The Dirt: Recent Episodes
Jim Barnish
Have you ever wondered why other podcasts ask the same questions over and over again, expecting the same answers? And have you ever wondered why you only ever hear the same answers...? Not on THIS show! The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
The name of the game is flexibility. Today’s guest is an agent of change who has an exit under his belt, a transition from founder out of the CEO seat and recently increased the company from a 4-day, back to a 5-day work week.
Join Jim and Alejandro as they go deep discussing Alejandro’s journey building Komet Sales - a vertically integrated floral platform - with a focus on what it means to build a strong culture and how to align people to the company’s long-term vision.
3 Key Takeaways
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Embrace Change: Don’t get attached. Whether that’s a title, a GTM approach, a person on your team. Things change, the ability to adapt quickly is an asset. Learn to let go, to move forward!
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Find a Mentor: This is a golden nugget that not nearly enough founders/CEOs do. As Warren Buffet says, “It’s good to learn from your mistakes. It’s better to learn from other people’s mistakes.”
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Understand People: Take the time to know your team. This is the foundation for culture. When people believe in what you’re doing, combined with a strong sense of connection, you’ve got a recipe for company success.
Resources
https://www.kometsales.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aperez/
About Our Guest
Alejandro started Komet Sales, the top software platform for the flower industry. He built the business from nothing until he was able to sell it successfully. Along the way, he faced many challenges that most startups deal with. His journey needed a strong passion for what he did, lots of creative thinking, and taking smart risks.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
Jim Barnish’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grow-smart-grow-fast/
Orchid Black’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
From humble beginnings in a Beijing apartment to building a business teaching 50,000 students Chinese and Spanish worldwide, Tom Shugg is well versed in immersive learning.
Whether it’s changing diapers or expanding into a foreign market, Jim and Tom go deep on what it takes to build a company across country lines.
3 Key Takeaways
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Trust the Market: As a business owner or leader, you likely have preconceived notions about what you think is right in your industry. But that’s not always the case, one example - a lack of Spanish teachers in the US.
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Gamification Warning 🚨: Beware buzzwords! Lots of companies in edtech tout gamification, but their offering really doesn’t hold water for engaging students.
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Ride the Wave: The beauty of building a business is that momentum makes it easier over time. Once you’ve proven your offering in one market, it makes your transition into a new one simpler because you have a playbook to follow.
Resources
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-shugg-3903135a/
www.meglanguages.com
About Our Guest
Tom Shugg is the Co-founder of Meg Languages and it was the inspiration that comes with being exposed to other cultures that inspired him to start a company that can advocate for that.
Tom spent more than a decade living and working in China, he is a fluent Mandarin speaker and prior to starting Meg, worked at the Australian Embassy in Beijing.
When not working, Tom is chasing after 3 young kids and spending as much time on his surfboard as possible.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
Jim Barnish’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grow-smart-grow-fast/
Orchid Black’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
In this episode of the Dirt, Graeme Barlow, a seasoned tech founder and entrepreneur, shares his unique journey from starting an online gaming currency business as a rebellious kid to spearheading a multi-million dollar software development agency in Ottawa, Canada.
With a candid recount of his entrepreneurial ventures, Barlow dives into the lessons learned from expanding and then narrowing his company's focus, the pivotal shift to a retainer-based business model, and the importance of investing in people and culture. His story is a testament to the power of adaptability, the value of focused execution, and the unforeseen paths to success.
Join Jim and Graeme as they unpack his unconventional path to tech company success …
3 Key Takeaways
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Focus is Critical for Growth: Maintain the focus on core competencies; expanding services can dilute your core competencies. Concentrating on your strengths leads to sustainable growth.
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Adaptability is Key: Embracing change and the willingness to pivot in response to market demands and internal assessments is crucial to survival.
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Culture and Leadership are Foundational: Develop a strong culture and invest in leadership training. This is critical for maintaining alignment and ensuring quality as a company scales.
Resources
https://www.linkedin.com/in/graemebarlow
https://www.graemebarlow.com/coaching
https://www.iversoft.ca/
About Our Guest
Graeme Barlow, a serial entrepreneur with over 24 years of experience, has co-founded five companies, including a notable digital currency firm and RocketOwl Inc., which were both successfully acquired. He's significantly contributed to the pet industry through ProPetSoftware, achieving an ARR of over $1M. Leading Iversoft since 2016, he's driven its growth from a small team to over 50 members and nearly $10M in annual revenue, specializing in mobile and emerging technologies, and delivering impactful software solutions globally.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
Jim Barnish’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grow-smart-grow-fast/
Orchid Black’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
In this episode of the Dirt, Jenny von Podewils, co-founder of Leapsome, shares the origin and mission of their people enablement platform, designed to help companies retain, develop, align, and engage their workforce.
Starting from a personal realization of the gaps in organizational health and culture, Jenny and her co-founder embarked on a journey to create a solution that addresses these challenges. With a background in politics and economics, Jenny's pivot to entrepreneurship led to the development of Leapsome, which has seen remarkable growth and success, including a significant Series A funding.
Through a focus on customer feedback, continuous learning, and challenging the status quo, Leapsome has become a crucial tool for companies worldwide, including industry giants like Spotify and Unity.
Join Jim and Jenny as they unpack strategies on how to maximize employee engagement for a better culture…
3 Key Takeaways
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Invest in People Enablement: Investing in people enablement not only fosters a positive work environment but also directly contributes to the overall productivity and profitability of the company. Focus on retaining, developing and engaging employees as a core strategy for business success.
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Embrace Feedback & Adaptability: Companies that actively seek and incorporate feedback are better positioned to evolve and meet the demands of the market. Regularly solicit and act on feedback to improve and meet emerging challenges, as well as maintain a competitive edge.
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Prioritize Alignment and Clarity: Prioritizing alignment and clarity within an organization is crucial for maximizing efficiency and achieving strategic objectives. Ensure that your team understands their roles, expectations, and how they contribute to the company’s goals.
Resources
https://www.leapsome.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/leapsome/
About Our Guest
Jenny von Podewils is the co-founder and co-CEO of Leapsome, a people enablement platform backed by Insight Partners, Creandum, and Visionaries Club. Leapsome helps more than 1500 companies (including Spotify, Unity, and monday.com) build high-performing teams by driving employee development, productivity, and engagement.
Jenny is an alumna of the Universities of St. Gallen and Oxford. Prior to Leapsome, Jenny led teams in business development, corporate development, and digital transformation roles in media and tech companies. In recognition of her work, Jenny was awarded Female Founder of the Year 2023 in the prestigious German Startup Awards and has been listed as one of the top 50 female entrepreneurs in Germany by Handelsblatt. Jenny lives in New York City with her husband and two children.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
Jim Barnish’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grow-smart-grow-fast/
Orchid Black’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
In this episode of the Dirt, Steven Muro shares his extensive journey from software to becoming a leading figure in the B2B marketing sphere, particularly within the grocery sector. With over 26 years at the helm of his own agency, Steven has mastered leveraging data analytics to elevate brands like the Hass Avocado Board and California Strawberries.
He emphasizes the importance of translating complex data into simple, actionable marketing strategies, ensuring his clients stand out as category captains. Steven's approach to client relationships and his innovative use of data exemplify his belief in the power of focused, client-centric marketing.
Join Jim and Steven Muro as they unpack Muro’s philosophy on blending data analysis with creative marketing to foster B2B success, offering valuable insights for business owners and marketers alike…
3 Key Takeaways
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Data-Driven Decision Making: It is crucial to leverage data analytics not just for the sake of data gathering, but to translate data into simplified, actionable strategies that can directly contribute to overall marketing effectiveness. This means investing in the capability to analyze and interpret data to set the foundation for informed decision making
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Adapt and Innovate: The ability to remain flexible and open to integrating new technologies and methodologies can significantly enhance your competitive edge. This underscores the importance of fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation within your organization, ensuring that your marketing strategies evolve alongside technologically advancements and market changes
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Focus on the Client: tailoring your services and products to meet the specific needs and expectations of your clients is paramount. This client-centric approach not only aids in building strong relationships but also ensures that your business’s success is directly aligned with the success of your clients
Resources
https://www.gowithfusion.com/
About Our Guest
Steven Muro is the founder of a B2B marketing agency specializing in the grocery sector, leveraging over 26 years of diverse experience from software to consumer packaged goods. With a focus on fresh foods and sustainable products, Steven and his team excel in transforming complex data sets into actionable marketing strategies. His agency's work with notable brands like the Hass Avocado Board and California Strawberries exemplifies a commitment to driving category leadership through data-driven insights and creative solutions. Steven's approach emphasizes client success, innovation, and the practical application of technology in marketing.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
Jim Barnish’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grow-smart-grow-fast/
Orchid Black’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Adam Roach is a serial entrepreneur and CEO of I Love Coaching Co. Whether it’s shutting his laptop at 6pm, to creating a daily $1,000 accountability motivator, Adam has a unique perspective based on his coaching business and entrepreneurial experience working with a variety of people and types of companies.
Whether it was immediately exiting partnerships when Adam realized he was working with the wrong people to a golf cart meets mailbox parenting fiasco, there are lessons throughout this podcast for business owners at every stage.
Join Adam and Jim as they discuss a myriad of topics from faith and ego to accountability, work-life balance and sticking to your word.
3 Key Takeaways
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Create accountability: Maybe not for everyone, but Adam has a system where he has an accountability partner he texts everyday what he’s going to accomplish that day. If he doesn’t accomplish it, he Venmo's $1000 to his partner (it’s happened 12 times in 7 years if you’re wondering).
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Identify your who’s: Who are the people you want to work with? If those aren’t the people you’re working with today, it’s time to figure out an exit path.
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Go grow: “If I don’t better myself, my fear is that my past will repeat itself.” 🎤 drop
Resources
www.ilovecoachingco.com
About Our Guest
Adam has been a serial entrepreneur and a student of coaching for over two decades. From playing collegiate tennis, to owning his first tennis club in his 20's, Adam built one of the most dynamic tennis club's in Beverly Hills, CA. He later cut his real estate investing teeth in Los Angeles, with 6 and 7 figure flips and holds. In his mid 30's, Adam transitioned to owning and running 3 Keller Williams Realty franchises in SC. He developed and led a team that grew the offices from 120 agents to nearly 800 agents in 4 years. In 2018 his offices were selling $2billion in volume and sharing profits back to the agents in excess of $600k annually. As he sold his franchises in his early 40's, Adam turned his focus to building a whole life coaching company that would impact the masses through his proprietary R.E.A.L. coaching model. In 2019, The I Love Coaching Co. brand was created. To-date that company has hundreds of coaches and clients all over the globe, along with his recruiting softwares that have recruited over 130,000 real estate agents in North America. In addition to that, Adam hosts a weekly podcast (I Love Coaching Podcast), invests in multi-family real estate, plays tennis with his kids, and loves family weekends on the boat in Charleston, SC.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
Jim Barnish’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grow-smart-grow-fast/
Orchid Black’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Today’s guest has a few things going for him that sets him apart from the typical CEO:
✅ CEO of a publicly traded company
✅ Has a streak of 7 years without a day off [Jim note: not sure I’d recommend this for most!]
✅ Runs a website with 100+ million visitors
Join Jim and David Meniane, CEO of Carparts.com as they hit on a variety of topics from strategic consolidation to free cashflow.
3 Key Takeaways
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Define Yourself: On the surface Carparts.com looks like an ecommerce company. But when you peel back a few layers, there is an advanced analytics engine and logistics infrastructure that has been purpose-built over the years to give consumers high-end car parts at a fraction of the cost due to their underlying inventory infrastructure.
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Less is More: Carparts.com used to be one of 17 different digital storefronts owned by the same company. It wasn’t until a strategic decision was made to ‘abandon’ the other stores (that had built up value in their brand following, URL traffic, etc.) and focus on their most valuable asset (Carparts.com). Since turning full attention to Carparts.com, the company has achieved significant growth in revenue and profitability.
- Speak Last: As CEO, it’s your responsibility to listen. If you’ve done your job right, you’re surrounded by people smarter than yourself in specific areas and are closer to the problems in their areas of the business. So when you’re in a meeting, shutup and listen (respectfully!).
Resources
- CarParts.com
- David’s LinkedIn
About Our Guest
Named CEO of CarParts.com in April 2022, David Meniane is responsible for providing sound strategic, financial, and operational leadership for the organization. Prior to this, David served as CarParts.com’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer since 2019.
Under his leadership at CarParts.com, the company has undergone a comprehensive operational turnaround with record financial growth. The company has achieved eight consecutive quarters of year over year growth, doubling the size of the business in just three years. David hired more than 800 people in 2020 and 2021, and the firm now has over 2,000 employees globally.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
Jim Barnish’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grow-smart-grow-fast/
Orchid Black’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Roy Cohen is the Co-Founder and CEO of Fetcherr, an Algo based company using an AI-based Generative Pricing Engine (GPE) to disrupt pricing and profitability in the airline industry.
Join Jim and Roy as they go into the details of what it takes to build a company for profitability. Roy is in the business of making money; not raising capital.
3 Key Takeaways
- EBITDA > ARR - Build a business to become cash positive. ARR does not meet the strategy to become profitable. Markets will go dark, but cash positive businesses will not go out of style.
- CEO KPI = Self Sufficiency - One of your goals as a CEO should be to make the company self-sufficient. Your job is to work yourself out of a job.
- Know Your Customers - Do you have a truly disruptive technology that solves a big problem, so much so that potential customers don’t believe the problem can be solved? If that’s the case, then be prudent about who you’re selling to initially - identify and go after the trailblazers.
Resources
Roy Cohen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roy-cohen-a9a7093a/
Fetcherr: https://www.fetcherr.io/
About Our Guest
Roy Cohen is the Co-Founder and CEO of Fetcherr. Roy has twenty years of experience in operational management, product strategy, and product and business development with large global companies.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
Jim Barnish’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grow-smart-grow-fast/
Orchid Black’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Thad Price is the CEO of Talroo, a company that’s transforming the hiring and recruiting landscape for essential workers.
On a mission to disrupt the talent acquisition industry, Thad provides leadership, strategy, and guidance to all departments in his company, ensuring it’s moving in the right direction with the right talent.
Join Jim and Thad as they unpack the problems and opportunities that small, medium, and enterprise clients face hiring and developing talented people.
3 Key Takeaways
- Stop Being a Chief Everything Officer: When you’re starting a business, managing every task and wearing multiple hats — it's all part of the hustle. But eventually you’ve got to focus more on your strengths and free up time for what you do best, and that means you’ve got to ensure you have the right talent in place that you trust to handle the other tasks effectively.
- Chase the Big Idea: Thad talks about the benefits of helping his staff believe that what they’re doing is bigger than their company. They’re helping transform their industry. They’re innovating. They’re creating positive change. When employees feel connected to a larger purpose, they're more motivated and engaged.
- When It Comes to Failing, Walk the Walk: A ton of business owners and CEOs talk about how it’s ok to fail. But most of them, when it comes down to brass tacks, put high expectations on their designers and engineers to succeed at all costs. Failure can be a natural part of the creative process. But rather than just giving lip service to this idea, successful leaders actually empower their teams to push boundaries—and never berate them if they don’t succeed.
Resources
Thad Price on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thad-price-2368b
Talroo: https://www.talroo.com/
About Our Guest
Thad Price is CEO at Austin-based Talroo, the data-driven job and hiring event advertising platform that helps businesses reach the candidates they need to build their essential workforce. With more than 17 years of experience in online recruitment and the job search vertical, Thad is a recognized thought leader in the HR/TA space. He genuinely believes that there is no industry that plays a more integral role in the economy. Thad uses his cross-functional experience to turn client feedback into innovative products that help companies hire better. Under Thad’s leadership, Talroo continues its mission of disruption in the industry.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
Jim Barnish’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grow-smart-grow-fast/
Orchid Black’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
In this solocast, Jim Barnish explores three actions an international company needs to take when entering the US market.
Some of what Jim gets into:
- Testing for Product Market Fit: An international company can have an amazing product, but if it doesn't resonate with the US market, then it’s going to almost certainly fail. Understanding the cultural nuances and preferences of the American consumer base is crucial for penetrating the market effectively.
- Leverage a US-based Growth Consulting Firm: They’ll have a deep cultural understanding, networking advantages, and market research expertise that you’ll need to be successful. Embarking on your US expansion journey shouldn’t be a crapshoot.
To successfully enter the US market and avoid stumbling blocks, you need to carefully plan and execute a strategic market entry strategy. Be sure to listen to this episode for Jim’s actionable strategies to avoid common mistakes.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
Jim Barnish’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grow-smart-grow-fast/
Orchid Black’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Bianca Rangecroft is the CEO of Whering, a digital wardrobe and personal styling app.
Join Jim and Bianca as they explore how to go viral with your customers and to monetize virality.
3 Key Takeaways
- Tap Into Your Brand and Community to Achieve Virality: Virality is elusive. Many charlatans claim to have the secret formula for creating viral content, but the truth is that there is no guaranteed recipe for success. Bianca talks about first reaching out to influencers organically, often through word of mouth. Then, after the influencer had posted videos using the Whering app, she’d again reach out to them and offer to collaborate on a paid basis.
- Paying Attention to Cycles: Customer use of some products, like the Whering app, skyrocket at certain times of the year (e.g. around the holidays), and plummet at other times. To effectively predict these cycles, be sure to regularly analyze customer behavior and preferences, and know that customer interest in your product might wax and wane over time, and that’s ok.
- Total Commitment to Users: Bianca reads every piece of feedback her app users send in. That way she and her team aren’t just addressing issues, they’re staying on top of feature requests, new trends, and other valuable insights received directly from their users all around the world.
Resources
Learn more about Bianca Rangecroft: https://www.biancarangecroft.com/
Whering on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/id1519461680
Whering on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.whering.app
Whering on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@whering
About Our Guest
A London-based entrepreneur, Bianca Rangecroft is the founder and CEO of Whering, the fashtech app that allows you to digitize your wardrobe, see and style everything you own. Bianca holds a first class Bachelor’s degree in History and Politics from SOAS & LSE and an MSc (Merit) from Imperial College. Fluent in 6 languages, she began her career in banking, worked with some of the biggest Family Offices in Europe, and has extensive knowledge of the fashion tech space. Her work has been featured in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Forbes. She has been recognised for awards such as Drapers 30 under 30, Great British Entrepreneur & Tech Innovator of the Year (Drapers).
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Learn about how the strategic move towards a SaaS model is a golden ticket to maximizing the overall value of your business.
In this solocast, Jim Barnish delves into four reasons why transforming your IP into a SaaS model is such a game changer.
Some of what Jim gets into:
- Scalability is About Growing Smarter: In a SaaS model, it's not just about getting bigger; it's about getting smarter. Ideally, you should aim for the cost of serving an additional customer being close to zero.
- SaaS = Steady Revenue Streams: With a traditional product or service-based business, you’re often chasing the next deal to keep the lights on. Turn your business into a SaaS subscription model, you’ll make your revenue streams more consistent—as long as you continue providing value to your customers.
Scalability and predictable revenue are just two reasons to transform your IP into a SaaS model. To hear Jim’s take on increasing customer value and lowering operating costs, listen to the show.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
Jim Barnish’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grow-smart-grow-fast/
Orchid Black’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Steve Benson's leadership journey is a masterclass in resilience, grit, and innovative growth strategies. As the Founder and CEO of Badger Maps, an app for B2B field sales, he has mastered focusing on the ideal customer profile and harnessing the power of offshore talent.
Join Jim and Steve as they discuss Steve’s bootstrapping journey all the way to up to 5.4 million ARR.
3 Key Takeaways
- Establish a Dedicated Support Team Separate from Sales: For years, Steve’s sales team handled all customer calls, which was effective for sales inquiries but less so for support issues. To enhance efficiency and focus, we have now segregated these functions. While the sales and support teams maintain communication for cohesive operations, this separate allows the sales team to focus exclusively on sales activities, ensuring a more targeted and effective approach.
- Leveraging Offshore Software Development Talent is Table Stakes for Bootstrapping a Company: In the US, exceptional software engineering talent commands a premium price, justifiably for those prioritizing domestic sourcing. However, for startups operating without significant external funding or capital, exploring offshore software development partnerships can be a strategic move. Countries like India, Poland, and Brazil offer a wealth of skilled professionals, providing a diverse array of options for cost-effective and quality development solutions.
- When Searching For a Loan, Compare Like-For-Like: Some companies offer revenue-based loans. Others offer discount rate loans. And of course there are APR loans. When you’re shopping around, convert every offer to APR so you can compare apples to apples.
