of a team of 5 employees and a crew of 10 contractors, and within the next 2 years, Aaron expects that to grow. He also shares his expectations of where the industry will go over the next 2 years, as well as possible regulations that will be put in place as drone usage continues to expand.
Topics in this episode
How competition is different within this industry
The value of protecting data, as opposed to selling it
Thinking of their product as a utility, and how that affects market strategy
The process of getting feedback from a defense customer
What bootstrapping allows you to do
The use of drone technology for first responders, outside the US
Book recommendation: Slicing Pie, by Mike Moyer https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615700624/
Contact Info
http://www.pierceaerospace.net/
DeliverEnd makes marketplace platforms, like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, a lot safer and more convenient for the buyer and seller. In my conversation with Nick Turner, the Founder and CEO, he shares the personal experience a close friend had that motivated him to make these exchanges safer. DeliverEnd works to replace the in-person meet-up that usually takes place between a buyer and seller, and instead the transaction takes place with a live video chat, and the use of drivers to deliver the product.
Content warning: this episode contains descriptions of events around violence, traumatic experiences, and death, which some readers may find triggering.
Topics in this episode
Using gig economy to contract the work
3 levels of verification
Launch of the app
Launch strategies in new markets
Looking toward partnerships with large entities in the market
Applications for the app and other kinds of deliveries, outside of marketplace platforms
Why DeliverEnd is starting in the marketplace, as opposed to going with a B2B strategy that could possibly be more profitable
RICS Software Inc. was originally founded in 1982 in Iowa in order to help with inventory management, and now includes software solutions for retailers and brands. In my conversation with CEO, Jason Becker, he details the transformation RICS software took from its original development, through new ownership and management, to its current status.
Jason shares the status of RICS when he joined the company in 2007; a team was built to innovate the product, the product was in place, and the subscription model was starting to take hold, however, the company was not profitable. Over a period of 12-18 months, he spent a lot of time and investment in determining the role of the product, the market, and how to ensure that any changes made, were done efficiently and with great impact. He details current status, and what’s to come for RICS.
Topics in this episode
The most important things they do for their clients
Thinking about market/product fit, as opposed to product/market fit
How software like RICS is bought and sold in the market
The specific marketing difficulties for their product
“Niching down” and delivering value to that category
The future of networking connectivity they can provide for their clients
Why looking at their competitors is not a beneficial strategy
Some of the lessons he has learned through the course of being the CEO at RICS
Better works with teams to design better customer experiences. Founder Vincent Hunt shares how his 23 years in the industry set him up with the knowledge and skills he needed to then go on to help other companies. Vincent illustrates the three main avenues through which they help their partners: to help empower teams to make better design decisions as it pertains to the customer experience, strengthen the partnerships between them and their partners, and to delight customers.
And at its core, Better serves to help its partners go beyond pretty things, to go above what the public sees, and to determine what kind of design is really going on within the culture and organization, in order to keep organizations from breaking their promises to their partners.
Topics in this episode
Differences between US and international companies in regards to customer experiences
Defining customer experience, and what falls within that category
Conversations with a client in the early stages to understand their current status
The importance of examining internal processes as a starting point
Customer experience ecosystem
Possibility thinking versus competition thinking
How to make more informed design decisions
Contact Info
vincent@wearebetter.design
info@wearebetter.design
Phone: 850-524-7271
In this episode, I talk with Jeanette Renshaw of Smart Scale Consulting. This firm specializes in working with early-stage, pre-series E, companies that are aware they could use sales help, and they want to make sure they know how to translate their funding appropriately. Jeanette works with each company in a unique way that is structured to fit the company and meet them where they are in the process.
I am excited to have Jeanette as a guest and talk with her about how she approaches the competition for the companies she works with. We have a detailed conversation about the process of figuring out where a company is, and how to identify and use their competitive advantages, and she uses Startup Competitors as an example of how to go through that process.
Topics in this episode:
Different categories of differentiation from competitors
Why some differentiators need to be fixed
Approaching the marketplace a company fits within
Why did you get into this?
Describing your company in one sentence
Various personas buying the same offering
The relative importance of pricing and pricing model
Pricing is not rigid, but also should not be ever-changing
Contact Info:
jeanetterenshaw@gmail.com
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanetterenshaw?trk=people-guest_profile-result-card_result-card_full-click
In this episode, I talk with Megan Lohman, co-founder and CEO of Plan Forward, a platform that enables dentists to offer subscription plans to their uninsured patients. The role of Plan Forward is in managing the membership plans that are provided to the patients. When Plan Forward was creating it’s business plan, there were only 2 direct competitors at that time. However, when they launched in 2018, 3 other competitors launched as well. Megan shares the importance of good customer service, high-touch implementation, and the unique perspective that her and her co-founder have, as the driving force of their differentiation.
In the year leading up to the starting of Plan Forward, Megan ran a marathon, which she says gave her critical tools in running a small business, and for handling the tasks that she may not like to do, or may not excel at. She details her daily habits and routines, which have helped her be the most efficient.
Topics in this episode
Process of growing from 6 beta practices to now having 18 customers
Roles within the company looking to be filled after the next found of fundraising
Expected growth over the next 5 years
Opportunities in other verticals
Importance in being an early authoritative expert
Using your expertise as a referral source
Biggest lessons learned
Contact Info
mlohman@planforward.io
Linked in
Facebook: @teamplanforward
317-416-8548
In this episode, I talk with Eric Baum, co-founder and managing director of Solidea Capital, a venture advisory company. Erick explains the difference between venture capital versus venture advisory, and that their value is really in working with early-stage and emerging companies to help them accelerate in growth and momentum.
