The Search For Growth: Recent Episodes
Alfie Marsh
Join Alfie Marsh, Co-Founder & CEO of Toolflow, as he interviews pioneers of the AI era.
The Search For Growth is a practical guide into the world of AI for modern professionals and non-technical people.
"We don't care about how it works, we care what it can do."
Alfie goes straight to the source, interviewing founders building breakthrough AI products and the operators deploying them in the trenches. We discover the latest strategies, workflows, and tools you can adopt to become indispensable in a world of the replaceable.
So tune in, level up, and uncover the power of AI. The Search For Growth is your new secret weapon for navigating the AI age.
Let's get after it!
alfiemarsh.substack.com
Brought to you by Toolflow AI - your AI-powered workstation for the world of generative work
(00:00) Introduction and Background
(11:06) Using Custom GPTs and Automation Platforms
(27:08) Step-by-Step Process for Closing the Feedback Loop
(35:01) Centralizing and Categorizing Feedback with Tools like Airtable
(41:31) Exploring AI-Integrated Tools for Product Management
(49:26) Challenges of Integrating AI into Visual Design Workflows
(57:25) Conclusion and Contact Information
📍TLDR
In this conversation, I interview Grégoire Charles, the former Head of Product at eFounders, about how he’s leveraging AI in product development.
We discuss Grégoire’s favorite AI tools, workflows he’s automated, and tips and tricks for effective prompt engineering.
Grégoire explains how AI can help automate feedback loops with users and improve product adoption and activation using automated workflows he built on Make.com & ChatGPT integrations.
Grégoire also discusses other AI-integrated tools he has tried, such as Cycle, Chat PRD, and wireframing tools, and the challenges of integrating AI into visual design workflows.
Grégoire Charle
Grégoire was the Head of Product at Hexa (formerly eFounders) before becoming an angel investor with Mozza Angels, a dedicated group of product entrepreneurs and operators investing in the startups of tomorrow.
He now advises early-stage startups on product development, UX/UI, and PM operations.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alfiemarsh.substack.com
In this Ask-Me-Anything session, Alfie Marsh, Co-Founder & CEO of Toolflow.ai, sits down with Devon Watts, Head of Marketing at Anrok, to discuss how to leverage AI within the marketing function. They cover a range of topics, including programmatic SEO, chatbots, content creation, and more.
Here are some of the key talking points from the conversation:
- Introduction to Devon Watts and her background in marketing across various companies
- Overview of Anrok, a B2B SaaS company that automates sales tax compliance
- Structure of Devon's marketing team at Anrok
- Use of AI-powered chatbots for brainstorming and generating first drafts of content
- Leveraging AI tools like Descript for video editing and transcription
- Exploring programmatic SEO and its benefits for creating landing pages optimized for specific keywords
- Challenges in finding accurate tax data for different jurisdictions
- The potential of AI in image and video creation for marketing purposes
- The importance of maintaining a unique point of view in thought leadership content
- Where to find Devon and Alfie on LinkedIn and their respective company websites
To learn more about Devon Watts and Anrok, visit their LinkedIn profiles and the website.
Devon Watts: / devonwatts
Anrok: www.anrok.com
Toolflow: www.toolflow.ai
Alfie Marsh LinkedIn: / alfiemarsh
Join the community and upskill with AI: https://airtable.com/appSpdQxElUSLflR...
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alfiemarsh.substack.com
In this Ask-Me-Anything session, Alfie Marsh, Co-Founder & CEO of Toolflow.ai, interviews Sandy Mangat, the Head of Marketing at Pocus. They discuss the evolution of the go-to-market motion and the rise of product-led sales. Sandy provides insights into the different eras of go-to-market strategies and how AI and intent data are transforming the sales landscape. They also explore the changing role of sales teams and the importance of data literacy in revenue organizations.