Resources
Steve Benson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenbenson/
Badger Maps: https://www.badgermapping.com/
Badger Sales University: https://salesuniversity.badgermapping.com/ (Use the following code for first month free, 2nd month 80% off: STEVE80)
Steves Outside Sales Talk Podcast: https://www.outsidesalestalk.com
Steve on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevebensonsf/
Steve on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/SteveBenson
About Our Guest
Steve Benson is CEO and founder of Badger Maps, the #1 app in the App Store for outside and field salespeople. Steve is also CEO of Badger Sales University. After receiving his MBA from Stanford, Steve joined Google, where he became Google Enterprise's Top Sales Executive globally in 2009.
In 2012 Steve founded Badger Maps for outside and field salespeople to upgrade existing CRMs with mapping, routing, and scheduling. He also hosts the Outside Sales Talk, a podcast specifically for outside salespeople, and is the President of the Sales Hall of Fame.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
André Sluczka grew up in Germany where he loved to climb up a mountain and fly down on a paraglider. Nowadays, he heads up a consulting company, Datagrate, that helps their clients build, manage, and scale the world's best application integration platforms solving the most complex integration challenges.
Join Jim and André as they talk about how to establish a meaningful strategic partnership on day one, and how to navigate the shift from consulting services to building products and software.
3 Key Takeaways
- Striking the Balance Between Growth and Quality: For solopreneurs who are expanding for the first time, growth might inadvertently lead to compromising on quality. To dodge this bullet, hire talented individuals with the experience and skills required to scale the company with minimal supervision. Remember, scaling isn't a race.
- Growing A Business Is Like Raising Kids: The problems never go away. They just evolve into new forms, posing new tests and demanding different solutions. Entrepreneurship and parenting are transformative experiences that require continuous adaptation and a mindset geared towards problem-solving.
- Have the Right People in Place Before the Demand Arises: Preemptive hiring allows time for seamless onboarding, integration into your company culture, and ability to prevent major growth challenges before they arise. No last-minute rushes. Prioritize finding the right fit over quick fixes.
Resources
Datagrate’s website: https://datagrate.com/
About Our Guest
As the Founder and CEO of Datagrate, André Sluczka has more than 15 years of experience in designing and building scalable enterprise integration platforms. He is a recognized leader in the field of cloud-native integration solutions and strongly believes that Kubernetes and Apache Camel are the foundation for such solutions, particularly as demand for more vendor and cloud-agnostic approaches continues to rise. André is also the inventor of the jetic.io iPaaS platform, which has gained recognition for being the industry's first low-code platform that effectively handles enterprise-grade requirements. The platform's innovative architecture enables it to handle complex integration scenarios with ease while providing users with an exceptional level of customization and control. Through his work with high-profile clients such as Urban Institute, Judicial Council of California, GE Transportation, Bayer, US Cellular, and FIS Global, André has solidified his reputation as a leading figure in enterprise integration and cloud-native solutions.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
This is a recast of a previously aired episode about Katie Merrill's entrepreneurship journey while also building a family. Hear Katie’s story as she walks host Jim Barnish through the challenges she has faced and continues to learn from.
As a go-getter with a strong operations background, Katie was hyper focused on the day-to-day grind, but learned over time that she had to get out of her own way. Finding a COO combined with efforts to scale her sales team has been a game changer for the evolution of the business. Freeing up her time as the founder from the daily operations has allowed her to prioritize other areas to grow.
Key Takeaways
- Shift focus from the day-to-day operations to other key strategic areas like product evolution, strategy, etc.
- You might be a founder, but that doesn’t mean you know everything. Set aside your insecurities and don’t be afraid to ask questions to mentors that have been there before.
- Put effort into building a scalable sales engine. It’s a lot easier when founders aren’t the only ones selling.
Resources
Katie's LinkedIn
B-Lynk website
Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman
About Our Guest
Katie Butcher-Merrill is CEO and Founder of B-Lynk, providing training services, including sales and end-user training on the Smart-Lynk managed service platform for over 40 BroadSoft based Service Providers and Hosted Unified Communications companies globally.
Prior to this, Katie held supply chain management roles at both General Mills and The Mosaic Company. She is a graduate of Iowa State University.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Many businesses are oblivious to how out of whack their Go-To-Market strategy is.
In this solocast, Jim Barnish explores three critical opportunities for businesses that are out of alignment with their GTM strategy.
Some of what Jim gets into:
- Trust Your Product Leads: Both CEOs and product leads understand customer pain points and the market. Yet sometimes a CEO makes decisions based on their gut, not data, while a product lead often has more direct access to customers and data, and thus a more in-depth understanding. Don’t overlook the knowledge of your product leads!
- Build a SINGLE Revenue Team: If your sales and marketing teams are not on the same page, you’re going to run into roadblocks. You need one one revenue team. Yes, they’ll have different functional objectives, but they’ll have the same overall goal—creating revenue and meaningful value for customers.
- Third opportunity? You’ll have to listen to the podcast!
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Jody Haneke is a walking personification of the phrase, “build cool sh!t for your customers.” As the head of a bespoke software development company, Haneke and his team bring product ideas to life for his clients that truly want to harness technology for growth.
Join Jim and Jody as they discuss building awesome digital experiences for customers that keep them coming back.
3 Key Takeaways
- Harness Talent From Outside Your Industry: Haneke talks about being able to transfer what he learns from his healthcare clients to clients he’s working with in logistics. Cross-industry talent can offer fresh solutions to age-old problems.
- AI Isn’t A Magic Wand: Too many businesses are jumping on the bandwagon, claiming they do AI, but are barely using it to its fullest potential. Before diving into AI as a hopeful business solution, check if it aligns with your goals and see if it’s even possible to tailor it to your needs or the needs of your customers.
- Understand your Weaknesses: Building a successful tech startup requires a diverse set of skills. But what if you're missing a crucial piece of the puzzle? If you lack a certain combination of attributes that every founder needs (like technical expertise, marketing savvy, or financial acumen), why not team up with a like-minded partner who complements your strengths and weaknesses?
Resources
Jody Haneke on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodyhaneke
Haneke Design: https://www.hanekedesign.com/
About Our Guest
Jody Haneke is President and Founder of Haneke Design, a software development company that was founded on user experience design, with in-house full stack custom software development capabilities. With clients such as NYSE, Paramount Pictures, and Target, Haneke Design launches digital products that amaze end-users.
Jody is on the Board of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation and an Entrepreneur in Residence (EiR) at the University of Tampa.
Haneke Design has won over 50+ design and user experience awards throughout the years and continues to expand its business solutions with a core commitment to process and innovation.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
A company-wide commitment to customer success is essential for your business. But remember: it starts with you.
In this solocast, Jim Barnish gets into actionable strategies for growth-stage companies building their first customer success team.
Some of what Jim gets into:
- When A Company Scales, Sometimes Customers Get Left Behind: Problematically, many growth-stage companies prioritize acquiring new customers over customer success. They invest heavily in marketing and sales, yet overlook their legacy customers. While initially fruitful, this approach often overlooks the long term value of nurturing and retaining your customers.
- Hire Someone Who Knows Their Sh!t: To start building your customer success team right, be sure to hire a leader who knows the distinctions between the following: customer success, customer support, and sales. These functions seem similar, yet they have vastly different goals.
- Customer Metrics Are Your Roadmap to Success: It’s crucial that you track metrics such as Net Revenue Retention (NRR), Gross Revenue Retention (GRR), Net Promoter Score (NPS), and Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT). These metrics are vital in understanding if your product/service is resonating with customers, and if your customers are satisfied.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Dan Bradbury, a mastermind expert, brings together owners of seven and eight figure B2B companies in masterminds so they can share best practices for high business growth and catapult their individual businesses forward.
Join Jim and Dan as they explore the benefits of joining a mastermind group and how it can accelerate business growth.
3 Key Takeaways
- Invest in Yourself by Learning from Others: Nobody is born an excellent business owner. Sure, you might have a natural knack for entrepreneurship, a few instincts that set you apart. But here's the real secret to success: continuous learning and growth. To take your company to the next level: Attend workshops. Read voraciously. Connect with mentors. Always be learning.
- Keep It Simple, Stupid: In business and entrepreneurship, this golden rule—abbreviated as KISS—never goes out of style, with good reason. Simplify the complexity of your business into manageable chunks, and always focus on fundamental practices. Remember, success doesn't always mean complexity. Keep everything straightforward, stay true to your vision, and watch your business soar.
- Why Every Business Person Should Join a Mastermind: An idiot learns from their own mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Why not stand on the shoulders of giants and benefit from their wisdom? Joining a mastermind provides an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals who are driven to succeed, can challenge your ideas, and help you avoid common pitfalls.
Resources
Dan Bradbury’s website: https://danbradbury.com/
Dan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-bradbury-a9265642/
Get Dan’s book, “Turnover Is Vanity, Profit Is Sanity: 9 1/2 Steps to Improving Your Profits & Cashflow”: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1691215333
Get your Business Profit Maximization score from Dan’s website: https://cf.danbradbury.co.uk/get-score-hl
Learn more of Dan’s story from his appearance on the Money & Me TV show: https://youtu.be/8-QLJmFYauY
About Our Guest
As an investor, Dan Bradbury specializes in taking companies already producing one million in revenue and accelerating their growth to over 10 million.
His love of numbers and finances sets him apart, allowing him to find the hidden assets and weaknesses within the businesses that he invests in.
Dan has over 15 years of business experience in various industries, has founded two companies, bought five companies outright, and invested in over a dozen companies.
Dan’s specialty is maximizing the value of a business, whether that involves keeping the business and reaping the rewards, or exiting the business for a big payout.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
If you want to unlock unprecedented growth in your business—which will lead to exceptional value creation—consider taking the leap and expanding into new markets, verticals, and offerings.
In this solocast, Jim Barnish dives deep into strategies to ensure that your products or services cater to the needs and preferences of your new customers.
Some of what Jim gets into:
- Before Jumping Into A New Market, Immerse Yourself In It: You can’t just assume you and your team knows your audience, that your pricing strategy will be effective, and you’ll be able to handle any risks that pop up. If you don’t conduct extensive market research, you’ll surely miss out on valuable insights that could make or break your business.
- Engage Early Adopters In A Pilot Program: Validating a business concept through a pilot isn’t just about testing your new product. It's also about engaging with real customers who can provide actionable insights. Bonus points if you target early adopters who are much more likely to provide constructive criticism and be invested in your new offering’s success.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
David Chadwick, Founder and CEO at RealResponse, is passionate about making a difference in athletics, but not in the normal sense of what you might think of as winning in sports. Instead, David has created a tool where athletes and staff can give anonymous feedback in a way that everyone in collegiate institutions and athletic organizations has a chance to be heard.
Join Jim and David as they explore how David is helping create a much safer environment in sports and institutions across the country, while also scaling his business.
3 Key Takeaways
- Cash Management and Funding Decisions: In the early stages, it's crucial to control expenses and scrutinize every cost. Decisions on funding, whether through raising money from friends, family, angels, or VCs, will have a long term impact on the control and expectations around the business. David highlights the importance of staying true to his mission and controlling his destiny by being mindful of where funding comes from.
- Technology and Scalability: Ensure that technology choices are future-proof and scalable. There is a significant focus on getting the User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) right from the start. Mistakes in technology choices can be costly and pivoting might require substantial resources
- “Customers, customers, customers”: This is what David often tells his staff is the most important part of their business. Never have a whiteboard session with your team to workshop what you think your customers want and need. Until you get in front of your customers, it's just impossible to know what they’re thinking and feeling.
Resources
David Chadwick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-chadwick-862570173/
RealResponse: http://www.realresponse.com
About Our Guest
While studying and playing Division 1 basketball at Rice University and Valparaiso University, David Chadwick recognized that positive student-athlete experiences had everything to do with culture, support services, academic integrity, and the relationships formed with coaches and teammates. This insight led him to launch RealResponse in 2016.
RealResponse elevates voices by offering a safe, anonymous platform for two-way communications, ensuring everyone in collegiate institutions and athletic organizations has a chance to be heard. The RealResponse community consists of more than two million athletes, coaches, administrators, and staff, and reaches across college and professional sports, governing bodies, and integrity units.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Sarah Jenkins runs several software and real estate companies, including Genesis Digital. Homeschooled as a kid and an entrepreneur since she was 15, Sarah epitomizes the I-can-figure-out-pretty-much-anything approach.
Join Jim and Sarah on this roller coaster of a conversation as they connect the dots between business success and personal challenges, such as Sarah escaping a cult, bouncing back after a partner stole from her business, and dealing with family trauma.
3 Key Takeaways
- Compartmentalization for Work-Life Balance: Learn to compartmentalize your role and responsibilities, both in professional and personal life. This strategy helps maintain a balance, ensures you can provide adequate support for your partners (both business and personal), and can be particularly beneficial when working with family, especially a spouse. This approach has helped Sarah to focus on different roles without them conflicting with each other, reducing stress and improving productivity.
- Innovation Starts with Listening: And who better to guide your company's future than your loyal customers? Sarah regularly asks her audience, “What should we do next?” And her audience tells her what they need. Remember, you don’t have to figure everything out on my own.
- Digital Detox. Going Analog: Invest at least an hour every week with your computer and phone off, and embrace the timeless practice of jotting down ideas with pen and paper. Disconnecting from the constant digital chatter allows for uninterrupted, deep thinking and fosters creativity.
Resources
Connect with Sarah Jenkins on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-jenkins-763469123/
Learn about Sarah’s company, Genesis Digital: https://www.genesisdigital.co/
Learn about Genesis Digital’s all-in-one sales and marketing solution, Karta: https://home.kartra.com/
Listen to Sarah’s Paid To Create podcast: https://www.paidtocreatepodcast.com/
About Our Guest
Sarah Jenkins, a Michigan born homeschooled mom of five, boasts over a decade of experience in a variety of business niches, including the fitness industry, information products, and software as a service. Emerging in her early twenties with a #1 health website, she’s now considered a leader in self-funded business growth.
As Genesis Digital’s co-founder, CEO, and leading beacon, she is directly involved with the daily operations, finance, and management of 160 remote staff. Genesis Digital owns and manages Kartra, an all-in-one sales, marketing, and ecommerce solution that runs 100's of millions of dollars in sales for tens of thousands of clients since Sarah took over Genesis Digital after the passing of her husband Andy Jenkins.
Sarah is also co-host of the Paid To Create podcast.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Francesco Wiedemann is Co-Founder of Kyte, a door-to-door, app-based car rental delivery company that ambitiously intends to become the largest fleet operator on the planet with 10 million trips per month by 2030.
Join Jim and Francesco as they how Francesco went from winning entrepreneurial pitch contests at Harvard and MIT to co-creating a rental car startup that has raised $100 million to date.
3 Key Takeaways
- Identifying Market Gaps: Francesco and his co-founders realized there was a gap in the mobility market for travel longer than an Uber ride but shorter than requiring a long-term car lease. This led them to create Kyte, a service that fills this gap. For entrepreneurs, the lesson is clear: look for areas where existing solutions are lacking or incomplete and aim to fill that void with a better offering.
- Finding the Right Pricing Strategy: Francesco discussed how they initially underestimated the complexity of pricing in their market. Over time, they invested in developing a pricing engine to optimize their offerings. Pricing is often an overlooked aspect of business strategy, but it's crucial for competitiveness and profitability. Entrepreneurs should continuously evaluate and reevaluate their pricing strategy to meet market demands and operational costs.
- Help Investors See Your Vision: Kyte secured a credit line from Goldman Sachs despite being a small operation at the time. This was possible because they could convey the potential of their business model and its scalability to investors. Entrepreneurs should focus not just on what their company is now, but also on what it could become, especially when pitching to investors or financial partners.
Use Kyte’s promotion code for $20 off
On Ktye’s website or in the Kyte app, at checkout use “THEDIRT20” promo code to get a $20 discount on your purchase.
Resources
Learn about how Kyte delivers cars on demand, for any trip longer than a rideshare: https://kyte.com/
Francesco Wiedemann on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francescowiedemann/
Stratechery by Ben Thompson is the podcast Francesco recommends to The Dirt listeners: https://stratechery.com/
About Our Guest
Francesco Wiedemann graduated with an M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from Technische Universität München and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Before starting Kyte, he worked as a Product Manager for BMW Mobility Services, where he launched mobility services combining carsharing and ride hailing in the US and China. In 2019, Francesco co-founded Kyte, where he leads the company’s product vision and product strategy.
Fun fact: Years ago, Francesco broke the Guinness World Records for the longest mountain bike wheelie in one hour.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our...
Tomasz Pawliszyn is the brains behind AirHelp, the world’s leading legal tech company that helps air travelers get compensation or refunds for flight disruptions.
Join Jim and Tomasz as they go deep on air passenger rights during this episode.
3 Key Takeaways
- Build Healthy; Not Heavy: During Covid-19, when Tomasz’s staff headcount went from 700 to 200, he used that as an opportunity for restructuring, streamlining operations, and inviting the remaining staff into a new vision for a stronger, healthier company. Even in times of decline, you can lay the foundation for future growth.
- Embrace Hybrid Work: A lot of folks thought the future of work was remote, but that didn’t take employer preferences into account. Hybrid work models are what most companies have adopted. This flexibility to choose where and when to work while requiring some in-office time combines the best of both worlds.
- Product Diversity 🤝 Peace of Mind: When the pandemic hit, AirHelp had one product (focused on airlines that were no longer flying). Almost instantly, revenues dropped to zero. For Tomasz, product diversification wasn’t an option. It was a necessity. In your market, what if customer tastes shift — or a once-in-a-century pandemic shuts the world down? Are your offerings spread across enough product lines to stay alive when the unexpected comes knocking?
Resources
AirHelp: https://www.airhelp.com/
Tomasz Pawliszyn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomaszpawliszyn/
About Our Guest
Tomasz Pawliszyn is the CEO of AirHelp, the world's largest air-passenger rights company, and has 20 years of broad experience in leadership roles in high-growth environments. He has managed complex organizations on an executive level and driven major business transformation projects. He has extensive international expertise working with diverse cultures and has managed full P&L responsibilities as CEO, COO, and CTO as well as Managing Director and Regional Director Europe at global technology and multichannel companies.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Robert Cornish’s mission is to use aesthetics and communication to improve and move people through the end-to-end sales journey. As the CEO of Richter, he helps Fortune 500 companies—from Disney to Dell—with their end-to-end B2B sales journey.
Join Jim and Robert as they dive into enterprise sales and what deal teams can do to stop making mistakes in pre-sales, sales enablement, and customer experience.
3 Key Takeaways
- Alignment and Elimination: Robert advocates for maintaining alignment in a company’s vision, mission, and offerings. He suggests that cutting out misaligned elements, whether they’re customers, products, or services, can lead to a clearer and more successful path. Several times in Richter’s history, Robert cut whole swaths of customers. Why? Because deep down he knew that his agency couldn’t serve them to his standards.
- Thought Leadership: Thought leadership and personal branding are significant for businesses of all sizes. Robert mentions the importance of having influence, thought leadership, and a clear point of view to stand out and attract attention as part of your strategy for getting in front of B2B companies.
- The Bigger the Company, the More Refined the Target: Robert believes that a purposeful approach is essential to B2B sales. He stresses the need to get in front of the right person from the start of the sales cycle to give yourself the best chance for success.
Resources
Robert Cornish on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertmcornish
Read Robert’s book, What Works, co-written with Wil Seabrook: https://amzn.to/47p3u61
Listen to Robert’s What Works as an audiobook: https://adbl.co/2BvqS4I
Subscribe to Robert’s newsletters: https://robertcornish.substack.com/
Richter’s website: https://www.richter10point2.com/
About Our Guest
Robert Cornish is the founder and CEO of Richter Group of Companies, a management, acquisition, and venture group that owns Richter10.2 Media Group, Social Media Press Kit (SMPK), and Richter10.2 Video. Since 2002, he has successfully launched and run five companies. Through those companies, he has helped implement effective growth methods that have resulted in Richter's consistent success.
Some of Robert’s achievements include:
- Featured in Bloomberg Businessweek, Selling Power Magazine, and Inc Magazine.
- Guest speaker for Association for Corporate Growth Los Angeles, IASA Summit, and West Point.
- Interviewed for 33Voices, EnTRUEpreneurship Podcast, and IDEA Magazine.
- Published author of What Works, a book about lessons Robert learned while growing his multi-million dollar agency.
Richter is one of the fastest growing companies in America, as shown by the following achievements:
- Made the Inc 5000 list five times.
- Made the Silicon Valley Fast 50 four times.
- Won the Entrepreneur360 award two times.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as...