Some of the companies within the Solidea Capital portfolio include Tennant Tracker, Club Caddy, and Allergy, and they span many different industries. He shares some of the important factors they look at when considering an investment, and how important competition and market research is while in this process.
Topics in this episode:
Trajectory management
Criteria of a company that is a good fit for Solidea
The evolution of the sales strategy within a company
Evaluating the market and competition to determine if a start-up is a good investment
Pioneer versus me too
The role customer profiles play in the investment process
Industry reporting as a source of market research
The importance of a team to be able to pivot and coaching them through that process
Contact Information
Website: https://www.solideacapital.com/
Email: ebaum2611@gmail.com
In this episode, I talk with Lindsay Tjepkema, Founder and CEO, and Adam Patarino, Co-Founder of product and technology of Casted, a B2B podcasting platform focused on helping their clients maximize the use of their content. Casted is in the very early stages of growth, having just hit the 90-day mark. They have 2 additional team members and are growing with customers and users as well. Lindsay and Adam share a lot about the current status of the company, as well as future growth strategies and upcoming trends within the market.
Topics in this episode:
· Benefits of podcasting as a content medium
· Understanding statistics within a business environment
· Difference between B2B and B2B podcasting
· Tools you can use to repurpose content
· Characteristics of companies that should have podcasts
· Different ways podcasts can be implemented for a business
· Integration with other platforms, such as YouTube
Contact Info:
Casted.us (https://casted.us/)
Lindsay
Email: lindsay@casted.us
Twitter: blueprintmkt
Adam
Email: adam @casted.us
Twitter: @patarino
FuseMe is a digital business card that helps you maintain a professional effective network. The relationship between the people around you are building on a face to face event because the only way to use the app is to have your phones next to each other while transferring your resume. Created by Brodie Meyer from Butler University, the goal of this state-of-the-art app is to build open relationships for career improvement and social alliances through, which is also a convenient platform which you can use to integrate your professional and social life.
When you download the app, you upload personal information about you and your social media accounts to your FuseMe profile. This includes Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, LinkedIn, Venmo, email and phone number, along with your education and work experience.
It takes your offline relationships and brings them online to integrate with your Applicant Tracking System, Customer Relation Management or other files such as organizational spreadsheets. Employers use this app to develop younger potential talents, do away with resume scanning and at the same time maintain updated their databases with no effort. Every corrections or updates made on your resume or such as address or contact information, it also updates directly in your FuseMe Bucket.
The FuseMe Bucket is the solution to the tedious process of filling online applications after job fairs, sending emails of applications, reminders with no guarantees of return on their recruiting efforts. Instantly, after fusing with a potential recruit, you go from conversation to application by having a direct access to the application link because FuseMe immediately updates or syncs the information in your FuseMe Bucket.
Also included in this topic
Saving time and money by using FuseMe app
Speed up your recruitment process through FuseMe Bucket
Maintain and update your database with no effort
Auto-building the FuseMe Bucket
Career advancement
Building genuine relationships that speed recruitment
Contact Information
https://www.fusemeapp.com/
https://twitter.com/thatsmybrodie
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brodiemeyer/
brodie@fusemeapp.com
In this episode, I talk with the co-founders of Heliponix, Scott Massey, CEO, and Ivan Ball, CTO. Heliponix could be described as “Keurig for food”, as it provides consumers with a grow pod, an automated hydroponic appliance that allows you to grow fresh food in your home. Some of the things grown in their pods include culinary herbs, such as basil, cilantro, and mint, leafy green vegetables, including romaine lettuce, spinach, and kale, and even jalapeno peppers and cherry tomatoes.
Scott and Ivan shared the story of how they met while completing their undergraduate degrees at Purdue University while working on a NASA hydroponic research study. This lead them to be interested in hydroponics and bringing it to the consumer. They describe future plans for their product, as well as the future of hydroponic technology.
Topics in this episode:
How hydroponic vegetables address food safety concerns and perishability of produce
Description of the grow pod
Implementation of technology and social media with their product
Installation process
Use of the subscription model
Environmental benefits of hydroponics
Future of agriculture industry for culinary herbs and leafy greens
Contact info:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gropodofficial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GroPodOfficial
Helioponix.com (https://www.heliponix.com)
In this week’s episode, I talk with Katie Burch, executive director at Launch Indy, which is located in Union 525. Launch Indy is a coworking space and entrepreneurship center for nonprofits, remote workers, and any small business. As a coworking space, they are there for anyone looking for a downtown, part-term, daytime office solution. In addition to providing office space, they offer recurring meetups as well.
I am excited to talk with Katie about the 12-week social impact accelerator hosted by Launch Indy. This program is for early-stage enterprises that are either a nonprofit or a for-profit entity with a social impact angle. She discusses details of the accelerator, including a mentorship program, in order to pair local business owners and entrepreneurs with appropriate members of the accelerator. Launch Indy is seeking mentors as well as volunteers for the next cohort. To learn more, please go to LaunchIndy.com
Topics in this episode
Goal of the current accelerator
The social business model canvass
Preparing your pitch deck
Details on pitch day at the end of the 12-week program
Future accelerators of Launch Indy
The digital divide
Program to provide laptops to local entrepreneurs
Contact Info
katie@launchindy.com
launchindy.com