Key talking points:
- The evolution of go-to-market strategies and the shift towards product-led sales
- The importance of first-party data and intent signals in driving sales success
- The emergence of intent 2.0 and the role of AI in surfacing and actioning data
- The landscape of go-to-market tools and the need for consolidation and workflow integration
- The future of revenue organizations and the skills needed to leverage AI effectively
Connect with the speakers:
Sandy Mangat: / sandymangat
Alfie Marsh (Host): / alfiemarsh
Learn more about Pocus:
Website: www.pocus.com
Learn more about Toolflow.ai:
Website: www.toolflow.ai
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alfiemarsh.substack.com
In this episode, we have Brian Cohen, Co-Founder & CEO of Storylab.ai, joining us to discuss the power of AI in marketing and content creation. Brian shares his background in computer science and marketing, as well as his mission to support marketers in delivering valuable content to their audience. He explains how Storylab.ai utilizes AI tools to generate content and campaigns, while also emphasizing the importance of storytelling in engaging audiences. Brian and Alfie also discuss the skills needed to stay competitive in the evolving marketing landscape and the potential of AI in product marketing.
Topics Discussed:
The role of AI in marketing and content creation
The transition from traditional content creation to AI-powered content
The importance of prompt writing and human judgment in AI-generated content
The future of AI in marketing, including hyper-personalization and data analysis
The skills needed to stay relevant and competitive in the marketing field
Guest: Brian Cohen Role: Co-Founder & CEO at Storylab.ai Company: Storylab.ai Website: https://storylab.ai/ LinkedIn: / mrbcohen
Host: Alfie Marsh LinkedIn: / alfiemarsh
Toolflow is an AI-powered digital workspace that enables non-technical people to build AI tools and workflows without code. To learn more about Toolflow, visit their website at www.toolflow.ai.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alfiemarsh.substack.com
In today's episode, we welcome Trevor Lee, Co-Founder & CEO at Myko AI. The platform that drives AI-powered insights to all your Salesforce data.
Guest - Trevor Lee
Website: https://www.myko.ai/
Host - Alfie Marsh
Website: www.toolflow.ai
Toolflow.ai
Toolflow.ai is an AI-powered digital workspace that enables non-technical people to build AI tools & workflows without code. You can create an account at www.toolflow.ai to find out more 💪
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alfiemarsh.substack.com
in today's episode we welcome Mark Hughes, Co-Founder & CEO @ Solidroad. Solidroad is a simulation training tool for sales and support teams. Empower your reps to perform at their best with realistic AI-powered conversations and effective feedback.
Guest - Mark Hughes
Website: www.solidroad.com
Host - Alfie Marsh
Website: www.toolflow.ai
Toolflow.ai
Toolflow.ai is an AI-powered digital workspace that enables non-technical people to build AI tools & workflows without code. You can create an account at www.toolflow.ai to find out more 💪
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alfiemarsh.substack.com
Welcome to The Search For Growth, the show that takes you inside the minds of the world’s greatest startup founders and entrepreneurs.Today, it's my pleasure to introduce Bob Marsh, a seasoned sales executive with a passion for helping companies grow.
Bob has spent his career in sales and sales leadership, and is currently the Chief Revenue Officer of Bluewater Technologies. Prior to that, he was the Founder and CEO of LevelEleven, a sales management system used by some of the world's most progressive sales organizations.
Through building two category-creating businesses, Bob is a professional speaker on the topics of sales growth and leadership and has had the opportunity to speak at several industry leading events and been published in Fast Company,, Quotable, and the Harvard Business Review.
Join us as we unpack Bob's story and learnings from his experience helping companies grow through sales and leadership.
(00:00) Intro
(00:51) Podcast Starts
(01:47) The first $5 Bob ever earned
(02:48) Lessons from working in a golf store
(05:35) Pivotal failures and nearly getting fired
(09:03) Why everyone hate salespeople
(13:52) Defining your Ideal Customer Profiles (ICP)
(18:52) Becoming your true self
(26:39) Building canals vs Flowing with the river
(28:00) Entrepreneurs must balance optimism with paranoia
(32:41) Starting LevelEleven and becoming an entrepreneur
(36:42) “The Jockey & The Horse” analogy to investing
(38:55) Building a SalesTech software to $5M in revenue and exiting
(41:00) Finding a technical co-founder vs outsourcing your MVP
(43:00) Selling LevelEleven and Bob’s first exit as a founder
(45:48) Working with PE, retaining equity, and the PE playbook
(49:31) Bob’s stint as a professional speaker
(52:00) Rapid fire questions
Today, it gives me great pleasure to introduce you to Lihong Hicken, the CEO of TheySaid, and a seasoned startup veteran.
Lihong was raised in a remote village in China, and learned five languages before immigrating to the US where she then rocketed into a successful career in tech.