In the realm of e-commerce, Heather Udo personifies success, innovation, and tenacity. A trailblazer who pushes what’s possible for brands, publishers, and retailers, Heather has her finger on the e-commerce pulse.
Join Jim and Heather as they dive into the business challenges of creating an innovative tech platform that transforms e-commerce shoppers into loyal buyers
3 Key Takeaways
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Raising Venture Capital Might Create Problems: If you successfully raise capital before your product is fully fine-tuned and before the market is ready, you could run into trouble. Take a feather out of Heather’s cap: consider keeping a lean team and funding your growth via sales (bootstrapping).
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Strategy First; Technology Second: If a company doesn’t have a strong go-to-market strategy, it doesn’t matter what your technology does. Strategy first. Technology second. It’ll never work if you try to do it the other way around.
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Educating Your Customers Can Be A Slow Burn: After Heather shared her e-commerce visions with some retailers and brands, many of them balked. They just weren’t ready to do more than the required minimum with their online stores. But they could see the value in upping their digital game. Over the years, they came around.
Resources
Heather Udo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherudo/
Heather on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathermarieudo/
Heather on Linktree: https://linktr.ee/heatherudo
Shoppable: https://linktr.ee/Shoppable
About Our Guest
Heather Udo is the Founder and CEO of Shoppable, an e-commerce solution that helps brands, retailers, creators, and publishers power innovative commerce experiences such as ads, websites, mobile apps, and shops.
Some of Heather’s career highlights:
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Won the 2013 Women in Digital Award from L’Oreal.
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Named one of the ten “Most Powerful Millennials in Manhattan” by Gotham Magazine.
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Identified as and one of the eleven “Tech Gurus Changing the Luxury Game” by Refinery29.
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Holds three U.S. Patents for technology she invented.
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Prior to Shoppable, participating in a successful exit as the business she co-founded was acquired.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
As a business owner, you've turned dreams into reality, navigating challenges, and witnessing your venture grow from infancy to maturity. Yet there comes a time in every entrepreneur's life when the idea of selling your business becomes a reality. If that’s you, two important questions you should ask yourself are:
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"What's my level of confidence in meeting my goal for selling the business?"
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"Am I mentally ready to exit my business?"
These delve into the heart of a significant transition—one that requires both strategic planning and emotional preparedness.
In this solocast, Jim Barnish brings you part 2 in his series about evaluating your readiness to sell your business and move onto the next entrepreneurial chapter in your life.
Two key topics Jim gets into:
- Know Your Goal: Just like your initial plunge into entrepreneurship, embarking on the sale of your business requires a mix of optimism and preparation. It can be a tough process, especially mentally - it is recommended to have confidants that understand the process by your side to help bolster your confidence and build your exit strategy for success!
- Say Goodbye to the Familiar: Mentally preparing to exit your business is akin to preparing for a new chapter in life. Your business has likely become more than just a means of income; it's a part of your identity. Losing this part of you challenges you in new ways. It is best to have a plan for your life post-exit.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
David Kreiger created a company for outsourcing Sales Development Representatives—inside sales representatives who focus solely on sales prospecting—before SDR was even a term. His company, SalesRoads, has been around for 16 years and is a sales outsourcing and appointment setting firm that simplifies revenue operations and makes growth easy.
Join Jim and David as they hash out the nitty gritty of creating a culture best suited for high-performing sales teams.
3 Key Takeaways
- Create Buyer Personas: Customize sales approaches based on buyer personas. Differentiating between various customer types and assigning the right SDRs to engage with them effectively ensures more productive engagement and communication, leading to higher success rates.
- Don’t Cut Corners on Sales Hires: If you’re going to create a high-performing sales team, don’t hire cheap sales professionals. (And if you’re thinking of hiring free interns to run your sales, please stop reading now and click elsewhere.) High-performing sales teams are built with experienced professionals who know how to close deals and exceed targets.
- Set Clear Expectations and Accountability: Set clear expectations for sales teams, define what success looks like and create a culture of accountability by implementing quotas and KPIs for guiding sales efforts and ensuring consistency.
Resources
David Kreiger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkreiger/
SalesRoads: https://salesroads.com/
SalesRoads on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/salesroads/people/
SalesRoads article about how to build an inside sales development team: https://salesroads.com/leadership/inside-sales-team/
About Our Guest
David Kreiger is the founder of SalesRoads, a sales outsourcing and appointment setting firm with over 16 years of experience. David holds an MBA in Marketing & Management from The Wharton School and a BA in Political Science and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. David is also a contributor to Entrepreneur Magazine, where he shares insights on B2B sales and business leadership. In his spare time, he serves as a Venture Lab Mentor at The Wharton School and is an active member of the EO entrepreneur association.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn:
Alejandro Rivas-Micoud believes that user experience (UX) eats strategy for breakfast. As the Founder and CEO of Userlytics, Alejandro helps companies optimize their user experience by making it easy to test the user experience of their prototypes, websites, mobile apps, etc.
Join Jim and Alejandro as they explore why user experience holds a key position in determining the success and widespread adoption of any product or service.
3 Key Takeaways
- The Irrefutable Power of User Experience: If you don’t think that UX is critical to a company’s success, then just think of Zoom. Their product and pricing wasn’t that different to competitors. Yet Zoom’s user experience was so seamless and intuitive that it quickly became the go-to video conferencing platform for millions of people around the world. Sorry Webex…😏
- Observe Customers Using Your Product: The single most important thing you can do for UX is to see users and their interactions with products. It’s not enough to blindly trust your design or development team, great as they may be. As Mark Twain says, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” You can’t argue with video evidence when it comes to UX.
- The Dilemma of Dealing with Average Performers in the Workplace: It’s easy to fire people who are terrible at their job. And it’s easy to keep and promote people who are excellent at their job. However, it’s extremely difficult to figure out what to do with people who are average at their job. Fire them? Train them? The thing is, you have to do something. Your company will never excel if it's full of average performers.
Resources
Alejandro Rivas-Micoud on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandrorivasmicoud/
Userlytics: https://www.userlytics.com/
Userlytics on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/userlytics-corporation/
Userlytics on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/userlytics/
Userlytics on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/userlyticscorporation/
Userlytics on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Userlytics
About Our Guest
A serial entrepreneur, Alejandro has been founding or co-founding companies since he launched a grocery delivery business in Spain at the age of 14.
A San Francisco native and Nuclear Operations Engineer with an MBA from INSEAD, Alejandro has lived, worked and launched companies in Japan, Europe, and the U.S. Some of his startups have had phenomenal exits, some have been learning experiences, but all of them had a strong international/global component to them.
Alejandro has had the experience of managing the preparation of an IPO, has launched and completed an MBO as well as a major corporate restructuring and turnaround, launched an innovative fixed wireless franchising business, and has successfully managed company acquisitions, mergers, divestitures and joint ventures.
With experience in the utility, telecom, and the B2B SaaS industries, Alejandro has learnt the crucial importance of a great user experience for the success of any company, whether a startup or a fortune 100 firm. His current venture, Userlytics, founded in 2009, is
Pricing & Packaging (P&P) doesn’t need to be complex, but it does need to be purposeful.
Does your pricing and packaging strategy entice new customers, retain loyal customers, and topple competitors? If not, how could you implement a P&P structure to do so?
In this solocast, Jim Barnish identifies three keys for executing a pricing and packaging strategy to perfection:
- Set a Strategy: Like other areas of your business, you should be purposeful in setting your vision for what pricing and packaging means for your organization and what your goals are for this strategy.
- Validate Your Ideas With Research: Customer research is essential to understand their needs and preferences, which should be the core of any pricing and packaging strategy. Additionally, market research and competitive analysis also plays a crucial role because it allows you to communicate value to the market and position your product in its sweet spot.
- Different Customers Require Different Approaches: When implementing an overhaul of your pricing and packaging strategy, it’s beneficial to group your customers into two groups: new customers and old customers. New customers are unaware of your historical prices, however, existing customers might resist changes in pricing and packaging, so a well-planned transition with over-communication, transparency, and customer support is crucial.
Listen to Jim’s Other Solocast About Pricing & Packaging
This episode is Jim’s second solocast about pricing. Here’s his first episode: https://www.orchid.black/podcast/72
In that episode, he talks about value-based pricing, packaging challenges, and understanding the competitive landscape when it comes to pricing and packaging.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
As the CEO of FirstHive, Aditya Bhamidipaty and his team built a B2C marketing automation platform that unifies customer interactions across all channels. From social media to email marketing to websites, and from anonymous conversations to post-login conversations, Aditya knows that every customer interaction counts.
Join Jim and Aditya as they dive into the difficulties and opportunities of delivering consistent brand messaging across all customer touch points.
3 Key Takeaways
- Harnessing Top Talent for Long-Term Organizational Success: Entrepreneurs often struggle with creating a strong culture and aligning their team with their mission. The people you surround yourself with can make all the difference in the success and longevity of your organization. Do you see yourself collaborating with your core team for the next, say, five to ten years? If so, consider providing equity to your employees. By offering company shares as part of employees’ compensation packages, you’ll promote a sense of ownership and accountability.
- Know Your Customers: When you have a deep understanding of your consumers, you can engage with them in a more relevant and meaningful manner. This allows you to deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time through their preferred communication channels.
- If You Don’t Control Your Customer Data, You Don’t Control Your Customer’s Experience: The data landscape is cluttered with dozens of providers that essentially own various data points of your customer data. If you don’t shed some of those providers, and consolidate your customer data, you’ll always struggle to control the experiences your customers have with your products and services.
Resources
FirstHive, a marketing platform that delivers real-time analytics and executes cross-channel campaigns: www.firsthive.com
Aditya Bhamidipaty on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityabhamidipaty/
About Our Guest
Aditya is the founder and CEO of FirstHive. Aditya started his career with P&G and worked in Europe with iGate. His previous experience also includes co-founding Emart Solutions, a leading customer experience and loyalty agency in India. He did his MBA from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management - Ahmedabad. He loves playing cricket, coaching kids in soccer, and going on hikes with his boys.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube:
Marc Daniels is the CEO and co-founder of ResultsBI, a business intelligence platform that has helped thousands of companies create a strategic plan, execute it, and track it. His passion is guiding entrepreneurs through creating a Strategic Plan of growth, and helping them execute that.
Join Jim and Marc as they compare and contrast strategic ambitions and execution frustrations.
3 Key Takeaways
- Planning Is Worthless Without Execution: For an ambitious entrepreneur with a laser focus on growth, meticulous planning is essential. Yet planning alone can only take an entrepreneur so far. The true path to success lies in effective execution. As Marc says in this episode: “Planning is crucial to your success. But it’s the execution that brings in the millions.”
- Riches in the Niches: Focus on your niche, core competencies. This allows you to respond quickly to customer demands, technological advancements and competitor moves. If you spread your business too thin, you’ll find it difficult to stay relevant in a dynamic business landscape.
- Experiment with Trends: If you pick a trend every quarter, eventually you’ll pick one that is right and adds a lot of value to your business.
Resources
Marc Daniels on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-daniels-231456a3/
Marc on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marcldaniels/
Marc on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarcResults
ResultsBI website: http://resultsbi.com
ResultsBI on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/resultsbi
About Our Guest
1970s: Marc Daniels launched one of the US's first computer mail-order companies.
1980s: Marc launched his first online presence and rebranded Varityper to PrePress Solutions, which grew from bankruptcy to $55M in yearly sales.
1990s: Marc worked with Instrumentation Engineering, which sold for $300M in 2001.
2000s: Marc worked on the launch of GameDealer.com, which sold to Electronic's Boutique, and co-founded Diligent Board Member Services, which sold to private equity for 941 Million NZD in 2016.
2010s: Marc is the CEO and co-founder of ResultsBI, a business intelligence platform that has helped thousands of companies create a strategic plan, execute it, and track it. His passion is guiding entrepreneurs through creating a Strategic Plan of growth, and helping them execute that.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website:
Most business owners who have mastered growth eventually end up asking themselves questions like: How will I know if it's the right time to sell my business? What steps do I need to take to prepare my company for an exit? Where can I go for help?
In this solocast, Jim Barnish outlines how to time a successful exit. Selling your business can be very stressful - lots can go wrong. However, when done correctly, a business owner can achieve life-changing results, both financial and emotional.
Some of what Jim gets into:
- Understand your motivators: It can be beneficial to think through the different motivators all business owners have—financial motivators, strategic motivators, and personal motivators.
- Know when the time is right: A good time to sell your business is when you have a strong motivator, you are confident you will meet you financial goals, and you are psychologically prepared to sell.t
- Lessons from LinkedIn’s exit: From this sale ($26 billion!), business owners can learn what an ideal transaction can look like, including tangible growth opportunities, ease of integration, complementary solutions and services, and ability to work together to grow market share.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Aydin Mirzaee is a tech CEO passionate about helping people save time. A productivity guru, serial founder, and SaaS industry veteran with an exit to SurveyMonkey under his belt, Aydin has been through the gamut of building and exiting businesses.
Join Jim and Aydin as they explore how Aydin and his coworkers at Fellow.app are revolutionizing the way teams interact with fewer and better meetings.
3 Key Takeaways
- Normalize Confrontation: Most people dislike confrontation. But disagreements are normal and should be expected as a part of the workplace (group think hurts organizations y’all!).. But, after a final decision has been made, even if you disagreed with it initially, commit and go full in.
- Research is a Balancing Act: Do too much research, and you’ll figure out all the reasons why something won’t work. Don’t sabotage yourself from taking a chance and starting something. This is particularly relevant for second-time founders after you’ve had a win and feel like you know all the things to do better this time around 🤷♂️
- Embrace Product Impermanence: Whatever product you decide to build, build it quickly. After you launch, you’ll be pivoting anyway. What products do you know that are unchanged since they came out? Oh yeah, practically none of them.
Resources
Aydin Mirzaee on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aydinmirzaee/
Learn about Fellow: http://www.fellow.app
Listen to Supermanagers, a podcast by Fellow: https://fellow.app/supermanagers/
Aydin Mirzaee on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aydin
About Our Guest
Aydin Mirzaee is the co-founder and CEO of Fellow.app, a meeting productivity platform that helps organizations have fewer, better meetings.
Prior to Fellow, he co-founded Fluidware in 2008 and grew it to 90 staff members before selling it to SurveyMonkey, where he served as General Manager of SurveyMonkey Canada.
Aydin is also the co-founder of Fresh Founders, a non-profit organization with the vision to foster a community of top entrepreneurs in Canada.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Ben Weiss has significantly impacted the cryptocurrency space not once, but twice. A bona fide crypto thought leader (there are a lot of crypto charlatans out there), Ben has led a company that has exceeded $1B in transaction volume and also gets deep into the weeds of cryptocurrency regulation. Oh, and Ernst & Young recently named him an Entrepreneur of the Year.
Join Jim and Ben as they explore Ben’s wild ride from dorm room to Bitcoin ATMs to dreams of connecting with a billion crypto users.
3 Key Takeaways
- Simplify, Simplify, Simplify: Committing to making your product as easy-to-use as humanly possible will set you apart from competitors. Prioritize simplicity, intuitiveness, and a smooth user experience throughout every aspect of your product.
- Know Yourself: Building a business is a roller coaster ride. We can—like many business owners—lose our identities by intertwining them with our careers. Our personal worth shouldn’t be so closely tied to the success of a business.
- Explain the Why: You hire executives to do a job. They’re better than you at it (or you have a problem), so let them take care of the “how.” But for them to be most effective, they need to know the “why” in all that they do—that’s your job as the leader!
Resources
https://www.olliv.com/en-US/
https://coinflip.tech/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/benweisscoinflip
About Our Guest
Ben Weiss co-founded CoinFlip in 2015 and served as the Chief Operating Officer before being appointed as Chief Executive Officer in April 2021. Since its inception, Ben has led the company’s strategy and helped CoinFlip surpass $1B in transaction volume. In addition to running a burgeoning startup, Ben works with governing bodies towards cryptocurrency regulation. Regarded as a thought-leader in the crypto space, he is regularly interviewed by major news outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and The Washington Post, and has given several keynote speeches about the future of cryptocurrency.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Many growth-stage companies make mistakes when it comes to pricing and packaging. If you’re losing sales and experiencing negative brand impressions, maybe it’s time you took a good hard look at your pricing and packaging. For starters, are you focusing on value or cost?
In this solocast, Jim Barnish details simple solutions to rethink pricing and packaging for companies committed to growth.
Some of what Jim gets into:
- Value-based pricing: Customers don't care about your cost structure or your margins. They care about achieving their desired outcomes at a fair price.
- Packaging challenges: Trying to align your offering to what customers perceive the value to be.
- Company Self-awareness: Understanding the competitive landscape (pricing, brand, etc.) and your place in the market.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
In just two and a half years, with just six people, Adam Robinson bootstrapped his company, Retention.com, to $12M Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) with 6 employees. By next year, he’s on target to hit $20M ARR.
Join Jim and Adam as they explore the importance of taking calculated risks while building businesses.
3 Key Takeaways
- Focus First, Expand Later: Retention.com sells only to Shopify Plus (top-tier) stores. Find a niche (in the market) and exploit it. Worry about expanding after you’ve won that market.
- Experiment with Minimal Resources: Before throwing substantial amounts of time and money at a business idea, dedicate the least amount of resources to it to check if it’s viable. Try experimenting as lean as possible. Only after you receive a strong signal back from the market should you throw significant capital at an idea.
- Market Variability is Real: Sometimes your business will have growth spurts where you’re growing rapidly, and you’ll need a larger sales force. At other times, it could seem like that sales force is twiddling their thumbs. Be aware of what’s happening in your market and react appropriately.
Resources
Visit Retention’s website: https://retention.com/
Adam Robinson on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retentionadam
Adam on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RetentionAdam
The Four Steps to the Epiphany: Successful Strategies for Products that Win, a book by Steve Blank that Adam recommends: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0976470705/
About Our Guest
Adam Robinson is the Founder and CEO of Retention.com. A former finance professional at Lehman Brothers, Adam launched Robly, an email marketing company. With no prior tech background, in two years he grew the bootstrapped startup to $5M in revenue. When a cutting-edge identity resolution feature he added to Robly gained user interest, he pivoted. With an 8-figure exit, he founded what would later become Retention.com. Today, Retention.com transforms anonymous website visitors into authenticated first-party data, helping clients unlock unparalleled high-ROI marketing flows.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Tomer Azenkot joined Vee24, a video-powered digital customer experience platform, as CEO in 2022 to help brands accelerate their digital business. Amidst a cultural transformation in buyers' expectations, he believes that when a company delivers a great customer experience, growth will follow.
Join Jim and Tomer as they talk about the future of customer engagement, specifically as it relates to the development of AI, chatbots, and video chat for in-store > online sales.
3 Key Takeaways
- Differentiate Yourself From Past Leaders: When Tomer started as CEO of Vee24, he learned that a previous CEO only visited their overseas team once in two years. Tomer visits them monthly. As a leader, you need to foster collaboration and innovation in your organization. If you’re stuck, always lean on the side of investing extra time in your people.
- AI Ain’t Gonna Solve Everything: Way too many people talk about how AI is revolutionizing the world. But people like people, and human interaction will continue to be essential in most businesses. We can’t lose sight of the importance of person-to-person interaction. The data shows that people buy more from humans than bots.
- Consider Becoming Extremely Transparent: When Tomer took over the reins of his company, he instigated an “overly transparent” system. All strategic tracking and OKR frameworks are viewable by the full team. No one wonders why things are being done.
Resources
Tomer Azenkot on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomerazenkot/
Vee24’s website: https://vee24.com/
Vee24 on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vee24/
“The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers,” a book by Ben Horowitz that Jim and Tomer discuss in this episode: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062273205
About Our Guest
Over the last decade of Tomer Azenkot’s career, he has been at the intersection of online video and digital customer experience. Having a passion for building products and teams that focus on delighting customers, he has led multiple organizations in periods of rapid growth and success. He is currently CEO of Vee24.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
P.S. Above, we wrote: “The data shows that people buy more from humans than bots.” We sourced that from Gil Press, “AI Stats News: 86% Of Consumers Prefer Humans To Chatbots”:
Greg Ross-Munro and his company Sourcetoad create software for some of the biggest companies in the world, helping them design API management systems, financial tools, and customer facing apps.
Join Jim and Greg as they explore how non-tech companies can transform themselves into tech-enabled businesses. This transformation isn’t about implementing technology because you think you need to. This requires a purposeful approach that aligns technology solutions with your strategic goals.
3 Key Takeaways
- Know Your Clients’ Customers: How well do you know your clients’ customers? Don’t solely focus on your client because they’re paying you. The success of their customers is tied to your success. Make it a goal to understand the desires, expectations, and pains of your clients’ customers.
