Leveling Up with Eric Siu

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

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

What does it take to be successful as a new CEO? Whenever you're joining a new company, it's important to avoid rocking the boat at the beginning. In this session we discuss ways to have a successful transition into any company at the executive level.

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

Do you need to have a big company before you start worrying about things like vision and culture? I used to think so... but the truth is, building culture and demonstrating the vision is the most important job of the CEO and can make or break whether you're successful. In this clip, we'll talk about ways you can implement culture, recruit a-players and share your vision better with your team, no matter how big or small your company is!

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

When should you split your focus and start to take on multiple projects? The problem with a lot of people is that they never focus on completing one project all the way through. Or they fail to diversify at the right time. In this clip, Eric shares his thoughts around the importance of creating a launch pad business before splitting to different projects.

How much should you spend on a business coach? How do you know if you'll get a valuable ROI from the experience? In this episode Eric shares his thoughts around why business coaches are worth it, and how to find a coach who will push you to greater heights.

When I first started podcasting, I was only getting 9 downloads a day. This sad trend continued through the next 12 months... and even after 2 years I was only getting 30 downloads a day. Flash forward to today and I'm generating over 1.3 million downloads a month. What happened? In this clip we'll discuss the lessons I learned along the way of recording over 2,000 episodes!

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

Does marketing mean making money? It can be very easy as a marketer to focus on all the ways to generate a profit and make a lot of extra cash through sometimes shady ways. But is that best for the long term? In this clip, Eric Siu shares his thoughts around long term strategies to develop a marketing breakthrough and avoid short term thinking. This will help you from getting stuck at a ceiling.

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

Improving your income can start with some very simple changes. 1. Join peer groups Hang out with people that are near your level, a little ahead of you, and people that are way ahead of you. Being able to lean on other people's experience goes a long way. 2. Find the right coaches If the Kobe Bryants and the Michael Jordans of the world have coaches, then you can definitely benefit from coaching too. But you need to have a really good idea of what you need. 3. Understand relationship capital Build connections for yourself, and connect other people to help them. Being a connector goes a long way. 4. Create a content habit Create content to learn about the things you're teaching; it'll help you articulate your thoughts more clearly too. Content helps people discover you, and that leads to more relationships. 5. Have very specific goals Constantly remind yourself of what you're striving for. Put post-its where you brush your teeth | near your monitor | on your fridge, etc. 6. Write down your top 3 goals for the day To achieve your larger goals, you have to achieve the smaller ones first. If you're getting 3 important (meaningful?) things done per day, you're well on your way to achieving what you want to. 7. Create a health habit Get good sleep. Eat well. Exercise. You won't perform as well as you can at work if you're not healthy. It's not a waste of time to do those things, it's an investment into better performance.

Is your podcast stuck? Are you wondering how everyone else got their show to be successful, while your show is still struggling to get downloads? That used to be me. For over a year I was only getting 9 downloads a day. It took me over 2 years to finally learn how to breakthrough to the next level and after deploying these strategies, I'm now well over 1.2 MILLION downloads a month. You don't have to go at this the hard way. Follow these strategies to skyrocket your downloads today.

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

Today we give you a step-by-step checklist for spying on your competition’s marketing. There are great tools for seeing what your competitors are getting up to in terms of their content, SEO, and ads, which allows you to stay ahead of the curve. Tune in to hear what kinds of things you want to be on the lookout for when spying on your competition! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:25] Today’s topic: A Step-by-Step Checklist to Spying on Your Competition’s Marketing. [00:34] Hear why it is important to spy on your competition’s marketing. [01:00] You can also benefit from seeing what indirect competitors are getting up to. [01:04] Examples of the kinds of things to look at when spying on advertising campaigns. [01:55] BuiltWith and Wayback Machine will show you what technology people are using. [02:26] Use Social Blade to see the growth rate of various channels. [02:45] A list of tools that will show you what others are doing in terms of content and SEO. [03:11] SimilarWeb shows referring websites and the breakdown of traffic. [03:41] Google Alters will notify you every time your competition does something new. [04:01] If you are in the tech world, check out Crunchbase to follow news about competitors. [04:21] That’s it for today! [04:22] To stay updated with events and learn more about our mastermind, go to the Marketing School site for more information or text us on 310-349-3785! Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: ClickFunnels Adbeat BuiltWith Wayback Machine Social Blade Ahrefs SEMrush Ubersuggest BuzzSumo SimilarWeb Crunchbase Leave Some Feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us: Neilpatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu

Being focused on the profit might keep you out of harms way, but will it make you rich? Probably not. The massive advantage companies like Amazon have is how they redeploy their profits into the company. By reinvesting your margin into creating new and better products, you will leap ahead of your competition by a long shot.

Can you really afford to NOT be an influencer in today's digital world? In this episode, Eric shares some of the insane advantages you can have by creating your "one man" media brand, and how to leverage an audience to achieve your wildest goals.

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

Are you looking for creative ways to monetize your audience? Even if you have a small audience and are just starting out, these tips can help you think outside of the box and start generating revenue from your efforts.

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

Do you think you deserve a raise? Great! Here's how you can actually negotiate to make it happen!

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

If you hustle hard enough, is it worth it? Only to a point. Tune in to this episode as we discuss how you can out perform almost anyone with leverage, not hustle. What is leverage in the first place, and how does running a smart business give you more leverage? In this episode we'll find out!

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

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

What does it take to build wealth? In this episode, Eric shares his insight on the many stages of wealth and how to climb the ladder to the next stage. Discover why products and software can be more lucrative than services, and why the harder the level is, the bigger the reward will be!

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

we discuss four underrated SEO strategies that will help you boost your organic traffic. Updating your content and keywords, removing old dates from your URLs, and using power and pillar pages effectively will all contribute to reviving your organic traffic. Tune in to hear about the tools that will get you to your traffic goals. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:25] Today’s topic: 4 Underrated SEO Plays That Will Double Your Organic Traffic. [00:39] Upgrade your content regularly. [01:01] Consider your top performers and explore new keywords to update them. [01:30] Boost your traffic by removing dates from your URLs. [01:45] Write long-form pieces of content and consolidate different pieces together. [02:04] Consider what Animalz does with their power and pillar pages. [02:24] Turn your content into videos and put them on YouTube. [03:01] That’s it for today! [03:02] To stay updated with events and learn more about our mastermind, go to the Marketing School site for more information. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Ubersuggest ClickFlow Brian Dean Animalz vidIQ Leave Some Feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us: Neilpatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu

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

You don't need a college degree to make 6 figures, even during this year's uncertain times.

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

In episode #1432, we are going to be giving you seven game-changing tools for marketers on a budget. This great session covers Eric and Neil’s famous self-made tools for optimizing traffic and SEO, getting more views on YouTube, tightening up your copy, and so much more! Tune in and find some tools that should accelerate your growth and which you can either get for super cheap or better yet, absolutely free! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:25] Today’s topic: 7 Game-Changing Growth Tools for Marketers on a Budget. [00:30] How good and cheap Ubersuggest and Neil’s offerings are for SEO. [01:00] Using Content Decay to identify and maintain parts of your site that are losing traffic. [01:38] Making the most of your content by streaming it to multiple sources. [02:18] Getting way more traffic from YouTube using vidIQ! [02:36] How much more effective you become as a writer using Grammarly. [03:18] Connecting all marketing sources in one place using Google Data Studio. [03:53] Using fast-growing Zapier to build marketing workflows. [04:53] That’s it for today! [04:55] To stay updated with events and learn more about our mastermind, go to the Marketing School site for more information. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Ubersuggest Content DecayRestream vidIQ Grammarly Google Data StudioZapier Leave Some Feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review.

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

Today, we are going to talk about seven Jeff Bezos frameworks that will supercharge your growth. These are frameworks that not a lot of people talk about, but when you think about business growth, when you think about longterm business, Amazon is the perfect example of that. No matter how much crap people talk about Amazon.