Starting out as an individual contributor selling high school parents' education packages, Lihong quickly moved up the ladder and became one of User Testings' first female employees and later became CRO at GitPrime where she grew revenues 300-400% YoY.
GitPrime’s co-founder, Ben Thompson, referred to her as "the most impactful hire they ever made”.
Since then Lihong has gone on to experience 4 successful exits from acquisitions to an IPO and is currently leading “TheySaid” as CEO.
Together, we unpack Lihong's story from China to the US and the learnings she’s had along the way.
(01:19) Growing up in China, running family businesses
(03:31) Coming to the US, visas
(06:02) Growing skills throughout her career
(09:02) Deciding to go to business school at Berkeley
(10:14) Building the Wild Dog sales team at GitPrime
(11:01) How her immigrant work ethic impacted her
(17:14) Building her sales team with the customer in mind
(21:58) Creating team incentives
(25:48) Exits and golden handcuffs
(29:47) Building ‘nuffsaid
(37:29) Why NPS doesn’t cut it
(45:36) How to get insights from 500 people
(50:12) Customer Perceived Value
(53:52) Rapid-fire questions
Lihong Hicken's LinkedIn
TheySaid.io
Crossing the Chasm
Three-Body Problem
The Search For Growth Podcast
Alfie Marsh B2B Go-To-Market Advisory
Alfie Marsh's Newsletter "Rocket GTM"
Chris Gibson's Newsletter "Content I Consumed"
Alfie's LinkedIn
Chris' LinkedIn
Alfie and Chris read a lot of newsletters. Here are some of our favorites and why you should subscribe to them.
(01:33) Axios - A collection of newsletters across news, tech, and various industries
(06:49) Not Boring - Deep dives into industries and his Weekly Dose of Optimism
(10:46) Other VC Newsletters - Chamath, Marc Andreessen, Fred Wilson, Paul Graham
(11:30) Matt Levine's Money Stuff - Learn complex topics in finance, law, and regulations easily
(15:23) Bits about Money - About modern financial infrastructure
(16:31) The Diff - Inflections in finance and tech
(17:29) Thomas Tunguz - Data-driven blog about startups
(18:24) Climate newsletters - Build in Climate, CTVC, Keep Cool
(18:57) Marketing Examples - Explaining how marketing works through screenshots
(19:50) Wait But Why - Long-form content on our past, present, and future.
Other:
Morning Brew
The Search For Growth Podcast
Alfie Marsh B2B Go-To-Market Advisory
Alfie Marsh's Newsletter "Rocket GTM"
Chris Gibson's Newsletter "Content I Consumed"
Alfie's LinkedIn
Chris' LinkedIn
Alfie (and Chris) listen to a lot of podcasts. Here are some of our favorites and why you should subscribe to them.
(02:59) Nathan Latka - Evaluating bootstrapped founders' numbers
(09:04) Conversations with Tyler - Interviewing smart people with specificity
(15:08) Tim Ferriss - Daily habits of top performers
(16:21) Hacks to read non-fiction books quickly
(20:06) Founders - Book summaries so you don't have to read them
(22:01) Misc - Men In Blazers, The Pod has Spoken
Other
All In
Knowledge Project
The Search For Growth Podcast
Alfie Marsh B2B Go-To-Market Advisory
Alfie Marsh's Newsletter "Rocket GTM"
Chris Gibson's Newsletter "Content I Consumed"
Alfie's LinkedIn
Chris' LinkedIn
On today’s episode, we are joined by an incredible sales leader, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker with over two decades of experience in the field. After starting his career in sales, he went on to found the highly successful sales training and coaching firm, Vorsight, in 2005. But that's not all - he also had the vision to build one of the first conversational intelligence platforms, making him an early competitor to the likes of Gong and Chorus. Later, he sold ExecVision to Mediafly and now serves as the SVP of Sales Excellence.
In today's episode, we dive deep into his journey from employee to self-employed sales trainer, and the transition into running a successful service business that later became a software company. We cover everything from the life of a solopreneur to competing with the biggest names in the game and lessons learned from being acquired.