- Get Out Of Your Company’s Way: In the early stages, a founder is instrumental to a company’s success. But as the company matures, they can be its biggest impediment. Many people reject that the “founders’ dilemma” applies to them, after all—it’s only other companies this applies to 😉
- If You Don’t Measure It, You Can’t Manage It: Greg self-admittedly “didn't know how to run a company” and had “run companies into the ground.” Then he found Objectives and Key Results (OKRs for short). OKRs empowered his team to measure progress and identify areas for improvement. OKRs—or another goal-setting framework—can help your employees see how their accomplishments tie to the strategy leading the organization towards greater success.
Resources
Connect with Greg on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregrossmunro/
Sourcetoad: https://sourcetoad.com/
Get Greg’s book, “Herding Cats and Coders: Software Development for Non-Techies”: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998680117
Greg on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregdrm
About Our Guest
Greg Ross-Munro is the founder and CEO of Sourcetoad, a custom software development firm that builds mobile and web applications for medium to large enterprises. Founded in 2008, Sourcetoad has grown to 65 employees and has support centers on three continents. They have built systems for clients like Viking Cruises, Jackson Hewitt, Procter and Gamble, Luxottica, the US Special Forces, and dozens of startups. Greg is also the author of “Herding Cats and Coders,” a guide to software development for non-techies.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Breaking through the $5 million revenue ceiling can be a slog. 95% of businesses find themselves unable to surpass this threshold. If you’re approaching this level, and want to surpass it, you could focus on the negatives that are holding you back. Maybe its been poor hiring decisions. Maybe it’s failure to continuously innovate. Maybe it’s not keeping up with disruptive trends. Whatever it is, it’s time to shift your focus so you can scale and prioritize long-term growth.
In this solocast, Jim Barnish will walk you through three proven strategies that you can apply to your business to help you break the $5 million revenue ceiling.
The three strategies are:
- Investing in a robust customer success team.
- Emphasizing product innovation.
- Harnessing the power of strategic partnerships.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Doug Short is a trailblazer in the healthcare industry and is changing the way patients and hospitals think about health insurance and technology. Committed to using technology to transform the healthcare industry from a “diagnose and prescribe” model to a “predict and prevent” model, Doug is at the forefront of our nation’s much needed healthcare revolution.
Join Jim and Doug as they explore how millions of Americans are on the cusp of having personalized health plans that take into account everything from their gender to their metabolic disposition.
3 Key Takeaways
- A Sexagenarian Startup: Doug refers to his company as a “60-year-old startup.” Being an entrepreneur is more than simply starting a business. It’s a mindset. It’s about repeatedly—perhaps over decades—creating something new and innovative.
- Healthcare Ripe for Disruption: Amazon outsmarted Sears. Netflix pummeled Blockbuster. All the current big healthcare companies have been around for a long time - and it shows. The industry is in need of innovation. Food for thought - what other industries increase their prices by 10%+ each year and people don’t bat an eye? People eventually catch on (and vehemently oppose) to corporate greed..
- Logic > Tradition: In 2023 insurance shouldn’t be based solely on the demographic you’re in. It should be based on you, and your individual lifestyle characteristics.
Resources
Doug Short on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-short-clu-cfp-rhu-lutcf-20698056/
BeniComp Health Solutions on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/benicomp/
Learn about BeniComp’s innovative health insurance solutions: https://www.benicomp.com/
About Our Guest
As the CEO of BeniComp Health Solutions, Doug Short leads a team that creates tech products that solve healthcare challenges facing employers and individuals. Doug and his team believe in the importance of collaboration and are actively focused on establishing a proof-of-concept model for population health and empowering workforces with sustainable healthcare.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Noah Berk has over 20 years experience in B2B marketing, sales, and strategy and is a co-founder of OBO, a technology performance group. Established in 2016, OBO helps solve the digital challenges of modern organizations by partnering with some of the top software companies in the world.
Join Jim Barnish and Noah Berk as they discuss outbound email marketing, the pros and cons of partners, and optimizing HubSpot, Salesforce, and Monday.com.
3 Key Takeaways
- Professional Service Organizations🤝 Sales: Often professional service firms are run by consultants who are experts at the work they do (which is why they’re consultants). But they’re not salespeople. If you’re building a professional services organization, you’ll need key people who are experts at positioning your organization and selling to prospects.
- Develop Direct Client Acquisition Channels: Even if the majority of your revenue originates from partners, don’t be reliant on them to bring in new clients. To scale and grow your organization, you also need to diversify your lead sources so you’re not dependent on partners (which increases the risk in your business and decreases its value).
- Using the 80/20 Rule for Outreach: For 80% of the messages you send prospects, create a general messaging sequence that applies to their customer segment (organization type, pain points, etc.). For the remaining 20%, which are high priority targets, take the time to do more personalized outreach.
Resources
Noah Berk on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noahberk
OBO’s website: https://theobogroup.com/
OBO on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theobogroup/
Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business, a book by Danny Meyer that Jim and Noah discuss in this episode: https://amzn.to/3N1ZGj3
The Boutique: How To Start, Scale, And Sell A Professional Services Firm, a book by Greg Alexander that Noah recommends in this episode: https://amzn.to/43PZZDl
About Our Guest
Noah Berk is a co-founder and co-CEO of OBO, a Technology Performance Group that provides technology solutions and support to optimize organizations' sales, marketing, customer service, and project management systems. Established in 2016, OBO helps solve the digital challenges of modern organizations by creating people-focused solutions.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Manik Suri is Founder and CEO of Therma, a technology startup whose mission is to combat climate change by reducing food waste, refrigerant leakage, and energy use from the global refrigeration system. Therma is deployed across restaurants, retailers, and manufacturers nationwide, with leading brands including McDonald’s, 7-Eleven, NOW Foods, and Marriott Hotels.
Join Jim Barnish and Manik Suri as they discuss innovations in the cooling industry, creating an app customers loved yet rarely used, pivoting your business, expanding your sales channels, and experimenting with various business strategies until you find a few that work.
3 Key Takeaways
- Understand Your Customer Acquisition Model: In the past, Therma offered a freemium model, but got burned by customers' churn before the recurring revenue started. Focus on paying customers to better understand what top of funnel customer acquisition works for you.
- Raising Capital Is Not the End Game: “Raising money is really a tool, not an end. It's just a way to scale impact and do things faster.”
- Bridging the Divide: Mass media might make you think that the government and tech companies are at odds with each other. But if you get to know the people involved, it might surprise you to see that they are two groups of people working towards similar outcomes.
Resources
Manik Suri on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maniksuri/
Manik Suri on Twitter: https://twitter.com/manikvsuri
Therma website: https://hellotherma.com/
Therma on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hellotherma
About Our Guest
Manik Suri is the Founder and CEO of technology company Therma. Before founding Therma, Manik co-founded the Governance Lab (GovLab), an innovation center at NYU that developed technology solutions to improve government. He is a former Affiliate of Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society and has held positions at global investment firm D.E. Shaw & Company and the White House National Economic Council.
Before founding Therma, Manik co-founded the Governance Lab (GovLab), an innovation center at NYU that developed technology solutions to improve government. He is a former Affiliate of Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society and has held positions at global investment firm D.E. Shaw & Company and the White House National Economic Council.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Manik Suri is Founder and CEO of Therma, a technology startup whose mission is to combat climate change by reducing food waste, refrigerant leakage, and energy use from the global refrigeration system. Therma is deployed across restaurants, retailers, and manufacturers nationwide, with leading brands including McDonald’s, 7-Eleven, NOW Foods, and Marriott Hotels.
Join Jim Barnish and Manik Suri as they discuss innovations in the cooling industry, creating an app customers loved yet rarely used, pivoting your business, expanding your sales channels, and experimenting with various business strategies until you find a few that work.
3 Key Takeaways
- Understand Your Customer Acquisition Model: In the past, Therma offered a freemium model, but got burned by customers' churn before the recurring revenue started. Focus on paying customers to better understand what top of funnel customer acquisition works for you.
- Raising Capital Is Not the End Game: “Raising money is really a tool, not an end. It's just a way to scale impact and do things faster.”
- Bridging the Divide: Mass media might make you think that the government and tech companies are at odds with each other. But if you get to know the people involved, it might surprise you to see that they are two groups of people working towards similar outcomes.
Resources
Manik Suri on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maniksuri/
Manik Suri on Twitter: https://twitter.com/manikvsuri
Therma website: https://hellotherma.com/
Therma on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hellotherma
About Our Guest
Manik Suri is the Founder and CEO of technology company Therma. Before founding Therma, Manik co-founded the Governance Lab (GovLab), an innovation center at NYU that developed technology solutions to improve government. He is a former Affiliate of Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society and has held positions at global investment firm D.E. Shaw & Company and the White House National Economic Council.
Before founding Therma, Manik co-founded the Governance Lab (GovLab), an innovation center at NYU that developed technology solutions to improve government. He is a former Affiliate of Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society and has held positions at global investment firm D.E. Shaw & Company and the White House National Economic Council.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
If you're feeling powerless and frustrated as you keep investing time and money into your company, only to see diminishing returns and waning interest from prospects, you are not alone!
In this solocast, Jim Barnish offers insights and strategies for thriving in declining industries. Jim focuses on three key strategies, which, if executed correctly, will boost business growth and enterprise value. Hear the transformation stories of Netflix, Adobe and Domino's (didn’t think they were a tech company, did you?) in this episode.
Some of what we’ll get into:
- How to transform your business model to thrive in the rapidly changing landscape
- Embracing new technology in order to enhance your business relevance and value
- Broadening your horizons by tapping into adjacent markets
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Tommy Sheahan is the CEO of Red Oxygen, a leading developer and distributor of email to SMS software applications. His company combines the power of today’s email applications with the ease, convenience and mobility of SMS messaging. This technology is more important than ever with new regulations on text-messaging that could cost businesses big time.
Join Tommy and Jim as they talk about the growth of Red Oxygen and how it is changing the game for business-to-consumer messaging.You’ll hear about getting into a market too early, the current regulatory issues facing mobile carriers and the negative impact on small businesses, and how Red Oxygen provides a solution to these issues.
3 Key Takeaways
- Get Team Feedback: Empower your team to feel like owners in the business. Get their input on where your company is and where they think it should be going. It might open your eyes to things you don’t see from your point of view.
- Have a Well-Rounded Advisor: As founders or CEOs, we like to think we know the company best, but having a well-rounded, experienced advisor by your side can help you see the “forest from the trees,” as Tommy says. He also claims it’s helpful when they have a few gray hairs!
- Follow the Playbook - There are (most likely) people that have done what you’re looking to do. Don’t reinvent the wheel, find comparable companies that are a step or two ahead of you and follow the roadmap they’ve created.
Resources
Tommy’s LinkedIn
Red Oxygen Website
About
Tommy Sheahan is an experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the computer software industry. He is a strong business development professional skilled in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Sales, Go-to-market Strategy, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Mobile Applications.
Established in Australia in 2001, Red Oxygen is one of the world’s leading developers and distributors of email to SMS software applications and related desktop messaging software. Red Oxygen combines the power of today’s email applications with the ease, convenience and mobility of SMS messaging.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
During his time in university, Joseph Black discovered a pivotal flaw in the current education to employment gap. Many of his peers either lacked the experience to go into their desired field after graduating, or had to leave school altogether due to the rising cost of living, so Joseph decided to create a platform to change that. As the Co-Founder & CEO of UniTaskr, Joseph built a platform connecting students with quick & reliable part-time work by providing tasks set by members of the local community.
Join Joseph and Jim as they talk about building Joseph and his co-founder’s vision of tackling the student financial crisis into a usable, successful platform. They’ll get into mistakes and pivots made early on in the process, marketing strategies to grow the platform (Word on the street Gen-Z uses this platform called TikTok)and UniTaskr’s evolution from local to global by focusing on the demand for highly skilled remote workers.
3 Key Takeaways
- The Difference Between a Boss and a Leader: “A boss will dictate, a leader will work alongside you.” As a founder, it can be easy to fall into the mindset that you have to always be the boss, but a leader keeps their team motivated, creates transparency, and gets people invested in the company values. Are you a boss, or are you a leader?
- Know Your Employees with Regular Touchpoints: At UniTaskr, they have “quarterly appraisals'' that act as a touchpoint with each employee to give them the opportunity to discuss their progress at work, set key milestones, and share how they’re feeling within their day-to-day roles. This creates happier employees more invested in your company’s vision and more likely to stick with you.
- Having a Technical Cofounder Helps: Newsflash - It can be tough to build a tech company if none of the founding team knows how to code. As you’re looking to start a company, find people that fill the gaps you have; none more important than someone that can build the product!
Resources
Joseph’s LinkedIn
About
From a reusable golf ball seller at age 11 to safari ranger at 16, Joseph’s journey to founding his current company (UniTaskr) at 19 has been a meteoric rise.
UniTaskr - The Student Marketplace, has been created in order to tackle the student financial crisis. Students all over the world are constantly on the lookout for ways to earn money effectively around their studies. Meanwhile members of the general public and local businesses are constantly on the lookout for ways of cutting costs.
UniTaskr allows students to find quick & reliable part time work, through accepting tasks set by members of the local community. Upon signing up, students are able to highlight any key tasks they believe they can complete, then when a member of the public posts a request, the right students are notified.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
In this solocast, Jim Barnish shares his 3 decision making methods for founders and CEOs, and more importantly, how to involve your team in those decisions to get them invested in the results. If you’ve ever struggled to truly align your team with business decisions, this episode is for you.
Some of what we’ll get into:
- How to improve your decision-making process
- The pros and cons of each decision-making method and difference between Type 1 and Type 2 decisions
- Creating buy-in from your team and keeping them invested
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Chris Federspiel, the Founder and CEO of blackthorn.io, has grown his company from a small team of developers to 105 employees and millions in monthly revenue.The Blackthorn Engagement Suite features Salesforce-native applications for events, payments, compliance, messaging, and more. The success of blackthorn.io continues to grow, but like many founders, Chris’ journey hasn’t always been an easy one.
Join Chris and Jim as they discuss the founding and growth of blackthorn.io, supporting employees and keeping them happy (with a 4-day work week!), overcoming struggles with funding and a “near-death experience” for the business, and the mental battles along the founder journey and the weight of building a company.
3 Key Takeaways
- The Brilliance to Kill: As Jim puts it, “The brilliance to kill often outweighs the brilliance to create.” Don’t be afraid to stop something that you know isn’t working, no matter how much time you’ve already put into it. Know when to cut your losses and move on to the next big thing for your business.
- Work Where Your Patience Is: We tend to perform best with tasks we have the most patience for. Make sure you’re bringing on people who have patience where you don’t so you can focus on what you’re best at as a CEO.
- Tinker until the Price is Right: Chris received some counterintuitive (but valuable) advice on pricing that many business owners miss: “Double your price until people say you’re crazy, then double it again.”
Resources
Chris’ LinkedIn
blackthorn.io Website
About
Blackthorn.io makes Salesforce apps for higher education and nonprofits for event management, and home services for mobile payments.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
With years of experience in fundraising, founding and working with nonprofits, and studying the nonprofit sector at graduate and law school, Nejeed Kassam saw the potential for more to be done to strengthen the organizations and professionals who work tirelessly every day to make our society better. That’s why he founded Keela, a complete software solution for nonprofits looking to grow revenue, manage data, track performance, and deepen their donor engagement.
Join Nejeed and Jim as they discuss nonprofits and how Keela can help them use technology to do more for their communities. They’ll talk about the digital transformation of non-profit operations, the shift in mindset required to scale a business, and the transparency needed with your team to better communicate and prioritize as you grow.
3 Key Takeaways
- Create Your Own Growth Formula: Nejeed is happy to veer from the typical growth formula for his company to be more intentional and drive the business forward in the best way he can. He says it best, “it's not growth at all costs. It's growth in the right way, in the most repeatable, scalable, repeatable way”.
- Be Careful About What You Build: Scaling your business usually comes with a drastic change to the way you’ve been doing things. Your focus shifts, your mindset shifts, and you find what got you to your first milestone might not get you to the second, third, or fourth. Embrace the shift and don’t let the business stagnate.
- Being a Good CEO = Being a Good Coach: A huge part of your role as the leader of a company is coaching your team to be their own leaders and tackle their own challenges. Sure, it might seem easier to do it all yourself at first, but that isn’t scalable. Empowering young leaders and teaching them to grow their skills will only help you and your business in the long run.
ResourcesNejeed’s LinkedIn
Keela Website
AboutAfter years of fundraising, founding and working with nonprofits, authoring a book about change, and studying more about the nonprofit sector at graduate and law school, Nejeed Kassam realized more had to be done to strengthen the organizations and professionals who work tirelessly every day, to make our society better.
Nejeed believes a strong nonprofit sector is fundamental to our freedom, harmony, protection, success, and growth as a society. Keela was born out of a desire to strengthen the nonprofit sector. Nejeed understands that technology is more than capable of transforming the way we work, fundraise, build relationships with donors and do good, and Keela’s tools are setting the pace for the future of the nonprofit sector.
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In our inaugural solocast, Jim Barnish dives into a topic that founders don’t talk enough about: founder burnout. If you want to unlock the secret to thriving both personally and professionally as a founder, this episode is for you.
Some of what we’ll get into:
- Identifying founder burnout and its impact
- Jim’s personal experience with founder burnout and lessons learned
- Practical tips to simultaneously scale your business AND personal life
Direct links to podcast:
Spotify – http://bit.ly/spotify-authentic
Apple – http://bit.ly/apple-authentic
YouTube – https://bit.ly/youtube-authentic
Connect with me:
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjmsalespro
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/rjmsalespro/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/rjmsalespro
Web – http://ryanjamesmiller.com/
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Zack Dugow, the Founder and CEO of Insticator, has mastered user engagement for publishers. He believes that the future of social media lies outside of the walled gardens of platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Insticator builds social communities for publishers to connect audiences on their sites by curating relevant content for their users. Much like Facebook’s algorithm pushes content they think you’ll like based on your Facebook interactions, now publishers can interact with users to learn what they like and increase ad revenue with a better picture of your audience. In this episode, Zack tells you exactly how that works and shares all the benefits Insticator provides for publishers and their users.
Join Zack and Jim as they talk about building strong publisher communities for improved user engagement. They discuss maximizing ad revenue, building strong teams and the potential pitfalls of acquisitions, and creating a better experience for users without sacrificing privacy.
3 Key Takeaways
- Define Success for the Stage: Sometimes your team's skill sets are really helpful to the business in one stage may but they not be helpful in the next stage. Question to ponder, what would it look like having an A-player in a leadership seat where you currently have a B or C-player?’
- When Acquiring Companies, Create a Cultural Diligence Checklist: So many M&A deals fall short post-acquisition because of a cultural mismatch. When acquiring a company, learn about their culture (e.g., do people answer the phone after hours, are they team-first or customer-first, etc.) by asking questions and building a checklist to see how the organizations align culturally.
- Check Yourself: Grind culture is highly celebrated in the entrepreneurial world, but when it comes to your work as a CEO, quality is better than quantity. A well-rested,physically active CEO makes better decisions than one who is burnt out.
ResourcesZack’s LinkedInZack’s Instagram
AboutZack is the Founder and CEO of Insticator, a leading global Publisher engagement platform. With over 100+ team members spanning the globe and nearly 2000 publishers utilizing their content engagement units, commenting, and monetization solutions, Insticator is considered one of the most rapidly expanding companies in North America, with their products reaching over 2 billion users annually.
Over the last four years, the company has been named to the Inc. 5000, the Deloitte Technology Fast 500, Crain’s New York Business Fast 50, and AdWeek’s Fastest Growing Solution Providers for Publishers lists. I have also been recognized on the DMN Top 40 Under 40 list and named to Crain's New York’s 40 Under Forty list.
Early on, Zack established Insticator partnerships with large-scale media companies such as The Washington Post, WebMD, and Ancestry.com. In addition to heading Insticator, Zack mentors and invests in startups. Zack is a member of YPO, the IAB and a contributor to the Forbes Tech Council.
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Most content creators are very familiar with the never-ending game of email ping-pong to get content edited and approved. Niklas Dorn, a creative and ambitious entrepreneur, identified this problem and founded Filestage, a platform that streamlines content review and approval processes. With a passion for finding a more efficient and innovative way to enhance workflows, the Filestage team has developed a powerful solution to improve communication and collaboration for content creators worldwide. As a result, Filestage now boasts over 700 customers and helps marketing teams and agencies save time and resources during their content approval process.