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

Today we share the ultimate checklist for selling high-ticket products and services. Some of the benefits of higher price points are that you have more flexibility and margin for making mistakes, and you should use this to your benefit. Tune in to hear the array of benefits to hosting a webinar and where to learn how to structure them for maximum benefit! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:25] Today’s topic: The Ultimate Checklist for Selling High-Ticket Products and Services. [00:35] Don’t think that having your offer on your website is enough—get on the phone. [01:05] A higher price means more flexibility and more margin for mistakes. [01:25] Retarget people who have hit your page or have shown interest. [02:02] Get tips from Sam Ovens and Russell Brunson on structuring webinars. [02:17] The benefits of hosting a webinar and the best platforms to use. [02:30] Think about building an ascension funnel and learn how from Dotcom Secrets. [03:05] Ensure that your price points are above $1000. [03:35] Continue marketing to people once you get their email address. [04:22] Use count-down timers to encourage people to buy before a certain time. [04:36] Adding a survey to determine which funnel you should send prospects to. [05:04] That’s it for today! [05:12] To stay updated with events and learn more about our mastermind, go to the Marketing School site for more information. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Sam Ovens Russell Brunson EverWebinar Webinar Jam Dotcom Secrets Dean Jackson Leave Some Feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review.

2020 is full of unpredictability. This is a long term strategy that is almost guaranteed to build growth, if you can implement it. Product Led Growth has worked extremely well for companies like HubSpot. How can you apply it in your own business?

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

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

We speak about how your mental health affects your marketing and how to keep it healthy. Having the right mindset is so important for being effective and jumping on opportunities when they arrive, especially at a time like this. Tune in and hear some great hacks for optimizing your well-being, from setting a cap on daily calls to meditating, journaling, and a whole lot more! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:25] Today’s topic: How Your Mental Health Affects Your Marketing and How to Keep It Healthy. [00:30] Mental health doesn’t just affect marketing, but your overall effectiveness! [00:45] To be able to recognize a good opportunity, one has to be in the right mind frame! [01:25] Actions and habits that affect your life all start with your mental health. [01:55] The stress of the pandemic and how it encourages getting depressed or overworking. [02:56] Setting boundaries about how many calls to do per day. [03:50] Trying to only fill your calendar with things that produce ROI. [04:07] A tip for comparing yourself to others to get perspective and stay level headed. [04:50] Clearing your mind by meditating and taking time off. [05:28] Giving yourself time to be unproductive. [05:56] Setting things in order by journalling in The Five Minute Journal. [06:16] Going outside for a walk and monitoring your HRV using an Oura Ring. [06:55] That’s it for today! [06:56] To stay updated with events and learn more about our mastermind, go to the Marketing School site for more information. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Calm Headspace Peloton The Five Minute Journal Oura Ring

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

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

Here are give you three actionable lessons every marketer can learn from Tim Ferris! We talk about how Tim’s success can in part be attributed to his experimental nature, use of data in the content he produces, and willingness to keep learning! Tune in and hear what you can learn from Tim Ferris today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:25] Today’s topic: Three Actionable Lessons Every Marketer Can Learn From Tim Ferris. [00:32] Experimenting and building a brand by consistently marketing those experiments. [01:26] Don’t make claims! Content that uses data does better than content that doesn’t. [02:33] Tim is an obsessive learner; don’t stop learning no matter how successful you get. [03:27] That’s it for today! [03:29] To stay updated with events and learn more about our mastermind, go to the Marketing School site for more information. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Tim Ferris The 4-Hour Workweek The 4-Hour Chef Warren Buffet Mark Cuban Leave Some Feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review.

Gary Vaynerchuck has been innovating on different marketing strategies for years. But how does all that translate to tactics you can apply to your own business? In this bonus episode, we learn 7 things that Gary Vee does exceptionally well and if you take even one of these tactics and apply to your own business you can see incredible results!