(02:14) Starting an appointment-setting business
(05:22) Idea behind conversational intelligence business
(09:42) Getting customers
(12:01) Value of creating a training business - scaling your time
(15:12) First hires, the first office
(18:51) Pricing, revenue per month, margins
(19:56) Building your own business with significant profitability
(22:21) Building a curriculum
(27:02) Why there is more to building a business than an exit
(28:20) Building ExecVision and learnings from Vorsight
(30:54) Value of a technical cofounder
(34:18) Building two businesses at once
(43:06) Splitting responsibilities with another cofounder
(43:44) Process of acquisition
(46:12) Learnings after acquisition - being so focused on product
(51:51) Should salespeople build a software business or a service business
(54:16) Don't be a destination island
(55:13) Rapid-fire questions
Steve Richard's LinkedIn
Mastering the Rockefeller Habits
Catcher in the Rye
The Search For Growth Podcast
Alfie Marsh B2B Go-To-Market Advisory
Alfie Marsh's Newsletter "Rocket GTM"
Chris Gibson's Newsletter "Content I Consumed"
Alfie's LinkedIn
Chris' LinkedIn
On today’s show, we are joined by Will Ross the CEO & Co-Founder of Federato. After previously being an AI researcher at Stanford working on climate and atmospheric modeling, Will came up with the idea for Federato alongside his co-founder. They recently raised a $15M Series A in 2022 to help insurance carriers execute better decision-making at all levels of the underwriting process. On today’s episode, we’re going to dive into how Federato was born, lessons from the insurance industry, and Will’s frameworks for entrepreneurs.
(00:41) Federato origin story
(03:33) Optimization vs classification
(06:21) Meteorology and business at Stanford
(09:46) How Federato helps insurance companies
(16:54) Federato's MVP and first-paying customer
(19:18) Targeting first customers
(22:29) Why insurance companies can't do this themselves
(24:03) Insurance sales hacks and using 10-ks
(29:21) Pricing Federato
(34:28) Federato's moat
(36:32) Federato's "unreasonable hospitality" culture
Will Ross' LinkedIn
Federato Website
Unreasonable Hospitality
Double Blind
The Search For Growth Podcast
Alfie Marsh B2B Go-To-Market Advisory
Alfie Marsh's Newsletter "Rocket GTM"
Chris Gibson's Newsletter "Content I Consumed"
Alfie's LinkedIn
Chris' LinkedIn
Kevin Blakeis one of the top entertainers in the country. He’s a San Francisco Bay Area magician and mentalist who has been featured on America’s Got Talent and Penn and Teller’s Fool Us. You can watch him at his weekly show, the Illusionist at the Palace Theater (in San Francisco), or at his in-person and virtual corporate events. In addition to magic, he’s a big swimmer and has competed in the US Olympic Team trials twice in the 50 freestyle. In this episode, we discuss how Kevin got into magic, the business dynamics of magic, what it was like to perform on national tv, and his current performances.
(00:44) Getting into magic
(06:31) Ethical frameworks for mentalism
(08:27) First time getting paid to do magic
(09:34) Doing magic as a side-gig
(11:49) Moving into magic full-time during COVID
(16:43) How to get audience feedback to improve
(17:15) Magician pricing and distribution strategies
(19:01) Impact of VC on distribution
(20:44) His ideal customer profile and personal brand
(24:33) Magician competition
(26:17) Where magicians make money
(30:41) Where magicians buy tricks
(35:10) How magicians spend their time
(37:55) Are magicians lonely?