Join Niklas and Jim as they discuss the benefits of streamlining content review and approval using this game-changing platform. You’ll get to hear about Niklas’ experience in starting a remote company (before it was cool) and understand all the steps he had to take to turn an innovative idea into a successful platform and business.
3 Key Takeaways
- Invest in Your Core Team: In the early days, it can be easy to fall into the pattern of hiring cheap just to get things done. But at the end of the day, paying more for a few key people that are all-star employees can make all the difference.
- Explain the Why: If you want something from somebody, try to give them as much context as you can. Without knowing the bigger picture behind it, an employee may just complete the task and move on, but with context, they can do a much better job and even come up with a new solution or process to make the task more efficient in the future.
- Intentionally Communicate: As the co-founder of a fully remote business, Niklas has learned that nothing “just happens” communication-wise. You need to be explicit about how you communicate and what you share with your team to shape the company culture in a proactive way.
ResourcesFilestage WebsiteNiklas’ LinkedIn
AboutFilestage is a review and approval platform that frees teams from chaotic approval processes, making work more joyful and productive. From large enterprises to independent agencies, we help teams share, discuss, and approve all their files, all in one place – including documents, images, videos, websites, and audio files. Filestage was founded in 2015 by Niklas and his two cofounders and is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, with a remote team working all over the world.
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With a degree in international studies and training in software development, Michael O’Rourke possesses a unique blend of skills and knowledge that has shaped his understanding of technology and its potential impact on the world. Michael is Co-Founder and CEO of Pocket Network, a Web3 middleware protocol that provides a decentralized infrastructure for blockchain node interaction.
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss Michael’s initial foray into Bitcoin that led to a unicorn Web3 company. You’ll gain insight on the importance of a tempered mindset, finding internal harmony between public service and entrepreneurism, and navigating leadership shifts to get to the next stage.
3 Key Takeaways
- Purposeful Hiring: When a business starts to do well and we see significant growth, it’s easy to get excited and hire rapidly. Take your time and be strategic and intentional with new hires.. Remember: hiring faster doesn’t mean you scale faster!
- Don’t Sleep on Web3: Bitcoin (beginning of Web3) became mainstream in the last decade and was only created in 2009 before rising above a trillion dollar market cap. With people losing faith in our current institutions, there is an opportunity for founders to build up new institutions in the decentralized world of Web3.
- It’s Lonely at the Top: You know what’s tough? Building a high-growth business. What’s even tougher? Letting go of the leadership team that helped get you to where you’re at, knowing (on both sides) that they’re not going to be the team to get you to the next level.
ResourcesPocket Network WebsiteMichael’s Twitter
AboutMichael is Co-Founder and CEO of Pocket Network, a blockchain data ecosystem for Web3 applications. Prior to building Pocket Network, he owned and operated a blockchain development agency, and was on the ground level of Tampa Bay’s largest Bitcoin/Crypto meetup and consultancy, Blockspaces, with a focus on teaching developers Solidity. Michael first got into bitcoin in 2013, and his interests quickly grew much deeper. In 2016, writing smart contracts and making discoveries in API services for Ethereum gave Michael a unique perspective on what is required to provide a vertically and horizontally scalable infrastructure service in a decentralized manner.
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For Ben Goldman, no challenge is insurmountable with a great work ethic and willingness to hustle. Having grown his own business, successfully exiting and becoming a leader in the acquiring company, you won’t want to miss out on his story. As the Senior Vice President of Business Development and Digital Partnerships at Anteriad, it’s Ben’s job to be an expert in understanding marketing, sales, strategy, and how the three fit together to acquire your ideal customer. With his company’s focus on programmatic marketing, Ben is uniquely positioned as business development and sales leader that really understands how all parts in the revenue cycle work together.
Join Ben and Jim as they discuss intent-based marketing and sales with automation. They’ll talk about the obstacles Ben faced on his journey as a founder, how his company was acquired and how he dealt with the transition. Ben will give his expert advice on creating a winning sales and marketing strategy.
3 Key Takeaways
- A Good Company Has (Some) Tension: When your company has healthy tension it means you've all chosen a goal worthy of your time, and you all feel the passion and drive to get it to where it needs to be. Something is off if the leadership team is always agreeing.
- Your Challenge Is Also Your Gift: Growing up with dyslexia presented many challenges for Ben, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. He turned his challenges into a creative mind, a relentless hustle, and an incredible work ethic that has got him where to where he is today.
- Choose the Right Advisors: When picking advisors, you pick people that have done the things you want to do. If you’re looking to become a $50M company, then your advisors should have built a company to $50M. Otherwise, how could they successfully advise you on getting to that point?
ResourcesBen’s LinkedIn
AboutBen is currently the SVP of Business Development and Digital Partnerships at Anteriad. He was the co-founder and CRO at 180byTWO prior to being acquired by Anteriad (formerly MeritB2B) in 2020. At Anteriad, they leverage cutting edge technology, analytics, and data insights to drive our approach to data solutions and audience services.
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Jonathan Kazarian knows how beneficial events can be for businesses to reach their audience and improve brand awareness, but he also knows how stressful and time-consuming hosting these events can be. He saw a gap in the market for user-friendly and cost-effective event technology. That’s why Jonathan founded Accelevents, which has become a leading event technology platform with a user-friendly, customizable experience for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.
Jonathan gives his advice on catering to customer feedback, navigating fundraising, and building a strong and loyal customer base. He also shares what it was like to pivot into virtual events during the 2020 pandemic, and how that space in the market is still booming today.
3 Key Takeaways
- The Customer Is The Catalyst: Make your company as accessible as possible to customers who want to give feedback. Be focused on listening to that feedback and let them know action is being taken to actively improve your service for them. Supporting your customers means they’re supporting you.
- Push Your Team: Top performers want to be challenged. The best people in the company aren’t looking for an easy job, they’re looking to continue building the company, and by extension, their career. Keep them in a position where there is something to be gained
- New To Events? De-Risk!: The safest way to dive into hosting events for your business is to go virtual. It’s less expensive, less time consuming, and it will set your audience up to expect great things so that when you start doing in-person events, you’ve got a built-in audience that will make them a success.
ResourcesAccelevents WebsiteJonathan’s LinkedIn
AboutJonathan Kazarian is the Founder & CEO of Accelevents, a leading virtual and hybrid event management platform recently recognized by Inc. 5000 as a top 100 fastest-growing private company in America.
As CEO, Jonathan is focused on leading the company’s vision of helping event organizers and marketing professionals transform their events through innovative technology solutions. As an industry thought leader, Jonathan actively publishes insights on the events landscape and frequently speaks at industry events such as EventMB’s Event Tech Innovation Summit, BizBash Live, and INBOUND. Jon also chairs the board for the Fall Formal fundraiser benefiting the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Outside of work, Jon has a passion for anything on water — sailing, boating, scuba diving, and kiteboarding.
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With the exponential growth of data in organizations, cyberattacks are becoming frequent and costing American companies millions and risking their reputations. Kevin Coppins, President and CEO of Spirion, knows just how much is at risk when it comes to employee data. When he stepped into his role as CEO, he made sure that the founder’s vision to “eliminate data breaches and the pain associated with them” stayed very much alive.
Join Jim and Kevin as they dive into the cybersecurity threats businesses face with the use of sensitive employee and consumer data. They discuss the importance of companies understanding the value of the information they have in order to protect it, how Covid has changed the world of cybersecurity, and Kevin’s experience transitioning into a CEO role and taking over a company from its founders.
3 Key Takeaways
- Protect the Digital You: The digital version of you is almost as valuable as the physical version of you, and you have to protect it accordingly. This is even more important for businesses, who have tons of “digital people” to protect.
- Choose the Right Buyer : Choosing the right buyer for your company can make or break your company moving forward. Take the time to do your research and find the buyer with the greatest propensity to drive the company where you want it to go. (Hint: It’s not always the highest bidder!)
- Make Customers Successful, Not Happy: Counterintuitive? Maybe. Effective? Definitely. In some industries (e.g., Cybersecurity), not every interaction is going to make customers feel good. There will be tough conversations because data integrity and protection is a high-stakes game and many companies don’t do it right. As a vendor, your job is to make the customer successful (i.e., data and assets secure) - this will cultivate a mutual respect and make for successful, long-term customers.
ResourcesSpirion Website
Kevin’s LinkedIn
Kevin’s Twitter
AboutAs Chief Executive Officer at Spirion, Kevin leads a team of passionate data privacy professionals driven daily to “Protect What Matters Most” for their customers, colleagues and communities. Data breaches continue to grow with more than 33 billion records projected to be stolen in 2023, a 175% increase over 2018. As a result, privacy has taken legislative center stage as people’s physical identities become digitized into a form of personal data currency, for sale to the highest bidder. The real victims of a data breach are those individuals who will forever have to deal with their identities being compromised. It’s why Spirion takes what they do so seriously, and it’s why Kevin is honored to be a part of this team.
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Workers share more data with their employers than with any other service. Whether it’s work history, educational experience,family structure, etc. employers have all of this information at their fingertips.
What if that data could be used to deliver a better experience for every employee? That’s the question that Kiran Menon asked when he founded Tydy, a People Ops Automation platform.
Kiran believes with the increasing number of systems in organizations, employee data is just sitting in silos, and he saw a need for a product to build a cohesive, unified profile of an individual.
Join Jim and Kiran as they discuss how a People Ops platform can improve the employee experience. They discuss whatPeople Ops means and its growing popularity, building custom systems for large businesses (we’re talking 100,000+), and how Kiran’s experience in enterprise sales translates to his work as a founder of a startup.
3 Key Takeaways
- Don’t Shy Away From the Rough Days: When building a business, it’s inevitable that you’ll go through rough patches. Embrace those challenges as they come and build back better every time. You want to build an organization that lasts.
- Identify Your Gatekeepers: Although these aren’t the people who are actually purchasing your service, gatekeepers have a huge influence on whether or not your deal goes through. Find a way to show value to them and how you can make them look good in the sales process!
- Navigating Procurement: When selling to an enterprise, you’re not just selling to the user-group of the product, you have to convince the whole company to get on board. In many cases, this means you will need to go through a procurement process. Be patient, focus on the overall value of your product, and trust in what you’ve created.
ResourcesKiran’s LinkedInTydy Company Website
AboutKiran Menon is the CEO & Co-Founder at Tydy - the People Ops Automation platform. Prior to starting Tydy, Kiran worked 17 years in Sales & Consulting with companies like Opera Software, Case Consulting Group and more.
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Whether it’s a new sport, a new language, or a new instrument, we can’t master a skill overnight. We learn by practicing and making mistakes along the way. That isn’t an option in the medical field because lives are at stake. That’s why Danny Goel, the founder and CEO of Precision OS, has created a simulation software that incorporates VR and AR to allow medical professionals to practice their skills and gain a deeper understanding of a procedure before entering the operating room.
Join Jim and Danny as they explore virtual reality in the medical field. Danny shares his journey in creating Precision OS as they talk about the future of medical care and the challenges that come with implementing new technology in an industry that’s baked in tradition.
3 Key Takeaways
- Validate Before You Scale: Don’t raise funds until you see a direct path towards acceleration. Make sure your agenda aligns with your investor’s agenda, and that the money you raise will go straight into creating tangible results for the goals you have set.
- Feature vs. Value: Don’t focus simply on the wow-factor of your product or service. Creating value that lasts is the key to a sustainable future.
- Valuable Reps > More Reps: People need repetition to learn a skill, but a lot of learning gets diluted in people not being equipped for different situations. e.g., If you’re practicing 3-point shots, yes you should take plenty of shots alone to hone your form, but you also need reps where you have a defender in your face because that’s what you’d face in the game situation.
ResourcesDanny’s LinkedInPrecision OS Website
AboutDanny Goel is an Orthopedic Surgeon in Vancouver, BC. He has a passion for evaluating and managing complex shoulder disorders, improving access to care and educating the next and current generations of surgeons. This has translated into his role as CEO and Founder of Precision OS, a software company focused on immersive experiential virtual reality based medical education.
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The world is becoming more digital by the second, but not everyone is up to speed. Serial entrepreneur, Matias Marquez, helps brands connect with consumers with digital assets. His company, ethos, works with brands to provide digital assets (i.e., NFTs) to customers that have real-world benefits.
Join Jim and Matias as they discuss bringing Web3 to consumer brands.They talk about digital asset ownership, engaging your consumer base, and exit lessons learned.
3 Key Takeaways
- Simplify technology: Make new technology (i.e., NFTs) so simple that users don’t know what they’re interacting with - just that it works and they like it! e.g., You don’t know what happens with the payment interface when you use Apple Pay at Starbucks, it just works seamlessly.
- Exit Intentionally: Some business owners are intentional about every aspect of their business until they get to the exit. Don’t stop being intentional at the end - be mindful of all three parties that matter: employees, customers and shareholders. Yes, that means business owners not simply taking the largest offer…
- Follow the Vision: Create an environment where you’re thinking about the long-term goals of the business (including exit) and chart a path towards it. You can’t get somewhere if you don’t know the end goal.
Resourcesethos Company Websiteethos Company LinkedInMatias’s LinkedInMatias’s TwitterMatias’s Instagram
AboutMatias Marquez is the CEO of ethos, a company that is on a mission to accelerate the world’s mass adoption of Digital Assets (NFTs) by humanizing, simplifying and facilitating rich experiences for brands and their customers. Matias is also an active advisor and investor in technology companies and a PowerPlay Young Entrepreneurs Ambassador.
Matias founded Buyatab in 2009, led it to become a global leader in digital gift giving and sold it to Atlanta-based FLEETCOR Technologies. (NYSE: FLT). By the time of the acquisition, Buyatab’s clients included brands such as Walmart, Whole Foods, Four Seasons, and others.Throughout his career, Matias has received many awards for his entrepreneurial success, including being named a BC Business Top 30 Under 30 recipient in 2016; winner of the 2016 EY Entrepreneur of The Year award; being named to Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2017; and being named a Forty Under 40 recipient in 2018.
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Companies, enterprises, entrepreneurs, and individuals face security threats every day, and Tony UcedaVelez has spent over 25 years understanding and dealing with those threats. During this time, he realized that the cybersecurity industry desperately needed a makeover. He created the company, VerSprite, to fill a void in security consulting where most firms continued to sell their services using fear-factor techniques (“You don’t want your organization to face an 8-digit hack, do you..”) instead of value-added services.
Join Tony and Jim as they discuss the methodology and practices that have brought VerSprite to the forefront of cybersecurity and risk management. They’ll talk about managing risk with intention, scaling a cybersecurity services business, and a spiritual approach to leadership with compassion and accountability.
3 Key Takeaways:
- Don’t Let Fear Control You: Sometimes our fear allows us to validate business decisions that turn out to be bad for the company in the long run. - Be tactical and intentional, don’t let a knee-jerk reaction be your response when something goes wrong.
- Secure Your Business with Intention: Understand the risk appetite of your company and the threat landscape of your industry. Set up security where the risk is most relevant. You don’t need all the bells and whistles that many companies try to scare you into wasting money on.
- Bring in the Experts: As entrepreneurs, we have to not only hone our own skills and strengths but know when to delegate tasks to other experts. Bringing on the right people and giving them the right tasks will make or break your business.
ResourcesTony’s LinkedInVerSprite Website
AboutTony UcedaVélez is the co-creator of the Process for Attack Simulation & Threat Analysis and the CEO of VerSprite. Tony has over 25 years of IT/InfoSec work experience across a vast range of industries. He is also the OWASP leader for Atlanta, GA.
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A good partnership can accelerate building a successful business, and guest Todd Buelow knows firsthand just how advantageous they can be through their work at Dualboot, a 400-person software development company he and his two business partners founded.
Join Todd and Jim as they discuss the advantages and challenges associated with partnerships and growing companies alongside others. From finding partners that have complementary strengths and weaknesses, to staying aligned on a plan (shoutout to other EOS practitioners out there) and even running a business alongside your spouse - this episodes has a little something for everyone.
3 Key Takeaways
- Choosing Dev Teams: Pick a development team that’s right for your stage. 100% of development companies will say they’re good at building from the ground up, but the reality is ~20% are actually adept at that.
- Accountability in Partnerships: Utilize some type of operating system (EOS, OKRs, V2MOM, etc.) to provide visibility into what you’re doing. Check in regularly (quarterly goal setting, weekly progress reports, etc.) to hold each other accountable.
- Failing Fast: As an entrepreneur, you’re going to fail so do it fast. Failing fast means getting up trying something different. 90 days is a good barometer to figure out if something (marketing initiative, customer experiment, etc.) is worth investing more resources into or eliminating.
Resources
Dualboot Company Website
Dualboot LinkedIn Page
Todd’s LinkedIn
AboutDualboot is a business and software development company. When they build your software, it builds your bottom line. Their Founders have 25 years of experience starting, leading, and selling tech companies and products. They know what it takes - and will do whatever it takes - to help you succeed, too.
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Lars Helgeson knows that the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) space is crowded, with Goliaths like SalesForce, Oracle, HubSpot, and Pipedrive taking up their well-established places. But, a strong believer in the underdog, he bootstrapped a multimillion-dollar business and carved out his own space in the CRM and marketing automation industry.
In this episode, Lars joins host Jim Barnish to share his go-to marketing strategy that has allowed him to consistently acquire new customers while competing with more established companies. They discuss making your product stand out, understanding client-company relationships as a whole, and thinking through the lens of the customer.
3 Key Takeaways
- Commoditization: Innovative technology today will become a commodity over time. Figure out how you stand out (i.e., GTM approach, pricing strategy, feature set, etc.), and lean into it to differentiate from competitors.
- Feedback Loop: Honest feedback, especially negative, is necessary for innovation.
- Company Priorities: If you take care of your employees, your employees will take care of your customers, and your customers will take care of the business
ResourcesLars Helgeson’s LinkedInGreenrope Company WebsiteGreenrope LinkedIn Page
AboutLars Helgeson is a retired Air Force veteran, the Author of CRM For Dummies, and the Founder of GreenRope CRM and marketing automation platform. He is dedicated to helping businesses grow and run more efficiently through the concept of "Complete CRM" by using software to build a culture of accountability and team-based sharing of sales, marketing, customer service, and operations in business.
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Josh Holloway, founder and CEO of 7th Dimension, joins Jim Barnish on this episode to talk about all things growth. How do you navigate when your business plateaus and you feel stuck, whether that’s at $2 million, $5 million, or $10 million? Should you invest funds into organic growth through marketing and sales, or consider an acquisition? How do you ensure your company is in order to handle the growth you’re aiming for? Tune into Josh and Jim’s insightful conversation as they dive into answering these questions.
3 Key Takeaways
- Hiring strategy: It should reflect your vision for the company. You need to hire people that will succeed where the company is going, not just where it is today.. If they can handle the workload at $2 or $3 million, but not the $5-10 million you plan to get to in a few years, they’re probably not a fit.
- Content Marketing: Campaigns take time and iterations. Be patient! Test outreach to a reasonable segment of people (more than a few dozen, less than a few hundred) over a multi-month timeframe to get an idea of what works or doesn’t work.
- Mergers and acquisitions: Before you jump into one, consider that you’re taking on a new set of problems to solve, not just new revenue. Make sure your house (company) is stable enough to handle the new expansion. Acquisitions enhance (the good and bad) what is already in place.
Resources
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-holloway-2692147/
Website: https://www.7thdi.com/
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene: https://a.co/d/9P9nF5m
About
Josh Holloway has over 24 years of experience in the IT infrastructure and IT security industry. He serves as CEO at 7thDi that services hundreds of clients in multiple industries across the United States. Josh specializes in managed IT services, network design, and implementation.
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“I can’t describe it, but I know it when I see it,” is pretty common when describing a company’s culture. But not so much for Bobby Mason, CEO of SPOC Automation. Bobby joins host Jim Barnish to talk about how his company has defined their “Lift Up” culture and how that culture has redefined what success means for their company. Listen in to see how lifting up in every aspect of the business - yourself, your team, your customers, your innovation - can’t help but lift up the company itself.
3 Key Takeaways
- Hiring strategy = culture strategy. The people you hire need to be hired (and fired) based on culture. Align with people that believe what you believe and you can succeed with that.
- Rate your meetings. This is a rarely used, but highly effective, tactic that forces organizations to critically think about the effectiveness and necessity of meetings they’re in.
- Host Note: Check out this article on Level 10 meetings to get an example of what this process can look like: https://hypercontext.com/blog/meetings/the-level-10-meeting-agenda#what-is-a-level-10-meeting
- The top barrier to growth is people and communication.