(39:17) Going on America's Got Talent and Penn and Teller's Fool Us
(47:44) Kevin's show the Illusionist at the Palace Theater in SF
(49:26) Relationship with theater and producers in regard to distribution
(52:54) Rapid fire - favorite books, advice that is incorrect in magic
(56:36) Where to find Kevin
Book Kevin for Corporate Events
The Illusionist at the Palace Theater in SF
Favorite Books
Absolute Magic by Derren Brown
Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake
The Search For Growth Podcast
Alfie Marsh B2B Go-To-Market Advisory
Alfie Marsh's Newsletter "Rocket GTM"
Chris Gibson's Newsletter "Content I Consumed"
Alfie's LinkedIn
Chris' LinkedIn
(01:16) Background
(04:26) Learnings from his first startup
(06:11) Finding co-founders
(09:18) Learnings from Spendesk
(12:03) Pitching tent framework
(17:56) Defacto
(23:31) Importance of distribution
(30:05) Macro interest rate trends on Defacto
(33:49) Defacto geography
(34:29) Rapid fire questions - Favorite books, advice that is wrong
Jordane Guily LinkedIn
The Search For Growth Podcast
Alfie Marsh B2B Go-To-Market Advisory
Alfie Marsh's Newsletter "Rocket GTM"
Chris Gibson's Newsletter "Content I Consumed"
Alfie's LinkedIn
Chris' LinkedIn
(00:55) First business in Toronto
(03:12) Building a zero-emissions landscaping business
(06:35) Value of door-to-door sales experience
(08:32) Prospecting with LinkedIn, selling to CRO of Shopify
(10:41) Using the Sphere of Influence in sales
(14:05) Why the first 100 days of a new hire is so valuable in sales
(18:05) Think of your CRM as an iceberg
(22:51) The biggest problem in sales quota attainment
(27:21) How relationship signals can give you insight into your customer success strategy
(33:12) Top recommendations for SDRs
(36:46) How to spot job changes, where Pipeline Signals gets its data
(40:31) How data is insufficient. You need sales enablement to get the full value of relationship signals
(43:22) Value of outsourced labor. Building multiple businesses at once
(50:13) Why picking a lane in your career is important
(52:54) Rapid fire questions - favorite books and advice that is wrong
Jamie Shanks’ LinkedIn
Pipeline Signals
Sales for Life
Get Levrg
Books
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Buy Back Your Time: Get Unstuck, Reclaim Your Freedom, and Build Your Empire
Social Selling Mastery: Scaling Up Your Sales and Marketing Machine for the Digital Buyer
SPEAR Selling: The ultimate Account-Based Sales guide for the modern digital sales professional
The Search For Growth Podcast
Alfie Marsh B2B Go-To-Market Advisory
Alfie Marsh's Newsletter "Rocket GTM"
Chris Gibson's Newsletter "Content I Consumed"
Alfie's LinkedIn
Chris' LinkedIn
(00:50) Starting at Beacon, a YC-backed crowdfunding journalism company
(03:03) Pivoting to Chargehound
(09:01) Using tech stack to get the idea for Chargehound, chargeback overview
(13:53) Getting first YC customers
(17:04) Identifying the correct types of customers
(22:10) Identifying which is easier to sell to - customers using alternatives or ones without a solution
(27:53) Leveling sales up over time
(28:33) Distribution strategy and using puppies as a marketing hack at a conference
(36:48) Getting acquired by PayPal - timeline, process
(39:29) Getting ideas for new companies
(42:20) Hiring insights
(44:13) Challenges at Chargehound
(45:44) Rapid fire questions - Books and pieces of advice
Pallavi Kuppa-Apte's LinkedIn
Chargehound
Books Mentioned
The Messy Middle
Making of a Manager
When Breath Becomes Air
The Search For Growth Podcast
Alfie Marsh B2B Go-To-Market Advisory
Alfie Marsh's Newsletter "Rocket GTM"
Chris Gibson's Newsletter "Content I Consumed"
Alfie's LinkedIn
Chris' LinkedIn
(00:00) Remembering vs Experiencing Self - What is it
(03:22) Peak-End Rule
(05:29) Duration Neglect
(14:36) Emotion in Demos
(20:14) Why Journaling is Important
Books Mentioned
Thinking Fast and Slow
The Search For Growth Podcast
Alfie Marsh B2B Go-To-Market Advisory
Alfie Marsh's Newsletter "Rocket GTM"
Chris Gibson's Newsletter "Content I Consumed"
Alfie's LinkedIn
Chris' LinkedIn
(00:00) Intro - Daniel Kahneman Thinking Fast and Slow
(00:58) Defining System 1 and System 2
(04:22) Cognitive friction
(06:23) Pattern matching in sales and hiring
(07:36) System 1 as heuristics
(08:34) System 2 takes energy
(10:05) Narrow vs broad framing
(12:19) Narrow framing in life and the availability heuristic