Resources
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-l-mason-9122817/
SPOC Automation website: https://spocautomation.com/
SPOC Automation Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SpocAutomation
Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink: https://a.co/d/1CrWuuz
About
Bobby Mason is CEO and President of SPOC, a family of innovative companies specializing in variable speed drive automation and inverter technologies. SPOC Automation, SPOC SCADA, and SPOC Grid Inverter Technologies are built on an award-winning culture of innovation called Lift Up.
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Did you know that 75% of highschool students are not proficient in high school mathematics? There’s some problems we often think, “well that’s the government’s job to fix.” Education (and math education specifically) often falls into that category. But Dr. Aditya Nagrath had a different perspective. What if he solved that problem from the private sector, and built a sustainable, profitable business while doing it? In this episode he joins host Jim Barnish to share how he founded his company Elephant Learning to confront the problem of learning math head on. They discuss math proficiency among students today, lessons learned from hiring family, and how to build longer relationships with clients when your product solves their problem.
3 Key Takeaways
- Don’t sit around waiting for others (ahem the government ahem) to solve problems you see. Public problems can (and perhaps should) be solved by private companies.
- Understand the risks and impacts when hiring family and friends. If you hire someone ill-equipped for a role, it will not only hinder your growth as a company, you will hinder their growth as individuals.
- Don’t focus on the competition; focus on getting your next customer(s).
Resources
Dr. Aditya Nagrath's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityanagrath/
Elephant Learning LinkedIn company page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elephant-learning/
Elephant Learning Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ElephantLearningApp/
Crucial Conversations by Joseph Grenny et al.: https://a.co/d/gGSwymE
Elephant Learning website: https://www.elephantlearning.com/
(mention The Dirt podcast for a scholarship offer!)
About
Aditya Nagrath, PhD is the creator and cofounder of the Elephant Learning Mathematics Academy. Dr. Nagrath is a mathematician and software engineer turned entrepreneur. On average, children in his system learn 1.5 years of mathematics over the course of 10 weeks using his system just 30 minutes per week.
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Starting in banking that shifted to software development with MercuryWorks, Chris Karlo brings 20 years of entrepreneurial experience to this conversation with host Jim Barnish. They discuss how to make business and customer partnerships work well, why a happy team produces high quality products, and how to survive this and the next recession.
3 Key Takeaways
- A business partnership is like a marriage - you need to be in lockstep with your partners on the same vision and end goal.
- As an entrepreneur you have to find balance between your business, your relationships, and yourself. Try to keep at least two of them in sync, but you run into problems when you let the third drift for too long.
- Employee sentiment is a top priority; everything else in a business flows out from employees' perceptions of the job and work they’re doing.
Resources
Chris Karlo's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriskarlo/
MercuryWorks website: https://www.mercuryworks.com/
The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday: https://a.co/d/ijZzLOm
About
Chris has over two decades of experience in business, strategy and technology consulting with companies across a host of industries. He is currently an equity Partner at MercuryWorks, a leading digital application and professional services firm obsessed with the development of custom software, mobile, and data driven solutions. Chris has proven experience leading complex software development teams; bringing a combination of business and technical acumen to client project needs. During his career Chris has worked with companies to develop new growth strategies and redesign core operational & business processes.
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Web 3.0 is a hot topic right now. What is it? And why is there so much skepticism and hype surrounding it? Serial entrepreneur and Web3 expert Sam Kamani joins host Jim Barnish on this episode to discuss why this is an opportunity for building in a new environment. Whether or not you’re familiar with blockchain technology, NFTs, and cryptocurrencies, you need to pay attention.
3 Key Takeaways
- Problems are opportunities. Don’t complain about them - go to work, fix them, and profit.
- Recessions are a great time for building and experimenting, thanks to lower operating costs and the necessity for innovation to survive (and thrive)!
- To grasp Web3, you need to understand the evolution:
Web1 = Information consumption disruption e.g., Blogs, websites, etc.
Web2 = Information/content creation disruption e.g., Social media
Web3 = Ownership revolution i.e., data & currency ownership decentralization
Resources
Sam's LinkedIn
Sam's Twitter
Sam's website
It's All In Your Head by Russ
Web3 with Sam Kamani podcast
Naval Ravikant on the Tim Ferriss Show
Balaji Srinivasan on the Tim Ferriss Show
About
Sam Kamani is head of growth at Cookbook, cofounder of Ensydr, host of the Web3 with Sam Kamani podcast, and author of “The 30 Day Startup” and “Business In the Time of Corona.”
Prior to working in blockchain, Sam has 15+ years experience building and growing startups with 2 exits under his belt.
Sam currently lives in Auckland, New Zealand with his wife and 3 sons. He is always open to having a conversation about Web3 and blockchain based Gaming so feel free to DM him on Twitter or Linkedin.
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Do you feel the call to entrepreneurship? How do you know when to make that jump from the corporate ladder to defining your own career? From farm girl to vice president of technology in real estate investment management, Tami Jaffe made that leap, and is now helping others do the same.
Tune into her conversation with host Jim Barnish as they talk about why you need to stop asking yourself if you’re meant to be a founder, and focusing on the better questions to ask. They discuss what she calls the clarity trifecta of confidence, courage, and commitment, partnering with great talent to fill your weaknesses, and focusing on the steps directly in front of you.
3 Key Takeaways
- Stop asking whether you’re meant to be a founder and barraging yourself with self-doubt. Imposter syndrome is an excuse; focus on filling your role as founder.
- You don’t need to have everything figured out. Take the step in front of you. What you thought were steps C, D, or E will likely change as you move forward.
- Instead of asking, “how do I do this?” shift your perspective to, “who can do this?” - partner with and hire the talent who will fill your weaknesses, whether that’s in leadership roles or graphic design.
Resources
Tami’s LinkedIn
You Already Made the Decision, You Just Aren't Happy With It by Tami Jaffe
The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
Corporate to Cash Jumpstart Kit
About
Tami Jaffe is a success coach, energy shifter and international speaker on topics of making better decisions and business growth. Tami helps guide her clients through the sometimes overwhelming prospect of starting a new business. Her Amazon #1 best-selling book You Already Made the Decision, You Just Aren’t Happy With It, is a guide on how to make better decisions or live with the ones you’ve already made.
Tami has made it her mission to liberate independent success-minded professionals from the shackles of a corporate career so they can start, grow and scale their own business and not only replace their corporate income but exceed it. She teaches you what to do when in your business to have the most success and not waste time and money on the shiny objects that can be a distraction.
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Mutual friend of Tobias Günther (see episode 24), longtime entrepreneur and founder of Partners in Clime, Yannick Frank joins Jim Barnish from Germany to discuss strategy, financing, and sustainability. They talk about bootstrapping versus venture capital for financing, how the startup culture in Germany has evolved over the last decade, and hear why Yannick’s daughter was the catalyst for his newfound passion in sustainability.
3 Key Takeaways
- Bootstrapping vs. institutional funding: both have pros and cons. Know what you’re getting into when you bring on outside funding.
- Your strategy needs to be clear and concise. It doesn’t matter if it makes sense in your head–if your team has a hard time following, consider how you can simplify it and articulate it.
- Environmental impact and sustainability are increasingly important. Even though sustainability-first companies’ core value may not be profit, without monthly revenue growth, your business is done.
Resources
Email: yannick@partners-in-clime.com
Yannick's LinkedIn
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
Partners in Clime website
About
Founder of Partners in Clime, Yannick Frank has been building startups since he was 20 years old, either as a co-founder, mentor or investor. Some of them were successful, many of them failed. All rich in experience!
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Ken Pomella, founder and CEO of RevStar Consulting, joins Jim Barnish on this episode to discuss how he went from a side hustle for five years to finally taking the leap into a full business that has seen massive growth since that decision. They discuss operations and the value of Agile in project management and software development, the importance of always assessing your processes to stay on target, and putting the customer before the technology.
3 Key Takeaways
- Have confidence in yourself to start (or continue) your entrepreneurial journey. You don’t need to know everything. There’s a lot of trial and error, so start moving, keep going, and never give up.
- Regularly reassess your processes and operations. Regardless of the industry your business is in, build a strong operational foundation so you’re not hamstrung as you grow.
- Focus on the customer and business problem. Your technology (solution) might be cool, but always ask how it is adding value to the customer.
Resources
Ken's LinkedIn
RevStar website
The Go Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
About
Ken is a serial entrepreneur & CEO of RevStar, specializing in creating pure cloud software solutions that solve business problems. Ken has had several successful entrepreneurial endeavors in the technology realm. He has experience in both running startups & working at fortune 1000 enterprises. Hence, he is well-versed in the sometimes overwhelming task of starting a new endeavor or scaling up a current business.
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Dr. Rebecca White, author of her recent book See, Do, Repeat, brings years of experience and research on what it means to be an entrepreneur to this episode with host Jim Barnish. They discuss the heart of entrepreneurship, what it means to see opportunities, take action, and learn how to be resilient so you can “execute past your failures.”
3 Key Takeaways
- Learn to identify the right talent for the right role. It’s not enough to identify a gap you need to fill, and it’s not enough to just hire more talent to join your team. You need the right talent for the right role.
- Entrepreneurs see opportunities everywhere. They run towards it, identify the problem, and create solutions.
- Take a learning approach to life. Being a successful entrepreneur requires resilience and continually working past the times when you fail. A key part of that is developing a learning mindset.
Resources
Dr. Rebecca White's LinkedIn
Website
En Factor Podcast
See, Do, Repeat by Dr. Rebecca White
About
Rebecca J. White is the Walter Chair of Entrepreneurship, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Director of the John P Lowth Entrepreneurship Center at the University of Tampa. She received an MBA and a Ph.D. in Strategic Management from Virginia Tech University. Her primary research and teaching interests are in opportunity recognition and developing an entrepreneurial mindset.
Stop wasting time and resources building the perfect product prior to launching. Know your customer, listen to them, and build what they need. They will likely enjoy giving feedback and being part of building the product alongside you!
Tune into this episode to hear Brad Kugler, cofounder of DirectMail 2.0, talk with host Jim Barnish about his founder’s journey moving from VHS sales to building a SaaS company that accompanies direct mail advertising. They discuss jumping ship mid-career, how Brad utilized his (lack of) education in developing new technology, and why continually iterating on your product is essential to stay ahead.
3 Key Takeaways
- Know your customer. Let them guide your product development. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it has to be what they need.
- Technology can’t be static. You have to build your product and improve on it. If you don't, your competition will one-up you and leave you behind.
- Become educated in your industry. That doesn’t necessarily mean you need a formal degree. Brad spent months educating himself so he could communicate effectively.
Resources
Brad's LinkedIn
All In podcast
Direct Mail website
About
Brad Kugler is CEO and Co-Founder of DirectMail2.0, LLC. A direct mail marketing automation company. 30 years experience in building businesses, teams and gathering and distributing knowledge based on his experiences in many mediums.
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“As a founder you are the one who brings the idea to market and proves product-market fit. But at some point between then and the growth stage, you need to do some self-assessment.”
You’ve brought a product to market that works, you’ve started building a team, and you’re entering the growth stage of your business. As a founder, it’s time for you to do some self reflection. What is your core skill set? What do you enjoy doing? What motivates you?
Founder and now Chief Product Officer of dbaPlatform, Trevor Grace joins Jim Barnish on this episode to share what he learned from shifting himself into a different role he finds more fulfilling than just head of the company. They also discuss product development, pricing, and boosting local retail stores by plugging your inventory online.
3 Key Takeaways
- Being CEO is not all that it is cracked up to be if that’s not what your passion is. Shift yourself out of that role if your core skills and motivations lie elsewhere.
- Prove the value of your product. It’s okay if you don’t have the exact price point right away, but you’ll never know its value until you start somewhere.
- Know your customer. KYC isn’t an acronym just for regulation in the financial sector. If you don’t know your customer, you don’t know your monetization model or how to improve your product.
Resources
trevor@dbaplatform.com
Trevor's LinkedIn
The End of the World is Just the Beginning by Peter Zeihan
About
With 20+ years’ entrepreneurial experience, Trevor Grace is part technology expert, part market strategist, thought-leader, innovator, and big-time adrenaline junkie.
Trevor thrives on turning chaos into order.
He is revered for his ability to organize a myriad of disparate marketing campaigns into a predictable, producing, well-oiled sales machine. An extraordinary leader, Trevor strips complex plans into clear, actionable strategies that get everyone in the organization nodding and contributing.
Trevor pioneered Buycabinets.com, the first online catalog in the megalithic cabinet industry and lifted it to $1MM/month in three years. He brokered the first-ever e-commerce product platform for broadcast networks with Univision. He was instrumental in bringing a government sector software company into the commercial sector growing revenue from $70MM to $100MM in three years. Trevor has worked with Fortune 500 giants such as MasterBrand where he integrated backend systems with front-end analytics; Eldridge’s capital equipment division where he built the loan processing platform; and Norcraftcompanies whom he helped grow to $600MM by digitizing the dealer program.
Since 1998, Trevor has successfully built over 100 enterprise-level web applications.
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As the future of work increasingly moves remote, how do you build and scale an organization that can operate successfully with limited interaction? Liam Martin, cofounder of Time Doctor and Staff.com, joins Jim Barnish to discuss all things remote work.
At the start of 2020 only about 5% of the workforce worked remotely (per Bureau of Labor Statistics). The pandemic propelled the world forward in a global shift that hasn’t been seen since the advent of the internet. Many tech startups are finding it relatively easy to work remotely. But what about the big fortune 500 companies? Is remote work here to stay? What changes do companies need to make to implement remote work successfully?
3 Key Takeaways
- Successful remote work requires “asynchronous management” - the ability to manage without direct interaction. You can accomplish your work without needing constant permission from others to get it done.
- Remote work isn’t synonymous with working from home. It’s the choice to work from whatever location you want. Empowering your employees to choose their location and hours is the real game changer.
- Accepting product feedback? Make sure it comes from the right customers. Freemium users are valuable for word of mouth references to expand your customer base, but leave feedback for those paying for a seat at the table.
Resources
Liam's LinkedIn
TimeDoctor.com
RunningRemote.com
Running Remote YouTube Channel
Running Remote by Liam Martin
Zero to One by Peter Thiel
About
Liam runs one of the most popular time tracking and productivity platforms in use by top brands today - Time Doctor. He is also a co-organizer of the world's largest remote work conference — Running Remote. Whenever possible, Liam encourages others to work remotely and actively promotes remote work. His products and services are defined by the concept of giving workers the flexibility to work wherever they want, whenever they want.
Liam has also co-authored a book - Running Remote - focused on remote work methodology. In this revolutionary guide, Liam and his co-founder, Rob Rawson, have unearthed the secrets and lessons discovered by remote work pioneering entrepreneurs and founders who've harnessed the async mindset to operate their businesses remotely in the most seamless, hassle-free, and cost-effective manner possible.
Liam holds an undergraduate and graduate degree in Sociology from McGill University.
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Money. You need it, and investors and financiers have it. So how do you raise capital without losing too much stake in your business? Lauren Cascio, founder of Gulp Data, joins Jim Barnish in this episode to talk about financing and the important distinctions between dilutive and non-dilutive financing.
Join Jim and Lauren as they discuss which finance option is best for you at the stage you’re at, understanding the value of your “alternative company assets” (like company data), and the hidden secret to being a successful entrepreneur (hint: there isn’t one).
Resources
lc@gulpdata.com
Lauren's LinkedIn
Gulp Data LinkedIn
Website
Planet Money podcast
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
Infonomics by Douglas Laney
About
Lauren Cascio is the founder of Gulp Data, a company providing non-dilutive funding using data assets as collateral. She also recently founded aKinned, a seed fund backing healthcare in Africa. Prior to her recent move into funding, she co-founded abartysHealth, a growth stage health-tech company, where she ran product, data, and development for six years. She is a proven angel investor and an active tech ecosystem builder, successfully advising and mentoring dozens of companies through go-to-market, data monetization and fundraising.
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Cofounder and CTO of SCOUT, Sergio Gallucci joins Jim Barnish in this episode to talk about all things space and sustainability along his rocket-fueled entrepreneurial journey. He teaches us what sustainability in space means and how that can be valuable in other industries, while also building a company culture of excellence, and how data can better inform your strategy.
3 Key Takeaways
- Sustainability and collaboration among competing entities are key factors in the space industry, because of the inherent collaboration needed for projects (and problems faced) of this magnitude.
- You don’t need to be a visionary with tons of ideas to be a successful founder. But you do need to develop a long view in your strategy, and build systems so you can test ideas as they come.
- Your Key Progress Indicators (KPIs) can and should shift over time as your business evolves and you need to track different areas of growth.
Resources
Sergio@scout.space
Sergio's LinkedIn
SCOUT's LinkedIn Business Page
Website
The Pitch podcast
Against the Day by Thomas Pynchon
Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
About
Sergio Gallucci is the co-founder and CTO of SCOUT, a company innovating space safety with distributed space-based sensing. He offers diverse technical insights, having built flight programs around the space environment, radiation, and control systems. He has led aggressive R&D programs from concept to orbit in under 9 months across academia, the industry, and with NASA, USAF, and USSF. He also serves as a technical and strategic advisor to Abacus Ridge, an energy resiliency start-up.
In 2021, Sergio was recognized as one of the Forbes Next 1,000 Upstart Entrepreneurs who are "Redefining the American Dream". He holds a B.S. (Honors) in Aeronautical Engineering from Clarkson University and was an NSF GRFP Fellow at the Pennsylvania State University for graduate work on propulsion and the space environment. He is an alumnus of the 2016 NASA Glenn Space Academy.
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Longtime entrepreneur and scaling coach George Morris joins Jim Barnish on this episode to discuss what it takes to build teams of A players who will scale and grow your business.
As a founder you likely have some employees who helped you in the startup stage, but will they grow with you beyond that stage? How do you separate the A players and build around them?
As you scale, you will have to define who does what and delegate responsibilities. How do you identify and assign your core functions and processes to grow smart?
Tune into this episode as George and Jim explore all those questions, and hear his lengthy but amazing recommended reading list.
Key Takeaways
- Learn the difference between abdicating your responsibility as a founder, and delegating responsibilities to the people who will do it right.
- Build around your A players. They’re the ones who step up and hold themselves and the organization accountable for the work being completed.
- Learn how to compartmentalize work with your personal life. It does not need to be separated (as many people think), but they should be integrated cohesively.
Resources
George's website
George's LinkedIn
The Art of Manliness podcast
See the Orchid Black page for George's recommended reading list
About
George Morris is a Certified Scaling Up Coach and lifelong entrepreneur. He found success running his digital agency, Imulus. Co-Founded TEDxBoulder, is a Techstars Alumni, Mentor at the Founders Institute, and former President of the Entrepreneur Organization, Colorado Chapter.
George has walked the entrepreneur's journey from zero business experience and starting up during awful economic conditions in the dotcom crash, to building a best place to work and a fastest growing company. He happily shares his mistakes and lessons learned with his coaching clients. George is adamant that business fundamentals unlock the potential of teams and organizations. Too many times, companies pile on unnecessary tasks, projects, and systems that slow down their growth. He helps companies shed organizational debt to accelerate their growth by focusing on the goals and the actions needed to get there.
He lives just outside of Boulder, Colorado with his two kids and can often be found riding his bikes on the mountain roads.
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Product-market fit. How do you get there? Do you have the right team? The right timing? The right product? Samantha Citro Alexander, cofounder of bitewell, joins Jim Barnish on this episode to answer those questions.
With lots of product iteration and pivots, Samantha’s company created a sub-category in an established market (preventative health) where they are seeing incredible results by creating value across multiple stakeholders (employers, employees and insurance providers). Their mission to improve people’s health through nutrition drove them to product-market fit.
Listen along as Jim and Samantha discuss the lessons bitewell has learned from their journey.
Key Takeaways
- Don’t get too attached to a specific version of your solution. Let your mission and vision guide how your product and company evolves to find product-market fit.
- Your product doesn’t need to be perfect before going to market. Your runway will end before your product ever reaches perfection.
- Finding the right talent for the right positions in a startup takes time. A 3-month trial run for new hires has been very effective for bitewell.
Resources
SM handle: @samanthacitroalexander
sam@bitewell.com
Samantha's LinkedIn
bitewell website
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
About
Samantha Citro Alexander is the Co-Founder of bitewell, a food health company on a mission to improve your health through food. Prior to co-founding bitewell, Samantha worked at The Estée Lauder Companies as the Chief of Staff to Jane Lauder (Clinique, NYC) and as the Director of Integrated Marketing (Smashbox, LA), where she co-created Jefacon, a women’s empowerment and leadership summit celebrating the Beauty of Being a Boss.