(15:24) Framing when making business decisions
(19:45) Framing in sales
(23:58) B2C as System 1, B2B as System 2 implications
(29:56) Interplay between System 1 and System 2 - illusions and traps
(31:38) Loss aversion and EV
(34:12) The biggest competition in sales is the status quo
Books Mentioned
Thinking Fast and Slow
The Chimp Paradox
The Search For Growth Podcast
Alfie Marsh B2B Go-To-Market Advisory
Alfie Marsh's Newsletter "Rocket GTM"
Chris Gibson's Newsletter "Content I Consumed"
Alfie's LinkedIn
Chris' LinkedIn
(00:00) Intro - Founder & CEO @Lempire, Guillaume Moubeche
(01:33) Growing up in Paris, first business
(3:55) Starting a business with his dad
(10:22) Raising $30m as a publicity stunt
(15:07) Reasons for bootstrapping
(16:53) Quickly profitable, early strong growth
(19:36) Using community as a strategy
(24:31) Deciding to take VC
(29:25) Mission, narratives, and stories
(36:35) Financially supporting himself in France while bootstrapping
(42:42) How to measure success
(45:59) Pressure of last 12 months
(51:20) What's next
(52:44) Rapid fire questions - books, advice
Guillaume Moubeche Twitter
Guillaume Moubeche LinkedIn
Lemlist YouTube
The Search For Growth Podcast
Alfie Marsh B2B Go-To-Market Advisory
Alfie's Newsletter "Rocket GTM"
Chris Gibson's Newsletter "Content I Consumed"
Alfie's LinkedIn
Chris' LinkedIn
(00:53) Wavelength Overview
(02:09) The Idea - How to better map user networks using organization data
(06:02) Why Wavelength was bootstrapped
(07:55) Reason for alumni networks. Importance of donations
(10:37) Why Wavelength focused on data. What it does with the data
(14:47) Why focus on schools
(17:17) Problem of focusing on product vs distribution
(19:55) Colleges vs high schools. Endowments and how they work
(27:52) Importance of domain expertise
(32:06) Cofounder dynamic
(39:43) First customer strategy
(45:30) Motivation of building Wavelength.
(53:29) Major takeaways
Wavelength
The Search For Growth Podcast
Alfie Marsh B2B Go-To-Market Advisory
Alfie's Newsletter "Rocket GTM"
Chris' Newsletter "Content I Consumed"
Alfie's LinkedIn
Chris' LinkedIn
(00:00) Intro to Alexa
(04:15) When did Alexa know she wanted to be an entrepreneur
(06:20) Problems experienced at Dataminr that inspired Pocus
(08:30) Stanford's "Lean Launchpad" program designed to help you launch your idea
(12:15) How to choose your co-founder
(20:30) Only 2.4% of VC money went to solely female founders. Alexa's tips for female founders
(24:30) Importance of having the right people on your cap table
(30:10) Community driven category creation
(33:30) Category creation
In today's episode we discuss generative AI:
(1:33) Generative AI - What it is, how it works
(7:31) Market landscape
(13:18) Data vs models
(28:22) Text vs images vs video - Where are we with generative AI across data types
(33:47) How will AI impact interviews, art
(39:23) Natural language interfaces and how work will evolve
(45:17) Dynamic content - video games and sales
(49:16) Cool AI companies
Chris Gibson - Founder of Wavelength
Newsletter
Alfie Marsh - Head of US Go-To-Market at Spendesk
Newsletter
The Search For Growth website
www.thesearchforgrowth.com
Episode links discussed
Sequoia Generative AI: A Creative New World
Sequoia Market Map - See here for complete list of companies discussed
Ben's Bites
(00:00) Intro
(00:50) Feedback from listeners
(03:00) Podcast starts - intro to Alfie's journey
(06:00) Three takeaways
(06:30) Customer Development vs Acquisition Go-To-Market motions
(14:00) Who to send abroad for international expansions
(16:00) Speed of feedback
(18:15) Identifying whether you're lacking PMF vs Go-To-Market fit
(20:00) The email we used to get our first 50 customers
(21:45) Leveraging your strengths to finding your first customers
(24:00) The PSP framework to pivots: Product / Segmentation /Positioning
(27:50) How to know which pivots you need to make
(29:00) The flaws of A/B testing
( 33:00) Framework for learning: 70% doing 20% self-directed 10% asking others
(34:50) The cook vs chef dynamic
(37:00) Why Chris disagree's with the 70/20/10 learning framework
(40:00) Context of advice is more important than the advice itself
(42:00) Customer development process in more detail
(43:00) Three key takeaways of the pod
(43:30) Links to newsletters and where to find us
(The email that got us our first 50 customers)
(Four Steps to an Epiphany)