Previously, Samantha was a VP where she led a brand for a consumer-focused private equity firm and the Research Department Chief of Staff at Bridgewater Associates, one of the largest hedge funds in the world. She began her career at an indie beauty company selling products at the counter. Samantha earned a BFA from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and graduated with honors. Samantha is passionate about supporting women in business, education around health & nutrition, and cooking/eating delicious food.
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Brenden Kumarasamy, founder and CEO of MasterTalk, joins Jim Barnish on this episode to discuss how you can become a master communicator. He breaks down key areas of communication into actionable steps and why they are invaluable to you as a founder. These include leveraging your strengths (e.g. introverts are generally better at communication because they listen more and talk less), how to be bulletproof in answering questions about your business, and the necessity of online, remote communication.
Brenden offers a few simple practices to do daily that will make you a top 1% communicator, including:
- Random word exercises where you learn to make sense out of nonsense, for example: Make a story out of “tissue box.” It will help you think on your feet.
- Answer one question per day about your company (e.g. Why is your price high, how are you different from competitors, etc.) to become an expert in your space. After a year, you’ll have answered 365 questions.
- Master the framework for improving your business meetings.
Key Takeaways
- Cultivate daily habits to improve your communication. See above…
- Improve your meetings by answering Brenden’s 3-question framework:
- Determine the goal of the meeting - not all meetings are necessary.
- What is YOUR contribution to the meeting? The meeting itself may be needed, but are YOU needed there?
- How does your contribution INSPIRE and ADD VALUE? Take your meetings seriously.
- Your growth as a company correlates to your growth as a person. Keep working on yourself and show your team how to continue reaching higher.
Resources
Brenden's LinkedIn
MasterTalk YouTube Channel
Thirst by Scott Harrison
Rockstar Communicator Free Courses
About
Brenden Kumarasamy is the founder of MasterTalk, he coaches ambitious executives & entrepreneurs to become top 1% communicators in their industry. He also has a popular YouTube channel called MasterTalk, with the goal of providing free access to communication tools for everyone in the world.
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Patrick Brown, founder and CEO of Unity Communications, joins Jim Barnish on this episode to discuss building teams and the people behind them. He shares his own journey of leaving the corporate job and the ‘dirt’ he’s gathered while growing his company from just himself to 300+ people.
How do you find the right talent to hire in a young startup when you don’t have the cash or benefits to compete with the big guys? What do you do when a great employee finds an opportunity elsewhere? How do you empower your team to make decisions and grow with you?
Join Patrick and Jim as they deep dive into creating successful teams, the costly mistakes he has made in building websites and hiring outside consultants, and why profit margin is the number one metric he is focused on.
Key Takeaways
- Look to hire talent from unusual places. It might be someone who’s after a certain lifestyle (vs. money) or a corporate employee that hasn’t advanced through the ranks.
- Hiring the right people is vital for any business to thrive, but so is firing those who don’t fit. Cutting them loose benefits your company, but also that person.
- Profit margin is the one number that aligns all your financials. It shows you when you can pay your employees more, and when you need to increase prices or make other adjustments.
Resources
Patrick Brown's LinkedIn
https://www.unity-connect.com
The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin
Seth Godin's podcasts
About
Patrick Brown is founder and CEO of Unity Communications, an award winning Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company. Unity helps brands hit their core metrics, streamline processes, and properly ensures business operations scale responsibly.
His career began in the Navy that led him to work and learn from leaders in various companies, governments, and NGO's. Those formative years helped cement a foundation of working with people of incredible diverse backgrounds, cultures, and stages of life. Now, with over 25 years of experience in complex service delivery products/services, his team understands the overall scope of work that clients expect, while holding vendors and employees accountable to their SLA's and roles.
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For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Ascenditt cofounder Mason Dorner joins Jim Barnish on this episode to talk through the adversity he’s overcome, both personally and in business. He'll outline how to avoid costly sales and marketing mistakes, and weaponizing hard times to drive growth.
With a background in marketing, Mason went from sports to Disney before leaving the corporate world for a tech startup. Over the span of 4 years, he helped this company grow from $1M to $100M and achieve unicorn status ($1B+ valuation). On the side, Mason was already setting the foundation for his next venture. Today, as a cofounder, he takes his expertise to other digital startups looking to reach aggressive revenue targets and grow.
Scaling companies is the easy part for Mason when compared to his personal life. While building both companies, he was diagnosed with cancer and a degenerative eye problem within months of each other. He decided to not let his health problems drag down the rest of his life, and used the concept of "weaponized adversity" to compartmentalize worries and focus on big opportunities.
Key Takeaways
- Conversion rates (MQL > SQL > Revenue) and acquisition costs need to be a focus for SaaS leaders.
- Compartmentalize negative situations and focus on your opportunities. Find places where you can win bigger in order to offset the bad.
- “Alter Ego Effect” - Emulate high performers who have gone through similar adversity. Being a founder is a unique and often lonely journey - find others who can coach and walk you along the way having traveled that road before.
- Being passed over does not mean someone is a bad employee, it means they weren’t a great fit for that organization. Find diamonds in the rough by setting expectations together (e.g., work-life balance, working style, etc.).
Resources
Mason's LinkedIn
Mason's website
The Alter Ego Effect by Todd Herman
MFCEO Project Podcast with Andy Frisella
Real AF Podcast with Andy Frisella
About
As cofounder and Chief Ads Officer of Ascenditt, Mason Dorner helps startup and rapid-growth stage SaaS and e-commerce brands quickly scale and achieve 8,9, and 10 figure exits through aggressive marketing and sales strategy and execution.
He has worked in digital performance marketing for 10+ years, including brands such as Comcast and Disney. After exiting the corporate rat race he joined a local Orlando tech startup, Stax, scaling their marketing spend by over 1,000%, acquired 25,000+ customers, and grew to a valuation of over $1B under his leadership.
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For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Twelve years of entrepreneurship while building a family as a new wife and mom is Katie Merrill's founder's journey. Hear her story as she walks host Jim Barnish through the challenges she has faced and continues to learn from.
As a go-getter with a strong operations background, Katie was hyper focused on the day-to-day grind, but learned over time that she had to get out of her own way. Finding a COO combined with efforts to scale her sales team has been a game changer for the evolution of the business. Freeing up her time as the founder from the daily operations has allowed her to prioritize other areas to grow.
Key Takeaways
- Shift focus from the day-to-day operations to other key strategic areas like product evolution, strategy, etc.
- You might be a founder, but that doesn’t mean you know everything. Set aside your insecurities and don’t be afraid to ask questions to mentors that have been there before.
- Put effort into building a scalable sales engine. It’s a lot easier when founders aren’t the only ones selling.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Resources
Katie's LinkedIn
B-Lynk website
Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman
About
Katie Butcher-Merrill is CEO and Founder of B-Lynk, providing training services, including sales and end-user training on the Smart-Lynk managed service platform for over 40 BroadSoft based Service Providers and Hosted Unified Communications companies globally.
Prior to this, Katie held supply chain management roles at both General Mills and The Mosaic Company. She is a graduate of Iowa State University.
Dan Clark, CEO of Brain.fm, joins Jim Barnish on this episode to deep dive into operations and what it takes to align teams to the same objectives. At Brain.fm they combine everyone’s love of music with neuroscience, their goal: helping you hit your flow state faster to achieve more.
Your objectives as the founder or the business may not be the same as your employees, because everyone has different motivations. The key is fusing the strengths of those different motivations to grow together.
Having goals is important, but you need to ensure you can break them down into actionable steps and time frames. Goals are often used as a pass/fail system, but there is something to be said for switching your focus to progress. Are you 1% better than you were yesterday? Will you strive to sell more next week than you did last week?
Key Takeaways
- Everyone in your organization does not need to have the same motivations. Align company objectives to personal goals (e.g. job security) to see the team flourish.
- Ensure that your KPIs are tracking what you really want. Your employees should be satisfied where they are, but not complacent. Ideally they are working well at the edge of their skill set.
- Goals are important, but maybe not as important as progress. Are you better today than you were yesterday? Are you increasing profitability more this quarter than last? Consistent progress is key.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
Resources
Dan’s email: dan@brain.fm
Dan's LinkedIn
The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Jim Dethmer, et al.
20% Discount Code to Brain.fm
About
Dan Clark is an entrepreneur at the intersection of technology and mental wellness. After joining Brain.fm as head of engineering, he bought out the company from its original founders and now leads it as CEO. Brain.fm combines everyone’s love of music with neuroscience, creating music to help enable you to be your best self.
What is culture? What does it look like in your company? A lot of shifts in business occurred over the last two years since the start of the pandemic, particularly in remote work and how employees interact with their jobs. How has remote work impacted your culture? Has it magnified the problems or the solutions for your business?
Through 18 years of entrepreneurship, including highs and many lows, Tobias Günther has refined his perspective on the human side of business and how that leads to success. It’s not just about the money, and if you ignore the relationships on your team by focusing on just the money, you’ll lose both.
Joining Jim Barnish from Germany, Tobias shares his insight on why relationships trump company values, how to liberate yourself as a founder by trusting your team, and the power of self-reflection and personal growth.
Key Takeaways
- Trust your team and free yourself of stress and unnecessary work. You hired them for a reason, let them show you why you hired them.
- “Culture is how you treat each other” - Communication and relationships in your organization are the foundation. Without those in place, all of your company values and mission statements mean nothing.
- Growth in your business is dependent on your growth as a person. Learn to self reflect and correct your mistakes. Your leadership will improve as you improve.
Resources
Tobias's LinkedIn
https://www.tobias.co/
Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux
About Tobias Günther
4x Founder + CEO | Mindfulness Teacher 🙋♂️ Helping other founders with the human side of business: company culture, remote work, leadership 👉 tobias.co
If you love what you are getting out of the show, please rate us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review!
Entrepreneurship is a long, rough road. You’ll experience highs, but also a lot of lows. How do you develop the resilience and grit necessary to press forward? Liza Marie Garcia joins Jim Barnish on this episode, bringing her insight as a former tech founder and currently COO of NOW Publishing.
They discuss the importance of having faith in something greater than yourself, ignoring naysayers who will distract and discourage you, and learning to be flexible during the hard times. As a publisher, Liza gives her perspective on the value of great editors, tips for founders and others who want to publish a book, and the importance of sharing your story.
Key Takeaways
- Believing in something greater than yourself, whether that’s God or a spiritual foundation, will help weather the volatility of the entrepreneurial life.
- Ignore naysayers who divert your attention. It is especially easy with social media to get distracted by negative people.
- We live in the age of content; tell your story and create something to contribute to the world, whether it's writing a book or building a business.
Resources
Liza's LinkedIn
NOW Publishing website
En Factor Podcast
Never Drink Coffee During a Business Meeting by Liza Marie Garcia
About
Liza Marie Garcia is the founder and Chief Operating Officer of NOW Publishing. Based in Tampa, Florida, she’s worked with hundreds of writers and authors. She is a 3-time author herself, including Never Drink Coffee During a Business Meeting, and coauthor of My Calendar is Written in Crayon and The 90 Day Author. Her most recent book, Tell Them Of My Greatness, releases on September 1.
As a former tech CEO out of Seattle, Liza Marie founded one of the first professional services firms in the telecommunications industry in the U.S. She sold the firm in 2014 and moved to Florida, launching NOW Publishing in 2016.
She is the proud mother of two daughters, an avid golfer and a self-proclaimed USTA “tennis maniac.” She credits her faith and her daughters as the source of her strength, resilience and greatest inspiration.
Are your customers happy? When they interact with your brand, is it a positive or negative experience? Do you have the metrics to fully answer those questions? Anuj Bhalla brings years of expertise in customer service and analytics to this episode, showing why you need data to track when things go right and when they go wrong.
Data is key to better understanding your customers and product, and part of that is being in the game long enough to gather those metrics and test them out. Some products will fail, some will succeed, and you need to be in a market long enough to understand the difference.
After leading the service analytics practice at Accenture, Anuj left to forge his own path by founding serviceMob, a tech company at the intersection of customer service and analytics. He believes this field is ripe for better study and transparency, and he’s here to explain why.
Key Takeaways
- Creating win-win situations for your business and your customers is possible, it’s not an either/or. Both can be satisfied.
- Understanding your customers–knowing how and why they interact with your company–is key to growth. Are you tracking the customer and usage metrics that give you insight into your customers’ business?
- As a founder, you need to be in a market long enough to learn where the pain points are so you can solve them.
Resources
Anuj's LinkedIn
serviceMob website
Blue Collar VC by Mucker Capital
AboutAnuj is Founder & CEO of serviceMob, a Southern California technology company on a mission to fix the many inefficiencies in how consumers access and interact with companies when they need customer service. Prior to founding serviceMob, he led the Service Analytics practice for Accenture Strategy, and served as the Innovation Lead for Internet & Social Media clients in Silicon Valley.
Anuj holds a Bachelors in Applied Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley, and his MBA as a Sloan Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he concentrated on innovation and analytics at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
There is so much legal red tape and waiting around for attorneys to approve or clarify documents in business. Is it possible to speed up the process and meet those demands more efficiently? Charles Brecque founded Legislate to do exactly that. Developing new technology in the legal tech space, his company’s contract software manages contract data at scale.
With a background in machine learning and engineering, Charles knew there was a need for more efficient legal contracting. In this episode, Jim Barnish and Charles explore the lessons he has learned as a young, solo founder building a company for the first time with new technology. They also discuss the value of SEO and web content, and why learning to write is vital in all aspects of business.
3 Key Takeaways
- Focus on your customer’s core needs. Avoid distractions and headaches and deliver what they really want.
- SEO is powerful when you focus on the reader, which can turn into customers. Google search console is a great tool to see metrics that help you optimize content.
- Learn to write. It will improve your own understanding of what you really do (and the problem you’re solving), and help you better explain it to others so you can find the customers who need your product.
Resources
Legislate website
Charles's LinkedIn
Legislate's Twitter
Legislate's Facebook
20VC Podcast
Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
About Charles Brecque
Charles is the founder & CEO of Legislate, a legal tech company he started in April 2020 in Oxford, UK to make contracts machine readable using patented knowledge graph technology. Before founding Legislate, he brought Machine Learning solutions to market for three years at Mind Foundry, a spin-out from the University of Oxford. He is a graduate of the École Centrale de Lyon.
Robotics and education fanatic, Jacob Hanchar, joins Jim Barnish on this episode of The Dirt. Jacob shares how his view of “micromanagement” has changed to a positive one in the last few years. His experience says: there is a time and a place for more micromanagement in business. Oftentimes in the early stages of a business, you must have a more hands-on approach because delegation may get you in trouble if folks are not properly trained.
Jacob learned this lesson first-hand and after a rigorous amount of cleanup Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and overtraining are now the norm.
Jacob started as a Ph.D. in neuroscience, more specifically neuropharmacology, where he developed and patented a drug that got rid of hangovers (Read more about Kudzu here if interested..). In starting a lab, he realized it was a lot like a business, which motivated him to go back and get his MBA. Join us to hear Jacob’s journey which is not your run-of-the-mill entrepreneur.
3 Key Takeaways
- There is a time and a place for appropriate micromanagement.
- Training, training, training! The less training you do now, the more mess you will have to clean up later. Just do it now.
- Find a cofounder who’s like-minded, but different enough to cover the blind spots. Make sure they are in similar life positions.
Resources
Think and Grow Rich
Cosmo & Friends Youtube Channel
Digital Dream Labs website
Ask for Jacob
About Jacob Hanchar
Jacob serves as advisor and investor to many start-up companies in Western PA. Jacob received his doctorate in 2007 from the University of California Los Angeles where he focused on research in biological sciences. He performed post-doctoral work in otolaryngologic disorders particularly tinnitus at Rosalind Franklin University in Chicago and the University of Pittsburgh Center for Neuroscience. While completing his MBA, he met 2 engineers that pushed him into the EdTech space. After developing and taking these EdTech products to market, Jacob ended up purchasing a failing robotics company which he is the CEO of today.
When Tauruseer entered the software security market, they targeted large enterprise companies. But when that failed, they went back to the drawing board. With lots of self-reflection and input from channel partners, founder Jeremy Vaughan identified those distractions that stunted his company’s growth.
Jeremy’s journey began from a deeply personal experience with his daughter when her diabetes device and mobile app failed due to “code rot.” Tauruseer solved that issue and more in the compliance and cybersecurity space. The SolarWinds cyber attack in 2020 and the onset of the COVID pandemic highlighted the problems that Tauruseer was solving.
Join Jim Barnish and Jeremy as they discuss Tauruseer’s pivot from enterprise toward small and mid-market companies, creating an ecosystem for customers, and the hard lessons he learned along the way.
3 Key Takeaways
- Identify your ideal customer profile (ICP). Don’t get distracted by competitors or bogged down in the wrong market.
- Founders and CEOs of the future will create and lead ecosystems, not just companies, to meet the needs of those ICPs.
- Find your ‘why.’ It will not only guide what you do, but also attract the right partners and talent to help you grow and realize that vision.
Resources
Tauruseer website
YouTube Channel
About
Jeremy Vaughan is the visionary leader and founder of Tauruseer Inc., a leader in the Cybersecurity arena. A graduate of the University of North Florida, Jeremy has spent his career helping businesses thrive. His experience in SaaS, product development, security, and risk management led Jeremy to launch his own software business that offers a cutting-edge Application Security Posture Management platform that brings customers to the forefront of their industries. Throughout his career, Jeremy's focus has been on providing positive results to his clients that better help them serve their customers. In his free time, you can find Jeremy enjoying the beautiful outdoors, mentoring other entrepreneurs, and hanging out at the softball field helping his daughter sharpen her skills.
Has the growth of your company stalled, leaving you feeling stuck? With decades of experience as a founder in Silicon Valley, and now teaching at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business, guest Dr. Lori Kendall walks Jim Barnish through the three dimensions of addressing the challenges of early and growth stage companies.
From clearly seeing the market you’re playing in, to identifying areas you’ve neglected, to understanding the life cycle of your clients, Lori and Jim discuss how founders can get unstuck.
They also explore how to view life through the lens of a portfolio rather than a balancing scale, and the value of learning how to fail, especially for young entrepreneurs.
3 Key Takeaways
- Clearly recognize the market you’re actually playing in, not the market you think you’re playing in.
- Identify the areas of your business that you’ve neglected. Does your marketing need a revisit? Do you need more salespeople or other team members?
- Understand the whole life cycle of your customer so you can manage and meet their needs. Don’t miss opportunities because you don’t know where their friction points are.
Resources
Lori Kendall’s LinkedIn
Unlocking Us Podcast with Brené Brown
Amicus Podcast with Dahlia Lithwick
How Will You Measure Your Life? By Clay Christensen
Getting Things Done By David Allen
Lori’s email: kendall.185@osu.edu
About
As a Silicon Valley alumna, Lori has worked primarily with technology companies in software, hardware, and networking sectors. Her expertise is tackling new venture incubation and acceleration through hyper-growth and pivoting stalled firms through major inflection points. She has held executive and staff R&D and marketing positions for networking and computer equipment public firms and venture-backed AI and data mining startups. She is a mixed methods researcher focused on organizational dynamics related to innovation practices, sustainable value creation, and net positive impact.
Bootstrapping his way from just a desk and a single account to a large successful call center in Costa Rica, Founder and CEO Richard Blank joins Jim Barnish on this episode to share his insight on effective communication strategies, investing in his teams, and the power of positive escalation.
With a track record for successful sales and training programs, Richard walks us through his key communication strategies that are beneficial not just for landing a sale, but also for every relationship in life. They discuss soft skill training instead of just hitting the sales goals; his “buffer boomerang technique” that keeps conversations constructive; “positive escalation” that builds relationships and pipelines, and boosts morale among teams; and how to hone your listening skill with “phonetic, micro expression reading.”
Join their conversation on reducing attrition by helping people grow, and in turn, growing the business.
3 Key Takeaways
- Invest in your teams not as a means to an end, but as individuals who will pay it forward in the organization for years to come. Have faith in your people.
- Use effective communication techniques that will not only land a sale, but build relationships that will last.
- Positive escalation is the practice of building (real) relationships with everyone in the organization that you speak with. Do this right, and you will stand out from every other person calling that company.
Resources
Richard Blank's LinkedIn
Facebook Page
Buffer Boomerang Technique
Phonetic Micro Expression Reading
About
As the Founder/CEO for Costa Rica’s Call Center for the last 15 years, Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose. With a mix of motivational public speaking style backed by tactful and appropriate rhetoric, Richard shared his knowledge and trained over 10,000 bilingual telemarketers. When he’s not building his business, Richard is scouring the Costa Rican countryside to add to his impressive collection of restored American Pinball machines and antique Rockola Jukeboxes (making him the largest collector in Costa Rica).