(The chef vs cook principle)
(00:00) Intro
(01:40) Feedback from listeners
(03:55) Best books on storytelling for entrepreneurs
(05:20) Chris' company Wavelength
(06:40) Storytelling basics
(09:10) The 7 part framework summary
(11:00) How to use the framework in your own story
(13:10) The Hero has a problem
(22:55) Everyone needs a villain
(26:50) The Hero vs The Guide: How Jay-Z messed this up with Tidal
(30:55) Guide offers a plan
(40:00) Demonstrate the consequences of failure: Superbowl Ad example
(46:00) The promised land
(47:35) Our newsletters
In todays episode we discuss seven key takeaways from the book Storybrand and how you can build a strategic narrative for your startup. The framework we’ll be discussing is as follows:
- A Hero
- has a problem
- who meets a guide
- and gives them a plan
- which compels them to act
- and helps them avoid failure
- which ends in success
Resources discussed
(Storybrand) https://www.amazon.com/Building-StoryBrand-Clarify-Message-Customers/dp/0718033329/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=IRR035L975GP&keywords=storybrand+donald+miller&qid=1669675221&sprefix=storybrand%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFRU09BMkwxM0NGTUwmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA3MTkyMTU4SEpMR1Y5U0M0V1ImZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDA5MzQ1OTJKRkc4MTY4TVo5S0Imd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl
(Crossing the Chasm) https://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Chasm-3rd-Disruptive-Mainstream/dp/0062292986/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=crossing+the+chasm&qid=1669675152&sr=8-1
(Traction) https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Startup-Guide-Getting-Customers/dp/0976339609/ref=sr_1_4?crid=21BEYZOZ9B04K&keywords=traction&qid=1669675180&sprefix=traction%2Caps%2C220&sr=8-4&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.08f69ac3-fd3d-4b88-bca2-8997e41410bb
(Alfie's Newsletter)
https://alfiemarsh212.substack.com/
(Chris' Newsletter)
https://chrisgibson.substack.com/
In todays episode we discuss tech layoffs:
(01:33) Layoffs.fyi database on who's laying people off
(02:50) Why tech layoffs are happening - inflation, interest rates, covid, war
(06:00) Interest rates impact on investors
(07:00) Net Present Value of future cash flows
(08:00) Powerball lottery example
(10:25) How tech startups dealt with the changing landscape
(11:20) Extending runway
(13:00) Good & bad examples of layoffs
(14:15) Stripe's memo on laying off staff
(16:13) Should CEOs have been able to predict the market and prevent over hiring
(20:40) The financial decision behind joining a startup
(23:00) How joining a startup now could make you rich
(24:15) Is Elon the new Steve Jobs
(27:30) Impact of layoffs for H1-B visa holders
(30:35) Tips for finding a new job
Alfie Marsh - Head of US Go-To-Market at Spendesk
(LinkedIn) https://www.linkedin.com/in/alfie-marsh-0a435a69/
(Newsletter) http://www.rocketgtm.co/
Chris Gibson - Founder of Wavelength
(LinkedIn) https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisgibson14/
(Twitter) https://twitter.com/chggib
(Newsletter) https://chrisgibson.substack.com/
The Search For Growth website
www.thesearchforgrowth.com
Episode links discussed
https://layoffs.fyi/
(Stripe's memo on layoffs) https://stripe.com/newsroom/news/ceo-patrick-collisons-email-to-stripe-employees
(Openview's 2022 Benchmark Report) https://openviewpartners.com/2022-saas-benchmarks-report/
(Techcrunch article for H1-B visa holders) https://techcrunch.com/2022/11/11/answers-for-h-1b-workers-whove-been-laid-off-or-think-they-might-be/
In today's episode, we interview Evan Gelfand.
Evan’s LinkedIn
Super F**king Simple event page
This election's proposition guide
Evan Gelfand is the founder of Super F**king Simple, an organization that simplifies civic engagement by hosting events to discuss contentious topics.
He started it in 2018 as a nonpartisan way for voters to make sense of city and statewide ballots. On October 25th, they had their Super F*cking Simple ballot event at Manny's, a community and learning cafe in the Mission in San Francisco.
In addition to building Super F**king Simple, Evan is the Head of Experience at Mystery, an employee engagement platform that builds connection through curated virtual experiences. Previously, he was a Chief of Staff within YouTube.
On this episode we talk about:
- How ballot propositions work
- Why voting on ballot propositions is important
- The only way to change the outcome of a proposition
- Simplifying complex and contentious propositions
- The challenge with ballot guides
- What Evan learned over the last four years of organizing the event
- The importance of non-partisan conversations
- How Super F**king Simple could be used as a safe place to discuss other contentious topics like climate change
- How influencers are leveraged to encourage people to vote
- Understanding financial incentives behind politics
- Evan’s favorite books and other quick-fire questions
Links & resources discussed on the pod
The Search For Growth
- Receive short video clips and summaries for each episode via our newsletter here
- For everything else, check out our website
Alfie Marsh: Head of US Go-To-Market at Spendesk
- Alfie’s newsletter Rocket GTM 🚀
- Alfie’s LinkedIn
Chris Gibson: Founder of Wavelength
- Chris’ newsletter Content I Consumed
- Chris’ LinkedIn
The Search For Growth is brought to you by:
- Alfie Marsh (Head of US Go-To-Market at Spendesk and founder of Rocket GTM newsletter)
- Chris Gibson (Founder of Wavelength)
Like short video snippets with the key points? Sign up to our newsletter.
For everything else go to our website.
————————————————————
In todays episode we discuss Morgan Housel’s book “The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness”
- Feedback from listeners about our last episode
- Why we chose the name “The Search For Growth”
- Why Chris loved this book
- Summary of key takeaways (see details below)
- Announcements
————————————————————
Summary of key takeaways:
1. No one’s crazy
People who make financial decisions based on their own personal context, it may relevant to them, but it may not be relevant to you. Chris & Alfie give examples of how they and their wives handle money differently. VCs investment during a 0% rate environment compared to normal times.
2. Compounding is important
$81.5bn of Warren Buffet’s wealth came after his 65 birthday. Impressive things are achieved through compounding small habits over long periods of time. 1% improvements over step function growth.
3. Be financially unbreakable
Making good investments is not about good decisions, it's about consistently not screwing up. Be financially unbreakable. Stick around long enough to make wonders happen. Planning is important but assume things won’t go to plan. How VC firms are set up asymmetrically for success and default unbreakable. De-risking the downside.
4. Power Law
You can be wrong a lot of the time and still make a fortune. 65% of companies within a fund lost money, 2.5% made 10-20x, 1% made 20x, and 0.5% made >20x. Therefore, you can lose a lot, but still come out on top. Optimize for exposure to opportunity. Meeting one person can change your life, optimize for the long term exposure not short term.
5. Freedom
Controlling your time is the highest dividend money can pay. Tim Ferris’ “4 Hour Work Week”. The highest form of wealth is being able to choose how you spend your time. The problem with the story about the rich banker and the fisherman. The hedonic treadmill problem. Trades off between bootstrapping vs venture backed startups.
6. Reasonable over rational decisions
Better to be mostly reasonable than coldly rational. Being reasonable doesn’t always mean rational, example choosing stocks you enjoy following may not be the best financial decision but it’ll keep you in the game long enough to learn how to execute a good strategy.
7. Beware of taking financial cues from people playing a different game
Example, momentum traders trading the tech stock boom. The danger of advice without context. Searching for context not advice.
————————————————————
Links & resources discussed on the pod.
- Our website - The Search For Growth
- Alfie’s newsletter - Rocket GTM 🚀
- The Woof Gang Shop - Bow ties for dogs
On this week's episode we discuss:
- Lessons from burnout
- The CAM Framework for dealing with underperformance
- Trident Skillsets - why UFC fighter Conor McGregor is so unique
- Why "Motivation Stories" are a powerful tool in enduring hardship
- How personality traits guide career choice
Your hosts
Chris Gibson: Founder @ Wavelength
Alfie Marsh: Head of US GTM @ Spendesk
Rocket GTM is brought to you by
- Alfie Marsh (Head of US Go-To-Market at Spendesk and founder of Rocket GTM newsletter)
- Chris Gibson (Founder of Wavelength)
In todays episode we discuss:
- Annie Duke's book called "How To Decide" and taking lessons from poker into the startup world
- How Chris view's professional poker playing as an analogy for starting a company
- Chris' journey across the 3,000 mile Continental Divide Trail and how the lessons he learned apply to company building
- How Spendesk used fake WIFI to hack a startup event