When GoGig started, it was a two-sided, anonymized talent-matching marketplace with challenges scaling and meeting the market need. A forced pivot at the height of COVID moved them into a software as a service (SaaS) model solving one side of that marketplace. Despite the new challenges ahead, it was the best decision they ever made.
During the COVID pandemic, GoGig’s travel-heavy customer base was hit hard, with an unsustainable burn rate and extended sales cycle revenue dropped to ~$100 per month.
Join Jim Barnish and GoGig’s founder and CEO, Chris Hodges, as they explore the challenges that GoGig faced the last two years and the solutions that propelled GoGig from almost zero to over $5 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR).
3 Key Takeaways
- “The only constant is change.” The entrepreneurial journey will throw a lot of curveballs your way - it’s the founders job to navigate through (not necessarily do everything though!) those challenges when they arise.
- Get hands-on if one of your team members or functional department is struggling. Don’t simply offer advice. Instead, jump in the trenches with them to demonstrate how to overcome the challenge they are facing.
- Leverage channel partnerships - you don’t always need to sell directly to your customer. Determine what go-to-market approach is best for your business.
Resources
Chris Hodges’ LinkedIn
GoGig.com
About
Chris Hodges is founder and CEO of GoGig, a software solution built to remove bias in the hiring process through anonymous talent matching. He has spent the last 15 years as a serial entrepreneur demonstrating his passion for building amazing brands, empathetic teams, and doing incredible work.
As CFO Alliance’s Brooke Evans points out, be conscientious of your cashflow because of the state of the economy right now. Prepare for changes that could happen tomorrow by having a strategy around your cash flow forecast today. Having your exit strategy top of mind allows you to be ready if/when an exit opportunity presents itself. .
The finance function of a business is not one-size-fits-all. Founders can be slow to open up their books because of their perception that they have to “have it all figured out.” Push past that psychological complex, and be an empowering leader that calls out the warts, rather than the one with a white-knuckled grip on control.
Last, learn to say no to things that aren’t in your strategic wheelhouse and nail your niche. Learning the financial levers you can pull to execute your strategy is a valuable tool in the founder toolkit. As you prepare through financial and strategic planning, you set the precedent for success.
3 Key Takeaways
- Finance, like every other function in a business, is not a one-person show. Plan accordingly…
- Founders don’t give enough thought to the impact of their personal development on the growth of the company; take time for personal and spiritual growth.
- Your cash flow forecast is integral to your strategy. Prepare as if a recession will happen tomorrow, and you’ll find yourself well-equipped to either weather storms or accelerate opportunities.
Resources
Brooke Evans' LinkedIn
CFO Alliance Website
bevans@cfoallianceinc.com
About
Brooke Evans lives and breathes strategic accounting and finance. Her passion for helping innovative founders scale their finance functions is unmatched in the market. Based in Tampa, FL, she founded CFO Alliance in 2008 -an outsourced CFO + strategic accounting firm who specialize in transformation through accounting, strategic finance, business process improvement, and mergers & acquisitions.
Are you a talent-centric organization? Is your team honestly aligned on the same vision? Leadership coach Carol Schultz joins Jim Barnish on today’s episode to talk through those tough questions. Taken from her newly-released book Powered By People, they dive into the three hallmarks of what it takes to find and keep top talent.
Building an effective talent strategy requires a unified vision that everyone can articulate. If you ask your executive team what the vision is, will they all give the same answer?
Recruiting talent for the right roles is important, but it’s only part of the equation. Think about succession as well, and not just for the CEO.
Living in blind spots blocks you from knowing what you know–and don’t know. Learn to identify those blind spots so you’re not stuck in feedback loops that stunt your growth and become a talent-centric organization.
3 Key Takeaways
- Align your whole team with a vision that everyone can articulate. Be unified on business and leadership strategy so that the talent can support that vision moving forward.
- Build a people development strategy from recruitment to succession for every position.
- Learn to identify your blind spots that hinder growth. You don’t know what you don’t know, but with awareness you can break the limitations imposed by those blind spots.
ResourcesPowered By People by Carol Shultz
Carol’s LinkedIn
VerticalElevation.com
Carol’s Email
About
Carol Schultz is founder and CEO of Vertical Elevation, which she has built based on her 30 years of experience in transforming companies through executive coaching and talent acquisition. Her passion for leadership and people development drive her why. She is the author of the newly-released book Powered By People.
The digital economy is leaving retail (everyday) investors in the dust, but that doesn’t have to be you. Join host Jim Barnish and entrepreneur Richard Smith as they discuss what drives the financial markets, and how you can build your own wealth instead of someone else's.
Learn about the pitfalls of human behavior in investing as it shapes how we act when we see a market falling vs. a market rising. Our fear of losing and missing out is a powerful motivator that big market players take advantage of. How would we act differently if we had better information about our risk vs. reward ratio while investing? What tools and methodologies do institutional investors use that give them an advantage over retail investors?
With a PhD in engineering and 15 years experience building his own company before an 8-figure exit, Richard Smith shares what he learned about real value, creativity, and organic growth’s importance in building a business. Discover the risk management mindset he is building through the RiskSmith app to help the average investor build wealth and transform their life.
3 Key Takeaways
- Identify the real value that you can provide as an entrepreneur instead of chasing gimmicks.
- Exiting your company is one of (if not the) hardest moments of entrepreneurship.
- Don’t get left behind in the digital economy. Learn to understand risk and build your plan (financial, professional, etc.) based on your risk-reward tolerance.
Resources
Risksmith.com
drrichardsmith.com
About
Dr. Richard Smith has spent the last two decades building on what he learned so he could help average investors leverage technology and behavioral finance to make consistently better investment decisions. His work helping independent investors is moving full speed ahead. He's more committed than ever to building next-generation financial technology and providing great education for independent-minded individuals who are committed to succeeding on their own.
The quest for success is why you became a founder. But getting there is a whole different story. On this episode, CongruentX’s CEO, Chuck Ingram, joins Jim Barnish to discuss their frameworks for success by helping others succeed, and grow in their own businesses.
Revenue Operations (RevOps) is one of those key frameworks, allowing businesses to align individual teams (sales, marketing, etc.) with the same goals and toolsets. RevOps provides solutions to challenges that arise from having siloed teams using the tools and foresight to keep the end goal of revenue growth top of mind across the organization.
And it's not enough to just grow your business. With the right frameworks, do more than achieve X for X dollars per hour – multiply your value.
3 Key Takeaways
- Revenue Operations is an integral part of any business that wants to accelerate growth through its combination of analytics, processes and enabling the teams that drive revenue.
- Think beyond the limits of X value per hour. With the right people and frameworks, magnify your clients’ value–and yours–in the process.
- Serve your teams well and they will serve your clients well. Help achieve what your clients want, and the people who help your clients [the team], and you will be successful.
Resources
CongruentX.com
Chuck Ingram’s LinkedIn
Everybody Wants to Rule the World by R “Ray” Wang
The Innovation Stack by Jim McKelvey
About
Chuck Ingram, founder and CEO of CongruentX, is one of the most genuine and creative Revenue Operations leaders. After earning his stripes at major tech companies like Microsoft and HP, he built an incredible RevOps practice at TriBridge, a high growth tech company that had a 9 figure exit. In 2020 he used this wealth of knowledge to start his own tech consulting firm, once again focused on the world of RevOps.
Our guests, thought leaders, clients, partners, and all-around good humans, have taken us on their incredible journey through their dirt: the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between. So many of them called out some of the outstanding results they have had in overcoming obstacles in partnership with Orchid Black, which is always fantastic to hear about their team's extraordinary work.
Jim Barnish walks us through the five pillars of a company growing smart from startup to exit: Strategy. Talent. Product. Revenue. Operations. Create a strategy, hire talent to fulfill the strategy, build a product with that talent, drive revenue with the product, and operations facilitate the journey.
3 Key Takeaways
- “Founders need to free up their time so that they can focus on strategy.” - Mark Parrott.
- “Letting go on an executive means trusting your employees.” - Juan Betancourt.
- “Real value comes from having predictable revenue and recurring revenue. Without revenue, the business is a product, pre-business.” - Jim Barnish.
Resources
Orchid Black website: https://www.orchid.black/
Episodes:
Stephen White: https://www.orchid.black/podcast/04
Juan Betancourt: https://www.orchid.black/podcast/05
Matt Brown: https://www.orchid.black/podcast/06
Stephen Timme: https://www.orchid.black/podcast/07
Mark Parrot: https://www.orchid.black/podcast/08
Bill Lederer: https://www.orchid.black/podcast/09
Mike Smith: https://www.orchid.black/podcast/10
About “The Dirt”
This business podcast is a place where we get down into the depths of a founder's story and expertise. Being an entrepreneur isn't easy; it's painful, it's ugly, it's dirty, and it usually entails things that people don't want to hear. This show is meant to bring forward the trials and tribulations that entrepreneurs have encountered and overcome. This show will make you uncomfortable. But here at Orchid Black, we know that growth is far from comfortable. It's raw. It's real. It's dirty. And we are here to uncover everything that happens before an exit. Because at one time, even the yellow brick road was covered in dirt.
The best athletes in the world directly link their performance to their personal growth. Why don’t we all think about our lives like this? For Jim Barnish, changing his perspective with the help of a mentor transformed his work as a founder, a transformation that surfaced as he focused on his personal development. This resulted in heightened business growth and strategy. Today, Jim invites that mentor to The Dirt: executive coach and former NFL executive, Mike Smith.
We are so focused on success in business that we often forget to be human. Founders are especially prone to that constant grind and it limits their view. Mike shares his perspective that taking care of our mental and physical health will lead to a “clearer view of the field.”
Your work could be transformed by regular feedback from a coach who can help you improve–every day. Just as how athletes receive immediate coaching, quick correction and feedback results in improved practice and performance at work, and this can’t come in the form of a yearly or six-month review.
3 Key Takeaways
- Personal development is just as vital to your business success as business development. Stop grinding away and nurture your mental and physical health.
- Coaching is invaluable not just in sports, but in everyday life. Mentors can help you course correct and provide a broader view of how to achieve what you want.
- Be more curious and open, but also develop resilience. Expect receiving honest, regular feedback to be tough but well worth it.
Resources
Mike Smith’s LinkedIn
Huddle Advisory
Out of Our League Podcast
About
Mike Smith is the founder of Huddle Advisory, a firm that guides performance for leaders and teams. Previously, he spent nearly two decades with the NFL, transforming the talent function in an executive role. Before shifting to the NFL, he worked as an executive and finance consultant at NBC.
Jim Barnish invites Bill Lederer to The Dirt, extraordinary founder and CEO in the MAdTech space that fuses marketing, advertising, and technology. They discuss the transformations iSocrates has made from consulting to managed services to software-as-a-service (SaaS).
Building a successful business depends on many factors that may change over time. What you need in a startup is likely not what you need as the business enters a growth stage and beyond.
Finding partners that support your goals is another key factor in a growing company, both in life and in business. Entrepreneurship knows its highs and lows, so having a life partner that can weather the storms and celebrate the wins is essential. In business, partnering with reliable, coachable, and trustworthy individuals is just as vital.
Although iSocrates operates in the technology industry, Bill emphasizes the importance of people specifically investing in their growth and trusting them in turn to grow the business. Especially in a global company, understanding differences and bridging cultural gaps is a key part of that process.
3 Key Takeaways
- Be open to change and shifting priorities where needed. As Bill says, “What it took to get you to where you are is unlikely what you need to get to where you want to be.”
- Find a life partner who supports you through the ups and downs. And find business partners who are coachable, with high integrity.
- Invest in your teams. It’s not always what many venture capitalists want to hear, but it’s not about the technology, it’s about the people.
Resources
Bill’s LinkedIn
iSocrates.com
MAdTechBI.com
Productize by Eisha Armstrong
About
Six-time founder and CEO who discovered his career in digital media and advertising, Bill Lederer lives and breathes data. He is the founder and CEO of iSocrates, a managed service + SaaS company built to serve publishers, marketers, agencies, and enablers through a combination of MarTech and AdTech automation and solutions.
As a founder, how do you maximize the value of your company before exiting? What are the ingredients needed to reach “extreme valuation” and build a sustainable business? World-renowned strategist and author Mark Parrott joins Jim Barnish on The Dirt to share his insights on growing companies which he has compiled through an analysis of 1000+ private companies.
Executives need to shift their viewpoint from business owners to investors in their own company. How do founders build for transferable value from the perspective of an acquirer? By changing their lens, they can maximize valuation.
Collaboration with outside sources is a key component of founder growth. CEOs need candid feedback from people whose checks they’re not signing. Leveraging expertise by networking with other executives who experience similar challenges, even across industries, is essential.
3 Key Takeaways
- Grow your valuation by changing your perspective from business owner to investor in your own company. Think about transferable value from an acquirer’s perspective rather than as a business owner.
- Work yourself out of the business by moving from micromanaging to strategic oversight.
- Collaborate with others that can honestly empathize with you (i.e., similar stage/industry CEOs) to give you honest feedback by scrutinizing your vision and strategy.
Resources
Mark Parrott’s LinkedIn
Vistage International
Meta-Trends and the Next Economy by Mark Parrott and Cole Parrott
About
Mark Parrott is a world-renowned author, chief strategist, and keynote speaker. His passion for objective, evidence-based truth has guided over 20,000 CEOs on their quest to drive sustainable growth in companies of all sizes. He co-authored the book Meta-Trendsand the Next Economy and is a Chair and speaker for Vistage.
Win loyalty by building bedrock relationships. Founder and President of FinListics, Stephen Timme walks us through his journey from finance professor to fintech entrepreneur and bringing financial insights down to the sales floor.
Building relationships is at the core of any business. Whether it’s a Founder/CEO consistently checking in with the team, or enabling your sellers to better build relationships with prospects, progress happens when trust is established.
Learn to focus on your client’s goals and strategies, and see the value of doing more than just landing a sale–making a real difference in people’s lives.
3 Key Takeaways
- Build trust with prospects by identifying their goals and strategies and demonstrate that you understand their business.
- Leaders - Cultivate an atmosphere of mentoring in sales to tackle the fear of selling on your teams.
- Make time for your team, don’t forget they’re the ones that push your business forward!
Resources
FinListics.com
Stephen's email
Stephen's Linkedin
Insight-Led Selling by Stephen Timme and Melody Astley
Only the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove
Scaling Upby Verne Harnish
Get involved with Sunshine on a Ranney Day and Camp Trach Me Away
About
Dr. Stephen Timme is the founder and president of FinListics. Over the past two decades, FinListics has helped dozens of companies and thousands of sales professionals better serve their clients by boosting their knowledge of finance and relevant metrics and how their solutions relate to business goals and challenges. FinListics’ Insight-Led Selling provides the business, industry, and financial insights needed to speak the buyer’s language.
Every entrepreneur has weaknesses. You can’t do it all, the more you try, the harder it will be. How do you fill those gaps as an executive to relieve the weight on your shoulders and boost your business? With over 20 years of entrepreneurial experience in the tech industry - including two exits in the last five years - ThumbStopper’s CEO Matt Brown joins today’s episode of The Dirt with his friend and partner, host Jim Barnish.
Finding the right COO and supporting team isn’t the only challenge facing a young company, of course. Improving brand promotion through leveraging social media has been a big factor for many businesses, and Google’s new organic content opens up even more options.
3 Key Takeaways
- The founder journey is tough on both a professional and personal level; find yourself a good mentor(s).
- Take the company as far as you can before seeking outside capital - additional stakeholders complicate things.
- Identify your gaps as a CEO - then find the right people to fill them.
Resources
Orchid Black's white paper Why You Need a COO
Thumbstopper's website
Call Matt: (813) 555-1212
Thumbstopper's Instagram
Matt's Linkedin
Matt's Podcast: BROWN on BRAND
Email Matt: mbrown@thatsus.com
Dan Peña's podcast
Gary Vaynerchuk's podcast
About Matt Brown
In 1997, Matthew Brown founded CLEC Strategies in Tampa, Florida, which continues today as a successful business-to-business consulting firm in the telecom arena. Mr. Brown has been involved in many new ventures over the last 20 years and is active in multiple marketing and software companies. Matthew has been the CEO of two successful exits, one in 2016 selling a point of sale and SaaS marketing software and in February of 2021 selling LotVantage a B2B SaaS software in the automotive space to Digital AirStrike.
Today Mr. Brown currently serves as President and CEO of ThumbStopper: a company he started in 2017 that serves enterprise brands and their retail network.
Our distinguished host, Jim Barnish, is excited to bring you another episode on The Dirt Podcast, with a long-term leader and founder who left his cushy job in pursuit of his passion: Juan Betancourt. Juan will share some of the most important lessons he learned about leadership the hard way, from finding the right sales person to letting go of the reigns. Discover the company-wide future impact of giving a little trust to your employees. And as a bonus, hear Juan's firsthand experiences and advice on giving more room for the Latino community to grow their businesses and franchises.
3 Key Takeaways
- Why leaving his cushy enterprise was the best decision Juan ever made
- How he raised $10 million by sticking to his belief in a platform
- Why true growth comes from your heart and not your head
Resources
Get in touch with Juan!
Email him: juan@humantelligence.com
Juan's Linkedin
Journey of Souls by Dr. Michael Newton
About Juan Betancourt
Juan is recognized as a thought-leader, speaker, and business executive in the human capital management, HR software, recruiting, and culture space. He is also considered by Malcolm Gladwell as one of the world's most connected Connectors, approaching networking from a place of energy and friendship, not based on short term goals, material, or personal gain. Juan practices several spiritual modalities that have helped him live in the NOW, achieve a higher consciousness, and exist (be) in his highest vibration.
Today, he is CEO of Humantelligence, The Culture Software, which enables The Power of People Made Simple® and of Gonza Executive Search, a leading executive search firm that works with leading PE firms to find the top executive talent for their portfolio companies.
Jim Barnish is back in the host seat on this episode of The DIRT Podcast, where he invites a fellow grit-weathered entrepreneur to the table: former US marine and founder/CEO of RentPrep, Stephen White. Their discussion is all about community, specifically how to build an effective and safe space for your members, by securing operational systems and spending more time on the business instead of in the business. Plus, get the raw truth about entrepreneurs, smooth seas, and skilled sailors (Sound familiar?).
3 Key Takeaways
- How RentPrep adds value in a way most other businesses don't
- How Stephen's bustling company community came from a failed business idea
- Why Stephen turns down three times more applicants than he accepts into their community
Resources
Website: RentPrep (Check them out as a fellow entrepreneur!)
Connect with Stephen: steve@rentprep.com (Steve is always happy to keep the comradery going)
Stephen's Linkedin
Traction by Gino Wickman
Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill
About
Founder and CEO of RentPrep, the leading tenant screening solution for busy landlords
• Former United States Marine
• 20 years of experience in the credit industry and entrepreneurship
• Frequent presenter and keynote speaker for real estate/investor events
• Avid reader, life long learner, and lover of nature
We wrap up our first guest here on The Dirt Podcast, who is, coincidentally, also our host, Jim Barnish. Join him and interviewer Josh Tapp as they greater discuss the elements of Orchid Black’s exit strategy, review what types of entrepreneurs Orchid Black can apply to (hint: it’s more than you think), and give the one piece of advice Jim Barnish would leave with all of his viewers, whatever their niche may be. Let’s finish kicking off this podcast the right way–with resources!
3 Key Takeaways
- Two things that Exit In Mind is about
- What The Dirt Podcast can do for your company
- Who The Dirt applies to
Jim Barnish and Orchid Black’s origin story continues on episode two of The Dirt Podcast, where our original host, Jim, is asked questions as the first guest on the show about his company: its goals, its purpose, and why in the world it’s named after a flower. Tune in today and get key information on why Orchid Black only takes on companies that are already profiting, how they boil an exit strategy down to five key elements, and the number one advice Jim would give to listeners about making a space for you to do what you do best and get out of the way at the same time.
3 Key Takeaways
- The function of a growth mindset over a profitability mindset
- 3 key things that make a company grow stagnant
- Why you should have a growth over profitability mindset
Today, we kick off our first episode with a reverse-host situation. Jim Barnish takes a turn in the hot seat as first guest on his own show just so you viewers can get to know his origin story and why he really does what he does–transparently. Tune in to part one of this inaugural episode and find out how this entrepreneur had his first experience at age three, why it’s important to get deep into the “dirty side of things,” and how ending two startup companies led him to run Orchid Black, the booming business that he heads from the mast today.
3 Key Takeaways
- Why running middle school lemonade stands isn’t a true sign of entrepreneurship
- How you can avoid the BS in personal and business relationships
- Why people try a lot of things and end up doing nothing